Powerful Magazine November 2018
2
Powerful Magazine November 2018
3
Powerful Magazine November 2018
4
INSIDE 06_
HOW TO STAY BALANCED IN AN UNBALANCED WORLD With Dr. Dalal Akoury
28_
THE CHANGE UP: THE RISE OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS
56_
FASHION FORWARD: A NEW OFFICE ENVIRONMENT
34_
NUTRITION AND ITS ROLE IN WORKER PRODUCTIVITY
41_ 09_
NUMBERS DON’T LIE
13_
BEST OF AIRPORT LAYOVER TOURS
46_
MERGERS: THE BANG OR BUST OF INNOVATION
SAMSUNG GALAXY X: POSSIBILITY OF RELEASE?
19_
WHERE TO TRAVEL IN NOVEMBER
YOUR HEALTH AND STRESS
66_
WHO DOES IT BEST? WE FOUND OUT AT ULTIMATE BUSINESS BUILDER FAMILY EDITION
73_
15_
NOVEMBER DAYS
60_
51_
I LOVE ME, I LOVE ME NOT. THE POWER OF SELF-LOVE. With Sabine Doubek
THE TRUTH ABOUT BUSINESS GROWTH
Nothing is more Powerful than the Truth. That is the fundamental idea and basis of The Powerful. In today’s modern culture, media has become very one-sided, only wanting to discuss whatever side they are in support of. The Powerful is aimed towards giving you the power to make your own decision and formulate your own opinion and view. At The Powerful, we feel there is no right or wrong, only the power of information that you can arm yourself with. You can check out The Powerful online at ThePowerful.com. There, you can find the stories that are featured here in the magazine and can comment and weigh in on what you think. Enjoy the November edition. Sincerely,
Francie Editor
5 Powerful Magazine November 2018
EDITOR’S NOTE
6 Powerful Magazine November 2018
HOW TO STAY BALANCED IN AN UNBALANCED WORLD With Dr. Dalal Akoury
An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but these days, no one is looking to keep the doctor away for long. It isn’t a secret, the healthcare industry has made tremendous strides. People now live longer than ever before, and patients are demanding more from their doctors. In a world that demands speed and efficiency, the healthcare industry is finding ways to keep up. Doctors are finding new ways to add value to their practice by specializing in fields that are becoming the newest trends.
Didn’t get enough sleep?
That’s ok,
there’s a pill for that! Didn’t eat enough vegetables? That’s ok, there’s a pill for that! Didn’t take your vitamins? That’s ok, there’s a pill for that! The latest debate over the use of “liquid therapy” aka intravenous therapy aka IV therapy, is no exception. How does one balance the natural effects of living a clean life with an image of health that disguises itself in bottles or IV bags?
IV therapy has been used in hospitals all over the world for years. Hospitals have used liquid drip bags to help people recover from dehydration as well as help eliminate painful migraines. It works faster than a pill as the liquid is administered via a vein, delivering a high concentration of vitamins and minerals straight to the bloodstream. The body can reap the benefits more effectively than popping pills, which aren’t entirely absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract. As an innovative tool, doctors have started using IV therapy in their own practices to help patients and reduce costs. A doctor can use IV therapy to treat all sorts of problems like relieving stress, strengthening the immune system, increasing recovery times from the flu or a cold, helping with issues revolving around insomnia, detoxify the liver, relieving migraines… the list is actually quite long. The possibilities are amazing, and patients all over are taking notice. “In my 40 years of practice, I’ve noticed that everyone seems to experience the same problems.” stated Dr. Dalal Akoury. People are working harder and longer hours and are not taking care of themselves. She states, “When their health starts to deteriorate, everything else in their life goes.”
Vitamins, just like IV therapy, are meant to be a supplement to an existing healthy lifestyle. If you rely on supplements alone, it puts you at risk for nutrient deficiencies and potentially some overdoses. IV therapy and vitamin supplements cannot replicate some of the immune-boosting compounds in foods and a healthy diet. On the contrary, when people are deficient in what their body needs, it isn’t just enough to eat well. For example, vitamin D is a vitamin that people need every day. The easiest way to get it is from the sun, but in the winter months, you find more people lack this vitamin. This is where IV therapy can help.
Powerful Magazine November 2018
How does one manage it all? How can you maintain a healthy lifestyle while living a life that pulls you in a million different directions? Society’s usual definition of success doesn’t align with the notion of a work-life balance. Usually, it is on yourself to create that perfect equilibrium, and even a schedule can get misaligned. There is a reason why the vitamin industry is a $28 billion-dollar industry in the U.S. alone. People are trying to do it all, and as always, they look to the path of least resistance. Even if you eat a healthy, well-balanced diet, you may still fall short of needed nutrients. It’s best to get your nutrients from food, but it’s also best to get a good night’s rest and exercise daily. Even when it seems you are doing everything right, you still may fall short. Vitamins are a great tool to help you do that. IV therapy is now the next best thing to taking a vitamin or supplement as it works even faster than taking a pill.
7
In her practice, Dr. Dalal uses IV therapy to help patients realign their health and get back on track. It isn’t in place of living a clean and healthy life, though, IV therapy is administered as a supplement to areas that are simply forgotten about because of an active lifestyle. She has a client list of entrepreneurs and celebrities and continues to share her success of IV therapy with other doctors to help people all over the world.
In her years as a doctor, Dr. Dalal has discovered many secrets to healthy living, wellness, treatment and prevention of cancer, chronic diseases, and addictions that are so vital for helping people stay healthy. Dr. Dalal is the founder and medical director of the AWAREmed Health and Wellness Research Center. With over 20 years in accumulated experience in emergency medicine, Dr. Dalal educates other doctors on how to open their own business practices. She is an advocate of creating more entrepreneurs in healthcare. She is also a medical expert on guiding doctors and patients to understand the fundamentals behind proper stress relief, nutrition, and wellbeing. Her passion and mission in life is to ensure an appreciation and availability of health and wellness to everyone, at every stage of life. In her practice, Dr. Dalal uses IV therapy in combination with the education needed for living a healthy lifestyle. She gets to know her patients, sees their individual needs, and uses IV therapy as a tool to fill what is lacking to help or aid in a preventative measure. There are drawbacks to IV therapy though, and it is not safe for everyone. Check with your doctor before you give it a try. People with congestive heart failure, for example, could put further strain on the body by taking on additional fluid via IV therapy. Clinics also vary in their motivation, expertise, and treatment.
IV therapy is usually paid out of pocket and can be more costly than making a lifestyle change, like getting more sleep or eating healthier. When you choose IV therapy, think of it as one piece to a healthy lifestyle. The key to good health and disease prevention is a strong immune system. Emotional stress, addictions, negative thinking, poor nutrition, depression and self-abusive behaviors actually degenerate and destroy your immune system. Even the most health conscious people can slip or simply just don’t get all the nutrients their body needs to stay healthy. IV therapy has become a tool to help even the most balanced people keep it all together in an unbalanced world. Health doesn’t come in bottles or IV bags, but it does give some much needed assistance at times. Bottles and IV bags alone couldn’t ever suffice for a healthy lifestyle. Educating the world and other doctors about health and wellness is the first step in how to balance a clean life with vitamin / IV supplements. Dr. Dalal is on the toes of an ever-changing industry. She is living her mission by teaching more doctors how to run their own practice and how to educate their patients. Companies have popped up around the world and continue to expand to fill the growing need for IV therapy. With doctors like Dr. Dalal, don’t expect the health industry to stop evolving anytime soon.
Powerful Magazine November 2018
8
9 Powerful Magazine November 2018
NUMBERS DON’T LIE By Jessica Ramsey
Care for your people, keep an eye on your processes, and implement the right products. According to Marcus Lemonis, those are the three p’s to business. When at least one of those three p’s is not functioning right, your whole business will be in chaos. Recently, an article came out about the Cheesecake Factory. It mentioned their success and how it has a menu the size of a small novel. Their menu has over 85 chicken dishes alone, not including anything else, even the cheesecakes! The thought gives me anxiety, but it gets me to think. How does a business like the Cheesecake Factory have product overload and succeed, when for another business, product overload is a complete disaster? Many times, a business is told to cut back on products to be more efficient. What is that differentiating factor? Where business A has a lot of products and it’s a cluttered mess, versus business B who also has a lot of products, but it is a success. It boils down to knowing your business, watching your numbers, and knowing your customers.
