Small Business Today Magazine - October 2012 Edition by Small Business Today Magazine

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SBT Houston Staff OCTOBER 2012

FROM THE

Publisher

STEVE LEVINE

Everything I Learned About Being a Small Business Owner and Entrepreneur...I Learned From My Mom & Dad I grew up in 50’s & 60’s as the son of small business owners. Mom and dad (Pearl & Eugene Levine) owned and operated two dry goods stores (“Levine’s Dry Goods” in Nyack, New York and Pearl River, New York) that they would come to inherit from my paternal grandparents. Interestingly enough, my uncle Louis (my grandfather’s brother) owned “Levine’s Furniture” with his son (Eugene also) in Nyack as well. Actually, as far as I can tell from Ancestory.com, not only were my parents and their parent’s small business owners, but my great grandparents were as well. It is important to note, that my parents did not choose the business for themselves. Each had dreams of going to college and choosing their own career and business paths, but were suppressed by their parents from attending college and were expected to work in and eventually own and operate the “Family” business. My parents worked hard in a business that they did not choose for themselves until the larger stores forced them to close down (think of the movie, “You’ve Got Mail”). My mom and dad worked hard in that business (she until a week before she passed away from Breast Cancer) to provide for my sister and I. I learned many things about being an entrepreneur and small business owner from them that I would like to share with you in this column: Work Ethic They worked many, many hours in their businesses. My mom worked every day up to the week that she lost her battle with breast cancer. Honesty & Integrity I watched them deal with customers, suppliers and everyone else with honesty and integrity. I learned to just do the right thing all the time…no matter what. Dedication to Customer Satisfaction They had a policy of “Lose the Sale, Not the Customer.” No matter how wrong the customer was, they would cheerfully refund the customers money. This always amazed me. They assured me that by doing so, they would not only keep the customer, but, receive their testimonials and benefit of their referrals. Community Involvement Despite the fact that they had very little time for each other, they knew that they needed to serve the communities that their businesses were in. My dad was a member of the Civil Air Patrol and President of the Pearl River Board of Trade. He served on the Soap Box Derby Committee and on the committee of my Boy Scout Troop. Mom was President of the Tappan Zee Garden Club and headed up many civic improvement projects in our town and county. She also found time to be the Den Mother for my Cub Scout Den. Commitment They could have very easily given up the retail businesses that they inherited to pursue their original dreams after my grandparents passed away, but they remained committed to the that family business that people depended on. Their commitment was not limited to their business, but extended to their family, friends and their G-D and each other. My dad was a widower for the remaining 38 years of his life and never remarried. He just never found anyone as wonderful as my mom. I knew there were certain “Trade Offs” for the small business ownership that fed and clothed my sister and I. There were many times that I stepped out on the high school wrestling mat to meet an opponent and knew they could not be there to cheer me on when I won or console me when I did not. Such was also the case when I was in the high school marching band and we preformed during half time at the football games and I knew they weren’t (couldn’t) be there. I even attended a few “Father/Son” sports banquets on my own. But, there were a lot of other times when they were there for me and I was always very grateful for those times. Now, I am not only grateful for the things that they worked very, very hard to provide myself and my sister, but, for the lessons that I learned from them as I am able to pursue my own business (with this magazine) that provides the content that start up entrepreneurs and small business owners need to get started and keep growing. Good Reading, Good Sales and Success to you, Steve Levine Publisher

www.SBTMagazine.net

President John Cruise Executive Publisher Steve Levine Editor/Creative Director Barbara Davis-Levine Business Development/PR Bill Huff Donna K. Rooney Graphic Design Vanessa Vara Photographers Eric Kleiman Contributing Writers Errol Allen Barbara Davis David T. Domzalski Julie Marie Irvin Erich Fruchtnicht Toni Harris Bruce Hurta Sharon C. Jenkins Jeffrey Jones Steven Kay Bertrand McHenry Sal Mistry Hank Moore Erica Murray Amy Olivieri Rita Santamaria Alvin Terry Aimee Woodall Jack Warkenthien Jessica Weatherford Chief Advisor Hank Moore Publisher’s Advisory Board Debra Bann Cyndi Barnett John Cruise Maya Durnovo Kathie Edwards Leonard Faucher David Holt Richard Huebner Julie Marie Irvin Jeffrey Jones Steven Kay Craig Klein H. Quincy Long Bertrand McHenry Hank Moore Mike Muhney Dan Parsons Neil Polansky Susan Repka Rita Santamaria Allen Shapiro Pam Terry Jack Warkenthien Doug Winnie R.D. Yoder Aaron Young Phone: 832-460-2020 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 OCTOBER 2012 | PG 3

INSIDE

HOUSTON OCTOBER 2012 EDITION

“M

IN THIS ISSUE A House You Can Live In Forever 8 Entrepreneurs Tool Box Budgeting! What's in Your Business's Future 9

Grant Sadler - GMS Dental Centers of Excellence

Todd Woodruff - Mr. Electric of Midtown

"Helping Realtors® & Home Builders Make Homes That Shine"

Making Houston Smile with an Innovative Style!

Reengaging Customers After a Summer Hiatus 10 Social Media Security 11 Professional Education: Necessary for Company Success 12 What Makes Real Estate Eligible for SBA Government-Backed Financing 14

Would you or your company like to be profiled in our next issue?

The Benefits of Keeping Things Local 16 Rebuilding Haiti: An Emerging Market and an International Option for Business 17 Effectively Running Your Entrepreneurial Venture Naturally 18

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Proposal Secrets: Choose Clarity Over Clichés 20 3 Ingredients for a Winning Culture 24 Your Next Step: Research Shows Training Employees Pay Off with Profits 26

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Should Your Brand Get Political? 30 Predictable Systems & the 3 Levels of Relationship Entrepreneurs Must Master for Success 31 Time vs. Money 32

Your Business May Have Goodwill, but Does it Have Goodwill Value? 36 Tips for Hiring the Right People to Service Your Customer 38 4 Drastic Steps to Turn Your Business Around 40 Ms. Mogul™ Says "Go Global" 41

www.SBTMagazine.net

For more information contact Steve Levine at: 832-460-2020

Milly Kammerdiener Newhomeprograms.com "Faith will Make it Happen"

HOUSTON EDITION PUBLISHER: STEVE LEVINE SMALL BUSINESS MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY LEGACY PUBLISHING GROUP, LLC. 5380 WEST 34TH ST. STE. 230 HOUSTON, TX 77092 EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER: STEVE LEVINE PRESIDENT: JOHN CRUISE PHONE: 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.

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 5

EDITORIAL FEATURE

A House You Can Live In Forever

THE BUSINESS OF REAL ESTATE

By Rita Santamaria

D, Universal Design, is the design of products and environments that are useable by most people, regardless of their level of ability or disability. This is at little or no extra cost to the homeowner while increasing the value of the home.

doors for someone carrying a baby or someone with weak hands. Mirrors placed where they can be seen from sitting or standing positions such as tilting or full length mirror, mean you don’t have to crane your neck or turn awkwardly to see yourself.

up custom design, exquisite trim work but smart homeowners also imagine a home that is their “forever home”. The UD home allows you to start with the growth of a family with children, through midlife challenges, then into aging senior status while eliminating common physical limitations.

Universal Design brings together principles of accessible design. Accessible design means meeting the standards for handicapped access. Using adaptable design allows for revised plans for disabled use years later while having a normal layout or plan currently.

Not having floor level changes throughout the main level of the home increases safety and helps eliminate accidents from tripping and falling. This is helpful for toddlers as well as older seniors.

Rita Santamaria is the owner of Champions School of Real Estate in Houston, Austin, Ft. Worth, Dallas, San Antonio and On-line Campus. For more information www.ChampionsSchool. com

The words “dream home” may conjure

Using an ergonomic design allows people and things to interact more safely and for increased comfort of the inhabitants. Green design also comes into the UD planning. Environmentally friendly spaces not only help people with allergies to manmade materials but in time saves the homeowner money while helping the environment. One simple example of this is installing water purifiers for drinking water versus plastic water bottle use. Universal Design is called a lifespan design because planning today can allow for less expense later as the homeowner ages in place. UD creates spaces that can be used by everyone while being appealing. It doesn’t stigmatize anyone group of users.

