Author: Ethan Theo

Abe WalkingBear Sanchez is an International Speaker / Trainer / Consultant on the subject of cash flow / sales enhancement and business knowledge organization and use. Founder and President of www.armg-usa.com, WalkingBear has authored hundreds of business articles, has worked with numerous companies in a wide range of industries since 1982 and has spoken at many venues including the Shakespeare Globe Theater in London.

Categories
Operations

You’ve Found Water in Your Oil Tank; What Now?

Many people have a small amount of water in their oil tank and it often goes undetected until it makes itself noticed by causing a problem. As it’s summer now, it’s a good time to check your tank over and one thing you should look for is the presence of water. If it’s left there, it can build up to the point where it can get into the delicate pipework around the tank and when winter rolls around, one thing you don’t want is frozen or even cracked pipes. You don’t want the savings you made by ordering from Super Saver Oil to be wiped out by expensive repairs, right?

How does the water get in?

Most often, the water in your tank will have come from condensation or rainwater. Condensation can occur when the oil temperature is significantly warmer than the outside temperature; rainwater can get in if the filling cap isn’t on properly or it’s been left off and it’s, errr, rained. Then there’s dodgy cap seals, damaged or loose vents and, worst of all, cracks in the body of the tank.

Of course, you’ll never leave the filling cap off, will you? No? Good. Unfortunately, if you think any of the other causes are going on, you’ll need to get your technician in.

How do you know if water’s got in?

Water is denser than the oil so it sinks to the bottom, which is pretty hard to get to! Fortunately, there’s water-detecting paste to help you out. You need to apply the paste to a stick or rod – garden bamboo comes in handy here – and put it into the tank so it touches the bottom. Leave it there as per instructions, then pull it out and look for changes in the colour of the paste.

I found water. What now?

You need to remove the water before it gets into the internal mechanisms of your boiler. If you have a metal tank you may well also have a sludge valve so you can release this and drain the water out – it sinks to the bottom, which works well for you here! If your tank is plastic, you may not have a sludge valve, in which case you’ll need an engineer with a hand pump.

Important – the water is contaminated!

The water you’ve removed will be contaminated with oil so it must be disposed of in accordance with your local laws. Contact your council to find out how to do this. Do NOT tip it down the drain.

Once the water is gone, flush out your feed pipe and clean or change your fuel filters as they may have some water in them.

Can I prevent this happening again?

You can use oil tank water soakers. These are specialised sponges that go into the bottom of your tank and absorb water (not oil). They’re easy to put in, but you do need to check them and change them a few times a year. The water in them should be regarded as contaminated as well, so dispose of the soakers properly.

Categories
Success Attitude

4 Common Myths About Success You Should Avoid If You Want to Be Successful

They say that nothing succeeds like success. There is definitely some truth in that. When one achieves a small success, it tends to raise their energy and enthusiasm, which in turn, gets poured into the next effort. That effort is more likely to be successful because of the added energy from the previous success. And the energy from the two successes makes a third even more likely. This is the virtuous cycle of success.

But what they don’t tell you is that nothing fails like success. Importing all that energy and excitement can backfire. When launching a business endeavor, what you need is a level head. Your emotions need to remain under control. Prior success can make you feel invulnerable, like you can do no wrong. It can make you reckless and far less risk-averse. It is a myth that success always breeds success. Here are a few other success myths you need to avoid if you ever want to achieve it:

Page One is No Big Deal

Some companies have convinced themselves that page one of search engine results is no big deal. They couldn’t be more wrong. Some industry experts have gone as far as to say that page 2 of Google search results is the best place to hide a dead body. That is because 95% of all search traffic happens on page one.

The truth of the matter is getting your business listed on page one is, at bottom, what national and local SEO is all about. With the Yellow Pages, you get on the first page in your section by paying the most money. Pay for placement is also the strategy for television and radio. The one who pays the most money gets the best spot.

Search results on the internet are not about who paid the most money. It is about relevance, and a number of other criteria that makes up the black box page rankings. You absolutely need an SEO consultant to help you navigate these waters. You don’t get to the first page by accident.

All You Need Is a Great Idea

If all you have is a great idea that will change the world, you’ve got nothing at all. Since the beginning of time, there have been people who have had great ideas that might have changed the world. You will never know what they are because it takes a lot more than a great idea to be successful.

What you need more than a great idea is a great plan and great execution. You can do this for a forgettable, mediocre idea, which is the stuff of most successful businesses.

That is not to say that you shouldn’t strive for better ideas. We need more businesses that strive for more than mediocrity. But you have to marry ideas with the stuff that really spells success, such as patience, financing, and the right thing. Every idea could be a great idea if the timing is right for it.