When the Cheesecake Factory surveyed their customers, the number 2 thing that is mentioned in tweets and word of mouth is how long their menu is. The ideal customers for the Cheesecake Factory are tourists, people who come to a new city and want to see all that city has to offer. The Cheesecake Factory created an atmosphere where customers don’t talk about their food, they talk about the hugest menu they have ever seen. It has a word count of almost 6,000 words. Talk about inventory overload, but it works for them. I’d love to see the numbers of how they optimize an inventory as massive as that in the restaurant business, but that is for another day. The word-of-mouth marketing brings in people from all over to see for themselves. In fact, it is reported they spend as little as .02% on advertising, their customers do it all for them. It is even listed as a place to visit in TripAdvisor! Finding a way for customers to talk about you is what every business needs to do. To have it involve something that directly impacts cost of a business is risky. Their business model is interesting and will also be a discussion for another day!
Powerful Magazine November 2018
10
In general, 80% of consumer demand is generated by 20% of what you have available as products. Keep an eye on the items that are not moving, and what is moving off the shelf quicker. If you are a restaurant, you know to avoid spoilage, as food has an expiration date of when it needs to be sold by. A retailer has their eye on avoiding dead stock, items that go out of style or change with the season. The way a business chooses to manage their inventory is as unique as the business itself, the way to start is to be smart about knowing your customer. Just as The Cheesecake Factory did for their customers, how do you survey your customer? How do you collect the right kind of information about your clients to truly give them what they want? A business with a large selection of products isn’t ideal for everyone. Both for a customer and for a business owner. Inventory management is about optimizing demand and supply, to keep your costs low while generating a profit. For some, it’s a turnoff to see a business with too many skews. It makes the business look cluttered and disorganized. But for others, they enjoy all the options that are available for them to try when the business is in skew overload. As a business owner, you want to keep an eye on the numbers for each product you put into the market. It may align with your business, but does it sell? Often times, businesses have products that are taking up capital that could be used in other ways to move the company along. Adding in products increases a company’s cost of complexity, which includes rising overhead, swollen inventories, and damage to your brand. Often times, when a business is looking to grow, their answer is “add on more products”. This isn’t a bad thing; it is much cheaper to sell to an existing client than it is to get a new one. But if it isn’t monitored, you can easily see sales grow but profits shrink. It is important to create a metric that can measure the statistics of your products so they can be managed efficiently. Rising sales are usually good news, but keep an eye out for rising costs. Areas to look include, noticing if your inventory is tying up capital, are customer complaints up, are general and administrative costs rising?
Achieving customer loyalty is about having a workforce that has a customer service mindset. Many companies collect information about their customers, but when it comes to using that data, they fail to implement it. Engaged customers are the lifeline to every business. When customers know their voices are being heard, they love to give their opinions and feedback, so don’t be shy. When you put clients first, they see it as it isn’t about protecting your money, it is about protecting their money. Have a conversation with them. It is about using the right focus to avoid gathering insignificant noise instead of meaningful data. Narrow down the expectations your customers want to see in products or services. Get to know them. What drives them, what upsets them, what motivates them, what excites them, what makes them angry? The mindset of your employees at the end of each day should be, “What did I learn new about our clients today?” When you really get to know your customers and you watch your numbers, you will find out a lot about your business that was under your nose the whole time. Maybe you can run more skews, maybe you learnt you should cut back. The thing is you won’t know unless you start poking around. The saying is, you cannot manage what you don’t measure. Looking at your numbers and getting to really know your customer are those first steps to success.
Powerful Magazine November 2018
11
Powerful Magazine November 2018
12
It has been rumored that Samsung will release details about the infamous foldable phone, the Samsung Galaxy X, that the company has been working on for years. The CEO of Samsung, DJ Koh even hinted that this device could be unveiled at Samsung’s developer conference in November 2018, although it’s not quite clear if consumers will be able to purchase this device at the time of the conference.
Powerful Magazine November 2018
POSSIBILITY OF RELEASE?
13
SAMSUNG GALAXY X:
While not much is known about this device, DJ Koh explained some details in the CNBC report:
“You can use most of the uses ... on fold(ed) status. But when you need to browse or see something, then you may need to unfold it. But even unfolded, what kind of benefit does that give compared to the tablet? If the unfolded experience is the same as the tablet, why would they (consumers) buy it? So every device, every feature, every innovation should have a meaningful message to our end customer. So when the end customer uses it, (they think) ‘wow, this is the reason Samsung made it’.” Back in 2014, Samsung released a concept ad for a potential foldable phone which featured a device with a bendable display, sized similar to a tablet, that folded into a pocket-sized phone. According to the Wall Street Journal, this newer foldable device might include a 7-inch single display and will reportedly fold in half like a wallet.
While there’s a lot of speculation going around, the question remaining is, when will we actually get to see it? The company has previously given a release date of 2018, but recently, reports have predicted an arrival in early 2019, which would make sense if it is to be unveiled in November 2018...stay tuned.
Powerful Magazine November 2018
14
15 Powerful Magazine November 2018
The month of November recognizes many national and international holidays. Here are some of the top holidays we thought were worth celebrating this month.
ZERO TASKING DAY
WORLD KINDNESS DAY
STRESS AWARENESS DAY
In the United States, the first Sunday in November is “Zero Tasking Day”. This unofficial holiday urges people to take it easy on themselves… give up the multitasking for just one day and sit back and relax. The best way to celebrate is doing nothing at all! It’s stress-free and easy. Aside from those living in the U.S., most people could definitely benefit from this holiday at least once a year, if not several. So, take up the challenge and give up your tasks for a day. Your mind, body and stress levels will thank you.
November 13th is World Kindness Day, and it’s just as it describes. Be kind and do acts of kindness. This holiday was created in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, a conglomeration of kindness organizations around the world. People are encouraged to be kind to one another and spread love, joy and happiness. So, how should you celebrate? It’s simple...be kind to others! Smile at strangers on the street, hold the door for the person behind you, pay for someone’s coffee at Starbucks, volunteer at your local shelter, the list really goes on. And don’t forget, this day is not only meant for humans- being kind to animals and your environment should also be practiced.
Everyone experiences stress in their life, whether it’s daily, weekly, or never-ending. While stress can be normal and beneficial in small doses, failing to deal with it when it becomes overwhelming can lead to serious health problems. Increased blood pressure, susceptibility to heart disease and a decline in the immune system are all negative effects of stress. On the first Wednesday in November, take the opportunity to remove stress from your life. While this is a national holiday in the U.S., Stress Awareness Day should be observed around the world. Examine your life and determine exactly where your stressors lie. Find ways to remove them, or at least lessen them. If it’s work-related stress, take the day off to just relax. If it’s life-related stress, try meditation, taking a hot bath, exercising, or perhaps talking to a therapist. Stress is a silent killer, so it’s time to act now!
16 Powerful Magazine November 2018
ADOPTION MONTH
COMPUTER SECURITY DAY WORLD DIABETES DAY
November is a month dedicated to bringing awareness to adoption and those children who are truly in need of a home and family. This is a national holiday in the U.S. but could be celebrated anywhere. National Adoption Month aims at bringing good into the world by focusing on the children, putting them first and bringing families together. If you or a friend is considering adoption, spend plenty of time researching all the factors that go into the adoption process. And one of the best ways to spread awareness of this special holiday is to share it on social media. Let your friends and family know more about this day by using the hashtag #adoptionmonth.