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Real Estate, Loan Origination, Appraisal and Home Inspection

Some typical examples of preconstruction planning of lifespan living includes the following: A gently sloping, no step entry to the home meaning no porch step allows for baby stroller and wheelchair access without screaming wheelchair entrance to the home. Using levered door handles are an easier method of opening and closing

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SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 8

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

Entrepreneurs Tool Box Budgeting! What's in Your Business's Future

ENTREPRENEURS WORKBOOK

By Alvin E. Terry, MBA / Business Consultant, Dynamic Business Builders

hy Budgeting is Important! Owners of small companies “must” include an updated budget or budgets constantly. This can be a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and yearly process. This is a must project. There are several types of budgets that must be on-going that will help keep you and your company on course. You must create an “operating budget “and a “cash-flow budget” if nothing else. This will keep you in focus on where you are on a daily basis and your cash needs at any given point in time. This is a basic common sense approach to managing your company. Once you have defined a realistic budget as best as you can, this document must be monitored constantly to keep your business on track. Monitoring is easy once you have taken the time to thoroughly think through the needs of your company. All companies have the same have the same concerns and issues as it relates to keeping track of the money and the needs of your small or medium size business. If you do not know how to create a budget for your company you may need to consult with your Account or CPA in order to assist you in this creation with your specific needs in mind. It does not matter what type of business that you are in, it’s still all about sales/revenue, expenses/overhead, net profit and the bottom-line. Please be realistic with yourself. There are times that you must attend to catastrophic events that can wreak havoc on your operations flow, but that is

part of the fun in being an entrepreneur. Your business plan will include several budgets if prepared correctly. Business is constantly encountering changes; the economy is “dynamic”. There will always be forces that are not in your control. That is the excitement of being an Entrepreneur. The excitement of succeeding is what it is all about. If you do not want this feeling of exuberance and accomplishment, then get a hobby. A realistic budget can mean the difference between success and failure. This your road map and action plan. Budgets serve a variety of functions. Start-up companies will surely need one to get off of the ground. This is considered your immediate launch pad budget. It should be monitored constantly to see if you are on course for the first twelve months. After one year you will need an intermediate budget that will span from one to three years. If you make it through that threshold, then you will be looking at a long range budget that will take you from maintaining to sustaining. You may need a “specific project budget” if your business is tailored as such. Your budget is the translation of your strategic plan into measurable quantities that express the expected resources required that can be used to anticipate returns over a certain period. It serves as an action plan. It is a tool that can be adaptable for management to use to achieve its strategic goals. A budget serves four basic functions, each one of them critical in achieving

its strategic objectives. These functions are: • Planning • Coordinating and communicating • Monitoring progress • Evaluating Performance Planning is a 3 step process. It could be as easy as having target sales projections, reviewing options and predicting results. Most importantly, it can assist on deciding options. Coordinating and Communicating is making sure that all components of a company are in synchronization and listening to each other. Monitoring Progress is the actual comparing of the results with the budget. This feedback, or monitoring and evaluation of progress in turn allows for timely corrective action or actions. The difference between the actual results and the expected results is called a variance. This can be “favorable” or “unfavorable”. If better than expected then the results can result in happy times, if unfavorable, corrective actions should be taken immediately. Evaluating performance should lead to effective evaluation systems. These systems contribute to the achievements of your strategic goals and the budgets necessary that will provide the essential tools for measuring performance. Types of Budgets • Short-term versus Long-term • Fixed vs. Rolling Budgets • Incremental Budgets • Zero Based Budgeting Continued on page 10

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SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 9

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Reengaging Customers After a Summer Hiatus MARKETING MATTERS

Amy Olivieri Constant Contact

By Amy Olivieri, Regional Development Director, Constant Contact Ah, the ebbs and flows of the entrepreneurial life. Some days you’re too busy to eat a decent meal and other days seem to go on forever as you conjure up ways to drive business to your door. Add the dog days of summer to the mix, and marketing tends to fall off the to-do list.

minutes.

Perhaps you’ve let a few months slide between newsletters or email and now that fall is here, you want to reengage your customers. Regardless of the lapse in time you can easily pick up where you left off (though ultimately, your goal should be to have consistent outreach, year-round.

5. Create a customer spotlight. This puts the focus on the customer and shows the benefits of your products in action.

Before you dive back into email marketing tactics, here are some tips for reengaging your audience after a hiatus so you can keep the engine stoked for the long haul.

7. Create short and interesting polls that can be featured in one issue with a follow-up story in the following issue.

1. Set up a schedule and put ticklers in your calendar so you’ll allocate 15-30 minute increments of time each week to develop content. 2. Map out your content for the next three months before you reactivate your email marketing. Be sure to include a balance of news blurbs, tips, seasonal information, and offers. 3. Scale back the length of your newsletters if you’re struggling to come up with fresh content. It’s better to regularly communicate through short emails that can be read in less than five

4. Write down or record every idea. Ideas may hit you while standing in line or waiting in traffic so use your smartphone’s recording application to capture them before you forget.

6. Ask customers to weigh in on topics of interest.

8. Run contests with worthwhile rewards so customers will participate and pass along your email to their friends. 9. Use compelling images. Our eyes naturally go to pictures so think awesome visuals a-la Bing versus boring and overused clip art. 10. Link your content to newspaper headlines for a more engaging local angle while demonstrating your subject matter expertise. Amy Olivieri is Regional Development Director at Constant Contact

ENTREPRENEURS WORKBOOK Continued from page 9

• Kaizen Budgeting • Master Budget • Operating Budgets • Cash Budgets • Operating Asset Investment Plan Budgets • Capital Investment budget As you can see budgeting is a time intensive and essential tool. Someone must be held accountable at all times. In a small business that SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 10

person is “you”. Happy Budgeting! You can contact Alvin E. Terry, MBA Directly at 713-392-9107 or by email at alvin. terry@rocketmail.com www.dynamicbusinessbuilders.biz

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

Social Media Security By Erich Fruchtnicht

he greatest thing about today's interconnectivity is also the most dangerous. So many of our accounts are linked together for our convenience that hacking and stealing our entire lives becomes convenient for ne'er-dowells. A recent example has seen a fairly tech-savvy reporter lose nearly everything they ever put online to hackers. I will briefly summarize the event and the tell you how to take steps to avoid the same fate.

I'm sure many of you have seen how online services are gradually becoming more and more integrated. I can now log in to my YouTube account using my Google account information and I can log in to all kinds of social sites by using my Facebook account credentials. Twitter accounts can be linked to Facebook and LinkedIn accounts now as well and visa-versa. Convenient, right? The problem is that if all these accounts are linked to one another and easy for you and I to navigate, then once a hacker breaks into one of them he, she, or they will be able to easily navigate through your entire online "life" and take whatever they want. If someone were to hack the average person's Google+ account, then they could view their Google stock portfolios or collaborative Google Docs, take control of their YouTube account, get into their gmail, possibly even gain access to an Android or iPhone contact list, jump across to their Yahoo account and sometimes even into their LinkedIn and Twitter. www.SBTMagazine.net

My use of Google in the previous example is arbitrary. Hacking a Facebook account that is linked to other accounts can be exactly as troublesome. So now that I have hopefully thoroughly terrified you, I hope that you have a white-knuckled grip on this magazine (or your mouse if you're reading this online) and are feverishly reading past all of this to find the solution I promised above. Trust me; this is a big deal and you should take your online privacy and security very seriously. The solution, as it is proposed for now, is called "2-step verification" and has been made available on both Google and Facebook accounts. Go to your search engine of choice and type that in. I'll wait. When the search results return, look for the one that starts with support. google.com (the full URL should be: http://support.google.com/accounts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&topi c=1056283&answer=185839). This link will walk you through how to setup the verification. Part of this process, at least for Google, will be to "trust" your computer as the main system you will use to access your Google account. Be sure you are only trusting a computer that you own and do not share with people you do not trust. I would also recommend that you install the Google Authenticator app on your mobile device which acts as a key/ password generator to verify your identity if you attempt to log in to

your account from an unrecognized computer. For your Facebook account, go turn on the "https" browsing feature by logging in to your Facebook account clicking the little down arrow in the top blue bar to the right of your name and selecting "Account Settings." In the menu that will appear to the left, click on "Security" and click on the "Secure Browsing" section at top to enable the https. I absolutely demand that you go enable the https browsing feature before you read another word. Seriously. This encrypts the connection between your computer and the Facebook servers and will vastly improve your account security. Depending on your browser settings some of the other features may not be easy to implement, but I would strongly recommend using "Login Approvals" and "App Passwords" if you use lots of Facebook Apps. The simple password is no longer enough in this ever evolving struggle to stay ahead of the determined hackers who get their thrills by causing you grief. We must all take responsibility for our digital lives and protect them as we would the contents of our home. Because, really, are they any less personal? Erich H Fruchtnicht is President / Principle Designer at TGDesign, LLC www.trinitygroupdesign.com or email him at erichf@trinitygroupdesign.com

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 11

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Professional Education: Necessary for Company Success

BIG PICTURE OF BUSINESS

By Hank Moore / Corporate Strategistâ&#x201E;˘

here is a difference between how one is basically educated and the ingredients needed to succeed in the longterm. Many people never amass those ingredients because they stop learning or don't see the need to go any further. Many people think they are "going further" but otherwise spin their wheels.

customized, it's not going to be effective.

There is a large disconnect between indoctrinating people to tools of the trade and the myriad of elements they will need to assimilate for their own futures. Neither teachers nor students have all the necessary ingredients. It is up to both to obtain skills, inspiration, mentoring, processes, accountability, creativity and other components from niche experts.