College Doesn’t Matter

The list always includes Steve Jobs. You know the list. It’s the list of successful people that didn’t finish college but were still insanely successful. The idea is that formal education does not matter. This usually comes from an underachiever who is looking for an excuse to skip, or drop out of college.

First, you cannot compare extraordinary people with the average. There are always exceptions. That does not change the rule. Second, no one, even extraordinary people, should be looking for excuses to shortcut the education process. In business, as with everything, knowledge is power.

True and lasting success is hard work. Most myths are born from the desire to make the process simpler and faster. The easy way produces a lot of myths. Avoid them at all costs. Placement is still extremely important. Great ideas are not enough. And knowledge is still power.

 

Categories
Entrepreneurs

Why Women Need to Build Their Profile as Experts and Leaders

We’ve all read the stats. Companies with more diverse workforces perform better financially.

McKinsey & Company’s “Why Diversity Matters” series demonstrates that companies in the top quartile for gender, racial or ethnic diversity are more likely to have financial returns above national industry averages. Likewise, a study documented in Harvard Business Review, states that “firms with more women in the C-suite are more profitable.” And while women make up nearly 50 per cent of the labour force, they still only hold about 12 per cent of board seats in Canada and less than 10 per cent of the highest-paid positions in the country’s top 100 listed companies.

It seems that workplace diversity — and particularly on boards, in management roles, and among senior executives — is still a thorny issue for many organizations. That is why it has never been more important for women to know their value and to build their visibility as experts and leaders. Here are a few ideas to consider:

Make yourself seen and heard: Award-winning author, educator and women’s advocate, Shari Graydon, believes that if you want to create change: “It’s not who you know, but who knows you.” In her presentation for leading global executive search firm Odgers Berndtson, Ms. Graydon underscored the importance of putting the time and effort into building an increased profile by speaking up at meetings or writing online newspaper commentaries. She says this kind of profile “makes it easier to exert influence and get phone calls returned.” She also suggests that taking the seat opposite your CEO at a meeting or boardroom table, or volunteering for a high-stakes assignment, is as important as the behind-the-scenes work of building your network. Ultimately it all adds up to increasing your profile and making yourself seen and heard in meaningful ways.

Build a web of support: Use the multiplier effect to your advantage by engaging others in activities that support diversity in the workplace. An excellent case in point (as outlined in this Fortune article): SAP hosts a monthly “Women’s Professional Growth” webcast that has reached more than 11,000 people in more than 40 countries. The key here is to create an opportunity to band together as a community, and build a web of support made up of people who are willing to work for the same goals and drive change in the organization. This can go a long way to creating better peer relationships, building cultural understanding and opening up honest dialogue around diversity issues.

Know your value: According to executive recruiter, Jane Griffith, when it comes to putting themselves forward for jobs or promotions, women tend to play down their strengths and experiences even when they are qualified for the opportunity. A partner at Odgers Berndtson and the firm’s National Diversity Leader, Ms. Griffith says that she often counsels women to be less humble and to talk more about their successes. “Women tend to speak more about their soft skills such as communication, collaboration and stakeholder management, all of which are key to effective leadership,” says Ms. Griffith. “But they need to place more emphasis on their achievements. I think to really affect positive change over time, women need to know their whole value and be ready to communicate that value every opportunity they get.”

Think about the bigger picture: Remember making yourself more visible isn’t just about you. As Ms. Graydon points out, “When you speak up you have no real way of predicting the ripple effect you will have, whether it’s in terms of the contribution you make to your company, your industry or something in the broader world.” It’s also why Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg encourages women to negotiate for a higher salary when they’re up for a promotion. And it’s why Malala Yousafzai continues to fight for education on behalf of disadvantaged children (and especially girls) from around the world. Ultimately, it’s not just for their own sakes, but for all women who come after them.

 

Categories
Online Business

Have a blog? Want to make money? Here’s What to Know

 Making money blogging is kind of the dream. You have something to say, you want others to read it, and you can make money when they do. Most incomes generated from the digital world are based on what you put into it. Which means you’re your own boss. Blogging can be especially lucrative if you are an expert in something and want to share your knowledge with others.

But, how do you break into blogging, let alone start making money from a blog? After all, there are countless blogs on the Internet and not all of them make money.

However, although that may be true, there are steps you can take to get ahead of the pack and turn your blog into a revenue stream. These aren’t the only ways to do it, but these guidance points should help.