Just about everyone these days has at least one electronic device they use daily, whether it’s a smartphone, tablet or computer. And since technology has become such a huge part of people’s lives, security and privacy concerns are also more prevalent than ever. On November 17th, we encourage everyone to celebrate Computer Security Day. The most obvious step would be to ensure all of your devices are secure and password protected. You can take it a step further by using strong passwords, and there are plenty of password managers out there that can assist in this task. They create random passwords that one could not easily guess, and they also store them so you don’t have to worry about remembering a bunch of different password combinations. Another step in celebrating this holiday would be to update all spyware and malware protection software. While you may be aware that computers require this protection, other devices such as tablets and smartphones are just as susceptible to malware and spyware, so it is crucial to take the necessary actions to keep them secure. One last step in making sure your devices are secure is to encrypt and back up all files. Most devices will give the option to encrypt your files, and you can decide whether an external hard drive or cloud-based storage is best for you.
It’s no surprise that Diabetes is a growing concern in today’s society. In fact, 1 in 2 people are currently living with diabetes and are undiagnosed. Learn your risk of type 2 diabetes and take action. It can pose a huge health threat to many, and can even be life-threatening. The theme of World Diabetes Day this year and next focuses on Family and diabetes specifically. The goal is to raise awareness of the impact that diabetes has on families and the support network of those affected. You can check online for the promotional actions for this day to help prepare and spread awareness.
GUINNESS WORLD RECORD DAY Challenge yourself and participate in Guinness World Record Day on November 9th. This day encourages people to truly challenge their endurance and set a new world record, whether it’s trying to beat an existing world record or starting your own. Keep in mind, there are some world records you cannot possibly complete in one day, so consider this holiday as the starting point. Check out the latest world records online to get inspired.
Powerful Magazine November 2018
17
Powerful Magazine November 2018
18
While you might be awaiting the start of the holiday season, November is the perfect time to take a much-needed vacation. De-stress before the chaos that is December while also taking advantage of some great deals. Here are some interesting places you should consider visiting during shoulder season:
19 Powerful Magazine November 2018
WHERE TO_ TRAVEL IN _NOVEMBER
ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA Off the coast of India lies the Andaman Islands. Known for being a great spot to view wild elephants swimming as well as having some of the most beautiful stretches of sand, consider this your November getaway. It’s quite affordable during this month, and although November kicks off monsoon season, it really is the best time to visit.
20 Powerful Magazine November 2018
PATAGONIA, SOUTH AMERICA The month of November kicks off the start of the summer season in Patagonia. While it may not be too busy during this time, there’s still plenty to do. Melting snow paves the way for plenty of walking and hiking trails. You can enjoy staying at the refugios, a hiking hostel with breathtaking views of mountains and lakes, before the peak season begins. Plus, November in Patagonia means Penguin chicks will be hatching!
MYANMAR November may actually be one of the best months to visit Myanmar. The number of tourists remains low and temperatures are ideal. With scenery that you’re not likely to see in many other places, the rural Myanmar combines red-brick temples and bumpy roads with some unrevealed trendy places- the Monte DiVino Lodge being one of them. November also kicks off the Hot Air Balloon festivals where balloons from handmade paper are released into the sky to mark the end of the rainy season as well as honor Buddhist and Hindu deities.
JOSÉ IGNACIO, URUGUAY With the start of the summer season in South America, the beach town of Uruguay starts to liven up in November. This fishing village turned upscale resort will allow you to just sit and relax… as there’s not much else to do. Sunbath and eat plenty of fresh seafood, and get some much-needed sun before returning home. To stay right on the beach, consider Playa Vik, or their sister property Estancia Vik which is closer to town.
Powerful Magazine November 2018
If you’re looking to get away- far away- the remote Yukon, a territory in Canada, might be the place for you. In November, your chances of seeing the Northern Lights are high. While temperatures might not be at their coldest, this is definitely a trip taken if you want to dogsled or enjoy other winter activities. And if you’re interested in some luxury, consider treating yourself to a stay at the Yukon River Valley Northern Lights Resort & Spa, where glass chalets give you a perfect view of the Northern Lights from the comfort, and warmth, of your bed.
21
YUKON
22 Powerful Magazine November 2018
ATHENS Skip the crowds and visit Athens in November. With temperatures being very ideal, you’ll be able to wander around the Acropolis and Parthenon without being uncomfortably sweaty. Plus, you’ll likely score some great deals on hotel rooms. This once-grimy town has transformed its scene with art galleries, performance spaces and hip quirky bars- plenty of places to hang out in the evening.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA For your next metropolitan getaway, consider visiting Melbourne. Voted the “World’s Most Livable City” for years on end, Melbourne offers pleasant temperatures in November and tons of fun boutiques and restaurants. If you’re into horse racing, you may want to partake in “The Cup”- the most celebrated and anticipated horse racing/social event of the year. You may also consider checking out areas such as the Grampians, Great Ocean Road and Dandenong Mountains, as they are ideal to visit in November.
23
A popular destination of Northern California, Napa Valley is considered a world-class wine region. During the summer months and “harvest crush” (September-October), you will find it rather busy, but crowds actually clear out around November. And for the seafood lovers, Dungeness Crab season happens every November where restaurants all over Napa experiment with this specialty. Sip on some wine and indulge in some seafood dishes from some of the best chefs in the nation.
PENINSULA PAPAGAYO, COSTA RICA In need of a tropical vacation away from people? Peninsula Papagayo has got you covered. This 15-mile peninsula houses lush jungles, picturesque beaches and 5-star luxury hotels. With the closest town being 45 minutes away by car, you won’t be tempted to go anywhere. Less tourists and more relaxing makes for the perfect November retreat. For those who seek a bit of adventure, ziplining, jet-skiing and four-wheeling through the jungle are all fun options to consider. And if you visit later in November, you’ll be likely to miss the rain!
Powerful Magazine November 2018
NAPA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
24 Powerful Magazine November 2018
GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA Summertime at the Grand Canyon is one of the busiest times to visit, making November much more ideal. Although temperatures will drop and snowfall is possible, the month of November can still offer plenty of warm and sunny days. You’ll also get great deals on places to stay. Although the North Rim closes on October 15th, the South Rim is open year-round, and there are plenty of other stunning sites to see.
25 Powerful Magazine November 2018
CHIANG MAI, THAILAND To see quite a site- thousands of paper lanterns floating right into the night sky- take a trip to Chiang Mai for the “Festival of Lights” or Yi Peng festival. This festival celebrates the last full moon of the Thai lunar calendar as well as the end of monsoon season, so you’re sure to have some cooler weather. Aside from the festival, you can also explore more than 300 Buddhist temples, hike some of the tallest mountains, or experience the bustling nightlife and street markets.
SEYCHELLES The Seychelles is an archipelago off the coast of East Africa consisting of 115 islands. Some consider it paradise with its clear blue water, powdery white sand and lush tropical jungles. It’s pretty much the perfect early winter escape. For a luxury stay, the Six Senses Zil Pasyon, situated on a private island, offers 30 amazing pool villas and tons of places to snorkel, sail, kayak and hike. For the health nuts reading this, you’re in for a treat. The luxury property offers a “Eat with Six Senses” program in which tailor-made treatment plans focus on sleep, detoxing, fitness and other health issues that allows its guests to leave their vacation feeling better than when they arrived.
Powerful Magazine November 2018
26
Powerful Magazine November 2018
27
28 Powerful Magazine November 2018
THE CHANGE UP:
THE RISE OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS Everyone knows the power of celebrities. A picture with one will capture the attention of anyone ten times over than a picture without. For years, businesses have known the power behind celebrity branding in their marketing to attract clients. The reason it works so well is because celebrities play an important role in people’s lives. They demonstrate how to dress, where to eat, and even what kind of body to admire. While brands certainly continue to use famous actors, singers, and athletes for endorsements deals, businesses have a new kind of celebrity in mind...and it may be you. As social media continues to develop, so does the power of the social media influencer. Ten years ago, this didn’t exist. The social media influencer is an everyday normal person, living their own life on social media. They have taken on a niche in a specific content area that has allowed them to get massive attention from people all over the world. They gain traction to thousands and maybe even millions of followers because people cannot wait to see what they will put out next. Influencers do not buy their followers; their followers are genuine people from all over the world who love the content they are putting out and follow them because they are interested in seeing more... and many businesses, worldwide, are starting to take notice.
