AskMegan- Employment and Small Business Advice Column

Keeping Contact with Clients

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Mon, 23 May 2011 16:17:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

I have worked for myself for years and have done a variety of business/administrative projects. I find that with most of them, I perform the contract and we go our separate ways. Many times I am not called when they have the next project. What can I do to gain this repeat business?

Thanks,

-K

Dear K.,

You are right that repeat business is extremely important. It is far better to maintain a relationship than to continually form new ones. There are several things that you can do to be the first person that a business thinks of when they have a project.

1- Create a database. This does not need to be expensive or extensive. It can be an excel spreadsheet that contains the name, address, email address and phone number, plus any other information that you might find important, like anniversary, b-days, kids, etc. This is just an electronic info sheet for you to organize all the information you need about your clients.

2- Subscribe to a service like A-Weber that allows you to send out newsletters, emails, and other marketing materials. It takes a few minutes to design something is in accord with other parts of your business, but can be automated and sent at a later date. The beauty of this is that you can design a few pieces when you are having a slow day and set it up to where you do not need to think about it later.

3- Use direct response marketing. This means that every piece of marketing material you send off has an incentive to contact you. It could be a free item, a free consultation, or some other item of interest. Give them a reason to contact you.

4- Send Thank You notes- set a goal of say 5 per week that you send out in your own handwriting just because. Maybe the postman went out of his way to help you, or someone at your kids' school. It does not matter what they are for, but be sure to send them out to a client after a project. Let them know you appreciate your business.

5- Be sure to invoice for the free things you do for them. Many professionals I have talked to are frustrated because they do so many things for their clients and then the client goes to another person the next time they need work. "Don't they know what all I do for them" I am asked. Unless you invoiced for it- NO! They don't. It is easy to include free items on any invoice and write down- no charge, included, or any other term you feel fits you best. If you never tell them, then they never know.

6- Re-do your business cards. Write information on the back of them that you do anyway. For example, if you maintain all client records and they can look at them in the future with an appointment, then put it on the back of your business card. If you offer a referral bonus, write it down. Then make it a great color so that it is easily seen in the wallet, as well as include it in all the correspondences you have with your clients.

7- Finally, use your database (from #1) to keep records of contact. Open the file and jot it down when you send a card, make a call, or send an email. Then make a note- highlight or add comments- on the types that got a response. Did they call you back? Did they even open or read the email (services like A-Weber keep notes on the response of anything sent through them)? This way you can tell what the most effective marketing methods are overall, and for each client. This will help you streamline your marketing efforts and maintain the contact that is needed to grow your business.

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

Turning Unemployment into an Opportunity

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:57:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

With the end of the fiscal year, I was laid off yesterday. Although I am looking for work, so many people were laid off and I am worried about the time it will take to find another position. What are some things I can do to continue to bring in money during this time?

Thank you,
-C.

Dear C.,

Unfortunately, several companies have practices of laying off workers at the end of the fiscal year, so they can start off at a lower rate of expenses. Take these steps to be affected the least as you are looking for a new job.
1- Apply for unemployment. Do it immediately. It is designed to help people that are not at fault for losing their job by giving them a percentage of what they would have made and encouraging them to do what they would anyway- look for a new job. You won't get what you would have before being laid off, but you will have less to make up for and this will keep your family from getting in a really bad situation.
2- Do a skills inventory and create several resumes. Of course, your inclination will be to look for something in your profession, but when you have been laid off, you are probably willing to take almost anything for a while. You have also probably done several different things in your work life and are skilled in several areas. For example, I can do bookkeeping and do perform these services this time of year. I am also skilled in Marketing, Human Resources, and E-Commerce, among other things. However, if I was laid off, I could also perform data entry, typing, scanning, graphic design and other activities. Create several different resumes that encompass different avenues of these skills- maybe a office management, Human Resources, and Marketing Resume that covers the main points and has everything nicely polished for the least amount of work applying for positions.
3- Increase your job search- Of course, look for the job you want, but also look for contract work. You can find this type of job in the gigs section of your local craigslist. These are short term positions where they need a specific activity done for a short period of time. This gets you cash quickly but is not a long term position. These positions are great for increasing your skill set and adding to your income until you find a job.
4- Think about Day Labor. If you are going to be in a potentially difficult situation, then there are plenty of places that offer same day work. You probably have to be there at like 6am, but you are able to go out at 8am and get done around 5pm. Most places pay around $50-$75 per day, and that turns into $1000 per month in a crunch. Sometimes, these positions can turn into a more long term (and higher paying) position if you really work hard for the company.
5- Get a business license and market yourself. A business license is around $20 and can offer so many benefits. It allows you to take off the cost of a home business and other expenses from your taxes, which can significantly increase your tax return. It also lets you market your services through means like craigslist. You can create several ads for different services and even work on more than one job at a time. This can help you a lot when trying to make ends meet.
6- Look for work from home jobs. Craigslist has a telecommute section and other sites like www.ratracerebellion.com and www.wahm.com have work from home job openings. They have been screened to eliminate scams and are good sources for country wide opportunities. You apply like every other job and some even offer sign on bonuses. Finding something that you can work on at any time also gives you a job that can turn into a part time opportunity once you are hired.