  1. Build engagement offline

Like most businesses, you do have to do some in-person networking to really help your brand get off the ground. If you work to build your audience offline by engaging with people and telling them about your blog and why they should follow it, you have a better chance of getting eyes on it and making some money.

  1. Market your blog on a content marketplace

One of the biggest decisions when it comes to creating a blog and trying to make money from it is deciding how to market it. Of course, you can market your blog on social media platforms, like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and we encourage that you do.

But, there are other marketing avenues that you should know about and definitely worthwhile. Consider, for example, the site ConnectPal.   ConnectPal allows content creators to create their own ConnectPal page and charge a certain amount for others to access the page. Over the years, ConnectPal’s visitor base has grown considerably. And the site provides an ideal opportunity to do two things: one, market your blog on your own ConnectPal page; two, earn a second revenue stream from readers who want to access your ConnectPal page.

  1. The power of ads

Another way to build revenue with your blog is by utilizing advertising. You can make money advertising products, services, other sites, and more on your blog with different types of ads, including “pay-per-click” options or by publishing paid reviews among your other content. If you’re a beginner at this, you can use a revenue tool for bloggers, like Adwords, to get started. Importantly, Adwords can help you budget for and analyze the performance of the advertising you include on your blog.

  1. Quality is key

Anyone can have a blog. But how do you make yours stand out? If you work in a range of genres, you have a lot of areas to pull from in your writing, and can create quality work from those experiences that will also draw in an audience from several sources. If you have one particular subject that you’re especially knowledgeable in, you can focus on become a blogging expert in that area.

Either way, the quality of your content is extremely important. If you create quality work and build your network both on and offline, word will spread that your blog is one to follow, and that, in turn, will translate to more readers and followers — and ultimately more potential revenue.

Categories
Operations

Net Zero Advances With Salesforce Setting Development Bar

To environmentalists (and many others), the goal of net zero is as close to clean energy nirvana as you can get – and Salesforce just hit a significant new milestone in its pursuit.

Net zero is all about reducing energy consumption so that the total amount of energy used annually by a building about equals the amount of renewable energy the site creates. Achieving it is a major aspect of the clean energy drive that’s a focus of major corporations and that’s also influencing both the residential and commercial building industries.

In 2015, Salesforce underscored its commitment to sustainable design by vowing to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 across its global footprint. That it did so only two years later and 33 years ahead of schedule sets a high bar for others to follow with its variety of innovative programs in support of the goal.

For example, Salesforce sees its role as an influencer – and not just with its peers in the corporate community, but also with its suppliers. Those are primarily building owners, as the company leases the majority of its offices and data centers and doesn’t directly pay the utility bills. That posed a potential obstacle to achieving net zero emissions. It was solved through power purchase agreements for wind power in Texas and West Virginia. The PPAs allow the company to bring new renewable energy online without having to take possession of the electricity.

Salesforce’s way of approaching clean energy goals as a tenant is worth noting, since the landlord-tenant divide has typically been a major barrier keeping developments from reaching net zero goals.

For example, there are challenges to developers recouping investments to solar PV systems when tenants pay a monthly bill to an electric utility. It’s also problematic for tenants to prioritize energy efficiency when they have little control over energy infrastructure and equipment.

But a new net zero development in Boulder, Co. has overcome that divide with the first net zero lease for any multi-tenant development of its size. The lease agreement at Boulder Commons, two commercial buildings with 100,000 square feet of office space and restaurants is with the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), which has its own net zero energy innovation center in Basalt, Co. Its space in Boulder Commons would allow it to continue to walk the talk.

The net zero lease gives legal teeth to shared net zero goals. Among other aspects, it incentivizes RMI to stay within a set plug load or, if it doesn’t, to offset the overage with renewable energy certificates. Transportation related emissions are similarly treated. Parking costs are separated from space rent to incentivize RMI to encourage alternative commuting and see the benefit in lower rent over time.

The next frontier on the net zero front is for residential development, according to Denis Vranich, a longtime Ontario redeveloper of multi-residential and commercial properties. His UrbanLife Residential construction arm focuses on green building techniques and aims to reduce the carbon footprint of his buildings to as small as possible.

Most sustainable homes are currently net zero ready; builders have been reluctant to offer full net zero homes given the $35,000-plus extra they can add to the price. However, Denis Vranich mentions that he has seen more of these projects underway in Ontario, showing that the price is not necessarily a deterrent to the growing numbers of people who want to reduce their personal carbon footprints.

Even so, for many, homes that are merely green, through such technologies as solar and wind power and other features like spray foam insulation, will also serve their purposes. Savings can be tenfold over the life of these buildings, as Vranich adds, and owners can feel satisfied they’re doing something positive for the environment.