May 30, 2007

Promoting my business

I sat down to do this post over four hours ago. I’ve been on my sponsor’s website ever since, and I’d appreciate some input from you folks on a decision I need to make. My business is eight years old and I’ve never done much pro-active marketing. I have a packet of information that I distribute on a day-to-day basis and I am occasionally asked to address real estate offices at a monthly meeting or continuing education seminar. That’s pretty much all of the promoting I’ve ever done. My clientele is limited to realtors on Oahu and a few escrow transaction co-ordinators, so I decided long ago that trade shows and home shows that appeal primarily to homeowners and developers/builders would not be a wise investment. Referrals from satisfied clents have kept me going all of these years, but the real estate market has been very slow for over a year now. I need a way to reach out to new prospects who haven’t tried my services yet, and to keep my name in front of my existing clients. The most practical and affordable way for me to do that is to find some imprinted promotional products that will encourage clients and prospects to keep my name and contact information right at their fingertips.

I have my insurance agent’s calendar on my desk. It’s compact (important in a cluttered office like mine) and I use it every time I work on my books. I also look there instead of the phone book when I need to call him. I want something that handy to put in front of my clients. It’s the wrong time of year to send out calendars (though it’s something I should consider with my holiday greetings this year,) and I need to start promoting my business now. My first thoughts were of pens and keychains because realtors use a lot of both. I think, though, that they’re likely to leave those with their clients, who are not my clients. Realtors use a lot of highlighter pens to mark up their documents and I don’t think they would give those away, but I want something more durable. While I was looking at the items offered at gimmees.com I was having “voila” moments repeatedly. I have four letter openers scattered around my office. Two of them are works of art and rather pricey. I never use them. The one I use most was picked up at a home show over twelve years ago. The advertising imprint for the company that gave it to me is still doing its job because I use it every day. Likewise the luggage tag on my briefcase and the business card holder that goes everywhere I go.

I’ve narrowed my choices down to two that are within the budget I’ve allocted and will do an admirable job of helping me accomplish my goals. The letter opener seems like natural to me because of my own experience. I haven’t looked at all of the many styles available yet, but I really like the house-shaped one depicted here.

My second choice is an item I’ve never used before but I really like it. I think that it’s unique enough that it’s not likely to get tossed in a drawer with half-a-dozen others and that it would be used regularly. And, well, it’s cute and I like it. I’d consider using it for a future photo puzzle if I didn’t want your opinion, but since I do I’ll tell you that it’s a screen duster. Now wouldn’t you use one of those and keep it either on your desk or in your notebook/laptop bag? Wouldn’t you notice the imprint every time you cleaned your screen? Or is there some other desktop item that you think would do a more effective job for me?

What do you think of my reasoning? There are a lot of other choices at gimmees.com and it’s possible I’ve missed the most perfect item of all simply because they have so much that I haven’t seen it all yet. If you stumble across something else that you think is better than my own choices, give me a shout. This may seem like a small thing to those of you involved in big business, but it’s huge to me. Can I get some feedback from my readers who either own their own businesses or have helped promote a business?

Edit: Maybe I shouldn’t have gone back to site before making a firm decision. I’ve just discovered their “Bargains” and “Sale and Closeout Items” links. I could be there a long, long time.

Technorati Tags: promotional products, trade show giveaways, payperpost

May 28, 2007

Fostering personal growth

Education is an ongoing process in my life, as I think it is or should be for anyone in business. Staying current with industry-specific subjects doesn’t present a problem because I’m well-supplied with courses, study guides and seminars through professional associations and publications. Maintaining a small business, though, requires reaching outside that narrow focus in order to develop and maintain proficiency in marketing, public relations, finance and a myriad of other aspects of successful business operations. Independent reading and online college courses offer the most time-efficient approach for fitting my educational needs into my busy schedule.

One particular area of study I can’t afford to neglect is personal development. The group dynamic within larger businesses can help each individual team member maintain enthuiasm. As an independent business person who works without such a support network, I must seek outside resources that will foster achievement and personal growth. Sara Orem has authored a new book that is based on the premise that “people and organizations flourish when they focus on human ideals, achievements, and best practices.” Success or failure in my business can be largely attributed to the respect and individual attention that is brought to each personal contact. If I fail to connect in an honest and strightforward way with each client, I’m doomed to mediocrity at best. Maintaining freshness and enthusiasm on a daily basis can be problematic, but with the proper tools it can be accomplished. Sara Orem’s book, Appreciative Coaching: A Positive Process for Change, recently published by Jossey-Bass, seeks to help fill that need.