3. Human Resources Oversees Training. By their nature, HR departments are designed to uphold processes and systems. Training is about change, which contradicts the basic construction of HR. Not all HR people are versed in the subtle nuances of people skills and are, thus, not the best to supervise training. It really should not be under the thumb of HR.

Therein lies the problem. Training vendors sell what they have to provide...not what the constituencies or workforces need. Emphasis must be placed upon properly diagnosing the organization as a whole and then prescribing treatments for the whole, as well as the parts. Training should be conducted within a formal, planned program that addresses the majority of organizational aspects.

7 Biggest Misconceptions About Training 1. One Size Fits All.

If it's not

2. Trainers Are Business Experts. Generally, they are vendors who sell "off the shelf" products that target small niches within the organization. Few are schooled in full-scope business culture and have not been previously engaged to advise organizations at the top.

4. Trainers Write the Training Plans. All major departmental plans should be written objectively and in concert with the Strategic Plan...by qualified advisors. Training companies often give free assessments in order to sell their programs. Free surveys do not constitute a cohesive plan. Let trainers do what they do best: training. Let experienced planners design the training plan, with input from trainers included. Don't let the plan evolve from a training company's sales pitch. 5. Only Industry Experts Can Train in Our Company. What companies

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 12

need most is objective business savvy and sophisticated overviews. Core industry "experts" only know core industry issues from their own experiences. Quality training must focus on dynamics outside the core business, yet should have relativity to the organization. 6. One Course Will Fix the Problem. Training is not a punishment for having done something "wrong." It's a privilege...a major benefit of employment. It unlocks doors to greater success, growth and profitability...for those trained and for the sponsoring organization. In order to be competitive in the future, today's workers will need three times the training that they are now getting. 7. That It's Supposed to Be Popular. The biggest mistake that meeting planners make is determining the effectiveness of training and training professionals via audience survey. Most conference evaluation forms are lightweight and ask for surface rankings...rather than for nuggets of knowledge learned. Speakers and training budgets are therefore judged upon whimsical comments of individual audience participants... which get harsher when the training is for topics they need, rather than things they would "prefer" to hear. Voices of reality are always criticized by people who really are not qualified to assess them.

www.SBTMagazine.net

7 Levels of Training 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Mandated. Basic Education. Informational. Technical, Niche Skills. Procedural. Optional. Insightful-Deep-Rich-Meaningful.

7 Levels of Mandated Training 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Fix Those People. Stay Where You Are. This Is the Way It Is. Accept Our Pet Project. Things "They" Are Making Us Do. What We Want to Teach You. You'll Do It, and You'll Like It.

recognition. Learn about planning, tactics, organizational development, systems improvement. Active decision maker, able to take risks. 6. Mentor-Leader-Advocate-Motivator. Finely develop skills in every aspect of the organization, beyond the scope of professional training. Amplify upon philosophies of others. Mentoring, creating and leading have become the primary emphasis for your career.

and growing professionally. Develop and share own philosophies. Longterm track record, unlike anything accomplished by any other individual... all contributing toward organizational philosophy, purpose, vision, quality of life, ethics, long-term growth. Hank Moore/Corporate Strategistâ&#x201E;˘ Phone: 713-668-0664 Website: http://www.hankmoore.com Email: hankmoore4218@sbcglobal.net

7. Beyond the Level of Professional. Never stop paying dues, learning

7 Levels of Training for Big Picture of Business 1. Pride in Workmanship. 2. Learning, Growing, Mentoring. 3. Fully Actualized Professionalism. 4. Amassing People Skills. 5. Pursuing Excellence. 6. Adding Value to the Organization. 7. Developing a Body of WorkKnowledge.

7 Plateaus of Professionalism 1. Learning and Growing. Develop resources, skills and talents. 2. Early Accomplishments. Learn what works and why. Incorporate your own successes into the organization's portfolio of achievements. 3. Observe Lack of Professionalism in Others. Commit to sets of standards at role, job, responsibilities, relationships. Take stands against mediocrity, sloppiness, poor work and low quality. Learn about the culture and mission of organizations. 4. Commitment to Career. Learn what constitutes excellence, and pursue it for the long-term. Enjoy well earned successes, sharing techniques with others. 5. Seasoning. Refining career with several levels of achievement, honors,

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SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 13

EDITORIAL FEATURE

What Makes Real Estate Eligible for SBA Government-Backed Financing? By Bruce Hurta

or business owners who are purchasing, constructing, or refinancing their owneroccupied business real estate, SBA financing provides lower down payment requirements, longer repayment terms, and easier qualifying criteria than conventional bank loans. Not all commercial real estate, however, is eligible for SBA financing. Since the SBA loan programs are actually business loans, rather than real estate loans, only owner-occupied small business real estate is eligible for SBA financing. What kinds of real estate are, therefore, ineligible for SBA financing? Basically, ineligible real estate is property that is not used and owneroccupied by a small business. This would include undeveloped raw land and investor property held for rental income such as apartments, multi-tenant office buildings, mobile home parks, single tenant buildings, and multi-tenant retail strip centers. The good news is that a small business is eligible to purchase or construct a new building with SBA financing, even though they have some rental income from tenants in the property. The SBA rule that dictates eligibility requires the small business purchaser of an existing property to immediately occupy at least 51% of the square footage under roof. For new construction, the small business must immediately occupy at least 60% of the square footage under roof. Following are some examples of real estate which is eligible for SBA financing:

• • • •

Office/warehouse property Manufacturing facility Child daycare facility Medical, dental, chiropractic

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

veterinary clinic Restaurant or catering facility Hotel RV park or campground Assisted living facility Drycleaner or Laundromat Self storage facility Salon Attorney, CPA, insurance agency or other professional office building Gas station, convenience store or carwash Auto repair facility Wholesale or manufacturer’s rep business Oilfield or other service business Antiques mall Auto, motorcycle, boat or equipment dealer Retail store Bottling plant Machine shop

The above list is not a complete listing of all SBA-eligible business properties; however, it displays a good sampling of the possibilities. When should a small business owner consider SBA financing for their real estate instead of conventional bank financing? Because many businesses have a track record and good relationship with a conventional bank lender, SBA financing may not be appropriate for them. The business owner who will benefit from SBA financing may have lost his long term banking relationship. When shopping for a new lender, he may find bank financing requiring a large down payment such as 30%, or the bank may require excess collateral for the loan, or they offer only short term financing instead of a 25 year loan offered through the SBA program. Because most SBA loans have a variable rate of interest tied to changes in the Wall Street Journal

Prime Rate, some borrowers will fear the interest rate risk. What they do not contemplate is that the conventional bank loan is typically a short term loan for three years or five years, and they will once again have interest rate risk at that time. Also, with a short term bank loan, there is renewal risk. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard from business owners who just assumed their bank would renew their loan at maturity. That is not always so! If the business is experiencing any declining trends in revenue at the time for renewal, they might be denied for credit risk. If the bank changed ownership or management, they might be denied for new policy reasons. If the bank was taken over by the FDIC, there may no longer be a bank to discuss renewal terms. The typical SBA real estate borrower is one who justifies the interest rate risk with other advantages in the loan structure. These include factoring in changes in the interest rate to feel confident the payments are manageable even with interest rate increases. The business owner may also be comforted by knowing the SBA government backed loan got them into property ownership with much less down payment which preserves cash for the business. Additional comfort comes from knowing the loan will stay in place for 25 years if needed. Finally, an SBA loan allows them to enjoy ownership while establishing a payment track record on the SBA loan. This could help them qualify for more attractive refinancing terms after two or three years. The SBA 7(a) loan has prepayment penalties only for the first three years. The business owner can still pay ahead on the loan principal up to 25% of the loan balance in each of the first three years while Continued on page 17

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 14

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Gil Garza owner of G Ernest Desgin In a world of off-the-rack imitations, custom tailored garments by G. Ernest Designs are of such impeccable taste, others immediately recognize you as a leader. When you walk through the door of your office, your client’s office, your club, community or philanthropic organization you do so with confidence, knowing your apparel is just right.

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

The Benefits of Keeping Things Local By David T. Domzalski

s business owners, many of us have this dream of becoming an international success and being asked to speak at all of the big events and conferences. It’s only a natural feeling – especially with our ability to reach people from all over the world with the Internet. After all, being an entrepreneur means never being satisfied and always looking for ways to grow and get better. However, in my quest for business domination, I have recently learned the importance of keeping things local and focused on my own community. With my company, I have come to a point where I need to re-focus my efforts and evaluate my priorities. Right now, I am not thrilled with the amount of traffic I am receiving to my website. Two books have been published under my company’s name as well. On top of that, I have put together videos and podcasts to put my company out there for the world to see. And finally – like many of us do – I have a “side project” that I know will make it all come together. With all that said, I am still not where I want to be. Now, you may be saying to yourself: “Well, no kidding, David. Even ‘overnight success stories’ take years to put together.” And you would be right. My company is a little over two years old and I have pivoted a few times in terms of direction and where I wanted to go. That is why, after a strong suggestion from my beautiful wife, I decided

to speak with a few business development consultants in my local area. One consultant suggested that I was spreading myself too thin basically. I had a lot going on. And while I was doing well with the website, books, and interviews, I needed to further define my company’s focus and target market. Going for national acclaim and recognition is not cutting it at the moment. My company is still too young and it’s hard to really drive a national campaign for a startup media company that isn’t backed by millions of dollars. So, the consultant suggested I keep things focused on my local community, namely Newtown, PA and Bucks County, PA. By doing so, I can make a name for myself as a “local celebrity” and get people in the area to know more about what my company does. From there, this could allow me to increase my reach to the state of Pennsylvania and other states in my region. But, at the end of the day, you have to start from somewhere. So, what is my plan you ask and how can you do something similar in your area? Well, first off, I plan to focus my efforts over the course of a 90-day period. I got this idea from Mike Michalowicz’s Toilet Paper Entrepreneur. It’s a great read. I highly recommend it. Here is my four-step plan for local domination: 1.

