Important aspects of having a business

Deciding to start-up a company and run your own business can be one of the most liberating experiences that you’ll ever have. The opportunity to grow a company from its first few steps into a firm that pays you a salary can be hugely rewarding. It can also give you a much better work-life balance and, with all of the responsibility for its success ultimately in your hands, offer great motivation to get out there and achieve your goals. If you’re keen to start a business or perhaps have recently started one, there are some important aspects to consider.

Develop a vision and stick to it

One of the most compelling reasons for having a business is that it provides you with the chance to run something in the way that you’ve always wanted. That being the case, a clear vision that helps crystallise what kind of clients you want, what you want your company to be recognized for in the marketplace; and what kind of services you want to provide is absolutely imperative. Having a clear vision from the outset and always keeping it in mind can help you set your objectives.

Discover your market

Business guru Peter Drucker once posed the question “what business are you in?” and for the business to succeed, it’s crucial for you to address this by knowing your market. Most businesses simply cannot cater products and services towards everyone and, especially when you’re starting out, you need to know who to sell to. The better that you can define your market, the more precise you can be when targeting possible consumers.

Ensure consistency

One leading area in business is to ensure that you are consistent in all operational aspects. Business growth comes over time and cannot be expected overnight, so you need to be prepared to put in the hours and consistently work towards your goals. In addition, being consistent in your products and services ensures that repeat customers will get the same service, as a minimum expectation, each and every time they return.

Protect your business

From the very beginning, even when your idea is no more than an idea on a napkin, it is important that you look to protect your business. It’s vital to take out insurance to cover such things as business liability, key man protection, repayment of inventory, and protection against third-party damage, whilst over 50’s life insurance can financially protect your assets for dependants and business partners should you become critically ill or die.

There are many aspects of having a business that you’ll need to consider whether you’re just starting out or are looking to grow your current enterprise. Having a vision, marketing to the right people, and staying consistent in your own motivation and the services you provide is vital for success; and, by utilizing products such as buildings, premises and life insurance, you can ensure that you’re fully protected in the event of major losses.

Article Contributed by Online Universities

You’re young, strapped for cash, and totally busy with school. It sounds like a terrible time to start a business, but really, things couldn’t be more perfect. We’re seeing a boom in businesses started in tiny dorm rooms, and there’s a really good reason why: college is an ideal time to get your venture off the ground. With incredible support and resources, a low cost of living, and your life spread out before you, right now is when you should be making the leap. Don’t believe us? Read on, and find 22 compelling reasons to start your dream before you finish your degree.

1. All the cool kids are doing it: Mark Zuckerberg created “The Facebook” as a Harvard sophomore. Bill Gates and Michael Dell both left school behind when it was clear their businesses were taking them to bigger places. Sure, their stories are rarer than the failed ventures that sometimes come out of dorm rooms, but your idea just might be the next million dollar one.

2. You have the time available: Essays, exams, and extracurricular activities may be leaving you with little to no free time these days, but just wait until you have a job, possibly a marriage, kids, and a house. You may not realize it now, but you’re in the glory days of flexibility, so take advantage of it and get your business off the ground now.

3. It is just really cool: In some circles, “I have my own business” is the ultimate pick-up line. But seriously, having your own business at a young age really sets you apart on your resume, with your family, and even socially. People tend to respect those who own their own business.

4. Your professors are an incredible resource: There are few places where you can get more free knowledge and support than college, especially advice of such high quality. Talk to your professors, industry groups on campus, counselors, and more to get expertise and support for starting your business while you’re in school.

5. So are all the school “freebies” you pay for: Sure, they’re in your school fees, but you’re paying for them anyway, why not use them? Computer labs, copy machines, meeting rooms, free wifi, and more are all things you might be taking for granted but will have to pay an arm and a leg to use once you leave campus.

6. Entrepreneurship will give you a crash course in life management: If you’re having trouble keeping up with your grades and time management, being motivated by the possibility of cash just might make you shape up and start doing things right. Having a business just might force you to get organized and be more responsible with your time and money.

7. You might get a break on student loans: Recently-introduced laws on student loans make it possible for you to reduce your monthly payment obligation through your business, freeing up extra cash for getting off the ground and maintaining your finances.

8. You’ll stand out: Lots of young people are jumping in to business, but a college-aged businessperson is still a rare thing, and it can get you some attention. Your sales pitches will stand out because you’re different, and it’s much easier to differentiate yourself at networking events. This is, of course, assuming that you’re presenting yourself professionally.