“Rather than focusing on individuals in limited or problem-oriented ways, Appreciative Coaching guides the reader through four stages – Discovery, Dream, Design and Destiny – that inspire them to an appreciative and empowering view of themselves and their future,” says Orem, a faculty member at Capella University’s School of Business and Technology.

This is an approach that fits solidly into my own attitudes about business. I belive that Sara Orem’s book can help me stay solidly on the path to growth and success.

More about the school: Capella University was founded in 1993 and is an accredited online university which offers 82 graduate and undergraduate specializations and 16 certificate programs. A free online seminar, “Returning to Learning,” can help acquaint you with their programs and determine your own readiness for a return to formal studies. Tuition assistance and financial aid are available, as are military discounts and credit for military experience. For more information, please visit Capella.edu or call 1-888-CAPELLA (227-3552).

This blog post is based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com.

Technorati Tags: business, businesss education, online college, online degree programs

May 3, 2007

Coffee business opportunity

You all know I love my coffee. Some of you made great sport of my oversized coffee mug a few days ago when I showed it in my self-portrait post. Laugh if you will! Two fills of that mug each morning give me exactly the amount of coffee I want as I start the day. I used to drink an entire pot each morning and sometimes had another cup or two later in the day. I had to cut back on my coffee consumption twelve years ago because of the digestive problems I developed following my surgery. I just couldn’t handle the acid anymore. That happens to some people with aging and through other causes, too. That’s why I jumped on this opportunity to tell you about the World’s 1st Healthy Coffee. What’s so healthy about this coffee? The most important characteristic for me is that it’s non-acidic, which means I could enjoy more coffee. It has no chemicals and contains less than half of the caffeine of my usual brew. It also helps increase energy and reduce fatigue while supplying over 200 health-enhancing nutrients and over 150 all natural and organic antioxidants. My bottom line for coffee is taste though. I havent tasted this one yet, but Shane Morand has and he says it tastes great.

Who is Shane Morland? He’s the guy who can help you market this very special coffee. He first found out about the World’s 1st Healthy Coffee in 2004. He liked it so much that he introduced it to his family and friends and soon realized its income potential. His original word of mouth campaign has gown into a multi-million dollar enterprise and now he’s looking for entrepeneurs who are interested in developing an ongoing stream of monthly residual income. He’s calling it a world class opportunity, but don’t take my word for it. Click the link and he’ll tell you all about it and let you know how to get all of the information you need to get started.

Technorati Tags: coffee, business opportunities, business investments, entrepeneurism, World’s 1st Healthy Coffee

April 30, 2007

Securing my files

Everyone who knows me, even if it is just through my blog, is well aware of my technophobia. Just to illustrate how ingrained it is I’ll tell you that I still have every paper file ever generated by my company since I started it almost eight years ago. I’ve been afraid to go out into my storage shed since the mouse invasion last month. No, I’m not afraid of the mice, but I dread what they may have done to stored files. I have all of my files backed up on CDs or DVDs, but redundancy is a good thing, right? I could lose or damage a disc. Paper files are prone to damage with or without rodents present. I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t trust myself to keep my files secure. I’m not just referring to the physical security of my files either. Clients have entusted me with confidential information that is relavent to the services I perform for them. Remember the break-in scare at my home a few months ago? Suppose, just for a moment, that the intruder had been successful. Confidential information is not in my paper files, but the intruder could have easily carried away a few discs of information that would have exposed my clients to identity theft. It’s not likely that that would happen with a small business/home office like mine, but it’s entirely possible. I owe it to my clients to go above and beyond the installation of deadbolts and security lighting. My carelessness has put them at risk, and I’ve been lax in plugging that hole.

A few minutes ago I downloaded “SecureZIP - The next generation of ZIP”. With this software I can create new backups and encrypt them in the process. It will allow me to securely store confidential data files for free. My ZIP files can now provide me with a level of security that was once only available to large, complex operations. The software will integrate seamlessly with Outlook Express, too, allowing me to protect information from first contact until completion of service and beyond. Now that I’ve found a measure of security as strong as any in the world, I can be more confident that I’m providing my clients with the best possible service. I may even incorporate that information on my next printing of business cards and letterhead.

You can download this software for free but it’s a limited-time offer. Go to www.securezip.com to take advantage of it today.

