FEATURED - Doug Thorpe (Founder and Managing Partner)

By: Stan Washington
Date: January 05, 2015

Tiny Interview - Doug Thorpe, Founder and Managing Partner at Headway Exec, LLC.

Stan: Doug please tell me about yourself and your services.

Doug: The Headway Executive Coaching Group is dedicated to C-Suite, senior executives, high potential managers/leaders, and first-time owners or managers. Our team is a national group of seasoned leaders and management experts with proven records of success in all sectors. We focus on leadership development and team building. Our programs have been used by over 1,000 leaders nationwide.

Stan: What advice would you give business owners?

Doug:  Identify the three key elements that make your business unique, qualified, and necessary for your customers/clients. 


Doug can be reached at: 
http://www.headwayexec.com/about-us/doug-thorpe/
doug@dougthorpe.com
832-789-9567

Recent blog post: http://www.realdougthorpe.com/

Young Women Entrepreneurs Growing with a "Purpose"

By: Stan Washington

Date: November 24, 2014

Helping people is a great business. Tammy Tibbetts is bold enough to help young women around the world, go to school.  For most people, the decade between 18 and 28 is transformative. Often, it’s in those angst-ridden, exciting years that you begin to find your voice as an individual and carve out your professional career. For young entrepreneurs, one of those things can’t happen without the other.

That’s how it was for Tammy Tibbetts, the 28-year-old founder and CEO of She’s The First, a nonprofit that helps girls in developing countries become the first in their families to complete secondary school. A decade ago, Tibbetts was voted “Most Shy” in her high school class. To be where she is now, at the helm of an organization that has helped nearly 400 women find their voice, she first had to find her voice. read more... http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/240101

Original story by:

CATHERINE CLIFFORD

ENTREPRENEUR STAFF

Frequently covers crowdfunding, the sharing economy and social entrepreneurship.

FEATURED - Nickquolette Barrett (Chief Resume Writer & Interview Coach)

By: Stan Washington

Tiny Interview - Nickquollette Barrett, Chief Resume Writer / Interview  Coach

Stan: Nickquollette please tell me about yourself and your services.

Nickquollette: I specialize in people salesmanship wherein I create personal marketing plans taking people from job applicant status to a rockin' career candidate. I craft resumes, cover letters, professional bios, and prep. candidates for interviews. 

In addition, I coach in all areas of career development and career enhancement. My ideal client include all levels of career seekers. I always say, a well-written resume and cover letter gets you the interview and a well-prepared interview gets you the job!

Stan: What advice would you give business owners?

Nickquollette: Brand your company to match the personality, product and processes of your business. Our Brand is I Rock Resumes and we make our clients feel like rock stars. Every process we have is geared toward elevating our clients to the level of confidence they need to land the job. We also looked at the “Rock” as a foundation for a very strong resume.

Branding is something you have to live with so choose wisely. Do your research to see if the name is available. Keep in consideration how you want to treat your customers and you will do well.

Nickquollette can be reached at: 
www.irockresumes.com l www.facebook.com/IRockResumes l www.twitter.com/iRockResumes 

(469) 666-0753

FEATURED - Juan Marcos (Author - HR Consultant / Leadership Coach)

By: Stan Washington

Tiny Interview - Juan Marcos, Author 

Stan: Juan please tell me about yourself and your new book.

Juan: We assist on Human Resources Policies and Practices, We also provide "effective leadership coaching." I'm the author of Warriors at the Helm: A Leader's Guide to Success in Business that outlines my perspectives on the traits that make leaders effective. The book is available at Eliepress.com, Barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com. 

Stan: What advice would you give business owners?

Juan: Regardless of your business people are the engine and the catalyst to success. Hiring right, acculturating effectively and treating and rewarding people the right way is essential for any enterprise to prosper and grow. You can have the best products and business model in the world but without committed people to your business and to execute your strategies most will die on the vine.


Juan can be reached at:

JCMarcos Consulting (email: jcmarcos1231@gmail.com   Phone: 303-915-0572)

Great Topics to Grow Your Business

By: Stan Washington
Date: April 23, 2014

I recently attended the Career Thought Leaders Conference and met with a number of small business owners. They had great speakers and wonderful interaction.

Here is what some people asked:

Why do I need to be on social media?
Use Social media to be where you audience is.  If you want to find "mom's who wish to reenter the workforce then Facebook would be the place because of their high degree of mom's who leverage the tool. Join groups. Participate.  Blog.  People want to hear from you!


What is the future of technology?
Terms that were discussed made me put my nerd beanie on.  "Big Data" and "3 Dimensional Browsers"  sound cool but what does this mean to you.  My input to this is you should be setting your sites on the "cloud." One presenter showed kids looking at a "Walkman."  Yes I had one of these 1980's relics. The kids of today couldn't even fathom music coming out of it. They couldn't even turn it on.

Now look at your business.  Are you still using old processes that does not include an "online" audience? Are you closing yourself off to an online business because you are afraid of it?  Don;t be. Start out small then move a little at a time and before you know it you will be online.