9. Marketing on campus is crazy cheap: Word-of-mouth marketing is the best kind of advertising that money can’t buy. It’s at the student price of free and spreads like wildfire if you’ve got something exciting going on. Get your buddies on board and you can spread the word on campus and beyond.

10. It’s a great experience, even if you fail: That’s right, even if your small business blows up in your face, it’s a testament to your character that you even gave it a shot. Entrepreneurship shows that you’re creative, driven, and confident, all things that employers can respect.

11. Cheap labor is readily available: Help with your business tasks is typically not much farther than a case of beer and some pizza. Your friends may eventually tire of pitching in a lot for little reward, but almost-free labor is a great resource for getting off the ground.

12. Loyal partners surround you as well: Starting in college when you and your buddies have the time and energy to commit to a business means that you can enjoy a high level of commitment with employees and partners that are likely to stick around even after graduation.

13. You have fresh ideas: It’s sad, but true: after a few years working in a cubicle farm, your creativity and drive are almost certainly going to be dampened. In college, you are (hopefully) not yet jaded by the realities of working life, and you can take advantage of your open, fearless, and exciting opportunities unburdened.

14. There are college budget friendly businesses: While some businesses are capital-intensive, others are time intensive, and these are the ones where college entrepreneurs can really hit their stride. There are legitimate businesses that you can start for about $20, including housesitting and tutoring.

15. You just might make some cash: Chances are, you’re not exactly rolling in cash as a college student. But if you can create an effective business, you just might be able to actually earn some income in between classes. Do a great job, and you can pay off student loans early, graduating from school debt free.

16. Good luck finding a job otherwise: The job market is terrible these days, but not for entrepreneurs who make their own fortune. While your friends schlep their resume over the entire Internet and stand in line at unemployment, you can enjoy controlling your own future.

17. You may never have to work a corporate day in your life: As most college students prepare for a life of corporate drudgery, successful college business owners can rest easy in the fact that they can skip over the corporate world and go on to the exciting world of entrepreneurship.

18. It’s much easier to recover from mistakes: Even if you lose everything you own to your business, you’re probably still about on par with your peers. You can take a major financial hit, and even do some damage to your credit, but still have time to recover and get things right before major life events arrive.

19. You can live in your mom’s basement: OK, not everyone really wants to take advantage of this, but let’s be serious: it is amazingly cheap to move back home if you just can’t make ends meet while you’re launching a business. It’s lame now, but much less weird than if you tried to do it about 10 years from now.

20. An amazing network is waiting for you: Your college friends represent an incredible support system for your business. Chat up your friends in marketing, ask for website help from your computer science buddies, and get your most outgoing friends to help you gather clients and do market research.

21. Everyone wants to help: It’s not just professors and classmates who are willing to pitch in; major organizations offer resources as well. Last year, PayPal gave 20 teams representing entrepreneurs under 20 $100,000 fellowships for funding their big ideas. And they’re not the only ones. Often, colleges themselves will put on contests and grants for those brave enough to claim them.

22. You might not ever do it later: Putting things off until later is a great way to never actually get them done. Don’t wait to finish college to start your business, seize the day right now.

Article Contributed by Gary Jordan

It sounds easy – knowing who you are. It should be a given, right? Knowing and understanding who you are is a lifetime process that begins in childhood, on the playground, when you begin the process of learning just where you fit in. But where you fit in as an entrepreneur is a whole different question!

Most people start a business because they have an area of expertise. If they’re in tune with who they really are and what makes them happy, chances are, this area of expertise is also an area of deep personal passion. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs take the time for self-discovery once they start their business – and wonder why they’re not happy actually running their business, day in and day out..

After all, the focus of the business is something they love, and the products and services reflect that passion. Shouldn’t that be enough?

Well, actually, no – for one simple reason. Starting a business means that you’ll wind up wearing all kinds of different ‘hats’, playing a multitude of different roles, from accountant to marketing director, personnel director to chief financial officer.

The entrepreneurs who are actually happy in their businesses, day in and day out, are those who have gone one step further in their own process of self-discovery and determined the types of roles they actually enjoy filling, and the sorts of tasks they’re naturally suited for. They’ve found a way to focus in on those roles, developing what they do best – and delegating the rest. All of this benefits their businesses.