Good luck with your job hunt and please let me know when you find another job,

Megan

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

What the Current Job Market Means To You

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 21:56:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

I hear conflicting stories about the current economy- some are saying that thousands of jobs are being created, but then you hear that up to 1/3 of all teachers are being fired across the country. What does this information mean to job seekers right now?

Thanks,

J.

Dear J.,

It is easy to get confused by the current reports of the media. Unfortunately, the media is notorious to warp the truth to meet their needs. Right now there are about 5 unemployed job seekers for every job available. This has huge ramifications for those in the job market right now.
1- Employers can be really choosy. They can discriminate. And it is legal in most cases. Things that were no big deal in the past means that you won't even get an interview. You really have to be on the top of your game to even get your foot in the door.
2- Employers can offer lower wages. With so many people available, the most qualified are willing to accept far less than they ever would have in the past.
3- Employers don't have to offer benefits. People are desperate and employers do not have to offer the employment packages that they once would offer.
4- Employers may offer contracts or independent contractor positions, or temporary, or probationary positions.
5- Some jobs that you are offered may be eliminated. This has happened to me twice during the last 2 years. I went through the entire process, had the interview, was offered the job, and the company decided to wait.
The current job market is the definition of supply and demand. The supply of employees is much greater than the demand. Free market economics dictates that we have to do the best we can until the demand goes up. However, if you are trying to feed your family this does not matter.
So to make it through the current economy, you have to make changes.
1- If you have a job, keep it until you have a better offer. Find a new job first, or you could experience an extended period of unemployment.
2- Do a thorough skills assessment so you have the information ready to apply for a large selection of different jobs.
3- Re-work your resume and have several different versions available to be able to apply for different jobs.
4- If there is a career change you are thinking about, this is a great time to change your direction. Keep applying to new positions in the field, take internships, or part time jobs in your new field. You may have to start at the ground floor, but since most people's income decreased by over 33%, then you are probably already suffering a decline from your previous earnings. Starting over right now will probably mean less of a change than before the recession.
5- Take your time and be ready in case your position is eliminated, or you face a lay off, but also to be ready if someone leaves your firm or a new position is unveiled. You must be professionally ready and able to get started immediately. Being ready is the difference from being promoted and eliminated.

Good luck in the current economy, especially with the potential changes to come,

Megan

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

LemonadeDay.org

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 20:27:00 +0000

So again, I am going to diverge from the traditional format for something I feel is important. Yesterday, my mom and I took the kids to the Houston Children's Museum. It is a great place and the kids were really able to go crazy and try out all the exhibits. When we went outside there was a booth with yellow backpacks. Of course, the kids wanted one and there was a line so I went back later. What I found out was one of the most awesome things I have ever seen.

The workers were giving away backpacks for a day called Lemonade Day. Inside was everything a kid needed to open their own lemonade stand. Imperial Sugar had information on how to make lemonade, and there was information for parents, as well as info for the kids on how to finance the operation. In Houston, May 1 is Lemonade Day and parents are encouraged to get their kids involved. The goal is to have lemonade stands all over Houston and teach kids the value of owning their own business.