What does this have to do with my technophobia? It took me just a few minutes to download SecureZip, and just a few more to figure out how to download my email addresses as a test. If I can do it that easily and quickly, you know it’s a system that anyone can use.

As to the paper files outside? Well, I’m working on it. I have crawled out of the dark ages. Now I just need to move away from their shadow.

Technorati Tags: business, business files, file storage, secure file storage, free downloads, free security software, SecureZip

April 29, 2007

Smorty

I love what I do for a living. I’ve loved it for twenty-seven years, which is a sly way of saying that I’m getting old. It’s harder and harder on my body to carry around a ladder or crawl in a tight space under a house. I know that I won’t be doing those things much longer, so I’ve been looking for other income sources.

One thing I’ve found that works well and that I enjoy is to blog for money. A new place I’ve found where I can get paid to blog is Smorty. They’re a very easy company to work for. Sign up for the service, go to your menu to see who wants people to advertise on blogs and write your post. It’s that easy. Submit your post and you get paid.

I’ve been doing blog advertising for about five months now. I’ve checked out a lot of services where you can get paid for blogging. Some of them are slow to pay and make impossible demands. Smorty is straight-forward to deal with, sets reasonable fees for each post and pays promptly. Their system efficiently connects advertisers to bloggers, so there’s a steady flow of opportunities to write about. If you’ve been thinking about getting paid to blog (and you know you have,) check out Smorty. They sponsored this post so I could share the news with you.

Technorati Tags: blog advertising, blogging, get paid to blog, make money online, Smorty

April 28, 2007

Another reason I’ll stay a small business

I was the manager of a branch operation for a regional pest control firm back in the eighties. Day-to-day operations didn’t run smoothly at first. The previous manager had hired several people because he “liked” them on first meeting. The day after I took over I called in one of our technicians and showed her the customer complaint file she had accumulated. Her primary offense? She didn’t wear a bra under her company-issued, pin-stripped button-down shirt. She also only closed two of the buttons. The tail of the shirt was gathered up and tied in a knot under her breasts, leaving her midiff and breasts exposed as she moved around doing her work. Many of our customers were not comfortable having her come into their homes for service. The old manager had never even mentioned the complaints to her - he was too busy enjoying the view himself. The employee and I had a long talk about professional image and I was later able to promote her to a more responsible position.

About a week after I took over the branch I was returning to the office late one afternoon and spotted four of our company vehicles parked in front of a bar around the corner. The trucks were rolling billboards, plastered with decals all the way around. Employees had twenty-four/seven use of company vehicles. I sent them all home and called an office meeting for the next day. Once again I talked about professional image and abuse of privileges. The problem seemed to be resolved until a a few months later, when one of the same employees caused a wreck while backing out of the parking lot of the same bar. He was drunk. The one-hundred gallon tank on the back of his truck was filled with termiticide. Our vehicle and another were badly damaged, but at least we didn’t have to deal with injuries or a pesticide spill. Pesticides should be mixed and used up on the job site to avoid such a possibility and to comply with regulations. The employee was well aware of this and these were not his first infractions. I fired him at the accident scene.

When I went to work at the California headquarters of a national firm I had twenty-one field service employees under my direct supervision. My first action was to establish a uniform training program. This incorporated an OSHA-compliant safety training and documentation program. I had to write the company OSHA policy myself, as well as the basic training manual for each branch of service. I had been amazed to find that neither of those had previously been utilized by such a large and well-respected firm. It was a full year before I felt reasonably confident that I had well-trained employees who weren’t abusing my license every time they performed a job.

Documenting employee training provided me with a measure of protection from liability for employee actions, but by no means made me bullet-proof. Field supervision (including unannounced visits to job sites) and ongoing training also reduced my liability, but I would have still been targeted if regulatory sanctions or court cases had ever ensued. Those things didn’t happen, but the job was incredibly stressful. I fired one employee when we were able to document that he was stealing prescription drugs from customers. Another refused to “train out of” sloppy pesticide handling and I had to let him go. I was temporarily transferred to Oahu as a trouble-shooter when the branch manager developed a cocaine habit and began doing un-authorized side-jobs for cash. His work was as unprofessional as his attitude and we spent months re-doing work that our company had never received a penny for but that was, ultimately, our responsibility. Repairing our reputation took much, much longer. Subsequent events kept me in Hawaii, where I eventually started my own business.