Become

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 16

known

the

community by writing for local newspapers, getting quotes in said newspapers, writing and contributing to local blogs (like your local Patch. com site), and appearing on local radio stations. I will also attempt to get my own radio program on the weekends at a local radio station. 2. Attend as many networking events as possible each month and get on as many committees as I can handle. 3. Instead of only focusing on interviewing entrepreneurs and experts from all over the world, I will interview one entrepreneur, expert, or business owner from my local area once per week. This can give me more credibility in the business community. 4. Sell my books in local bookstores and at local events. This is pretty self-explanatory as it puts my books in front of people all over the area. In addition, I will have local entrepreneurs and writers review my book and get their endorsements. Well, this is my plan. Please feel free to email me with your thoughts, suggestions, and problems. I will keep you updated on my progress and reevaluate things come November. David T. Domzalski is the founder of Financial Bin, a media company focused on personal finance and entrepreneurial education for Generation Y. You can contact David through email or visit his website: FinancialBin.com and david@ financialbin.com

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

Rebuilding Haiti: An Emerging Market and an International Option for Business Erica A. Murray

MARKET PLACES By Erica A. Murray International business has become the mecca for the 21st century and more and more entrepreneurs have embraced this philosophy as a viable option to expand their companies. Many times, these expansions are most successful with emerging markets because of the need to rebuild and incorporate various dimensions into the community and society. Haiti is the newest emerging market for the thriving and budding entrepreneur! Since its devastating earthquake in 2010 the country is in dire straits for literally every aspect of business. It has been identified as one of the most devastated natural disaster areas in the country, leaving its inhabitants unsettled about the future. Rebuilding has been an even harder challenge for many to fathom as they watch through their televisions from every location in the world. Perplexed by the uncertainty of the political system, coupled with the lack of resources that locals possess, it is mind boggling for many to conceptualize a triumphant rebound for this country. Some ask, why invest in Haiti? On the other hand, shrewd business owners, entrepreneurs and trendsetters will respond, "Why not?" Haiti has opened a haven of wealth for North American investors and others, if they open their eyes to acknowledge the opportunity before them. If you are seeking an expansion for your small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), Haiti may be the ideal location. This once beautiful Caribbean Island is opened for business and the most promising aspect is they

are making it easy for foreign direct investors (FDI) to be successful. Will you be one of them? There are a multitude of investment and project financing opportunities which can yield high rates of return on your investments, if you are ready for a flourishing business expansion. The goals of the Haitian government is to rekindle economic growth, rebuild infrastructure damaged by the storm, expand access to public services, environmental preservation, wastewater systems, renewable energy options, garment factories and feasible employment for its citizens, that's just to name a few. The hospitality and tourism industry is seeking hotel and resort investors, as well. As an added benefit for the security of your investments abroad, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), an entity that specializes in assisting small businesses, provides risk insurance for projects that foreign direct investors participate. Another resource to gather information about conducting business in Haiti is the Haiti Renewal Alliance (www.haitirenewalalliance.org), a non-profit organization. It is time for small and medium-sized companies to take their place to lead the business world and to be the change they want to see in the worldâ&#x20AC;Śtogether small business owners can make an impact and change Haiti. Erica A. Murray is an International Business Consultant and is the owner of a boutique consulting firm, Erica A. Murray Consulting and may be reached at 800-580-2113 x 2200 or you may visit her websites (www.ericaamurray.com or www.ceotothepowerofyou.com).

Continued from page 14

prepayment penalties exist, without incurring the penalty. Another advantage on an SBA real estate loan includes being able to finance loan closing costs and other business needs such as financing for working capital, new business equipment, and debt consolidation. Once again, since this is a business loan, rather than a pure real estate loan, the use of loan proceeds can be flexible. In summary, any business owner needing to borrow up to $5 million for small business real www.SBTMagazine.net

estate should investigate all options including SBA financing. With SBA financing, we have happy borrowers who found a way to own their real estate and control their destiny when other financing options did not work for them. Bruce Hurta is Business Lending Manager with Members Choice Credit Union. You can reach him at 281-754-1112 or by email bhurta@mccu. com For other educational articles on SBA loans, see Bruce Hurtaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blog at http://brucehurta. wordpress.com/.

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

Effectively Running Your Entrepreneurial Venture Naturally By Sal Mistry

f you ask an extremely effective entrepreneur, “What makes you more effective than an average entrepreneur at running your venture?” you will most likely get a confident, yet ambiguous and lessthan-accurate answer – that is, if you get an answer at all. The reason? These entrepreneurs may not even know the answer because they are just doing what comes naturally. Last year, I had the benefit of administering personality tests to over 131 entrepreneurs in 24 service and manufacturing industries in 22 states. On average, their ventures were 7 years old and have 14 employees. Furthermore, these entrepreneurs come from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, are on average 46 years old, 44 percent female, and 80 percent have a four-year college degree. To better understand the characteristics that separate them from their peers, I measured five main personality traits (extraversion, conscientiousness, emotional stability, openness to experience, and agreeableness). More specifically, I examined which personality factors are related to an entrepreneurial effectiveness, defined as being able to plan, set direction, delegate, assign and coordinate tasks, communicate, lead by example, create a team spirit, use rewards and punishments, and ultimately provide overall leadership effectiveness. The results indicate that the three personality traits that directly influence an entrepreneurs’ ability to effectively run their ventures are extraversion, emotional stability, and agreeableness. After describing the personality attributes that are related (and unrelated)

to effective entrepreneurs below, I have provided applicable suggested actions. 1. Assertive and socially adept Extraversion measures the degree to which a person is assertive, dominant, energetic, active, talkative, and enthusiastic. Conversely, an individual who is low on extraversion can be characterized as preferring to spend more time alone and is reserved, quiet, and independent. The results indicate that highly extraverted entrepreneurs are more able to effectively run their entrepreneurial venture. These effective entrepreneurs are energetic, active, assertive, and dominant in social situations; they experience more positive emotions, are optimistic and seek excitement and stimulation – all which enable them to be more effective. 2. Hard Work doesn’t necessarily cut the muster Being a hard worker or conscientiousness is a personality trait that describes an individual’s degree of perseverance, organization, strong work ethic, and initiative or motivation in the pursuit of goal accomplishment. Interestingly, the results indicate that being a conscientious hard worker may not help - this may seem counterintuitive especially since every business book says “work hard”. What may help to reduce your dissonance is to ask yourself, if I simply work hard at coordinating tasks, an element of entrepreneurial effectiveness, does that necessarily mean I am highly effective at coordinating tasks? 3. No moody blues

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Perpetual discouragement and unease, otherwise known as neuroticism, is an individual difference in adjustment and emotional stability. Individuals high on neuroticism tend to experience a number of negative emotions including anxiety, hostility, depression, selfconsciousness, impulsiveness, and vulnerability. These individuals are also described as being low on emotional stability. The results indicate entrepreneurs who scored high on emotional stability are self-confident, calm, even tempered, and relaxed – each of which led them to be more effective in running their entrepreneurial venture. 4. Curiosity kills the…. Curiosity or openness to experience describes someone who is intellectually curious, imaginative, and creative. In addition, it describes someone who seeks out new ideas and values aesthetic standards. Like conscientiousness, the results indicate being curious does not make you effective at running your venture. This makes sense especially if your curiosity impedes your ability to effectively operate your venture. For example, would you ever have time to actually lead by example if you spent most of your time curiously examining all the ways you can lead by example? 5. Most effective trait: Smiling, happy people, holding… Agreeableness assesses one’s interpersonal orientation (e.g. attitude and behavior toward other people). Features of agreeableness include cooperation, trustfulness, compliance, and affability. Conversely, an www.SBTMagazine.net

individual who is low on agreeableness can be characterized as manipulative, head-strong, self-centered, suspicious, or ruthless. Most interestingly, the results indicate that highly agreeable entrepreneurs make highly effective entrepreneurs. This makes sense given that highly agreeable individuals have cooperative values, a preference for positive interpersonal relationships, and are characterized as altruistic, trusting, forgiving, and caring. Simply put, these folks are team (versus self) oriented. Their humility and modesty enables them to more effectively plan, set direction, delegate, assign and coordinate tasks, communicate, lead by example, create a team spirit, and use rewards and punishments. Suggested Entrepreneurial Actions: Please remember - you are who you are - personality traits are “stable” and “natural” traits. If you think you may score lower than average on extraversion, emotional stability, or agreeableness, you should consider hiring professional managers or contractors high on these traits to help you effectively run your entrepreneurial venture. Alternatively, you can seek training, at some personal (mental) cost, to balance your natural deficiencies – however, some research has found that this may cause a certain level of stress leading to emotional exhaustion and feelings of failure – especially since you are trying to behaviorally change your true nature. Sal Mistry is PhD Student at the Mays School of Business at Texas A&M University, smistry@mays.tamu.edu