I am so inspired about this project, that I am going to work with my own kids in Austin. I have learned so many things from owning my own business- from economics, to customer service, to human resources and finance. Some of these concepts I was introduced to in a game called Lemonade Stand on an Apple computer in 2nd Grade. It is awesome that this has been taken to the next level and that kids are being encouraged to open a real lemonade stand. I love this idea and encourage everyone to go to www.LemonadeDay.org to find out more about this great project and how it can aide both your kids and your community.

Please send me any questions or comments and let me know of all your successes on May 1, 2011.

Megan

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

Work/Life Balance

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:56:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

I have worked from home for a while now, and I find that the more I work, the less time I have for my family. If there are familial obligations, then my work suffers. How do you find a balance between supporting your family and taking care of them (since that is the reason I started working from home in the first place)?

Thank you,

-M.

Dear M.,

This is a subject that I have struggled with for years. I started working from home when we had our first child and have done so throughout all of their lives. It has been challenging throughout the years, however it has also been very rewarding. I have been able to be a room mother at our children's school every year and am able to attend every event, but there is usually an internal conflict because I feel like I am not doing "good enough" in certain areas. Consider these things to make the most of your work from home time.
1- What are your priorities. Many of us will say our family without any hesitation, but there are other factors at play when you make a conscience decision to work from home. Are you working from home to be more active in your children's education, or to be able to play with them, or to be able to manage your home, etc. Be very specific. Then put the priorities in order. Your list will not match anyone else's, but will allow you an easy way to make decisions based on what is important to you when you have more than one option for your time.
2- Structure activities in a way that makes sense for your life. I would never take a job or other project where I had to make a lot of phone calls. I have three kids and the house is never quiet. It would not be professional. If I do have to make a phone call, I do it at certain times where I can create quiet for a while. Look at your life and decide what type of activities are easily fit into it and structure your time to be the most effective.
3- Look at your schedule. This is something that my husband has been talking about for a while. When the kids were smaller, and needed a lot of my undivided attention throughout the day, I got in the habit of working at night. I do not know how many times I would be at the computer with a sleeping child on my shoulder while I worked. Now, our youngest is almost 3 and I have still been in the habit of staying up (sometimes until 5 am and when I was helping move my grandparents into an assisted living community there were nights that I stayed up and did not sleep) to work and meet all my obligations. This made me exhausted, and it structured how clean my house was, if I saw our son before he went to school (and affected if he got his vitamins before school and was ready to go), etc. In short, this schedule was not working. It also ended up creating the feeling that I was not doing a good job at everything. It is taking some adjustment for me to get used to getting up early and doing my work earlier in the day, but my house is cleaner, it is easier to write this column, and I get to go to bed a lot earlier. Look at your schedule to see if it is working for you. If it is not, then try out another schedule. It is amazing what you can accomplish, and what it can do for your sanity, to get up earlier and have a few minutes alone.
4- Look at your other commitments. Then see where they really fit in with your priorities and how they help you. I volunteered to write the PTA newsletter, and am a room mother for our son, am writing a book, trying to expand my teaching certifications, etc. All of these things are very important to me, and to the life we are planning in the future, but I do not work on all of them all the time. If you are having problems balancing, you may need to back off of some of the other commitments. And if some of them are not the most positive situation, or are causing undue stress, then you should look at cutting those first.

Good luck with achieving your work/life balance and focusing on what matters most to you,

Megan

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

Fund Texas Future

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:45:00 +0000

I usually just answer questions, but there is something so important that I want to talk about today that I am going to go against this trend.

We all have seen the reports where Texas is one of the worst in terms of education. The TAKS may show the minimum required but Texas schools are not leading the way. Personally, I received my teaching degree last year because I wanted to be a better parent. I wanted to be able to help my kids with their education because they were having problems and not reaching their potential- and I did not know how to help. I decided to wait a year to look for a job because Kara is only 2 and Alia goes to half a day Pre-K. Now there is pretty much no hope in finding a good job. First year teachers are being fired all around me. Some older teachers- the ones that are really experienced, are getting bonuses for retiring because the school district could pay two teachers for that one salary.