The best pre-hire screening, training and supervison cannot guarantee how your employees are behaving when you’re not watching. That brings me to the events that motivate me as I write today. My former employer provided quality assurance inspections for several pest control companies here in Hawaii. One of the operations that contracted for that service was sold in recent years. The purchaser had been the company’s manager and licensee. I met him on my first workday in Hawaii, worked with him for two years (until I left my employer) and have maintained infrequent contact with him since then. I know him to be professional, detail-oriented and concerned about he quality of service his company provides. He’s a family man who uses his kids in local TV advertising for his company, and is very personable and warm-hearted. This week I’ve been trying to imagine how he must feel, because one of his employees has been arrested in connection with the disappearance and probable murder of a Japanese citizen who was visiting our fair islands. Statements released yesterday concerning forensic evidence paint a grim picture and seem to point to the employee as the likely perpetrator of a heinous crime. It’s still unfolding news. Last night it was reported that a murder victim was recently found within yards of where this new crime may have occurred. This may indicate that the accused is a multiple-murderer. The story has been headline news since the woman first disappeared and my acquaintance’s company name has been included in every recent story.

Addressing how horrendous this is for the victim, her family and friends would be pointless. That’s obvious and they all have my sympathy. My focus now, though, is the impact this is having on the employer. It’s easy for me to imagine some of the things that must be going thorough his head. How could I not have known? What could I have done to avert this terrible thing? What is going to happen to my business?

Full stop.

How dare he worry about his business in the face of such a tragedy! He doesn’t have a choice. His family’s livlihood is tied up in the company. He employs dozens of people who are depnedent on him to keep the company afloat. He has landed in the midst of a public relations nightmare. He’ll lose long-time customers who “just don’t feel comfortable” doing business with his company anymore. It will be quite a while before people quit cringing when they see those same trucks they’ve seen on the news every night lately. New business is likey to slow to a trickle. He, his family and his employees will be stigmatized by some for not knowing/not doing. His entire staff has had an emotional blow that is likely to surface in their ability to function in their private and work lives. He has to persevere. He has to set aside his own personal trauma and rescue his business from this mess. I think he has the stamina and the leadership ability to do it. I hope I’m right.

Employers are constrained in what is and is not allowed in pre-employment screening. Drug-tesing, background checks and criminal records searches are all allowed in some areas. Psychological testing frequently is not, or at least it wasn’t back when I had such concerns. With or without such aids, how responsible is an employer for a workers’ personal behavior off the job? The sad fact is that we can’t know everything there is to know about anyone. People tend to hide the darker side of their nature. Some are very good at it. That doesn’t mean that we won’t feel responsible when an employee does something terrible. It does mean that we shouldn’t.

When I was in the earliest dreaming, rough-planning stages of starting my business, I had a foundation-level decision to make. How big did I want my business to be? How much service did I want to provide and how many employees would I need in order to provide it. Past experiences quickly came to the forefront of my memory and made the decison easy. I did not want anyone to have the ability to sully a reputation I had been building for almost two decades in the industry. I was not interested in the possibility of sacrificing my professional license to the actions of a well-trained but careless employee having a bad day. I did not ever again want to have to apologize to a client for employee pilfering on my watch. Been there, paid the dues, got way too many tee shirts to show for it. My decision was to establish a one-woman operation and accept responsibility only for myself. My imagination never took me to the outer limits of the havoc a business can become embroiled in due to the actions of an employee. Until this week. This week it hit home.

Technorati Tags: business, busniess management, public relations, employee relations, employee training, business responsibilities

April 25, 2007

Hibiscus

I got busy yesterday and forgot to share my workday photos. The work itself was bland. I inspected a single condo in an area called Salt Lake. No, there’s no lake there now, but I read somewhere that there was at one time. It’s an area that I looked at a year or so ago when I was considering moving. I live on the far west end of Oahu. Salt Lake is centrally located on the Southern half of the island, and all of the freeways and major highways come together there. My work takes me all over the island, so it’s a sensible place to live. A home there would cut my time and gas usage drastically. The move didn’t happen, but I have no regrets. I love the Waianae Coast and feel very at home here.

The condo I inspected was an efficiency and only about 300 square feet. The cabinetry and millwork were nice, but it was really just a concrete box. It was on the twenty-second floor and had large windows on one wall, with a view of the mountains only partially blocked by other high-rises. There was also a golf course view if you craned your neck to the left. It’s okay for a tiny condo, I suppose, though not something I’d ever pay the “bargain price” of $229,950 for! The public areas of the building itself were lovely, though. The main lobby was nicely done with marble floors, sections of the walls done in fine wood panels, and a lot of glass to allow for views of beautifully landscaped grounds. I forgot to take my camera in, of course.