When is it time to expand?
When your business model has maxed out and your revenue can no longer increase.  If there are just no more hours in the day when you finish work and you still have not met your goal, then maybe it's time to expand.  Think carefully how you will do this.  Will it be selling something?  Can you work smarter? Should you streamline your processes so that you work more efficient?

Overall it was a wonderful conference! Speakers were engaging and lots of information was disseminated between small businesses.

Please visit us at  http://www.honorservicesoccice.com

Home Business Spotlight - Vol 1

Home businesses are on the rise!  Many people have hung up their corporate shingle to do similar work but have become their own boss. They have years of experience and have been trained by the best. They are talent that's hard to find.

Why are they leaving corporate and working from home?  They want to work flexible hours and most of all work from their home, thus reducing the commute. This trend is growing.  

Currently more than 16 million people work from home in the United States, a figure that is expected to continue growing in 2014. Social collaboration tools and communication apps present an opportunity to conduct business from home, generating predictions that suggest the number of people working from home in the U.S. will increase by 64% in the next four years.

Before you get started here are a few tips
1. Clean the house - This is now the place you work.  Remove clutter and you will remove distractions.
2. Turn off the television - You are now working from home and TV can be a distraction to your productivity.  
3. Go to work - Your commute is short but make it a ritual where you have office hours and a place that is designated as your workspace in your home. 
4. Get virtual - Join networks of real people and speak with them virtually.  This will give you a sense of belonging.

2014 Forecast - Warm and Sunny for Small Business!

By: Stan Washington
Date 01/03/2014

Happy New Year and this time I mean it.  My forecast will be sunny skies remaining all year and possibly into 2015. Small businesses experiences a serious comeback over the past 12 months. According to Dun and Bradstreet CEO Jeffery Stibel, small businesses are getting healthier.

Lending
Small businesses were able to obtain more loans because the health of their business is getting better. Banks made nearly $18 Billion in loans last year by the end of 3rd quarter.  This is up from the prior year and is showing signs of health spreading in all sectors.

Hiring
Small businesses hired more people last year than the prior two years. 2013 got off to a bleak start but ended stronger with 102,000 new jobs being created in November mostly in the small business sector.

Innovation
Innovation poured out of many large companies and small in 2013.  I believe this boom in innovation will come from small businesses throughout 2014. Here is the list of the most innovative companies in 2013
Here is the article that summarizes innovation in many ways.

http://www.fastcompany.com/section/most-innovative-companies-2013

Overall I believe you will have a great year if you focus your efforts on growth.

You Talkin' to Me? (How are you treating your potential clients?)

Original picture and Article from Mashable:http://mashable.com/2013/11/25/customer-relationships/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-bus-link

By: Stan Washington
Date: November 26, 2013

What Sales Approach Works?

I recently spoke to a number of small business owners and they had different ways to approach sales. One person was very bold and direct and another was shy and timid. Both had sagging sales and both need to consider rethinking how they handle their potential client

Pressure Cooker Approach
"What would it take to get you in one of these?" seems like the cheesiest line from the used car salesman. The pressure sales tactic leaves a terrible taste in everyone's mouth. After a while you get a reputation that you are only there to sell your house with the leaky roof built on a graveyard.

Whisper and Run Approach
"I have a product to try" whispered the shy person. When people said "No!" they ran for cover! This shows a lack of confidence in your own product. People will try to test to see if you believe in your own product. If you don't then they will run away from you and your scary service.

Bad Mouthing the Opponent Approach
"They don't have what I have! They are bad and I am good" makes the potential client ask "How can I trust you?" This approach seems slimy and uncomfortable. It seems like you will do and say anything to get my cash.

All the approaches listed above use one common style. They talk "AT" the potential client.

Build the Relationship Approach
"Let's address your problem together" is the statement that resonates with your potential client.  By understanding your clients' needs, you can provide a great solution to even the simplest problems they face.  This requires keeping notes on each potential client and client.

Yes it's easy to remember facts about 10 or 12 clients but when you get over 50 forget it! Some small business owners had 2,000 and 3,000 people they had to keep track of and there was no way to do it without software!

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Try keeping powerful notes on each potential client to land the deal with at http://www.careercoachoffice.com. Try it FREE today!

Career Coach Office Featured on Naperville News Channel 17 (Business Connection Show)

In a recent interview, Stan Washington (Founder and President of Career Coach Office) revealed the latest version of the software is now open to small businesses of all types. He also mentioned workshops and consulting for small businesses especially start-ups.

Twitter - @CCoachOffice
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/CareerCoachOffice
Website - http://www.careercoachoffice.com

De-cluttering my home office made me productive

by: Stan Washington

Date: October 14, 2013

Working from a home office has its rewards but can be distracting at times. The availability of "home" stuff like television, neighbors and errands used to find their way on my daily to do list and distract me from executing my daily business plan, but not anymore.  The main distraction seems to be organization. 

I don't know what has happened over the past year but I seem to be getting more paper than ever before!  Here are a few tips:

Clean my house in the morning - The first thing I do is clean my kitchen. I wipe down every surface and put away everything in its place. I do this before I grab my morning coffee!