First, by freeing them up to do their ‘genius’ work’ – the work they truly do better than anyone else. Second, by filling the other roles with people who are actually happy and fulfilled in those capacities that bog down the entrepreneur and sap his drive. To be happy in business, it is vital for people to do what they naturally prefer to do and find engaging, because they will be more productive, happier, and, as a rule, procrastinate far less.

The business owner who understands how important it is to build his business around his natural strengths and abilities in this way also discovers exactly where he fits within the context of his business. These entrepreneurs also stop trying to do everything themselves, exponentially increasing their effectiveness with the help of a dynamic, powerful team.

Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs fail to reach this point. They look around at the business they’ve built, based on a real passion in their life, and wonder, why am I not happy with this? What’s missing? And (worst of all!), what’s wrong with me?

About the Author
If you’ve ever felt this way, take heart: there’s nothing wrong with you. But it’s high time you honored yourself enough as an entrepreneur to discover your natural strengths and put them to work for you in your business.
Gary Jordan, Ph.D., has over 27 years of experience in clinical psychology, behavioral assessment, individual development, and coaching. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology – Berkeley. He is co-creator of Perceptual Style Theory, a revolutionary psychological assessment system that teaches people how to unleash their deepest potentials for success. He’s a partner at Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., a consulting firm that specializes in helping people discover their true skills and talents. For free information on how to succeed as an entrepreneur or coach, create a thriving business and build your bottom line doing more of what you love, visit www.YourTalentAdvantage.com

I believe that life is a journey, and just like any journey, it has some bumps in the road along the way. For me, those “bumps” came in the form of three layoffs in two years.  I drove home from my last job, the remains of its existence in a cardboard box beside me, and I received this message: “Why go to work for somebody else when you can work for yourself?” I literally looked around like, “Who said that?”  And then I realized: “This is my life. I need to create a way for it to support me and bring me freedom and joy.” So… I started on that journey of entrepreneurship.

I knew that the road to entrepreneurship would not be an easy one to travel – with fear, risk, and uncertainty lurking around every corner. But as I drove down that freeway, I also knew there was no turning back now. It was time to follow the right path, and for me, that path was helping others discover theirs!

That third layoff was a turning point in my life: a point in which I realized I needed to make a change. And that change resulted in helping others to make changes as well. In fact, this is a step in my “Stand Out, Be Juicy” program that I call Juicy Benefits – communicating how you change someone’s life. And we all do it! We, as entrepreneurs, all offer services that change people’s lives. You just have to realize it.

To illustrate this point, one of my clients, a professional organizer, wasn’t meeting her goal of making a six-figure income. While she viewed herself as an organizer of stuff, her clients were saying, “You’re so much more than a professional organizer!” She couldn’t see it. So I asked her: “How are people different after working with you?”

Like most people, she couldn’t answer. But I helped her find her voice, her answer, which was: “I help people get to the root of the cause of their clutter so it never comes back.” Ta-da! There it was. Her Juicy Benefits. She started charging more and hit her six-figure mark that year.

The answer to, “How are people different after working with me?” should roll off your tongue, but most likely, it doesn’t. For most entrepreneurs, this is the case.  My own dissatisfaction while working in corporate America should have been obvious to me, but it wasn’t. My point? We don’t always see what’s right in front of us. Sometimes it takes someone from the outside to help us see what we should see, say what we should say, do what we should be doing. Juicy Benefits is just a piece of the puzzle, one curve in your road to discovery. Take the wheel for a moment, and let’s see where we can go!

About the Author: 

Lisa Cherney, a.k.a. the Juicy Marketing Expert, founded Conscious Marketing 12 years ago to help small business owners find their authentic marketing voice, attract their ideal clients and increase their sales. Following her own Stand Out & Be Juicy program, which centers on owning your unique self and laser-focus marketing, Lisa has tripled her income while working
part-time.

Prior to Conscious Marketing, Lisa worked with many Fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, Lipton, Nissan, Blue Cross and Equal. She is a highly sought after speaker and often shares the stage with experts such as Jack Assaraf (The Secret), Jack Canfield and Jill Lublin. Learn more about Lisa at www.consciousmarketing.com or call 887-771-0156.

Article Contributed by Lynda-Ross Vega

Just as in the human body, the strength of a business comes from its core. A strong core facilitates growth and endurance, and in business, that growth equals success, and that endurance equals longevity. Naturally, a successful, long-living business is what we all want and strive for!