I remembered when I got to the car, though. The parking garage was an ugly, industrial-looking concrete and steel, thing, but its effect was somewhat camouflaged by some trees and hibiscus hedges bordering the sidewalk. I’m not good enough with hibiscus (and don’t have the right resources handy) to tell the names of these varieties. I just call them by their color names. Hibiscus is another flowering shrub that’s very popular throughout the island and they add a wonderful splash of color wherever they grow. No fragrance, so they’d make sense for someone like me with all of my allergies. I once had a lovely salmon and yellow double-bloom hibiscus out front, a gift from a friend. It never was very healthy and only survived for about two years. I think I’d like to try some again, but I’ll have to study up on them and find out how to keep them alive first!

Technorati Tags: flowers, flowering shrubs, hibiscus, gardening, Hawaii, work

April 21, 2007

Secrets to success?

My friend Lisa at My Thoughts, Ideas and Ramblings has tagged me to tell you what makes me a successful work at home mom. She must be really scraping the bottom of the barrel to call on me. I haven’t had a kid at home in a long, long time and my “work at home” stuff is secondary to my other stuff (the small business that I own.) Then there’s the whole “successful” part of the equation. What in the world was she thinking? But, hey, I’m game to give it a try. What makes me good at what I do?

1. I’m responsive to client needs. The realtors who use my inspection services know they can count on me when they’re in a bind. They frequently forget to order needed work until the last moment. I’ve developed a reputation for being the go-to person who can fit them in and get the job done. They know they can entrust me with the keys to multi-million dollar properties so they can get on with their own duties while I take care of mine.

2. I’m meticulous in producing work for client review. I sweat bullets over every report I generate and every online submission. I wear out dictionaries and online info resources making sure I have my spelling, grammar and facts right. I find it humiliating to let an error slip by, but apologize and make promt amends on those occasions when it happens.

3. I enjoy what I do and I think my clients appreciate that. It’s always nicer to work with someone who approaches a task with enthusiam instead of moaning about workload or expectations. I’m grateful for every bit of work that comes my way, and I make sure the people responsible for it know that.

If you’re interested in participating in this meme, mention it in the comments below. I don’t tag folks unless they’ve indicated a willingness to play along, and I have no idea who has done this one already. Have you got some secrets to success you’d like to share? Here’s your chance to tell the world!

Technorati Tags: success in business, wahm, business tips

April 14, 2007

Exploring the market

Several years ago two of my friends in the industry decided they wanted to start up a full-service pest control company here in the islands. I had been involved in other business with them over the years, both here and in their market areas on the mainland, so they checked with me for some basic information. What were the needs that our industry wasn’t meeting? What were the demographics for purchasers of each type of service? What service was most popular. Which specialty services hadn’t yet reached Hawaii? I reminded them that I offer a niche service, termite inspections for the real estate market, and had no direct familiarity with other services or needs. They were considering dedicating a considerable sum of investor funding to their start-up. What they needed was a professional market research firm that could not only collect the necessary data, but analyze it and help them form a clear picture of what the market was and how they could best enter it. I cut myself out of a substantial consulting fee, but I was the wrong professional for the job. After they hired the right experts they discovered that with it’s soft housing market and high unemployment, Hawaii should not be the focus of their interest at that time. They’re doing quite well in their new business on the mainland now, thanks to the expert advice from their market research specialists. It always pays to seek out the best experts when seeking business consulations.

This post is sponsored by Synovate, the global market research company driven by curiosity.

Technorati Tags: business, marketing, market research, pest control, business start-ups

April 8, 2007

There’s a new kid on the block

I make a portion of my income online. I enjoy it, it fits easily into my work schedule and it’s certainly no secret to those who read my blog. Today I get to announce to you that there’s a new pay-to-post company offering bloggers the opportunity to make money for posting about products, sites, services and companies. Bloggerwave is similar to other such services and has invited bloggers and advertisers to check them out. Their site is easily navigable and their program will be comfortably familiar to anyone who has done business with other pay-to-blog sites. They’re still in start-up phase, so this is your chance to get on board early. If you are looking to make money on your blog or if you have something you’d like to create some online buzz about, check out Bloggerwave. They sponsored this post and will be happy to see you.

Technorati Tags: Bloggerwave, pay-to-blog companies, blogs, blogging, online income