Powerful Magazine November 2018
29
30 Powerful Magazine November 2018
The market is saturated with a lot of “wanna-be” influencers, so how do you rise above the rest? How do you avoid becoming the next “100,000th or 500,000th person who does xyz” on the internet, and become the top ranked person in your field? An influencer is someone who doesn’t accept things the way they are. They create change. It isn’t by a means of giving orders or nagging; it is by living and showing by example. An influencer gives people the information they lack, and trains them in the skills they need to act on. An influencer makes the undesirable, desirable. One thing people have a hard time breaking is behavior. Behavior is stubborn, but isn’t set in stone. An influencer helps people learn methods to help them change. Social media influencers do just that.
A social media influencer uses social media platforms to help people create these changes. A mix can include Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram… but the majority do so mainly via Instagram. So, how do you start? You want to be specific in how you want to be portrayed online. Just because you have 31 flavors like Baskin Robbins doesn’t mean you show all 31 flavors. You’ll want to show things that align with the social media brand you want to present to the world that can be different from most of the other people online. Who are the people you are looking to reach and help? As an influencer in a specific niche, you’ll address individual desires on this topic, educate and teach new skills needed for your followers to apply and use, and engage your platform to help people unite for support.
31 Powerful Magazine November 2018
It can be scary exposing a part of yourself to the world. It’s common to think “will they judge me”, “maybe they won’t like me”. That thinking will get you nowhere. The first step is to start. It takes time to build a following, but remember to stay true to your message. Posting things that don’t align with the image you are portraying, will confuse your followers and cause some to unfollow you. You want people to be engaged and learn something, you want to build a following that is in alignment with who you are. If you are currently on social media, what is the image you are portraying, and is it consistent? An influencer on Instagram with 10,000 to 100,000 genuine followers can earn $250 per post, while an influencer with 1.5 million to 50 million genuine followers can earn as much as
$10,000 per post. The best way to help followers discover your posts is by using hashtags. Buying followers typically doesn’t fool sophisticated businesses. Some influencers employ bots to like and comment on posts which use hashtags specific to a given niche to help lead people to your posts, which improves your engagement and number of followers. Anyone can transform themselves into a social media influencer. The opportunities are truly endless. What is the change you want to be in the world? Be focused on getting your message to as many people as possible. People follow influencers that are genuine and offer things other people cannot show them, so don’t be afraid to show your personality. Everyone has a little something quirky that makes them special.
More often, you will see brands using everyday people to fulfill the role as the influencer in campaigns, particularly for personal products. Social Media Influencers will be more involved in politics, charities, and spiritual issues. As technology develops, influencers will only get closer and closer to the public, and that’s when some real change can happen. Will the next influencer be you?
Powerful Magazine November 2018
32
Powerful Magazine November 2018
33
34 Powerful Magazine November 2018
NUTRITION AND ITS ROLE IN WORKER PRODUCTIVITY By Nicole Rujevic
Over the years, countless studies
such as the Gross National Product
and
by up to 0.3% over a few-year period.
plenty
of
clinical
research
have attempted to highlight the fact that nutrition and economic
Furthermore, when rampant diseases
prosperity go hand in hand. Figures
such as hypertension, atherosclerosis,
provided by the International Labor
type 1 and 2 diabetes, obesity, and
Organization
demonstrated
cancer present such challenging
that poor nutrition will always lead
public health issues, such as directly
to a significant reduction in labor
affecting
productivity. More recent studies
increases in work absenteeism, it
have suggested that good nutritional
becomes evident that nutrition and
habits in the workforce can directly
the economic vigor of a nation are
affect important economic markers
inseparably intertwined.
have
productivity
through
35 Powerful Magazine November 2018
NUTRITION 101 Generally, when we talk about nutrition, we are referring to the science that interprets the interaction of nutrients and other substances in food with the health of an individual. Nutritional studies take into consideration a person’s ingestion, assimilation, biosynthesis, and excretion of food products in order to assess well-being and to predict the development of future diseases.
36 Powerful Magazine November 2018
The nutrients in food can be divided into two broad categories: Macronutrients: Provide energy to the body. The three types of Macronutrients are: • Carbohydrates: There are many types of carbohydrates, and they are all composed of sugar compounds. • Proteins: Proteins are composed of essential amino acids which the body does not synthesize on its own, and thus must be acquired through dietary ingestion. • Fats: Fats are composed of fatty
NUTRITIONAL STATUS & WORK PERFORMANCE
acids which play an indispensable
Nutritional status and work
How does eating affect work
role in the maintenance of cell
performance form an insepara-
performance?
membranes.
bly intertwined bond. Usually, we spend between eight and
Skipping a meal, especially
Micronutrients: Support all met-
nine hours a day, five days a
breakfast or lunch, generates
abolic functions and include all
week at work; with some peo-
hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia
dietary minerals and vitamins.
ple working upwards of 80
is a marked decrease in the
hours a week. Taking into con-
concentration of sugars in the
Each nutrient fulfills a specific func-
sideration that we eat many of
bloodstream, which reduces to
tion within our body, and any insuffi-
our meals in a work environ-
a significant degree an individ-
ciency or excess in their concentra-
ment, the workplace becomes
ual’s attention span and slows
tions leads to an imbalance in the
a prime candidate for a nutri-
down the rate at which new in-
nutritional status of an individual.
tional intervention of sorts.
formation can be processed.
tion to their physical capacity and work performance, which according to some studies, translates to a reduction in productivity of up to 30%. Obese individuals and those with a surplus of critical nutrients are twice
Benefits of proper nutrition for employees: • Better overall health and reduced incidence of disease • Increased attention span and ability to perform tasks 37
experience a dramatic deteriora-
• Increased productivity • Increased income
Benefits of adequate employee-diet for employers:
as likely to be absent from work
Powerful Magazine November 2018
Individuals with iron deficiencies
than a person with a healthy and
• Reduction to expenses caused by illness-related worker
normal nutritional profile.
Optimal worker nutrition can offer employers and employees a plethora of benefits.
absenteeism
• A decrease in health coverage costs
• Increased production and performance at a per worker
level
• Enhanced organizational competitiveness
COSTS OF POOR HEALTH According to the International Labor Organization, or ILO, poor worker diet can decrease productivity in the workplace by a margin of 30%. Poor nutrition can be caused either by an excess of nutrients or by severe nutritional deficiencies. At one extreme, we find obesity and all its related illnesses such as type 1 diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, and atherosclerosis. Typically, but not always, these types of excesses are caused by the consump-
According to estimates published
In developed countries where the
tion in an overabundance of foods
by the World Health Organization,
most common nutritional alter-
rich in calories, added sugars, and
at the turn of the century, chronic
ations are obesity, vitamin A de-
unhealthy fats.
non-communicable and prevent-
ficiency and Iron deficiency, the
able diseases made up the bulk
annual cost regarding lost worker
At the other end of the spectrum,
of the global disease burden. Un-
productivity is in the billions of
we find malnutrition and its host of
fortunately, this trend is only ex-
dollars per year.
related and often deadly diseases
pected to rise, with the more con-
which are caused by severe defi-
servative estimates placing that
ciencies of the most essential di-
number close to 60% by the end
etary nutrients.
of the second millennial decade.
However, advances in technology 38
impacting worldwide mining operations have introduced a great deal of automation to a multitude Powerful Magazine November 2018
of processes which, as a consequence, has led to a diminution of workers’ energy expenditures and caloric demands. Nonetheless, a generalized readjustment of the mining food culture has not happened, and so the quantity and nutritional quality of their diet remain relatively the same. Consequently, workers in the mining industry are now dealing with increased rates of obesity and various other non-communicable diseases related to poor nutrition; among these we find some of the deadliest cardiovascular complications. Compounded by the fact the majority of these workers are still working under mostly hostile conditions, we can clearly see how much of an impact improper nutri-
CASE IN POINT – THE MINING SECTOR
tion can have on worker productiv-
The mining sector has estab-
Mining work is characterized
lished itself as one of the most
by
active industries on the planet,
conditions, extended working
where some of the top oper-
hours, prolonged separation
ators generate hundreds of
from family and loved ones,
billions of dollars per year in
and continuous stress. As a
revenue, and is a perfect ex-
response to this highly de-
ample of the impact nutrition
manding environment, and as
can have on the performance
recognition of the increased
of workers.
energy demands that mining
extreme
workers
environmental
represented,
their
diet gradually developed into a hyper-caloric consumption of fats, sugars, and sodium.
ity and health.