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

Proposal Secrets: Choose Clarity Over Clichés By Julie Irvin

proposal is your opportunity to show your prospective customer why your company is the best solution to their problem. Excessively elaborate language and overused clichés that fill up pages but don’t provide substance will leave your reader thinking you didn’t put much thought or effort in to your proposal. Clichés are worn-out phrases or words that we have heard so often, they are no longer effective. We're so used to them, we don't think about them anymore, but when we use them, we don't sound very smart or original. Many people use business clichés and jargon to simply mask the fact that they don’t know what they’re talking about. Use clear and concise language to send a message that you are the knowledgeable professional your potential customer has been looking for.

proposals:

When you find clichés in your writing, substitute them with plain English that conveys the same meaning. Take some time to think through what you are trying to convey with the shorthand of cliché. Then create a new sentence that plainly delivers your message without the use of tired phrases. Sounding smart won’t make you a success. Clear communication will. Avoid hiding behind depleted language and you will find your proposal writing will become brighter, more readable and help boost your visibility.

Circumstances beyond our control City fathers Clean slate Close the loop Come full circle Confirming our conversation Considered opinion Conspicuous by its absence Cream of the crop Cross that bridge when we get to it Crying need Customer intimacy Cut to the chase

Here is a list of a few cliché examples that you should avoid when writing

A can of worms A-1 A slam dunk As a matter of fact At the end of the day At this point in time Attached hereto Avoid it like the plague Awaiting further orders Back to the drawing board Bang for the buck Banner week Benefit of the doubt Beside the point Best-of-breed Better late than never Bite the bullet Block out Built-in safeguards Burning bridges Burning the midnight oil

Dark horse Dead meat Discreet silence Dog-and-pony show

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 20

Double down Drastic action Drill down Driving down costs Each and every Easier said than done Existing conditions Feel free to Few and far between Final analysis Food for thought Foregone conclusion Get everyone on the same page Give the green light Goes without saying Golden boy Good team player Grave concern Grind to a halt Had me stumped Hammer out a deal Hard and fast Hat in hand Have a field day Heard it through the grapevine Horns of a dilemma Hot pursuit Ill-fated In close proximity In no uncertain terms In the loop In the pipeline In this day and age Innocent bystander Iron out the problem Inside track Involve all our/your stakeholders It is a marathon, not a sprint It is what it is www.SBTMagazine.net

Out of the loop

Keep options open

Paradigm shift Point blank range Point in time Point with pride Pushing the envelope

Last analysis Last but not least Last-ditch effort Leaves much to be desired Level playing field Line of least resistance

Quick and dirty

Make sure weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re pulling in the same direction Make the case for Man of the hour Marked contrast Moment of truth Moot point More or less Moving the goalposts Narrow escape Needless to say Needs no introduction No brainer Nose to the grindstone One in the same Ongoing dialogue Open and shut

Spending a bundle Strike while the iron is hot Substantive and sustained change

Raising the bar Reading from the same page Read between the lines Reinventing the wheel Research-proven and field-tested Running against the wind/tide Run of the mill Sacred cow Said and done Seamless infrastructure Seamless transition Second to none Seeing the big picture Select few Serious money Seat of the pants Smoke and mirrors

Take it off-line Thanking you in advance The big picture The whole nine yards Thinking outside the box Those present Tie-breaker Too numerous to mention Track record Turnkey operation Unprecedented opportunity Unprecedented situation Wear and tear Where the rubber meets the road Winning and inclusive culture Without further ado Julie Marie Irvin, Keystone Resources 713-874-0162 Julie@keystoneresources.com

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“M

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

3 Ingredients for a Winning Culture By Jessica V. Weatherford

was a very young executive. At 25 I was promoted to CFO of my family’s successful, mid-sized construction company. The company was built upon loyalty, strong work ethic and quality work. An unspoken tenant of the company, and in fact the industry, is toughness. With lower confidence and experience than I should have had, I tried to appear tough. I had the skills and support needed to be successful, but not the years or credibility.

more responsive to change. Trust me when I say, no one missed my fake toughness.

A hardened demeanor is completely unnatural to me, so as a leader I always came off as half anxiety-inducing and half-comical. Inauthentic leadership lowers our credibility and in my case, the tough card lowered trust and motivation among my team. We weren’t motivated, we weren’t cohesive and we weren’t winning.

Motivation. Motivation is the difference between a person putting in their time, and a person showing up every day doing their best to support greatness in the organization. Employees are motivated when they know they have a strong impact on the work they are doing and on the organization as a whole.

I knew that I didn’t perform well when being managed through a stern voice and “or else” threats, so I needed to find a way to authentically motivate. I read, and read…and read. Two books changed my mindset completely: Drive by Daniel Pink and Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott. I had entered the world of engagement, the world of winning as a team.

Start with motivation:

Engagement is the hottest buzzword in business right now, and for good reason. An engagement-focused culture can raise productivity, increase retention and improve overall performance. Recently, a mountain of research has concluded that engagement is truly the magic ingredient to a high performing, winning organization. Once I discovered engagement, I knew I possessed the tools needed to authentically motivate my team to higher performance as well as comfortably manage out employees who were not a right fit. I began using the three elements of engagement daily and found my team more open to development and feedback, more willing to offer cost-saving ideas and

You may be tempted to file engagement under “soft stuff,” but I assure you it’s not just soft stuff, it’s performance. My team transformed from conflict-ridden to winning and collaborative in a matter of 6 months. The transformation to a winning culture is not as difficult as you may think and here’s how to get started.

these

tools

foster

1. Communicate line of sight. Every individual performs at a higher level when they know that their performance actually makes a difference. Make sure each employee knows how their performance matters to the organization as a whole. 2. Ask for feedback on work processes and adjust accordingly. No one knows the work better than those doing it. During your next performance review cycle, ask your employees to make three process suggestions and find at least one to implement. It will increase motivation and more than likely create efficiency, saving money.

employee’s feeling of fairness could erode satisfaction and prevent your winning culture. 2. Set some goals. Job satisfaction and life satisfaction are both strongly tied to striving for goals. Make sure you set more than one, but less than five, and that they are challenging yet attainable. Effectiveness. Effectiveness is a person’s ability to apply their skill strengths to meaningful objectives, as well as being able to hone and sharpen those skills. These tools will support your team’s development: 1. Target specific skills for development within a performance management system. The employee should pick at least one skill for continual development, while leadership should identify skill gaps. Offer training support internally or externally. 2. Allow employees to lead an occasional special project. This exposes employees to other skill sets and the leadership roles.

Job Satisfaction. Job satisfaction is exactly that, the level of satisfaction one has with their job.

Engagement is an ongoing process, not a destination. It will take time and most importantly, executive support. Gather your leaders and pick one tool to focus on. Give it a few months, not weeks to begin to take hold. One small step at a time and suddenly you will begin reaping the benefits of a winning culture.

Support job satisfaction with these small steps:

Jessica V. Weatherford is President/ CEO of Marble Arch Consultants, Inc.

1. Ensure salaries are in-line with market expectations. More money doesn’t always mean more motivation. However, a salary that doesn’t meet an

Contact her at Jessica@marblearchinc. com or call her at 925.408.9875

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 24

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

Your Next Step Research Shows Training Employees Pay Off With Profits By Jack Warkenthien

“T

hings are tough around here. We’ll be lucky if we can approach last year’s sales volumes.” That was the statement of a local company president, explaining that training his 10 sales reps was not a high-priority. In a month, he’ll take a final tally and realize they missed their quota for the year. And he’ll probably lose at least one sales person who felt underappreciated. Contrast that to the statement made by another area company president who decided to make training a priority despite the tough times. “One of our young salesmen sold a $50,000 machine soon after attending a training session,” the official reported. “The sale occurred because of a method he learned to overcome a price objection.” That official knows the value of his investment: Profits made from that one sale alone paid for a year of corporate training for his entire sales staff. In challenging economic times it’s easy to say, “No” or “Not now” to an investment in training. But, is it prudent? Two studies provide hard evidence that link investments in workplace learning with a company’s financial performance. The studies show what many trainers have been saying all along: Training doesn’t cost—it pays! The Magnificent Seven A graduate-level research project completed by Robert Klein, sales education manager for Nabisco, and

aided by Professor Dan Tanomery of Fairleigh Dickinson University, centered around what some U.S. companies are doing to train sales professionals. Of the 142 surveys sent out, 68 were returned for a 48 percent response rate. The companies chosen represented a variety of industries from consumer products to construction; telecommunications to financial services. The findings? There was a crystal clear correlation between sales training and seven key business results: 1. sales increases 2. market share increases 3. more new product rollouts 4. productivity increases 5. higher employee morale 6. customer satisfaction increases 7. competitive win backs The research also suggested that “standup” training may be the most effective, because it involves all of the interpersonal skills. Since sales involve interpersonal communications, the classroom will always be necessary. However, new tools (i.e., Web-based training, video/flash) can supplement the material and reinforce skills learned. Return on investment At the end of your day, you want to see the ROI — what’s your return on every dollar invested? Though there are many quantifiable methods to consider and metrics to use, try using one or both of the two offered below: 1. What’s a new sale worth to you?”

