April Fool

by D.J. Barnett

I thought that I’d be famous, I thought I’d write a book. I thought I’d live forever, The chances that I took.

I worked hard like they told me, I hardly missed a day. Did my best, I gave my all. I kept the wolves at bay.

Now it’s the first of April, Was never meant to be. I thought I was so clever, The April Fool is me.

I was an angry young man, I won most every fight. I sought to find the darkness, Myself hid from the light.

I lived my life so damn fast, Like shot out of a gun. But time and years, they caught me, I thought my race was run .

Now it’s the first of April, Was never meant to be. I thought I was so clever, The April Fool is me.

Then just as I was ready, To cash my chips all in. I met a girl who changed my life, My losses to a win.

My life has come full circle, It all makes so much sense. A wife and kids who love me, My blessings are immense.

Now it’s the first of April, I guess it’s meant to be. Left behind what I once was, That April Fool was me.

BUSINESS: THE INBOX

Successful Business Owners Master Soft Skills

by Rachel Shepard

There are many things that contribute to the success of a business including an understanding of the numbers, a business plan, a great product or service, and a great marketing and sales strategy.

Soft skills also are needed to be successful in business. It is believed that successful business owners have mastered the following: focus, leverage, structure, and solution-oriented thinking.

Successful business owners have great focus.

They focus on the most valuable and highest-paid activities.

Successful business owners know their profit margins for each product and service offered.

They focus on the work and tasks that will positively impact their bottom line. It is easy to become distracted in this fastpaced world. If you can focus, then you can succeed.

Successful business owners have mastered the use of leverage.

Leverage is simply the ability to influence an environment or system in a way that multiplies effort. While there are several types of leverage including financial leverage, there is also the leverage of people, tools and strategy.

Successful business owners understand that they need a solid team.

They hire the right people and leverage their time.

Successful business owners leverage relationships and tools such as technology to help grow the business, increase financial returns and boost productivity.

Successful business owners have mastered structure in business.

An effective organizational structure ensures a smooth workflow. A solid organizational structure will have clearly defined roles and responsibilities.

Everyone within a company is held accountable for their particular job function. There are policies and procedures in place, and the stakeholders work toward a common vision and goal.

The last mastered soft skill is the ability to be solution oriented.

A solution-oriented person will look for solutions instead of looking for something or someone to blame. Focusing on problems causes anxiety and stress; it causes our brains to shut down. When we are solution oriented, we are back in charge and have a sense of control.

As Helen Keller once said, “Keep your face to the sun and you will never see the shadows.”

BUSINESS: RISE AND SHINE Budgets Open Doors

by Bryan Lefelhoc

A word can have different meanings, depending on your mindset, and perhaps the way you see the world. For instance, the word “diet” can mean that you are not allowed to eat. In this case, it is better not to go on one!

What if you switched it around, though?

What if the word “diet” could define your menu and open up opportunities for more of what you most enjoy, or toward the healthiest options?

In business, “budget” is a word like that. It can be so scary that people refuse to set one, and that is a mistake.

Sometimes, a budget is viewed as an allowance, or a limitation but not setting a budget can have a crippling effect on a business, especially a fledgling one trying to create some momentum.

Feeling strapped or afraid of spending because of a budget can stop a business in its tracks and force missed opportunities.

If the attitude toward a budget is turned around, it becomes freeing and can open up a wealth of opportunities.

Setting a plan for success, then implementing it, can help a business grow on target, on budget and on purpose.

Getting started is easy with these following steps.

Begin with profit. Business owners should make a plan to pay themselves.

In his book “Profit First,” Mike Michalowicz writes that business people often work themselves to the bone without ever having anything left over to reward themselves. A business that is not profitable, even with as little as 1 percent left over, is not a viable business.

Separate spending into buckets. Plan for the utilities and taxes, but also for marketing, charitable donations, rainy day funds, etc.

These are things needed for growth and must be planned for accordingly. Set aside a percentage of income for each in advance.

Finally, change the paradigm on budgets in general. Budgets do not have to be big; they just have to be. A budget does not have to say “NO.” A budget says you can!

Rachel Shepard is the founder of LonaRock, LLC, and a Medina County resident. She specializes in helping businesses understand financials and access capital. Learn more about Shepard at https://bit.ly/3h0LFEY Shepard can be reached by email at rshepard@lonarock.com

Bryan Lefelhoc is founder and president of Bryan Media Strategies LLC, a boutique “company of one” marketing firm. Learn more about Lefelhoc and his expertise at https://bit.ly/3FqMBfl Email Lefelhoc at bryan@bryanmediastrategies.com

BUSINESS: THE NETWORKER Networking Tangle

by Bob Arnold

“Okay, I’m going to do it this time!” Deep breath.

“I’m going to meet new people.”

In she walks to the networking event.

Two steps in, she hears, “Hey Jody, what’s up?”

Sharon, her friend, caught her attention. They caught up with each other.

The next thing Jody heard was the host saying, “It’s time to find your seats so we can start the meeting portion of our time here.”

Jody gasped!

“I did it again!” she said to herself, with terror running through her brain.

This is one aspect of what I call “the networking tangle.” We lose focus of our reason for being at an event and get tangled up instead.

While it was a pleasant discussion Jody had with Sharon, neither of them met anyone new.

I recently attended a networking event of more than 200 people, and two colleagues of mine were in the room. I touched base with them to say, ‘Hi,’ plus about one sentence of comment, then moved on. One of them, I asked where he was sitting.

Then I found a seat at another table.

Sound rude? Not on your life.

If I am going to meet people, I must be among people I do not know. I walked out of the event with five business cards of people I did not know before I walked in. Two of them were already committed to introducing me to a colleague of theirs in my town. A third expressed interest in attending one of my networking events and has already done so.

So many times, we get caught up in the networking tangle, which serves to put a bit of confusion into the mix.

Do not misunderstand; there is value to getting caught up with a friend, however the goal is to meet new people. Set up a coffee time with the person you know and move on.

At networking events, I always sit at tables full of people I do not already know. When I explained this to the colleague I did not sit with, he expressed that he already knew that about me and did not expect me to sit at his table. Avoid the tangle – instead work the tango!

Bob Arnold is the founder of ONward Networking and the international best-selling author of “The Uncanny Power of the Networking Pencil,” which can be purchased at https://amzn.to/2KSy3Xm. Learn more about Arnold at https://bit.ly/3VLzr1S Contact Arnold at TheNetworkingPencil@gmail.com