Why Professional Photography Matters

By: Lauri Bridgeforth, Bridgeforth Photographics

You are the best at what you do, right? You provide the best products and/or the best services, correct? You know it. Your parents know it. Your BFFs know it. But how do you educate the public about it? How do you attract new customers to show how you can help them? Where do you start when telling your company’s story? It has been said “a picture is worth a thousand words.”. I don’t know who originally coined that phrase, but that person was brilliant. Our human brains can process imagery thousands upon thousands of times faster than words. Therefore, it makes sense to use imagery to educate potential clients—particularly within your website and on all your social media platforms. In these days of working from home and reduced contact with the outside world, your potential clients are absolutely going to sniff you out online first. Translation: your company’s online presence needs to be highly professional, easy to navigate, and creatively engaging to attract fans and followers. Your fans and followers today can become your customers and clients tomorrow. But how do we do that?

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Meat processing at Gore’s Meats.

Here is where a professional photographer can help you. We photographers see the world differently. With an eye for detail and expertise in Photoshop and retouching, we make your company and its employees look their very best. We know how to evolve a dark musty corner of your manufacturing area into a colorful dynamic image that can hang on your conference room wall as well as educate your customers on your website. . (Oh, and we can take out all the clutter in the background too.) It’s what we do. It’s our vision, put to work for your business to help you look your most professional to your clients and tell your company’s story. You can’t always take your clients through your workspace but you can take the workspace to them with professional photography. We can photograph your employees, your processes, your products, and whatever else you come up with to document.

’63 Cobra was shot for the Vintage Motorcar Company in Inwood on the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley grounds.

Private order label jelly, made at Shawnee Springs.

“I have an employee that can take pictures for us.” Really? Was professional photography on that person’s resume when you hired them? Probably not. There is an opportunity cost asking an untrained employee to take snapshots of your business. What tasks are NOT getting done by that person while putting up with cameras and settings or pushing buttons on phones? Images by non-professionals yield non-professional results, and your business image will suffer accordingly. Hire a professional photographer who can get it right the first time. (Trust me, that employee most likely doesn’t want that responsibility for the company’s image anyway.) Congratulations—you’re a professional and truly the best at what you do. Now hire a professional photographer to create amazing imagery for you, so your company’s image will reflect it.

Achieving Excellence in Troubled Times

By: Jim Bowie Roxtar Consulting

“…it was the worst of times…the age of foolishness…the epoch of incredulity… the season of Darkness…the winter of despair…we had nothing before us…” Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (1859)

Seems like Charles may have had some precognitive abilities, like he looked directly into our own here and now. But don’t worry, there is hope. Operational Excellence and its associated methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints, Advanced Data Analytics, etc.) were born for times like these. When applied correctly, continuous improvement systems dramatically expand sales revenue and significantly reduce costs for the products and/ or services you provide by focusing on critical measurable drivers: speed (lead and cycle times), quality (yield, defects, and/or defectives), capacity and volume (throughput and utilization), and safety (near misses and reportable incidents). So, the real question is this: how? Let’s tackle this in three simple steps. “Gimme three steps, gimme three steps, mister.”- Lynyrd Skynyrd

STEP 1: REFLECT

First and foremost, you must develop a courageous form of self-criticism. This is the willingness to embrace the fact that your business is not functioning as well as it could, the necessity to perpetually and eagerly seek the next level of achievement, and a drive to become the best-in-class model for your industry. This is particularly challenging for some leaders because they established the systems and processes that are now underperforming. In short, you have to want to win, even if it costs your ego.

STEP 2: EXPLORE

Next, you must recognize your limitations. When you’re sick, you go to the doctor, a recognized technical expert. They listen to your complaints and evaluate your symptoms, perform a scientific assessment, measure specific variables (e.g. heart rate, temperature, etc.), and diagnose and prioritize potential causes along with treatment options. Sometimes they even identify symptoms or issues that you weren’t aware of. This approach makes sense, right? When something is wrong and you don’t have the expertise to solve (or identify) the cause, you seek expert and experienced help. The same is true for your business. Seek out and explore firms that provide the specific support you need. And do yourself a favor - make certain that they’ve got the goods. Explore potential providers’ credentials, including education (formal degrees and technical certifications), experience (length of time providing expert support - not total employment duration, diversity of clients served, and quantified results delivered), and expertise (publications, conference speaking events, and references).

STEP 3: ACT

Finally, engage! Remember the wisdom of The Electric Mayhem’s Floyd Pepper - “Hey, there ain’t nothin’ to it but to do it!” (The Muppet Movie, 1979). Move forward with your objective, critical perspective (step 1) coupled with expert support (step 2) and seize the benefits. During this phase, you should require and participate in regular, data-driven progress reports with the expert(s) you’ve selected to review and discuss both measurable business improvements and project status. Organizations are complex, sophisticated organisms with incredibly intricate dependencies and requirements. Incrementally improving or dramatically transforming any operation is a serious challenge. The Operational Excellence portfolio provides effective and efficient methods, approaches, and tools to address your challenges. The process is simple: realize you need help, seek out the right expert support, and take the first step of your journey today. Do you want to know more? Check out Roxtar Consulting at www.roxtarinc. com, shine@roxtarinc.com, or give us a call today at 703.943.0839. We are your local proven experts.

About the Author

Mr. Jim Bowie is an Operational Excellence Expert with more than 28 years of experience leading high-impact efforts in diverse environments and industries around the world including Government, Corporate, and Non-Profit organizations. Jim is the President of Roxtar™ Consulting (a CVE Certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business), author of the revolutionary book from Quality Press (American Society for Quality), Lean Acres: A Tale of Strategic Innovation and Improvement in a Farm-iliar Setting, Executive Director of WarYours, Inc., a non-profit Veteran’s organization, a Professional Conference Speaker, and the creator of the Lean Six Sigma Samurai® and the innovative strategic planning model, the StrateTree™. To read more about Jim and his team of recognized experts, go to: www.roxtarinc.com/leadership.

American Veterans (AMVETS) Post 18 [a local Veter• ans Service Organization] • Bell’s Mens and Ladies Fine Clothing • Carmeuse Lime and Stone • CARSTAR Patriot Collision Center • Clawson & Pelerin • Community Foundation of the Northern Shenandoah • Valley • Cundiff & Associates, CPA, PC Dinosaur Land, Inc. • Eco-Staff, LLC • Edward Jones - Mike O’Dell • Enders & Shirley Funeral Home & Crematory • First Bank & Trust Company • Frederick Block, Brick & Stone • Griffin Law - Phillip S. Griffin II, PC • Gromling, Thomas A., DDS • Grove’s Winchester Harley-Davidson • Hearing Life Heart of the Home Design-Build • Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto • Insight Advisors LLC InterChange Group, Inc. Johnny Blue Jones Funeral Home, Inc. L’ Auberge Provencale Manpower Staffing Services Miller Milling Company Miller’s Supplies At Work Mitzi’s Magical Vacations, LLC Rose & Calla Event Planning & Design Company Ruckman Engineering Rutherford & Johnson, P.C. Salvation Army, The Selma Medical Associates Shenandoah Valley Golf Club Special Love, Inc. The Floor Shop The Uniform Store The Village at Orchard Ridge-A National Lutheran Community Timber Ridge School West Oaks Farm Market

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