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 26

The object here is to divide the total proposed investment in training by the number of new and incremental sales needed to more than cover the costs. The amount of days, weeks or months needed to open that number of sales will yield your payback. Do you believe it’s reasonable to assume at least one more sale can be made with the new skills learned? Easy decision. Not to mention what the lifetime value (LTV) is for each new client you bring into your company family. The good ones will buy many times over the years. The great ones will not only buy from you, they’ll sell you to their associates. They’re called Crusaders. If the profit margins on new sales exceeded the overall investment, you have made an astute decision to train. 2. What’s an employee worth to you? Employee retention is crucial in today’s labor market. When you proactively choose to invest in your most valuable assets — your employees — what signal does that send? Every one of them will feel good about the investment you’re making in them. They feel like they’re important. High employee morale means low turnover. In fact, there is a key cost avoidance methodology that’s unique to your firm and only you know the variables. For instance, what’s it cost to hire a new employee (search firms, interview time, pre-employment testing, etc.)? What is your turnover rate for sales professionals per year? If you tend to lose two to three per year (at $10,000-$15,000 hiring costs per sales rep), but can reduce that number Continued on page 41

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ERIC KLEIMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Should Your Brand Get Political? SOCIAL MEDIA By Aimee Woodall

It’s election year, and that means there’s no more obvious way to exercise your American-ness than to become politically active. But you’ve probably noticed that everything from chicken nuggets to skinny jeans can be divisive. As a business owner or a marketing manager, you know that one way to get good press is to support a good cause (in this case, your favorite political movement), either through in-kind or monetary donations, often augmented by rallying customers. Or is it? When things get political, the line between “good” and “bad” is increasingly blurry. Transparency (like I’ve preached before) is as important as ever – but it can also lead to disastrous results. So what’s the right way to get up on your soapbox? Very, very carefully. Keep these questions in mind: Don’t do it like Urban Outfitters. Urban Outfitters CEO Richard Hayne was reportedly a major supporter of Republican presidential hopeful (and failure) Rick Santorum. It’s pretty hard to imagine Rick Santorum and Urban Outfitters in the same sentence unless you’re talking about an ironic t-shirt, so this revelation was quite alarming. Now, Richard Hayne has the right to privately support whomever he wants, especially since his donations were not made on behalf of his company. But, as a CEO of one of the most seemingly liberal clothing stores on the planet, it’s a major conflict of interest and undermines the entire brand of the company. Moreover, Hayne hasn’t been very forthcoming with his conservative advocacy. As you can see, depending on the brand and the customer base, political donations present a catch-22. Do it like Chipotle. You might not think of Chipotle as a politically active restaurant, but the leadership at this Burrito chain has gone all the way to Capitol Hill to lobby for cleaner food around the nation. Sure, there are probably a handful of politicians who, for whatever reason, are not in favor of cleaner food and Chipotle’s agenda, but as a customer it’s hard to argue. Chipotle is not only throwing money at a cause that makes things better for its customers (in a very direct way), but it is flexing its political muscles, showing that the company truly walks the walk. The cause is aligned with its brand and SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 30

its product, and it doesn’t force any additional values on its customer base. Be careful doing it like Chick-Fil-A. You might be sick of hearing about a certain fast food chain specializing in breaded chicken and “family values,” and I’m with you there, but there are lessons to be learned here. Chick-Fil-A decided to come clean with their political ties (which is good, ethically speaking) and declare their commitment to “family values” (aka anti-gay marriage legislation). Hard as it is to believe, this issue is of major debate in this country, so taking this stand lost Chick-Fil-A several customers. At the same time, it also attracted many new customers and strengthened the loyalty of many old ones – all while garnering tons of (good and bad) publicity. How is this different from Urban Outfitters? Philosophically, that it comes down to chicken – and the fact that chicken has nothing to do with marriage (gay or otherwise). Chicken is an equal-opportunity product, so making a political statement has more extreme consequences. If you decide to use your business as a political platform for something totally unrelated to your brand, be prepared for major attention – from both sides – and understand that you may ostracize yourself from your customers. Moving forward, ask yourself the following questions: • • • •

What would my customer base think? Does this donation/support help my customers directly? Is this cause polarizing? Do my customer and employee bases know where I stand?

There are not necessarily right or wrong answers, but they could be right or wrong for your business and its brand. Aimee Woodall/Black Sheep Agency Contact her 832.971.7725 or email at aimee@ theblacksheepagency.com Theblacksheepagency.com

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

Predictable Systems & the 3 Levels of Relationship Entrepreneurs Must Master for Success By Bertrand McHenry

uccess is ingrained in our psyche isn’t it? I am especially aware of this strong urge as the world closes out another Olympic Games. Were you glued to the television like most of us cheering, agonizing and allowing yourself to be swept up in the emotion of the athlete’s personal stories and their struggle? I am always intrigued by the differences in what makes up the winners from the losers. Yes I know, it’s the commitment to training, I get that, but there also seems to be, among the perennial winners, the consecutive Gold Medalists, a “training system”. Everything is tested, documented and measured until a steady predictable result is discovered and “Eureka!” a system is born. Most of us, if we are honest, do not operate via systems, we operate by routine. Let’s get real, the entrepreneurs life is, many times one of defaulting to the urgent rather than the highest priority. However, if we know our business “numbers” i.e.; closing ratio, sales cycles, average sale, overhead etc… we can begin to apply systems to our bottom line with exciting regularity, and I don’t know about you, but if my business revenue streams are predictable, that is exciting! For the sake of this conversation let’s deal with two words that are used fairly loosely in the business world…Networking and Referral Marketing. Networking is the process of developing and using contacts to increase your business, enhance your knowledge, expand your sphere of influence, or serve the community. Networking in this context is a vital business activity to help generate referrals, but let’s be clear it does not

mean direct prospecting! Referral Marketing is a business strategy to attract new customers or clients through a process of building relationships which result in a flow of personally recommended business. Now let’s go to work shall we? In his book Truth or Delusion, Dr. Ivan Misner and his coauthors bring up common misconceptions regarding networking and referral marketing. One common myth is that “You can’t predict referrals.” This seems to be a rational train of thought. I mean for years networking has always been seen as a “soft art”, and while necessary, not an activity you can measure or count on. How can you possibly predict when other people are going to give you a referral? However you can predict your income via referral IF you have a system. When you have a real customized functioning referral marketing “System” in place you will be able to know how many referrals you can expect over a specified time period, the quality of those referrals, what percentage of those referrals you will close, AND the average size of each sale. Referral Marketing is all about relationship. I know you’ve heard this, we all have but it bears repeating simply because in this hypercompetitive market place we tend to forget that. We need business and we need it NOW! When we are operating from that mindset we tend to be in the “ABCs of Sales” mode (Always Be Closing) and while we should be able to close, closing is not always the appropriate choice. Let’s take a look at a relationship model we’ll

call V+C+P or Visibility, Credibility and Profitability. V.C.P. is a sequential process. In other words, you must go from V to C to P…No shortcuts! Visibility: This stage happens at the first meeting. This is a great opportunity to make your best first impression. Would it help to know what your goal needs to be at this stage of relationship development? Here it is… all you need someone to think of you at this stage is that you are a friendly, likeable person, you’re trustworthy, and a good source of information and connection. That’s it! At this level of relationship you are in no position to begin the “selling” process! In fact when I go to mixers, I go specifically to get into Visibility with most people I meet. This is because I’m looking to build my Referral Partner Team and I use Visibility to serve others, but also to begin to strategically select future partners. So, when I find someone I want to proceed with, I begin to move that relationship into… Credibility: Once I identify a potential Referral Partner I begin to develop a relationship with that person. (There are at least 37 areas, ways and strategies to develop deep relationship) Once at the Credibility stage we have 1) supported one another’s businesses and 2) Passed referrals pretty consistently every week or so for 2 -3 months. This is a relationship in Credibility and is ready for a real conversation designed to take the relationship/friendship into… Profitability: At this level of relationship, you’ve approached your Referral Partner and said something along the lines of, “We’ve been supporting one another and making referrals for each other pretty Continued on page 36