A CALL TO ACTION Knowing full well that so many health issues can be attributed to poor nutritional policy, and in the face of so 39
many non-communicable and preventable disease epidemics, it bea call to action regarding worker nutrition. Because we all spend so much of our time at the workplace and because the consequences of poor diet affect
While some exemplary compa-
balanced diet is only necessary
performance so pointedly, we be-
nies provide breakfast, lunch,
if you want to look good.
lieve that sound nutritional strategy
and dinner services to their
can have a significant impact on the
employees, others only offer
Poor nutrition affects us all, and
welfare of both employers and em-
snacks through vending ma-
both deficiencies and excesses
ployees, as well as of the entire orga-
chines. Eating the right food
can severely decrease a work-
nizational framework.
matters and the quality of said
er’s productivity by an unsus-
food matters most.
tainable amount. In the long
Powerful Magazine November 2018
comes imperative that we issue forth
run, this will be reflected in the
ASSUMING THE RESPONSIBILITY
Food has the ability to directly
profitability and competitive-
and significantly influence our
ness of the company. Proper
Companies of all sizes must fulfill an
productive capability, for better
nutrition is itself a fundamental
educational role with their workers,
or for worse. It is no longer
element of worker productivity.
guiding and explaining how food
feasible to believe that a
affects performance, how much is really needed to be well, and how to approach nutrition from a health perspective.
The
Pan
American
Health Organization, an affiliate of the World Health Organization, promotes just that, and they believe that the workplace is a priority environment for the promotion of health in the new millennium. Eating well should be considered a fundamental issue for the most basic daily job operations. And a health-minded
and
responsible
company is one that protects and defends its workers against all risks, including poor nutrition.
In an ideal workplace, menus should be:
Adapted to the nutritional preferences and needs of each employee and tailored to the type of work each employee performs, with the most physically demanding positions receiving higher caloric density items. For example, while an office job only requires, on average, a consumption of 1.8 calories per minute, a high energy expenditure position could require upwards of 10 calories per minute. Based on the results of a battery of preoccupational tests, a variety of menus could be offered, such as a general diet menu, a diabetic menu, and hypo-caloric menu, etc. The results of this intervention could be even more successful if they are to be accompanied by nutritional guidance programs promoting the consumption of fruits and vegetables and regular practice of physical exercise, etc. Finally, it is suggested that the employees undergo a periodic and comprehensive medical check-up. Through this medical examination and consultation, employees can receive nutritional guidance and suggestions for adapting their diet according to the place they occupy within the organization.
Powerful Magazine November 2018
40
41 Powerful Magazine November 2018
BEST OF AIRPORT LAYOVER TOURS Did you know that some airports offer free tours for those lengthy, dreaded layovers? While it might be a new concept to some, this has actually been going on for years. Make the most of your time by going on a mini vacation while you wait for your next flight. And consider flying into one of these airports for your next layover.
Seoul Got a layover that is less than 8 hours? Not a problem if you’re flying into Seoul. While a majority of airports require you to have a longer layover in order to book a tour, Seoul’s Incheon Airport offers tours of all time lengths, starting at just one hour. Spend your layover on either a city-focused or temple-focused tour complete with English-speaking guides. You can also get a behindthe-scenes look at the airport if that’s your preference. So the next time you fly into Seoul, head on over to the desk between gates 25 and 29 or check out the “Hana Tour” desk by gate 8.
Istanbul
Powerful Magazine November 2018
42
For the longer layovers, Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport offers a free “Touristanbul” program, just as long as you’ve got at least 6 hours to spare. This program gives travelers a quick tour of the city including some historical landmarks like Hippodrome Square, the Blue Mosque, and Topkapi Palace. Upon arrival, head to the Hotel Desk in the international arrivals hall where you can sign up for one of the five daily tour departures. Just make sure you arrive 30 minutes early.
Singapore Aside from the many features that Singapore’s Changi airport offers, like free massage chairs, a butterfly garden or a video gaming room, there’s also free city tour options for those of you who have 6 or more hours to spare. Check out all of the highlights of Singapore when you book the City Sights Tour. Or, if you’re into adventuring through different neighborhoods, then the Heritage Tour may be for you. No need to clear immigration, just head on over to the Transfer Lounge F in Terminal 2 or Transfer Lounge A in Terminal 3.
Doha
If you’re flying Qatar Airways and have at least a 6-hour layover, then you are in luck! The national airline offers free tours of Doha, hitting all the major attractions. Visit the I.M. Pei and Jean-Michel Wilmotte-designed Museum of Islamic Art, the Souk Watif for some fun souvenir shopping and the Katara Cultural Village. And no need to stress about getting back to the airport in time; the tour comes with a complimentary visa and free bottle of water… since you are in the dessert after all! To book a tour, head over to Doha City Tour Desk in Concourse B next to Montblanc shop.
Amsterdam
Powerful Magazine November 2018
Do you want to see some sights, or do you want to shop? Those are your layover options at Tokyo’s Narita Airport. For those sightseeing enthusiasts, you can explore the towns of Tako or Shibayama, go on a forest walk, or visit the Museum of Aeronautical Sciences. And if you want to shop, you have the option of two malls that are accessible via train. Just make sure you leave some room in your suitcase for your Tokyo finds! Go to terminal 1F of the Central Building to the Narita Transit Program Counter for more information.
43
Tokyo
Unlike some of the other airport layover programs, in Amsterdam, if you’re flying KLM and have at least a 6-hour layover, then you can sign up for the “layover with a local” program. First, you will need to fill out the brief questionnaire about your interests, and then the airline will pair you with an English-speaking local (if you speak English). This program comes with free bus tickets into town and back, and they will even pay for your first round of drinks when you meet the local at a bar in the city center. Book your plane tickets through KLM and you will receive an automated email asking you to sign up for the program.
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City is a main layover point for transcontinental U.S. flights, so there are always people with lots of time to spare while waiting for their next flight. One of the options this airport offers is a free tour of the Temple Square area of downtown Salt Lake City, courtesy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Or, you could opt to skip the temple tour and walk to attractions like City Creek Park and the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art. To book, head over to an information desk for a brochure of the day’s schedule.
Taipei Taipei airport offers two options of free city tours for those with at least an 8-hour layover. The first tour offers guests a ferry ride to Zushih Temple, 14 miles outside of town, and on a trip to shop for pottery. The second tour offers more stops along the way to some of Taiwan’s most famous sites, including the Chiang Kaishek Memorial Hall and Taipei 101, the country’s tallest building. To register, head to the Tourist Service Centre in the main arrivals hall. But keep in mind, these tours are on a first-come, firstserve basis and are offered twice daily (8:15 am and 1:45 pm).
Powerful Magazine November 2018
44
Powerful Magazine November 2018
45
46 Powerful Magazine November 2018
MERGERS: THE BANG OR BUST OF INNOVATION By Jessica Ramsey
Businesses know innovation is a critical determinant of long-term growth. Along with gaining market share and profitability, innovation is used as a tool to increase opportunity. Companies looking to realign themselves in a particular niche will often choose to merge with another business to help with diversification. Overall, a merger eliminates the competition between two prior independent businesses, leaving one successor, but often the consequences for the consumers will be negative. How does a business merge to impact its overall bottom line without alienating the initial customer?
47 Powerful Magazine November 2018
If you have been following the Wall Street Journal, recently, you would have seen a merger of Michael Kors and Versace. If you follow the fashion space, you know Michael Kors’ overall appeal has been tanking in recent years.
The company’s image had changed as it went more commercialized and mainstream a few years back. They are now wanting to turn it back into the luxury brand it once was. In 2017, Kors bought the luxury brand Jimmy Choo, and with this new buy of Versace, it is looking to add more style and sophistication to its line.