You are the core of your business. You are its strength, its heartbeat, its reason for being. As its core, your strength comes from understanding your skills and talents and applying them in everything you do. That’s where we come in. We call it strengths-based business building – a process of helping you develop your natural entrepreneurial skills.

Imagine the core of your business becoming as strong as the core of your body: the muscles that provide you with power and stability are essential in everything you do. As the core of your business, you are just as essential to its success as those muscles are to your body. You are the reason for your business’s success, and it is only as strong as you are.

Understanding that you are at the core of your business is the easy part; the challenge is making sure that the core is as strong as it needs to be for your business to succeed. The technique of strengths-based business building involves accentuating the your strengths, and those of your team, the two most essential parts of your business.

Your strengths – your talents, abilities, ideas and skills – are what we call your “genius,” and as a business owner, you want and need your “genius” to come first. That’s what differentiates you in the market place; that’s why your clients seek you out. It’s a waste of your time and talent for you to focus on mastering parts of your business that are not based on your natural strengths. You want to do (and should do) what you love to do, what you’re good at doing. We help the rest fall into place by showing you what skills your team members must have that compliment you and keep the core of your business strong and vibrant.

Building a business around its core, around you, is essential and easy with the right tools. Our guaranteed system combines science and psychology, and while we’ve done the hard part of creating this approach, it’s now your turn to do the easy part and let us help you implement it.

About the Author

A partner at Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., Lynda-Ross specializes in helping entrepreneurs and coaches build dynamite teams and systems that WORK. She is co-creator of Perceptual Style Theory, a revolutionary psychological assessment system that teaches people how to unleash their deepest potentials for success. For free information on how to succeed as an entrepreneur or coach, create a thriving business and build your bottom line doing more of what you love, visit www.YourTalentAdvantage.com

Every big business had to start out somewhere, right? Some have come from more humble beginnings than others, launching with no more than some basic equipment, a couple employees, a garage space and a big idea. Whether you’re a business or finance student hoping to follow your own path to entrepreneurial success or already working in your own garage on the next big thing, these stories of companies that rose from obscurity to be multi-million (or billion) dollar industries can be a big inspiration. They may very well help you finally realize your dream of getting out of that garage and onto bigger and better things.

1. Apple: Today, consumers will wait in line for hours just to get their hands on some of Apple’s latest products, but once upon a time this electronics giant was a mere blip on the technology industry’s radar. Back in 1976, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniack and Ronald Wayne started a business out of a garage in Cupertino, CA, putting together one of the first prototypes of their personal computers. Over the next decades, the company would introduce several more models, including their Macintosh line in 1984, arguably what turned them from a struggling startup into a fully fledged business. Today, the company manufactures much more than computers, has almost 50,000 employees and brings in revenues of over 14 billion each year.

2. Google: Google might be a household name today, but back in 1998 the search engine giant was just starting out. Their corporate headquarters? A Menlo Park, CA garage. For the next five months, Google’s staff of three would work out of this garage, perfecting their search algorithm, indexing web pages, and raiding the refrigerator of their friend’s attached home. By the next year the company had outgrown the garage and eventually moved into what is today known as the Googleplex. To celebrate their 8th birthday, Google purchased the garage and intends to preserve it as a lasting legacy to the humble beginnings of their business.

3. Mattel: Mattel wasn’t always the toy maker we know it as today. When the Handler’s got their start in the 1940’s in a Southern California garage, they were making picture frames, not toys. Ruth Handler began taking the scraps of wood from those frames and making doll furniture, a side business which proved quite successful. Because of this, the entrepreneurs decided to change their focus to toys instead. In 1959, they introduced the first Barbie, and afterwards became a household name. Today they’re home to big names in the toy business like Fisher Price, Hot Wheels, American Girl and a number of board games.

4. HP: Back in 1939, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard decided to establish their own electronics manufacturing company. Based out their garage in Palo Alto, CA, with an initial investment of only $538, the two helped establish the technology hub that would become Silicon Valley. When they started out, they made everything from high-tech electronics to agricultural products but by the 60’s were homing in on the tech market exclusively. Today, the company is an electronics giant, with some of the highest quality personal computing products on the market. They have opted to preserve the garage where they got their start, making it into a museum.

5. Amazon: In 1994, Jeff Bezos laid the foundations for what would be the online retailing giant Amazon in his garage, hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow garage entrepreneurs HP. With a strong foundation, the company grew very quickly, and before long was in need of a much bigger space to house their operations. Today, there are few people who haven’t shopped with the online retailer, buying everything from food to televisions to electronic media. This small business had become one of the leading retailers in the world, with billions of dollars in sales each year.