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SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 31

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Time vs. Money LIFE, BUSINESS & MONEY By Steven Kay, Steven Kay Media LLC Talk Show Host & Producer, Media Consultant Steven Kay Steven Kay Media

We’ve all heard the expression “time is money”. Although there is certainly a lot of truth to this, I have always felt it never quite captured the true balance of time and money. To me, it is actually “Time VERSUS Money”. My good friend Jerry Hobby with Anything Internet says it best… “Some people have more time than money, and some people have more money than time”. Learning to balance the two properly is a struggle at some point for every entrepreneur, a struggle that many never truly overcome. I have a client who is always complaining about not having enough time to finish everything they need to handle, almost on a daily basis. Their company is quite profitable, but because of their own time restraints they are unable to grow anymore, at least experience any real significant growth. How often have you found yourself in this very spot in your business?

who have the time to handle such things and more, but the budget may not allow the ability to outsource or hire additional employees. Logically, this seems okay, and to an extent it is. However, you must be very careful because this too may be very deceiving and you still could be stunting your own growth. For example, if you are spending 40% of your time doing prospecting and sales work, and 40% of your serving your clients and customers, and 20% of your time handling all of the back end administrative functions of your business… just imagine if you took that 20% of your time and dedicated it to prospecting and sales, and it increased your business by 50% (do the math on your time). How would that affect both your time and your money?

Think of all of the things you do day in and day out in your own business. We all get caught up working on things that need to be done in order From the outside for our business to looking in, the continue to run, but "We all get caught up working solution here is very that does not mean simple. Identify the that we are the best on things that need to be done activities that you or the only person in order for our business to are currently doing that can do them. that are not helping With the proper use continue to run, but that does not you grow your of technology and business, and then mean that we are the best or the other resources, find someone else there are many only person that can do them." to do them so you options to resolving can focus on what this issue of “Time is more important. VERSUS Money”. These are the tasks that need to be done From hiring virtual assistants, to using computer to maintain your business, but they do not software or online services, to hiring part or necessarily need to be done by you. You have full time help, to outsourcing to specialized to learn to allow others to do this work for you vendors… all of these solutions can help you so you can grow. Obviously, my client knew to automate systems and handle day-to-day tasks, do this when it came to the production of their so you can focus on your continued growth. radio show because they really didn’t know When weighing these options for yourself, how to manage the operational aspects of compare both the time versus the expense, producing a radio program, but even if they had as well as the expense versus the gain. Learn the skill set would not make doing it an effective to outsource, hire help, and delegate these use of their time. Therefore, the trade off was responsibilities so you can make sure your spending the money versus the time to do so. business not only survives, but thrives. Yet, they are constantly still getting caught in this trap in many other areas of their business, Steven Kay, Talk Show Host & Producer / Media Buyer & Consultant, Steven Kay Media and it’s a very deadly and costly trap to be in. LLC, 713-STEVEN-K (713-783-8365), me@ On the other hand, I see many business owners StevenKayLive.com, www.StevenKayLive.com. SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 32

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

Your Business May Have Goodwill, But Does it Have Goodwill Value? By Jeffrey D. Jones, ASA, CBA, CBI

The goodwill of a business is most simply defined as the difference between the total value of the business as an ongoing concern and the total value of the business's tangible assets. The difference arises because the earnings of a business depend not only upon its tangible assets but also upon such intangible factors as location and reputation. When these factors are transferable to a third party purchasing the business, the free market gives these intangible factors a value, resulting in an increased purchase price. The amount of that increase is generally known as goodwill. There is a distinction between goodwill and goodwill value. “Goodwill” is defined as an intangible asset arising as a result of elements such as name, reputation, customer loyalty, location, products, trained employees, established suppliers, and related factors not separately identified and quantified. “Goodwill value” is that amount in excess of the tangible asset value which results from earnings derived from the intangible assets. A business with no earnings or earnings insufficient to support a value greater than the value of the tangible assets employed in a business may have elements of goodwill, but have no goodwill value. Some people confuse Goodwill Value with “Blue Sky Value”. As the term “Blue Sky Value” infers, it’s the part of the

Seller’s asking price that exceeds the value of the tangible assets, yet unsupported by the earnings. This portion of the price is plucked out of the blue sky and is frequently based on the unrealistic expectations of the business owner. Just because a business has been around for 15 to 20 years and has a lot of the elements of goodwill, does not mean the business has any goodwill value. On the other hand, if a business does has a historical track record of earnings that pays all the operating expenses, provides a reasonable salary for the owner, plus a reasonable return on the investment, then the business will have goodwill value and buyers should expect to pay for it. An experienced independent business appraiser will know how to apply the appropriate appraisal methodologies for a subject business to determine its goodwill value. An excellent source for finding experienced business appraisals in your area is at the website www.appraisers.org. Jeff Jones is President of Advanced Business Brokers and Certified Appraisers, Inc. He is also a SCORE Counselor. He can be reached at 713-680-3290 or by e-mail at jdj@ advancedbb.com. Jeff is President of Certified Appraisers, Inc., You can contact him at 713-680-3290, via fax 866-4312319 or email jdj@certifiedappraisers.com

Continued from page 31

consistently for the last couple of months. I’d like to sit down with you and talk about the possibility of systematizing this business relationship.” When that referral partner is in agreement with you…you are able to move into profitability, and it’s at this level we can really begin to expect certain activities from one another and can begin to learn how to predict business from this partnership. From here we can begin to have a

common working knowledge and understanding of Referral Marketing. From here we can begin talking about how to motivate Referral Partners, how to build relationship, and how to measure and predict your efforts!

When we reduce Referral Marketing to a simple system…getting great results becomes easy, automatic and best of all for entrepreneurs… Predictable!

Bertrand McHenry President / Owner The V.C.P. model is ground zero for The Referral Institute of Houston a solid Referral Marketing System.A system allows you to move this murky Bertrand@referralinstitutehouston. idea of networking from the “soft arts” com 281-401-9852 281-300-8228 to the “hard sciences” from the losers bracket to the Gold Medal Podium.

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 36

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WBEA 16th Annual

Golf Classic & Silent Auction

MONDAY, OCTOBER 08, 2012 Join us on the green for this out-of-the-box opportunity to grow your business. The WBEA Golf Classic & Silent Auction provides exposure and networking opportunities for corporations and woman-owned businesses.

SPonSoRS aS oF 5/25: Gold Silver Bronze Reception Sponsor Food & Beverage Metal WBE Sponsor Putting Contest Clinic Sponsor Golf Cart

BE involvEd. BE RECoGnizEd.

ExxonMobil ConocoPhillips Baker Hughes & Fluor Corporation BP America, Inc. H-E-B CenterPoint Energy, Chevron, Reliant an NRG Energy & Shell Oil Company Sue Pistone & Associates EMCO, KBR & Keystone Resources The Coca-Cola Company Universal Personnel

The event includes opportunities for everyone with a golf clinic, four person scramble tournament, silent auction, and networking dinner. Additional recognition opportunities available through volunteering, goodie bag and silent auction donations, and sponsorships.

Wildcat Golf Club - 12000 almeda Rd. Houston, TX

For more info contact Emily@wbea-texas.org

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Tips for Hiring the Right People to Service Your Customer By Errol D. Allen

aving the right personnel interacting with your customers is crucial to longterm business success. Customers expect a certain level of service, so it's important to have the right person in contact with your customers. Here are a few tips on hiring the right people to service your customers: 1. Hire Attitude - While it's most common to hire for experience, I believe that attitude should be top priority. Customer service requires one to have a mind-set of service. This mind-set brings with it a belief for the need to always be ready to serve, to go the extra mile to make someone else happy. When interviewing prospects, make inquiries regarding what gives the prospect the feeling of fulfillment at the end of the workday or in life in general. Listen for references along the lines of helping, serving or resolving issues. 2. Hire Energy - Having serviced customers myself both on the phone and face to face, I know that providing great customer service requires energy. It's important to stay upbeat throughout the day as one's lack of energy is very noticeable to the customer (yes - a lack of energy is very noticeable over the phone.) Notice how your prospects enter the room, how they greet you, their sitting posture during the interview and the pace of their responses to your questions. These are all tips as to the level of energy that they will bring when interacting with your customers. 3. Hire Good Ears - One's ability to

listen well is another required trait for being successful at customer service. Good ears help one to listen for what's important to a customer. When developing a solution for a customer's need/want, good ears are critical as they allow you to ask good questions in response to the reasons the customer provides for seeking to utilize your product/services. They also assist in filtering for the real issue when the customer is upset. The need to speak should be secondary to the need to listen. How well does the prospect listen during the interview? When you are leading the conversation, does the prospect wait until you complete your thoughts before speaking? Do their responses/questions indicate that they are actively listening when you speak? Do they maintain eye contact during the conversation? These are indicators of one's listening ability. 4. Hire Thinkers - I often look back on my career in customer service and think about how often I had to be quick on my feet when working with customers. Not every situation is routine and oftentimes it's necessary to formulate resolutions quickly. The ability to determine what is required in these non-routine situations (which requires a lot of #3) and then create a plan of action is key to retaining customers. Customer service personnel must be able to think their way through these situations in order to create the best solution for both the customer and the company. Give situations and scenarios to your prospects that require them to devise a plan of action. 5. Hire Curiosity - Asking questions is a major component of customer

