Make It Happen!

The reputation that a business has is very important.  It drives the perception of the public, the frequency of the customers, the opportunities to be involved with the local economy and community as well as the caliber of employees and customers that a business will have.  Competition is always going to be out there and often this is beyond the control of a business owner, manager or leader.  However, there are some pivotal elements of the business that can be controlled.  One of the best assets of a business is the staff.  The employees of a business create the best pathway to publicity… especially in smaller, rural settings.  The image that the employees portray and the opinions that they share about the workplace will be instrumental in how that business is viewed by potential customers, partners and the business community.  Keep in mind how we always say that how a person behaves is usually an indication of what is going on at home… the same...

As the next generation of young adults enter our workforce... I am sure that many of you have noticed some differences of perspective when it comes to attitude, skills and approach to labor.   You will respond to this and how you respond will make an impact.   This is powerful.   Your reaction has the potential to shape our future leaders. I don’t like to use the term ROLE MODEL... But that is exactly what Generation Y & the Linkster Generation see when they are working with and for a more experienced person. These young people are like fresh clay being formed.   When you are managing them, keep in mind that they will replicate your behavior and actions.   Knowing this, you must decide if you want them to handle themselves in a positive or negative way and in turn, represent your business in the same manner.   If you make the RIGHT choices in times difficulty, you are empowering others to do the same.   The younger generation is very good at d...

So… many people out there are familiar with this new urban legend of “catfish” and how it has impacted our social media personas and activities online.  As I looked online to find a good link to explain this concept in detail, I found several misconstrued definitions.  The idea was spawned from a story in the 2010 documentary, Catfish, where a man explained that when shipping live cod overseas from Alaska to China, the fish would be mushy and dull due to the long trip without mobility.  They simply didn’t swim around as much in the confined tank.  They came up with the idea to put catfish into the tanks in order to keep the fish active.  The catfish would chase the cod and keep them agile.  This resulted in the cod fish being of higher quality and much tastier cuisine once they reached China.  Therefore the premise is that a person who is a “catfish” keeps us on our toes, makes us question and raises our sense of awareness and maybe even our level of...

I am so excited to have a guest blogger!!!!  Enjoy these wise words by entrepreneur Mr. Andrew Vrbas, creator of PACHA SOAP !  This business is a soap company with a social mission inspired by Andrew’s travels to Central America.  In Andrew’s words below, please enjoy as he shares his secret to finding passion in what you do. In times of difficulty, what would you rather be doing? That one question could potentially solve a lot of inner confusion and turmoil both for those who are stuck in the common and for those venturing into the uncommon. That one question might sound foolish or selfish; however the answer is very enlightening. The answer to that one question reveals the desire of one’s being: the passion of one’s life. When we are discontent about our circumstances, we are forced to answer that one question: what would I rather b e doing? In the case of a person attempting to launch a new business the answer is often that he or she would rather have a mor...

Imagine the following: You attend a buyer’s tradeshow and find that your products are not as sellable or priced right to attract potential retailers and you don’t get the appointments for vendor visits that you anticipated.   OR… You give a presentation at the investor’s meeting and find that your projected profits for the next year are not impressive enough for several of your investors to stay active and they opt for exiting rather than extending their current investment contracts.   OR… The new factory space you anticipated moving into suddenly becomes unavailable due to new building code requirements and delays the expansion of your business… What will you do now?   What will everyone think?   Will this be the demise of your business and your professional reputation? Well that depends… all on the choices you make in response to the situation.   My daughter just reminded me of a mantra that I have tried to instill into myself, my children, my students an...

As the end of the year is only a few days away…I am left with a feeling of accountability; as if I need to recollect and list the accomplishments of this past year.  I will say that it did go very fast but was full of moments that were significant and certainly pivotal.  I won’t share my little list, it doesn't matter to anyone but me…and that is what is so great about it.  Regardless of what life brought us in 2012, we were all impacted in some way.  Take the time to think about some of these moments – good and bad – and reflect on them.  These can be instances where you made an important business decision, a change in a habit, started a friendship or experienced something brand new. Take some time to really process everything that has happened over the past year and truly appreciate the affect that it has had on your life. The small stuff can have a big force.  We can really learn from things that make sense to us and if we don’t...