6. Disney: While he would go on to build an animation and entertainment empire, Walt Disney’s first studio was a tiny, one car garage in Hollywood. There he worked on a variety of animation products, setting up a makeshift studio in the space, while he waited to see if his Alice in Wonderland pilot would be picked up by any major distributors. It was, and the company quickly moved out of the garage into a proper studio. These days, Disney is an entertainment giant for kids and adults alike with movies, theme parks and products around the world. That tiny garage was almost torn down, but the dedication of a few interested citizens helped to save it and interested visitors can go there today to see where it all began.

7. Microsoft: In 1975, Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft, with just a few resources and an available garage space. Unlike Apple who developed both software and hardware, Microsoft homed in on the software market. Working with IBM, the company licensed their first OS for a mere $80,000. Later, they would go on to develop more sophisticated operating systems that would evolve into those we know as Windows today. The business would grow to be one of the most profitable and powerful in the world, dominating the personal computing market.

8. MagLite: Anthony Maglica started his dream of owning a business by working long hours to earn the money it would take to put a down payment on his first lathe. Working in a Los Angeles garage, he began to design and build precision parts for industry, aerospace and the military. By 1974, he was incorporated as Mag Instrument and the company was gaining a reputation for the quality of their products. In 1979, MagLite released their first flashlight, the product they are best known for today. It would help them to become a household name and secure their place in the market.

9. Yankee Candle Company: Unable to afford a present for his mother, young Michael Kittredge created his first scented candle from some melted crayons in his garage. Neighbors saw the candles and began purchasing them from him, eventually motivating the high school student to found a business with two high school friends. Kittredge sold the company in 1999 after a cancer scare, but it has gone on to even greater success and is now sold at many major retailers and a number of its own standalone stores.

10. Harley Davidson: It makes complete sense that a company selling vehicles would get its start in a garage or outbuilding, because that’s where those products eventually end up. Harley Davidson did just that, starting out in 1901 with a small business that built engines for bicycles. Of course, it wasn’t long before they started developing the motorcycles for which they are known, and in 1903 they had already released their first racing bike, constructed in a small wooden shed. Buoyed by the popularity and speed of their motorcycles, the company expands, constantly rethinking the best ways to build a bike. Today, they’re still known for producing some of the biggest, best motorcycles on the market and have become a household name.

10 Big Businesses That Started in a Garage [AccountingDegree.com]

Article Contributed by OEDB

The selection of books on business seems limitless, but entrepreneurs can pay special attention to those that offer a spark of entrepreneurial spirit. Inspiration, innovation, management, leadership, and more are all addressed in these books. Read on to find an excellent collection for any entrepreneur’s library.

Entrepreneurial Passion

In these books, you’ll learn about the passion behind entrepreneurship.

1. The Fountainhead: Ayn Rand’s book encourages entrepreneurs to work without asking for permission.
2. Oh, The Places You’ll Go: Dr. Seuss’ book will remind you to stay positive and focused.
3. The Little Big Things: Tom Peters explains how you can pursue excellence in your business.
4. Crush It!: Gary Vaynerchuk explains how to cash in on your passion with this book.
5. Never Get a “Real” Job: In this book from Scott Gerber, you’ll find out how to ditch the idea of getting a real job.
6. You Need to Be a Little Crazy: Read this book to understand how to be just crazy enough to grow your business.
7. Impro: Keith Johnstone discusses how to face the unexpected as an entrepreneur.
8. Ready, Fire, Aim: Serial entrepreneur Michael Masterson offers important business lessons.
9. A Whole New Mind: Daniel Pink’s book encourages reinvention for entrepreneurs.
10. Rework: Rework will inspire you to toss out the old rules of business.
11. How to Own the World: How to Own the World explains habits and attitudes that can make you successful as an entrepreneur.
12. Go Big or Go Home: Take Wil Schroter’s approach to business and go big.
13. The Winning Spirit: Build an excellent network with a winning spirit inspired by Lisa Wicker’s book.

Read more about the entire list of 60 books at OEDB.

In today’s day and age most people would say it’s crazy to turn down business. Don’t we all need the money? And isn’t work so scarce that it’s better to take a “so-so” job than to hold out for the “yay” job that has you excited when you get out of bed?