Online Banking - I have switched over to on-line banking and I receive my monthly statements on-line. I can download my statement and e-mail the information to my accountant. I pay for business related items online and I don't remember the last time I wrote a check.

Handle a piece of paper twice - I was actually taught that I was only supposed to handle a piece of paper once, but who am I fooling?  I still get mail, paper invoices, articles, doctors' instructions, periodicals and statements from companies who haven't moved their processes on-line.  I look at the information to make sure nothing is pressing.  I then file the documents in their proper place on Friday. 

Create a directory structure that makes sense - I know this is tiny but many don't do it.  I have folders for everything on e-mail and I have the same folder structure on my computer.  I also back up my information in the cloud or on an external hard-drive. (I just bought a 1 TB drive for $60 and backed up all my files.

Company Name

           Accounting

           Marketing

           Projects / Workshops

           Client Documents

Delete or trash old files - Ask yourself... "Do I really need the file from 1997?" If you haven't looked at it this year, then the idea or thought is probably old. (I'm giving you a lot of leeway here)!  I finally got rid of an award certificate from one of my first companies in the 80's. I chose one or two memory items and chunked the rest.

Time box decluttering efforts - I only give my decluttering efforts 2 hours. I usually wind up making phone calls and doing other administrative tasks during this time but I can definitely benefit from scheduling this effort.  I can think better when I'm not cluttered!

Visit http://www.careercoachoffice.com and organize yourself today!

Is Technology Too Confusing to Use?

By: Stan Washington
Date: October 10, 2013

After meeting with a number of small business owners, it became very apparent they were not using technology to it's fullest. No offense to the dinosaur tools of paper phone-books and newspapers but I can't remember the last time I used either for my business needs.

Technology is supposed to make our lives so much easier, but is it making it more complicated?


I did an informal poll at a conference of small business owners and found some surprising results around technology.  This is my world and according to my narrow thinking, everyone was using it to its fullest! Well my technology utopia was shattered when I talked with people.

Business Website - I was thoroughly surprised to find a whopping 38% of the people we polled still have not invested in a website of some kind.  There are so many tools to build sites yourself, but then again we believe in technology!

Facebook Page - I was not as surprised to find 45% of those polled still did not use a Facebook page. Content tends to be the issue. Many small business owners don't like creating their own content to post.

Twitter Account - The low number of 43% of our poll takers using a Twitter Account was not a surprise.  Since they are afraid of generating content for Facebook, then they feel the same way about Twitter.

LinkedIn Page - Some of our poll takers did not even know this was an option for them.  They confused having a business page with being part of a discussion group.

E-Mail Marketing - This was another surprise to me.  Those who did not have a website used E-mail marketing to spread the word about their business.  I still wondered what they are using as a landing page to discuss their products and services.

We have seen as much as a 40% increase in business awareness of those who use e-mail marketing campaigns over those who use referral only.

Online Invoicing - Word documents converted to PDF was the prevalent method of doing invoices.  Many were still concerned about the cost of using credit/debit cards. What is the cost of not accepting this form of payment? According to CreditCards.com:

Credit card users surveyed in 2012 who used their cards to buy:

Clothing: 67 percent
Gas: 64 percent
Food: 64 percent
Travel: 62 percent

Credit and debit cards are here to stay.  Cost avoidance may mean business avoidance.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) - E-mail phone-books and lists were still the tool of choice.  Some said they tried CRM but felt it didn't do much for them. Our experience is different.

Jobs and business deals have a common number... 80% are found through relationships. Managing relationships through a contact management system keeps information organized and available.

Please visit us at http://www.careercoachoffice.com today to make sense out of technology.

Be-Attitudes of Small Business

Be-Attitudes of Small Business
by Stan Washington - October 08, 2013

1. Be Creative - Many who know me understand I love creativity.  Business owners face incredible problems and issues that need resolutions. Think! Be creative instead of boxing yourself into the "it can't be done" abyss.
2. Be Persistent - I have seen too many people give up at the first glitch. Learn! Grow up and stop whining when something goes wrong and develop a plan.
3. Be Engaged - Have a hands on approach to your business and your clients. Relate! Building relationships is key to any successful business.
4. Be Above - Petty thinkers usually get into petty fights. Lead! Treat your customers, employees and those who aren't supporting you with respect and be above their pettiness to win business.
5. Be Faithful - Fearful thinkers lose their faith in what they are doing and think of new ideas too before the others have fully run their course. Resist! It's tempting to abandon ideas that aren't working so well. Analyze the issue and develop a mitigation plan to address the issue

Please visit us at http://www.careercoachoffice.com to "BE" the business you desire!

Google has 7 New Tech Hubs (Chicago is one)!

It's been a while since I have blogged!  Sorry about my absence!  We have been rather busy ourselves with the official launch of Career Coach Office (http://www.careercoachoffice.com) where your small business "IS" your CAREER. Okay... enough advertising.

Google is creating 7 Tech Hubs around the nation.  We don't know what this means for entrepreneurs here in "the middle" but I would only assume that is will be great. Check out Google Tech Hubs.