This is just ridiculous on so many fronts. First, it is ridiculous that our Governor Rick Perry declined almost $700 Million in funds from the federal government because of items on the bill that he could have line item vetoed (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/education/14texas.html). Even if he lost $1 Million, we would still be able to pay for our children's education. Then it is ridiculous that there is a Rainy Day Fund that is set up for these types of circumstances (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7424445.html). Guess What? It is raining. It is pouring outside and our kids are going to be the ones affected. Think about the actual attention your child will get in a classroom with 40 other kids. Think about how much a child can be prepared going to school only half a day. Think about the depth of experience we are losing as experienced teachers and new teachers alike are discarded, not because they did not guide our children in the right ways, but because the school district could not pay their paycheck.

The one thing that really scares me is until now, it looked like the economy may start to be recovering. Think about what having a huge influx of teachers that are unemployed will do to our economy. They will start receiving unemployment benefits as they look for positions that are not there. They will inundate the substitute teacher pool and try to make money with that, but their incomes will decrease making them less likely to be able to afford consumer goods, further affecting the struggling businesses, and possibly heightening the recession in Texas. We can not let this happen.

To take a stand, all you have to do is contact your Texas representatives. You can find them at:

http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/. It takes just a minute to write them an email asking them to vote to use the Rainy Day Fund to pay for Texas education.

Then go to the Capitol building in Austin, Texas on March 12th. Supporters are asking that people from all over the state converge to show our support for Texas Schools and for our children. By banding together we can have our voice heard. We can not be complacent as our children are affected and their education compromised. Following the current course of action will only make us farther behind the norm and our children are not the only ones to suffer. Soon they will be leading the nation, and without a proper education, all will suffer.

Thank you all for reading,

Megan

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How to Find a Work From Home Job

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 21:58:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

Like many people, this economy has made my income decrease and my expenses increase. Now I am looking for a job to supplement my income, but my schedule is somewhat challenging. I need something to work with my schedule, and accommodate my kids' schedules, as well as my other obligations. Honestly, I need something that I can do from home. What is the best way to find a work from home job?

Thank you,

-A.

Dear A.,

This is one of the questions I am asked the most. I have personally worked from home for the last 9 years and although technology has allowed more opportunities in recent years, more people are also looking into work from home opportunities making them harder to get. Take these actions to find a work from home job quickly.
1- Perform a good skills assessment. Write down everything that you have ever done for any company. You want the most amount of skills listed as possible. Write down every time you covered another person's shift or cross trained. Be sure to include your hobbies and any classes you have taken. Again, the goal is to include every skill you have.
2- Create several similar resumes to apply for specific jobs. Many of the potential work from home opportunities are focused on crafts, writing, editing, analyzing, data entry, and computer work. Each type of job that you will apply for will need a separate resume, but getting together a model for each type of job will allow you to apply for the job with minimal editing.
3- Gather samples of your work. Many jobs will require you to send a file that demonstrates that you are capable of performing the job. Create a detailed sample of your work to present the potential employer. Be sure it is representative of the height of your skill level. You also want to be sure to have a great example for every type of computer program that you may be using. For example, if you are applying for a data creation job in excel, create a very detailed sample that includes multiple linked pages, macros, charts and graphs, and formulas. Although the position may not require such calculations, it is better to show the potential employer that you can do a lot more than the position requires rather than suggest that you would have to learn to use the computer program.
4- Gather letters of reference. There is nothing like a really great letter of reference. It not only shows that you have skills in the workplace, but that an employer appreciated your efforts and would hire you again. A great letter of reference will automatically place your application on top of the pile and will prevent a potential employer from calling around for references. It saves time and is a testament to your character.
5- Finally, look online for work from home jobs. There are several places that you can look for potential jobs. Your local craigslist.org is a great place to start. The gigs section and the etc section are places where the projects may be posted. However, clicking jobs and then checking telecommute is also a way to find work from home jobs. Other sites can be used to supplement your search. Ratracerebellion.com and wahm.com are both sites that frequently have legitimate work from home jobs. In addition, Amazon mechanical turk (https://www.mturk.com/mturk/welcome) is a site that lets you select work based on the project. They may not pay much per act, but some take seconds to research. Remember this piece of advice- do not pay anything to get the job. Many will try to make you pay a registration fee or buy a package to begin working. You are not working for someone and thus do not have a job if you have to pay to work. If you are buying a starter package, you are more likely starting your own business (and possibly entering network marketing) in which you can be very successful, but need to know the risks before entering the job. In addition, be careful where they want to meet you. I have interviewed in coffee shops and other public places, but be careful meeting in hotel rooms or other places were your safety may be compromised.