I can definitely relate. For a long time I held onto a lot of clients who didn’t excite me and weren’t a great fit for me because I felt it was what I “should” be doing. But then I stopped – I let go – and it made such a difference not only in my business, but my passion for what I was doing.

I needed to let go because I wanted to create a place in my business for a new level of service. I created a way to work closely with a small group of people for a year and I’m giving this group my all. And I could not have done that by not getting rid of everything else.

Focus on services in your business that you love, and let go of the rest. Yes, it can be really scary. So many of us have a mentality that says, “I need to take what I can get.” But I can tell you from my experience and the hundreds of clients I’ve worked with that it’s much easier to start by saying yes to the right opportunity than it is to change later or turn around the Titanic. You don’t want to get stuck with negative momentum.

A recent client of mine was a chiropractor who had 400 patients a week. And he was miserable. Almost all his patients were workers compensation claims and personal injury. All of his marketing efforts were bringing these people in and he was getting ready to quit.

I helped him gain clarity of his ideal client, and while it was pretty detailed, he mainly wanted to work with folks focused on wellness. He started offering wellness and educational seminars and it totally transformed his business. He was able to raise his rates because people focused on wellness really valued what he was doing and he was working in line with his mission of being a chiropractor and healer.

Until he was willing to say “no” to the clients who weren’t working for him and do something different, he wasn’t seeing a change and he was getting really burnt out.

Don’t worry that the clients you say “no” to won’t be served. Refer them to trusted colleagues — your “no” is somebody else’s “yes.” (And everybody is probably much better off!)

There are so many of us holding onto things because we need the money, or this is what you’ve been doing for 20 years. But they are out of alignment with what you really should be doing. You need to create a vacancy. And when you do, the universe will find something to fill it with. But first you have to say “no” and let go.

About the Author:

Lisa Cherney, a.k.a. the Juicy Marketing Expert, founded Conscious Marketing 12 years ago to help small business owners find their authentic marketing voice, attract their ideal clients and increase their sales. Following her own Stand Out & Be Juicy program, which centers on owning your unique self and laser-focus marketing, Lisa has tripled her income while working part-time.

Prior to Conscious Marketing, Lisa worked with many Fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, Lipton, Nissan, Blue Cross and Equal. She is a highly sought after speaker and often shares the stage with experts such as Jack Assaraf (The Secret), Jack Canfield and Jill Lublin. Learn more about Lisa at www.consciousmarketing.com or call 887-771-0156.

What’s your area of self marketing expertise?

Not sure what that means? Well, you have one, but it’s possible you haven’t isolated and cultivated it yet.

Before defining “area of self marketing expertise,” allow me to share how I unwittingly stumbled into one years’ ago at a cocktail party.

“You’re in real estate; you’ll know,” my friend said with an inquisitive look on his face. “What company is moving into that big office building under construction along the freeway?”
This was a problematic question for me, because I hadn’t even noticed the office building under construction along the freeway.

It was 2001, and I had just left a position in college administration for a brand-new career in commercial real estate. After two weeks on the job, I went to a party where three separate people asked me questions about office buildings, retailers and condominium construction. I must have sounded pretty stupid, because I had trouble answering all of them.

I had spent my first two weeks on the job diligently learning about the legal, technical and even mathematical aspects of real estate. But at the party, nobody wanted to know the boring stuff. They wanted to talk about the sexy, glamorous side of the industry.

Something suddenly became quite clear: It wasn’t enough to become technically proficient in my new trade. I had to become an expert on those things related to commercial real estate that were most fascinating to people outside the profession.

I made a commitment to become an expert on the most interesting aspects. I studied the local marketplace. I read every magazine, newspaper and website I could find that related to construction, real estate, business expansion and economic development. I became the “Cliff Clavin” of growth and development in my town.

Armed with a collection of eyebrow-raising stats and trivia, I had something to talk about at social gatherings. Better yet, I had material to pitch to the local media, allowing me to become a go-to source. Community groups booked me as a luncheon speaker, and I even started an economic development radio talk show. All of this public exposure was good for business.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I accidentally discovered an “area of self marketing expertise.” Everyone is hopefully an expert in his or her profession, but an area of self marketing expertise is quite different. It consists of the most fascinating aspects of your job, company or industry.

So, what’s your area of self marketing expertise?

If you’re not sure, sit down with a few friends and explain what you do. Ask them what they find most interesting. Take notes.