48 Powerful Magazine November 2018
Though the move is a solid one for Kors, everyone who has ever bought Versace is not happy. They see their once loved brand doomed to change forever. It’ll be interesting to see how Kors plays this, but overall, it gets us thinking about the customer experience when a company mergers. It is obviously merging for the overall benefit of its bottom line, to make a change in same way to better the company and grow its overall market share without doing any work, but how does that change affect the loyal customer base of the brand that is now bought out?
With change comes anxiety. Customers don’t like change. No one likes when something they love gets discontinued or has an increase in price or a decrease in value. Mergers get customers to think of what can go wrong, and the last thing you want is for customers to jump ship. They need to see your vision, and it needs to be communicated why this new change is desirable. The customer doesn’t see your reasons why it is a smart business decision; they need to see how this change benefits them. As the business owner, you want to start aligning relationships around the new vision and inspiring others to see that same vision. Customers will support each other and it’ll create new momentum for this new merger.
49
The thing is, change is bound to happen to a company, whether it merges with another one or not. It’s just inevitable. In any case, it's a good idea to have a designated team assigned to your customer database to keep communication open and ease any anxiety about change. With all of the changes that are occurring with processes and management, it is easier than you think to leave the customers high and dry, even with the intentions of keeping them informed. Research shows that in the future, a business’ success will depend on its overall customer experience alone. You’ll want to have that team in place nonetheless. Customers expect a consistent experience with companies they buy from. Whether it be via social media, email, or in person. Keeping your customers in the forefront while any change is going on, for the entirety of that change, will ensure you keep those customers. While it may be tempting to merge with that competitor, keep in mind, as a small business, maybe your first move is to build a list of affiliate partners you can work with to grow your clientele, increase your market share, and expose your clients to different products / services. Innovation is a way of delivering new value to your customers. Yes, one must “innovate or die”, as they say. A merger may be something you want to do, but at least it is not the only option.
Powerful Magazine November 2018
Small businesses merge for the same reasons as large businesses do. A successful small mom and pop shop may be looking to grow their business at some point and finds another small business that aligns with their business objectives and customer demographics. Mergers help a small business increase their market share, align with a prior competitor to eliminate competition, and acquire new products / services that will benefit their current customer database. If it isn’t done right, it may be more detrimental than intended and leave you with nothing. And it isn’t an easy process. There is a reason why the fail rate of a business merger is between 70%-90%. Two businesses don’t just merge into one, but two customer demographics merge into one. So how do you align a business on the backend and in the front-end successfully? On the backend, you have processes to align, employees to train, and numbers and systems to organize. On the front-end, you have two databases full of customers with somewhat of a matching demography, but not entirely. How do we keep them happy?
Powerful Magazine November 2018
50
THE POWER OF SELF-LOVE With Sabine Doubek
51 Powerful Magazine November 2018
I LOVE ME, I LOVE ME NOT.
52 Powerful Magazine November 2018
It has been said that you spend more time in your head than anywhere else in the world. How you talk to yourself defines your success. The only limits you must overcome are the limits you place on yourself. Self-love is important in business and in your personal life. Would you talk to your best friend the same way you talk to yourself? It is only human to be the hardest on ourselves, but without knowing it, we are actually self-sabotaging. Let the love of acceptance help direct your focus, help build your relationships, and help yourself persevere to break that glass ceiling. There are two things in life you can control: your attitude and the effort you put into something. When times get you down, are you the first to be hard on yourself? Or do you think positively and try something new? The way you treat yourself spills into how you treat your employees and how you treat your clients. If you manage yourself with love, you will manage your business the same way, and that is how you will see success. You are 100% responsible for yourself which means you are 100% capable to change anything that is holding you back. No one knows the power of self-love better than Sabine Doubek. Sabine is the founder of From The Heart Success Coaching.
She is a certified physiotherapist, art therapist, and lifestyle coach. Her coaching revolves around the importance of self-love and how it bleeds into your business and personal life. Working with patients, Sabine quickly realized that addressing patient’s physical needs was only part of the story. The transformations she sees in clients when they get rid of the negative self-talk is key to their success. She emphasizes the use of identifying personal barriers, teaches about stress decompression techniques, and helps clients achieve an overall healthier lifestyle to improve both their personal and professional lives.
The words you feed yourself will direct your success, and there is no question you will become the person you tell yourself to be.
Negative patterns are passed down, but so are positive ones. As in business, you want to create an environment where you can flourish. Don’t allow yourself to spend time with negative or lazy people. In your business life and personal life, surround yourself with people who lift you up. Everyone gets disappointed or experiences failure, but no one is expecting you to be perfect.
But this gets me to ask, is it really self-love that advances us into success, or could it be good old hard work and laser-focus? Before you can love anyone else, you must love yourself. That goes for your personal life and your clients. You don’t become a leader because someone else says you are. You become a leader because you embrace leadership for yourself.
But we have all seen it, the grumpy successful person who is rude and doesn’t show an ounce of empathy; think of Mr. Scrooge. We all know a Mr. Scrooge. Yes, he was rich in money, but he wasn’t rich in life. He had a cold soul and no friends. When he learned to give back and how to help others, he learned to love himself, he learned to love his family, he learned to love his employees, and in the end, his business grew 10x over.
53 Powerful Magazine November 2018
“
“
Absolute change comes from the relationships you create.
54 Powerful Magazine November 2018
create our actions, which in turn creates our reality. Financial freedom is not about accumulating wealth; it is about freeing yourself to live to your fullest and make a real contribution in helping others. Some phrases people live by can suggest that personal growth occurs in isolation Everyone has two selves. The inner self holds from relationships, which is misleading. Your your thoughts, values, plans, and strengths, overall well-being depends on your connections while the outer self projects who you want with other people. As Sabine states, “Absolute to be to the world through your actions and change comes from the relationships you creactivities. Most leaders focus on their out- ate.” The people you surround yourself with can er self, because that is how they are judged. reinforce your path to success or undermine it. However, to reach the fullest potential, one must focus on their inner self. This involves The person who isolates themselves may make rigorous self-examinations like questioning good decisions, but it will last for only so long. the type of person you are, the kind of leader They will eventually be led to make bad choices you are, and what value you’re adding to the due to a lack of understanding. The so-called world. In Sabine’s Coaching, she addresses self-improvement process of becoming a better additional questions requiring you to dig a person is really a relational experience, not one bit deeper. you do by yourself. It is a time to evaluate the people you let into your life. They say the 5 closTo see what you value, look to where you est people to you is who you eventually become. spend your money. When it comes to financ- Do you need to re-evaluate your circle? es, money represents what people consider most important in their lives. This includes Starting today, choose to be positive toward feelings of love, joy, and pleasure. Money is yourself. Choose to be happy. Develop betgiven a value, and values involve emotions. ter relationships. Think of those relationships as “emotional bank accounts”. Break the negSelf-knowledge concerning the value of self- ative patterns that keeps you down. Everyone love and how it relates to increasing wealth has immeasurable potential, so allow yourself to and improving your finances does not come tap into that potential to live a better life and automatically. If you want to change your re- help others. It isn’t a journey of perfection or ality, you need to start with your thoughts. isolation. It is about discovery and identifying Too many people operate with a “lack-men- what you value. Discover those things, and you tality”. They think they can make the world will see your business and life transform. In the better by depriving themselves, when in fact, words of Sabine Doubek, “Accept yourself, love nobody can add value living this way. Our yourself, persevere, and you will find success.” thoughts create our beliefs, and our beliefs So, let’s all get to work!
Powerful Magazine November 2018
55
56 Powerful Magazine November 2018
FASHION FORWARD A NEW OFFICE ENVIRONMENT
By Nicole Rujevic How we dress at work has changed over the years. Formality is no longer mandatory, and dress codes have become increasingly more flexible across the entire workforce. The traditional tailored monochromatic suit has been replaced by garments such as jeans and tennis shoes, and by lighter fabrics such as linen and cotton. This shift towards the casualization of fashion has been instigated by the changing demands of consumers across the industry. Also, companies are no longer exclusively concerned with corporate image and are now open to considering the comfort of their workers and the image they want to project. In a modern work environment, comfort and functionality are essential to performing at a reasonable level. Bosses have finally realized that the less inhibited and less restricted that their employees feel, the more prone they are to perform their duties enthusiastically. Not surprisingly, the benefits of incorporating a more casual wardrobe have manifested as positive, creative, and practical tendencies amongst the workforce.