Good luck with your job search and thank you for your letter,

Megan

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Building a Business Through Manifestation

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 22:13:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

I totally believe in creation and manifestation. I have had success with it in the past. However, I am having more trouble using manifestation in my business life. How do you use the power of manifestation to receive the business you envision?

Thank you,

-R.

Dear R.,

Conquering manifestation can be one of the most challenging, and definitely the most rewarding, process of creating a business. It is the way to create the business of your dreams, and to stop living by the whims of the market and your surroundings. Utilize these steps to gain control of your business to create the business of your dreams.

1- Develop your goals. You will never get to where you want to go without first setting your goals and charting your course. Be very, very specific with your wants. Do you want to make a certain amount per month? Do you want to have a certain number of customers? Do you want to bring certain opportunities your way? Write down what you want and, then be sure they are measurable (numeric) and that you keep track of your progress. Let your goals energize you.
2- Create your intention throughout the day. Every time you change activities, or sit down to do a specific task, set your intention. This one act, when repeated throughout the day, will have the largest effect on your life, in every area. Before I started writing this blog, I set my intention, according to my own goals. I knew why I was working and what I wanted to accomplish. Any time I change activities, whether it is walking the kids to school, working in the garden, or working, I take just a moment to announce my intention to the world. This reminds me of what I want to accomplish and helps propel me in that direction.
3- Act as if you have the business of your dreams. This is an integral component. Many of us think that when we reach this one goal, things will be different, that we will act a certain way because life will be a certain way. You must act as if you have received your goal, now. Manifestation is a little delayed (although the more you manifest, the less the delay). If you continue to act in the past (meaning on the life that you manifested yesterday), then you continue to receive what you manifested yesterday. You must act as if you have already have your dream business.
4- Get ready to receive your dream business. You must be ready when the opportunity presents itself. For example, if you want a better job, get everything ready now so that when the job appears, you can take advantage of it. You must get your letters of reference, resume and all other documents polished and just waiting to be put into action. You must do the same thing for your business. You can look now for supplies, design the business cards, put ads, etc so that when the opportunity comes you are ready to go. I have seen a lot of businesses lose an important opportunity because they were not ready when it came along.
5- Continue to plan. Make plans to achieve your business. Create contingency plans. Investigate everything. You must act in faith, but you also have to know what all the options are. Seldom does life come out the way you plan. Usually it is a lot more georgous than you could ever guess. So keep your eyes open. Continue to plan and see how life provides you with everything you need to accomplish your goals. Don't be afraid to change your plans because things work out exactly how you thought they should. Be flexible, and stay dedicated.

Thank you for your question,

Megan

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

Business VS. Personal Social Media Networking

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:26:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

I have used Facebook and Twitter for a while and have a lot of friends. I am now looking into expanding its use to include Social Media Marketing. Should I create entirely new social media accounts for the business or should I use my personal accounts in this manner?

Thanks,

-G.

Dear G.