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 38

service as it helps one to develop the best product/service solution for the customer. Curiosity is a good trait for customer service personnel to possess. Look for people who have questions about your company - where it's headed, what can the prospect look forward to if chosen for the position and even questions about your history with the company. 6. Hire Team Players - When performing my customer service duties, I found that more often than not, that my actions impacted someone else within the company. It was important to remember to not to negatively impact others when providing service to the customer. You can determine your prospect's team player level by listening for group activities when you ask about their interests. Does their work history indicate group participation? Include group scenarios in your interview sessions that induce the prospect to talk about how each group member is impacted by the decisions of one person. Customer service personnel can make or break your company. To insure that your customers receive great customer service, take the time to hire the right person to service your customers. Hire people - not just experience. Remember, the right people, delivering great service, create loyal customers, which leads to referrals, which creates long-term success. Errol Allen â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Customer Service Engineer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Errol Allen Consulting errol@errolallenconsulting.com 1-800830-4167 www.errolallenconsulting. com

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

4 Drastic Steps to Turn Your Business Around By Toni Harris Toni Harris

When you look at your business, are you happy with your results? Are you stuck and not growing? Perhaps you are just getting started and don’t have any idea what to do next, you may need to consider taking a drastic step! According to Dictionary.com, drastic is defined as, “extremely severe or extensive.” The word drastic often times has a negative connotation but it can also mean to do something that you have never done before or weren’t willing to do in the past. When I speak of the word drastic, I am referring to doing something different, outof-the-box and what other people may be afraid to do. This was true for me when I decided to reenter the entrepreneurial world. Now, don’t get me wrong, I took a lot of baby steps along the way to prepare for the big drastic step of one day saying goodbye to corporate America. Researching the business, saving money for an emergency and establishing the business was all baby steps that led to the final drastic step of leaving a six-figure income to pursue my passion. Of course, I had all of the fears and reservations that any normal person would have but sometimes, we have to bite the bullet and get to steppin’! Here are a few steps you could take to turn your business around: 1. Ask for help. As entrepreneurs, we often work alone and hesitate to ask for help. However, most people want to help and all we have to do is ask. The problem is, we don’t ask. Take a drastic step today, ask for help and be ready to receive more than you asked for. 2. Network Bigger. Many entrepreneurs are great networkers, but they forget there is a whole world out there. If your business lends itself to global (national and international) marketing then you need to network bigger. Join international networking groups that have national conferences and attend. This one tip has helped me to build a network in Canada, Belgium, Paris, and in most of the 50 states. SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 40

3. Network effectively. When attending a networking meeting, be selective about your connections. Don’t try to work the entire room dealing out your business cards like playing cards. The key to effective networking is to find 3-5 people that you want to have a one-on-one meeting. When you figure out there is a mutual “attraction” go ahead and schedule the one-onone appointment on the spot. This will prevent you from having to follow up later which may or may not happen. Picture this, you can leave a networking event with five new appointments. Now that’s effective networking! 4. Use Technology Tools to get the job done. When gas prices went up to almost $4.00 a gallon I thought, there has to be a better way to meet people without running all over town. I needed a way to connect but save time, gas, money and calories! In came Skype. It was like the Hallelujah Chorus was playing in the background. It was revealed to me that I could take a drastic step and use Skype in my business instead of running all over town! Now I have Skype calls inside of Houston and across the world. Isn’t technology great? I have a client we will call Robin, who was very reluctant to network. Robin really did not want to step outside of her comfort zone to do one-on-one networking. Together we role played and she gained the confidence to not only network but to schedule one-on-ones on the spot. As a result, she converted a one-onone appointment to a $4,000 sale! It pays to get coached and nudged outside your comfort zone to take the steps to make a difference in your business. So the next time you want to network deeper and effectively, take a drastic step ask for help and use Skype to get connected. Toni Harris, also known as the Turnaround Queen®, is a motivational speaker, Radio show host, Certified Dream Coach® and author. Connect with Toni at www.toni-harris.com or toni@toniharrisspeaks.com.

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

Ms. Mogul™ Says "Go Global" By Chairidee Smith, Ms. Mogul™

It’s clear we no longer live in an American-centric society, but we are global citizens participating (voluntarily or involuntarily) in a global economy. The yen and the euro affect the dollar. Period. In my opinion, the US small business community, particularly women-owned business do ourselves a grave disservice by not expanding our business practices and paradigms to meet and compete in the global marketplace. From a corporate perspective, companies are gaining profits in markets like Brazil, India, China, and the Middle East, requiring executives to live and travel abroad. In June, 2009 Cartus Corporation, a global mobility management and workforce development firm, found that 60% of the companies surveyed were highly favorable of and pursuant of individuals who acquired skills via international assignments, and who would be open to international relocation options. That percentage grows stronger as the American economy struggles to regain its vitality. From an entrepreneurial vantage point, it has been noted by the Minority Business Development Agency that more and more minority and women-owned small businesses are looking overseas (and finding) opportunities for “big business.” In the Characteristics of Minority Business and Entrepreneurs report, 2.5% of US minority firms generated 10% or more of their sales via international exports of goods and services as compared to 1.2% nonminority firms. Global business is not the answer to all business woes. There is a great deal of preparation involved in engaging the global market successfully. First, respect your target audience by learning the language, familiarizing yourself with the culture, social and professional customs of the region. Nothing is more egregious than offending a potential partner with ignorance professionally and socially. Women particularly should be informed and well-versed in social customs, particularly if

engaging regions like the Middle East were there can be a real variance in how women engage in business versus our male counterparts. Secondly, know the law. Whether tariff laws, labor laws, or even tribal law, doing business globally is exciting and a “land mine” to navigate if you are ill-informed regarding the dos and don’ts of global business. Finally, make sure you have the right team in place, those who are experienced and educated in the general processes of global business and those with cultural and subject matter expertise as well. Know the key players in your region and familiarize yourself with the US embassy in your area of choice just as a precautionary measure. In closing, be committed to the idea and process of globalization. It is my opinion that if we can build diplomacy person to person, business to business, we will find more to agree on and become less interested in engaging in wars that deplete the natural and human resources we all need for survival and comfort. Globalization of your business is more than dollars and cents. It’s about growing your personal paradigms as well as the perspectives of your workforce. The acquisition of knowledge for the enterprise as a whole will far outweigh the investment of time and resources. It is my hope that a greater capacity to partnership will transpire that transcends the 9 to 5. Chairidee Smith, Ms. Mogul™, is President and Founder of KMF Business Group and The Global Mogul® Center for Women’s Leadership and Development. www.chairideesmith. net . 281.865.9441 – direct. chairidee@chairideesmith.net or kmf_businessandrealty@live.com . Follow Ms. Mogul™on FB, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Continued from page 26

by a half, will the costs avoided exceed the costs invested? Some of the doomsayers are thinking, “If I know my luck, I’ll train ’em and then they’ll leave anyway!” The late, great Sales and life guru, Jim Rohn www.SBTMagazine.net

once said, “The only thing worse than training employees and having them leave is to not train them and have them stay.” You, too, may enjoy what the new study proves: ongoing education yields

major, measurable dividends! Jack Warkenthien, CEO, NextStep Solutions. Email him at jwarkenthien@ nextstep-solutions.com or call him at 832-344-6998 www.nextstepsolutions.com

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 41

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Advertiserâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Index

CHI.....................................................Inside Back Cover

Laughlin Associates.......................................................21

Champions School of Real Estate................................8

Main Street Chamber.....................................................19

Churchill Mortgage...............................Inside Front Cover

Milly Kammerdiener-newhomeprograms.com Profile...39

Courthouse Direct.........................................................44

Nerium..............................................................4

Cruise & Hughes............................................................23

Quality Hospitality Travel dba Cruise Planners...............13

Eric Kleiman Photography..............................................19

RAC Conference Center.................................................27

Fidelity National Title.......................................Back Cover

Sales Nexus....................................................................25

G Ernest Designs...........................................................15

Steven Kay Media...........................................................42

GPS Wealth Mgmt..........................................................35

T.G.Design............................................................33

HCC/Goldman Sachs......................................................2

Todd Woodruff - Mr. Electric Profile..............................22

HMSDC...............................................................34

WBEA Golf Tournament................................................37

Keystone Resources......................................................43

Westpark Communications..............................................1

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012 | PG 44

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Fidelity National Title

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---- Joan Oelze, Broker Associate Prudential Anderson Properties