WE ARE WHAT WE WEAR Very often, we express ourselves implicitly through the clothes we wear; however, this is only possible if we are afforded a certain degree of independence and autonomy that allows us to decide, according to our tastes, what we wear and how we wear it. Rigorous past formalities of corporate structure too often prevented us from expressing ourselves through our clothes. Today, without such stringent corporate guidelines dictating our uniform policies, and thanks in part to a wide variety of styles, garments, and fabrics offered by the market, we get to enjoy a rather ample degree versatility and flexibility at work. For many, however, this change in the ways we dress to go to work has its fair share of pros and cons. On the one hand, our freedom of expression is significantly enhanced, but on the other hand, a sense of team unity and a bit of business identity is lost. Even so, in specific sectors such as finance, retail, and criminal law among others, old-school protocol prevails. In these industries, Casual Friday is still a thing. The opposite, however, occurs in artistic sectors such as design, advertising, and entertainment, where both men and women are allowed to wear casual fashion. These professionals enjoy greater flexibility and consequently also experience lower incidences of stress-related illnesses.
57 Powerful Magazine November 2018
NEVER OUT OF FASHION For its versatility, availability of styles, and comfort, one of the most used casual clothing items is the classic jean pants. Fashion experts warn against wearing ripped jeans, as this particular style is typically thought to have rebellious connotations and can undoubtedly be misconstrued in an office environment. Tennis shoes have been embraced by corporate ideals and are often seen in offices across the world. The right pair of tennis shoes, when adapted to the office space, can be a powerful symbol of attitude and style. The possibility of varying and combining outfits has ceased to be something exclusively feminine, and now men get to enjoy the privilege too. Believe it or not, the fashion industry has been at the forefront of subverting gender norms when it comes to fashion sense and fashion forward culture. Men now enjoy an expanding range of styles and alternatives to choose from. Some men are capable of leading trends and increasingly have a more significant presence in the sector.
While women get to combine all kinds of outfits and accessories with different pants, dresses, and skirts, men have the option to get creative with differing shirt models, different styles of pants, and of course, a wide range of shoes. It is important to clarify that formality has not disappeared, but rather undergone a reinvention. Taking advantage of this new-found fashion independence can be a lot of fun. There are no limits besides your imagination.
Powerful Magazine November 2018
58
Powerful Magazine November 2018
59
60 Powerful Magazine November 2018
YOUR HEALTH AND STRESS One of the most worrying trends of the
Additionally, many subjects also report-
last few decades has been the normalcy
ed that stress had cost them friendships,
with which we have begun to view stress.
jobs, and even their marriages.
Surveys performed in the majority of the developed countries of the world report
Stress, as we now know it and experi-
that between 80 and 90 percent of the
ence it, has become a severe problem
adult population experiences high lev-
in today’s society, and we would do well
els of stress in at least one area of their
to solve it.
life. A recent study out of the European Union reported that over 50% of individuals who suffer stress frequently end up developing a physical illness or psychological disorder such as anxiety or depression.
Powerful Magazine November 2018
61
There are many types of stress, and as previously mentioned, not all are equally
Powerful Magazine November 2018
62
harmful to your health. Eustress, for example, is an optimistic cognitive response to stress factors that are positive and provides the individual with a feeling of fulfillment. Eustress is usually generated when a situation is met whose goal lies slightly out of reach but not so far that it becomes unattainable. Eustress fosters motivation and instills a sense of hope and life satisfaction. Acute stress is what happens when stress factors begin to generate worry and are perceived to permeate all aspects of life, creating a relative sense of chaos. This is the first step before arriving at stress levels that are truly problematic: chronic stress. Untreated stress can wreak havoc on the central Chronic stress is a type of stress that seems nervous system. The typical stress response never to end, and what was previously significantly increases serum levels of cortisol, episodic becomes perpetual. We spoke epinephrine before that the stress response is able
and
other
hormones,
which
increases heart rate and elevates blood pressure.
to trigger a physiological reaction. This response, caused by measurable physical
Although human beings often experience com-
and hormonal changes, significantly alters plex and changing circumstances that demand metabolism, delays certain physiological
quick adaptation, most of the situations that we
functions, such as digestion, and diverts routinely go through are familiar and unproblemblood flow. This is done so that the body atic, and we have progressively become accusis prepared to face the perceived threat tomed to them throughout the years. Our brains, either with forcefulness or with avoidance. which are unimaginably complex biological When this happens from time to time, the machines, give meaning to our environments, body is able to return to a non-stressed state
are able to detect irregularities in them and
naturally, but when stress becomes chronic, provide us with sufficient biological and psychoreal damage is done.
logical resources to promote adaptive behavior.
Therein lays the key problem of pathological stress; which a predominantly quantitative
63
is that matters of stress are
ful if it is chronic, that is, if the process does not stop, and it subjects our body to prolonged overexertion. It is then that it will negatively affect our health, particularly our cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and immune systems. For example, chronic hypertension and tachycardia are two of the most common long-term consequences of chronic stress, and the risk of suffering a fatal myocardial infarction increases by upHowever, sometimes, some difficulties surpass wards of 20% when under its effects. Devthe amount of these resources with which our astating cerebrovascular accidents such as organism is armed.
strokes and aneurysms are more than 50% more common in individuals suffering from
Remember that stress is, in a way, an archaic
chronic stress.
defensive animal response that looks to prepare the body to flee or fight. Of course, well-adapted To make matters worse, chronic stress is ofhumans rarely ever solve problems by either ten compounded by other common harmful escaping or physically fighting, which makes habits such as a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, the stress response somewhat anachronistic. and poor nutrition. Since stress constitutes However, transient over-excitation is useful only a complex and problematic condition, with insofar as it does not become too intense and cognitive, emotional, behavioral and somatlong-lasting.
ic manifestations, its diagnosis and subsequent treatment must be conducted comprehensively, considering all affected levels. As a result of this, it is only adequate that patients, who number in the hundreds of millions worldwide, receive joint treatment.
Powerful Magazine November 2018
question. Stress is only harm-
Powerful Magazine November 2018
64
Powerful Magazine November 2018
65
66 Powerful Magazine November 2018
WHO DOES IT BEST?
We found out at Ultimate Business Builder Family Edition By Francie Baldwin There is always a lot of discussion and debate about who is actually better at business. Is it men? Is it women? People who received a master’s degree? Or maybe people who didn’t even go to university? To complicate this discussion a little more, while actually un-complicating it at the same time, there is a new group to look at, and when it comes to business, they know how to turn lemons into lemonade… and then sell that lemonade for profit!
In recent months, the JT Foxx Org held an event called “Ultimate Business Builder, Family Edition”, with both adults and kids all in attendance for this first-time event. These families came from around the world, so there were different languages, cultures, and family dynamics at play. While the adults were focused on growing and building their businesses, their kids were participating in activities geared around not only learning about business, but actually becoming business owners themselves.
67 Powerful Magazine November 2018
At the end of the event, it became apparent that kids do it better, actually all of it better, than the adults do. While this sounds like a very strong statement to make, just follow along; I am confident that you will agree at the end. As the event began, the youth entrepreneurs all ranging in age from younger than 5 years old to teenagers about to go to university, were put into teams. Their first task was to run a zoo. For this task, the different groups were all working in the same zoo; however, they were competing to see which team could generate the most amount of revenue at the different areas of the zoo.
Like any traditional zoo, there was an entry fee as well as the traditional areas designed to get you to spend as much money as possible. This included feeding the animals, petting the animals, and a gift shop. Each adult, including celebrity guest Bethenny Frankel, participated as being an attendee at the zoo. Funds were given to the adults to spend in the zoo, but they didn’t have an unlimited amount of cash to spend… as in most real life situations, they had less money available than there were things to buy. So each team was competing to “sell” the adults on spending money with them.
What happened next was something I wouldn’t have imagined. These young entrepreneurs were given some guidance as to what typical prices were for certain things, but outside of that direction, they were able to create whatever they wanted. It started right at the entrance… they were negotiating with the adults before they even got into the zoo. One of the patrons who wanted to visit the zoo asked if there was a senior discount, and without thinking twice, the kid at the entrance responded with “yes, but I need to see your ID first.”