As with many business questions, there is no right or wrong answer. If you talk to Social Media experts, they suggest you create a different persona for your business. However, many small businesses use their personal social media sites in this manner. Think about these things when deciding:
1- Privacy- Right now I have about 100 friends on Facebook, and about 100 followers on Twitter. Many of my friends on facebook are personal friends, or people I went to high school or college with. However there is a group of business relations in my friends list. At this size, I have no problems with this friend's list seeing pictures of my kids, the unique art projects I do in my home, information on my business, etc. I feel like it lets everyone know the real me and see me as a person. However, the larger the list, especially once it has a huge group of business relations that I have never met and do not personally know, the more likely I am to want privacy, particularly for my children's privacy. You must decide the point in which privacy becomes important to you and when you feel that the line has to be drawn to protect your family.
2- Is your business persona different than your personal persona? I am the same person all the time. I am the same person at a business conference speaking as I am walking my kids to and from school. However, I have met a lot of people that are different with their business acquaintainces than their personal friends. They act different and talk about different things. They like to keep their personal life private. If you are an open book and are the same everywhere, then it may be best for you to have one account. If you are different depending on the setting, then you may want to have two different accounts.
3- Time- Social Media Networking and Social Media Marketing take time. I have to schedule time every day to do work on my blog, both with writing the blog and with research, formatting, marketing, etc. I also schedule time to spend on Facebook, to support my activities- sharing books, pictures, etc. Some of it is personal and some business related. Setting up a different Facebook and other social media accounts takes time, as does adding content to make it worthwhile. How much time do you want to spend? Some really successful firms have a full time Social Media employee. How much time do you have right now and if you do not like to do social media networking and marketing, can you afford to hire someone to do it for you?
4- Products vs Services- Do you share pictures of you products often? I have worked with a clothing store that constantly updated their new stock. They had a completely separate site because of the number of pictures they shared, and because of store events. If you perform services, you will not have this information to share and may not need a separate site.
5- Business size- lastly, how big is your firm? If you are a sole proprietorship or partnership with just a few people, then it may not be necessary at this stage to have a separate site. However, if you have a lot of employees that you want to share information online, then it may be advantageous to have a separate site, which all of you can work together to build.

Good luck as you build your Social Media empire, and be sure to send me a friend invite,

Megan

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Creating Expertise through your Website

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 01:20:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

I recently started to focus on building an online presence. My goal is to begin to have business through my website and doing less business in person. I have done everything right- developed a website, posted testimonials, pictures, and followed the advice of experts. People do come to the site, but I am not getting business. How do I convert this traffic into profits?

Thanks,

-C.

Dear C.,

When someone sees you in person, they are able to talk to you, ask questions to test your knowledge, get references and otherwise sum you up to see if you should do business together. This is much harder online. And depending on your product or service, some clients may shop around for months before making a decision. The one thing that you can do today to is begin to develop your expertise so that confidence in your abilities increases and the time from initial viewing of your site to final profits decreases.
1- Create a blog. Blogs can be created for absolutely no money and are a great addition to your site. You can usually build one yourself, without the help of a web developer. Look for templates in the blog format you choose (for example: free blogger templates). Then try to match the look of your website. What is important here is to look for the placement of the items- such as your header, navigation buttons, and links. Then you can use the tools or even do searches online to make changes to the css and a picture of your website background. If you take the time to really customize the blog, there will be no difference in the look and feel of your blog in comparison to your website. However, always save a copy of the information that you like in a file on your computer, and preview your changes before saving. I have made the mistake of making a change on my blog that really messed things up and without the back up copy I had to start over. After spending about a week trying to get everything perfect, and being so close, this was really frustrating. However, it was a great learning experience.
2- Choose your format. There are a lot of ways to make the blog work for you. You can write small articles that show DIY advice, or explain a feature of your field to the public. You can talk about challenges you have faced with your product or service and explain quick fixes. You and break down your field into minute segments as a pre-cursor to a book. I tried all of these approaches before I found the current (advice column) format to be something that worked for me. You have to find the one way that you are comfortable letting your voice reign. Make sure it is something that resonates, or it will be very hard to keep at it. Early in our business I talked to several experts about creating expert status for our firm. Many said that I needed 200 articles to even be considered close to an expert. That is a lot of writing, so find the way you are the most comfortable.
3- Create a library or gallery. Again you are going for volume- at least 200 pieces. So if you are comfortable writing 250-300 word articles, sit down and come up with a starter list of ideas. Honestly, you can include just about anything in the library. Just be sure you have your client in mind. Write things that will help your customers identify with you and show them that you are the person they want to help them.
4- Get your staff involved. If you have additional staff members, have them write several pieces, add comments to the blog, or otherwise add to the content of the site. You would be amazed the knowledge that your bookkeeper, assistant, designers, web developers, or other employees can add to the site. You may not be involved in these stages of your business anymore, but when you get this information from your employees, it not only adds value to your business, but creates more content more quickly.
5- Keep your Keywords in mind. Your end goal is to get business and create profits through these efforts. Be sure that you think about driving additional traffic to the site. Before writing the piece, create a keyword list and be sure that each is included three times. Then have someone review the work to make sure it makes sense, has no grammatical or syntax errors, and that the keywords have been repeated through the site. Following this final step will help you not only achieve expert status, but also bring additional people to your site and have the greatest impact on your bottom line.