Once you have decided on your area of self marketing expertise, think about how you will communicate it in an intriguing way. When that’s mastered, it’s time to put your area of self marketing expertise to work for you. Use it at networking events, in newsletter articles, in public speaking, when dealing with the press and in your social media postings.

Professionals who have well defined and carefully crafted areas of self marketing expertise will ultimately be more successful, because they never run out of interesting things to talk about. An area of self marketing expertise becomes a magnet, attracting people to you.

When people are dazzled by what you have to say, they’ll be more than happy to hire you when they need help with the more technical and “boring” aspects of your profession.

About the Author:

Jeff Beals is an award-winning author, who helps professionals do more business and have a greater impact on the world through effective sales, marketing and personal branding techniques.  As a professional speaker, he delivers energetic and humorous keynote speeches and workshops to audiences worldwide.   You can learn more and follow his “Business Motivation Blog” at www.JeffBeals.com.

Article Contributed by Skip Weisman

Trust is the fuel that propels teams and organizations to high-levels of success. Yet, organizational leaders today unknowingly do almost everything in their power to sabotage trust.

The primary way in which trust in organizations is sabotaged is by a leader’s communication style. One particularly egregious style of leader communication, which significantly undermines trust, is called “indirect communication.”

We have all fallen victim to indirect communication at one point in our professional or personal lives. For example, have you experienced…

• A team member going first to a boss to inform them of a mistake a co-worker or manager made on the job
• A manager calling a mandatory team meeting to review policies and procedures because one individual has acted inappropriately.

Let’s give a closer look to these mistakes…

Trust Building Mistake #1: Are You Allowing Teammates to Throw Each Other “Under the Bus?”

The phrase “thrown under the bus” is quite common in corporate America. It occurs when co- workers directly try to undermine the credibility and reputation of a teammate by talking behind their back with peers, or going to a superior to discuss poor behaviors of someone.

This form of indirect communication can be devastating to an organization’s culture because it ruins trust between team members and killing employee morale.

But, it can get worse.

It gets worse when organizational leaders call the offending person on their behavior using this second-hand, hearsay evidence. This accelerates the destruction of trust in your organization. Organizational leaders have to stop taking the bait dangled by the employees trying to make themselves look good at the expense of their teammates.

When a leader goes directly to the accused individual, without directly observing or experiencing the behavior first hand, organizational culture and morale deteriorate.

The proper approach would be for the leader to tell the bearer of this information that they need to address the issue directly with the perpetrator. Pushing the issue back down in this manner is what must happen with this type of indirect communication.

This is the only healthy way for teams and organizations to function. It builds high-levels of trust and commitment throughout. This will also help prevent a leader’s need for fire-fighting and crisis management

Trust Building Mistake #2: Are You Holding Generic Policy Review Team Meetings

When one individual violates a company policy or procedure, a weak organizational leader will decide its time to call everyone together for a meeting to review the issue. Now, you may think this is a great approach so all team members are clear on the expected behavior – but it’s not. Let me explain…

There are three reasons why this is a very poor approach to leadership communication:

• As everyone knows why the meeting is called and who the perpetrators are, it causes resentment among those team members not guilty of the infraction. This sabotages trust at all levels of the team.
• It diminishes the respect of the leader, who is choosing not to address the issue directly with the individual
• It doesn’t solve the problem because the perpetrator doesn’t change their behavior since it always seems they never “get it.”

Organizational leaders must take it upon themselves to address these issues promptly and directly with the individual perpetrator. By doing so they point out to the individual the specific behavior they witnessed, outline why and how it is a problem, and ask directly for a change in behavior to which they can then hold the individual accountable.

It is the only healthy way for leaders to lead their teams to build a high-trust work environment with a team committed to achieving great things together.

Non-direct communication in an organization’s culture is just one of “The 7 Deadly Sins of Organizational Leadership Communication.” If you or other leaders in your organization are struggling to get greater results from your personnel at any level, the problem can be just one of two things. It’s either the habits of communication that are tolerated throughout organization,
or how performance is managed.

About the Author

Skip Weisman works with organizational leaders to improve personnel, productivity and profits by helping them “Create a Champion Organization,” now you can get his latest white paper “The 7 Deadly Sins of Organizational Leadership Communication” at www.HowToImproveOrganizationalCommunication.com. This will help your organization communicate effectively and take action with commitment towards a shared compelling vision.