68 Powerful Magazine November 2018
Upon entering the zoo, the real marketing tactics started. One of the teams had lions (two of the 5-year-old kids) doing tricks… but only if you paid for it. Another team realized the power of positioning and sales, as you could pet the animal for $7 or you could purchase the animal, take it home and pet it anytime you wanted for $10. What a bargain! But as I was standing next to Bethenny whose daughter was also participating in the activity, she looks at her daughter and said “I don’t have $10 to buy an animal.” The immediate response from her daughter was “well, how much do you have?” in a true entrepreneurial spirit. With all the kids working together to sell, educate, and straight-up hustle the adults, it was the first showcase at just how great these kids naturally were at thinking like a business owner. As the zoo experience was winding down, one of the kids saw a new opportunity in approaching adults who had purchased animals to let them know just how challenging it actually was to try domesticating a zoo animal as well as the expense it would incur, so they would be willing to take the animal back for a small fee. For me, it was a real eyeopening experience and a big realization as to how brilliant we actually are when we’re younger. And it was the next task that really brought that to light...
The second task involved new teams. Everyone was competing to sell lemonade and cookies. The prices were set across the 3 lemonade stands, but outside of that detail, each team had free reign to design what they wanted. Their name, marketing, selling, and positioning was all completely up to them to decide. I was able to experience the creative process with the teams firsthand… as a marketing person at heart, I was blown away at what happened. Each of the 3 teams started with what their marketing angle was going to be to get people to their lemonade stand. They didn’t start with a name or a logo, but what their strategy was to get people to their table. Once they determined their marketing, they worked on what they were going to do for a sales price perspective, how they were going to position their lemonade from the other two. Then, the last thing they came up with was the name. These kids were marketing and sales geniuses, no doubt about that at all. One of the teams went with the angle of their ingredients being all natural, organic, no sugar added; appealing to the health conscious participants. Another team went with straight guerilla marketing tactics like “we are better than them”, with a sign with arrows pointing to their competition. The third team created a brand identity with Chippy and Lemon Boy, complete with a jingle and dance.
In finishing out this event, the three teams were set to actually come up with their own business idea and pitch it to Mr. JT Foxx himself. Each team had coaches available for guidance and direction, but was also free to come up with their own idea and how they were going to pitch it. Each of the teams came up with highly original ideas, who their target customer was going to be, how much money they needed to get started and what their strategy was going to be. In the end, it was very close, but the Chew-2-Clean team won. Their business idea, really the name says it all, is a gym where you chew to clean your teeth. They had the idea as there are millions of people who don’t have access to clean water, and there are even more parents who have a difficult time getting kids to brush their teeth.
The most amazing takeaway to me was realizing how hard we have to push ourselves, as adults, to go out there and sell. How much people claim to not understand marketing, and positioning. Yet the entire group of youth entrepreneurs just get it. They aren’t afraid of anything, and they just go out and make it happen. Somewhere along the way, we lose that as adults, and those are the exact skills that we need to be rock stars at business!
69
JT wasn’t easy on the teams; he asked the same questions that he would to any adult, but the kids held their own and didn’t lose their cool at all.
Powerful Magazine November 2018
Today, as I am writing this article, I can clearly remember each of the team’s slogans, their pricing, and the show they were putting on, but I couldn’t tell you any of their lemonade stand names, proving it isn’t all in a name. On the other hand, my adult entrepreneurs go about it in a completely different order, starting with a name and logo. However, your name and your logo don’t drive customers, it’s your marketing and your sales positioning that bring in and sell the customers, and the kids just get it. Without direction, or guidance, they just get it.
Powerful Magazine November 2018
70
Powerful Magazine November 2018
71
Powerful Magazine November 2018
72
Before you take your next big idea to Shark Tank, you will want to weigh your options. While the idea of having your company on TV being in the glitz and glamour of the “big stage”, Mark Cuban and Daymond John have both said, it is smart to wait as long as possible before you bring in an investor. Don’t use credit cards or borrow money if you don’t have to; you want to bootstrap your business as long as you can and grow it organically. Small businesses are a huge risk for small investors and venture capitalists. If you feel finding an investor is your play, you will want to show them you are transparent to increase your chances of success. Companies that look promising with billion dollar valuations have tanked, leaving investors high and dry. It is no surprise why investors see small businesses as a risk. On the show Shark Tank, you see deal after deal being made, but what isn’t shown is the number of deals that actually fall through when the cameras are off. Only when the investor starts doing their homework about your company is when a deal is truly made.
73 Powerful Magazine November 2018
THE TRUTH ABOUT BUSINESS GROWTH
74 Powerful Magazine November 2018
Before we dive into how to prep your company for an investor, let’s dig deep into the ways you can grow your business organically. What does “organic growth” mean? Growing your business in an organic way allows owners to stay in control of their business and grow it from the ground up. Organic business growth is the process of growing a business by increasing your sales and reducing your costs. You do this by finding more customers or increasing your product line to sell to current clients to bring in more money. Entrepreneurs understand that venture capital isn’t the best path to success. The key is to create a business that can be funded by your customers. One way to do this is to ask for the money upfront in the form of subscriptions or pre-sales. When you grow your business this way, and look to find an investor down the road, it is highly looked upon to be a business that has been customer funded. Cash is king. Customer funding is not “bootstrapping”, which refers to lean budgeting, and cost-cutting initiatives. Customer funding is about collecting the money upfront for an item before a service has been provided. If you are able to find something a customer wants, they will pay for it ahead of time. Amazon Prime collects their annual membership fees in advance. So does Costco. You can demand this only if you offer something of value in return. How can you match a client need to a service of yours that they want?
The subscription model is a business strategy that has fueled companies for years. The recurring revenue helps the owner know exactly what is coming in to help them budget and plan. It can be set up to run weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually. It isn’t the right strategy for every business overall, but it can be added in any business as an additional product of some kind. A way to grow your business in an “inorganic way” is by finding investors. This of course has many positives but also is weighed down by its disadvantages. The money from an investor sometimes comes with their knowledge and expertise, but it also requires you to give up some or a majority of the control in your business. When you are ready to find an investor, nothing is more important than the transparency of your business. Almost anyone can find out almost everything about a company these days. Small businesses generally are not public so investors know a business doesn’t have to disclose all at the start, but they should.
Just know, it is very possible to grow a business without any outside investors. Yes, it takes a little longer, but there are some clever ways to grow a business without giving up any equity or control in the business that you started from scratch. Entrepreneurs know small businesses have a large failure rate, so the appetite to grow fast is appealing. It isn’t about growing fast, it is about growing smart. Keep that in mind. Remember it wasn’t the rabbit that won in the race, it was the tortoise. Keep making the moves that are the best and smartest for your business, and you’ll never lose.
75
An investor is much like a partnership; everyone is different, they may be a silent partner or they may be very much engaged. Keep your eye on the process. Even if they have majority stake in the equity of the business, continue to be engaged. Make suggestions, raise questions, and stay alert.
Powerful Magazine November 2018
This is a risk investors know of, so they want to do business with a company that knows their numbers, has the data to show growth, and how the business has impacted the market place. The thing about small investors; they are usually people who are looking to support a business that they care about and it is making money. Venture Capitalists are investment firms using the money of other people. While they also invest in a business that has consistent growth and transparency, they take on more risk by buying into the future of that business rather than where it is right now. Venture Capitalists will invest in 10 businesses, knowing 9 will fail, in the hopes that just one will succeed and overcome any loss from the other 9. Their due diligence is the process of researching, analyzing, assessing, questioning, and scrutinizing anything and everything in your business. While they do take on more risk than a small investor, Venture Capitalists are very smart with how they allocate their funds. An investor is looking to make a return of at least 25%. It isn’t just about having a good product; sure, they are interested in any unique advantage you may have in the market, but they also look at your team. Do you have a great management team?
Powerful Magazine November 2018
76
Powerful Magazine November 2018
77
Powerful Magazine November 2018
78