Thank you for your question,

Megan

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SWOT Analysis

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 04:35:00 +0000

I am sorry for the delay in answering the last letter, as our entire family was very ill.

When thinking about the planning stages of business design, it is imperative to do a SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. When you talk about strengths and weaknesses, you are talking about your own personal strengths and weaknesses (as in the case of a sole proprietorship) or the company's strengths and weaknesses in a larger organization.
1- Be Very Honest here. Remember that this is a personal document that no one else has to see. Look at where the company can succeed because of your personal strengths. Look at the positions you have had in the past and the skills you have obtained. And then be very honest about your weaknesses. The goal here is not to make yourself feel good or bad, but to highlight your competencies that can give you a competitive advantage and also see where you need to bring in others with competencies that can strengthen your organization. Make a list. Be very explicit. This will help you in so many ways from job design and descriptions, to outsourcing/insourcing options, to your marketing options. Describe your financial situation and what resources you have. Being as honest as possible will let you plan for these areas and help your business be more successful.
2- Opportunities and Threats refer to marketplace options. Look at the market, at your competitors (both direct and indirect), look at the economy, government programs, grants and anything outside your organization that affects you at all. You need to have an honest assessment of what is out there before you can plan for what you can do in here. A lot of small businesses I have worked with have a unique talent or product that doesn't exist outside of their firm. They make the mistake of thinking that they do not have competitors. Also look at substitutes. If someone does not buy your product, what will they spend that money on? Be as specific and detailed as you can be. The competitor/substitute could be in a different part of the world, could be inferior, or not be exact and still affect your firm. The more information you have, the better you can plan.
3- Remember to include financial information and projections. When I was in 2nd grade, we had one of the first Apple computers in the classroom and played educational games on it. I loved games like Oregon Trail and my favorite was Lemonade Stand. In it, you had to look at all the inputs of making lemonade, set a price, etc and see what happened. Usually the more that you charged, the less profit you made. A lot of businesses I have worked with never do this amount of financial research. They do not talk to customers to determine what the market wants to pay. Instead they use some arbitrary form of pricing, like doubling what your cost of production are, or in my case, trying to sell your items for a few bucks less than your competitors. In the end, as I was packing up hundreds of movies, I did not understand how I could be priced so much below BlockBuster and not have a significant competitive advantage. When you are conducting a SWOT analysis, be sure to do your homework and see what the prices of your competitors are and what you should be charging.
4- Do not be married to the results and do not take things personally. The point is to gain the information you need to be able to make the best decisions to make the most money. This is not a personal attack and you should not feel the need to defend your firm. Instead, you want to look objectively at the place your business is in currently, so that you can guide it into the future. A SWOT analysis is the best place to start, and will guide you in the preparation of a business plan.

Thank you again for your question,

Megan

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

Steps to Starting a Successful Business

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 05:33:00 +0000

Continuing from yesterday's question- How to turn a hobby into a business, we need to discuss the steps necessary to start a successful business. Assuming that you thoroughly investigate the opportunity (from yesterday's post), and you have decided to move ahead, further planning and preparation is needed to help achieve success in the future.
1- Be very honest about your budget. This is the budget for everything. Many of the business courses I have taken have shown different methods to make projections, however in the very beginning stages I recommend you set a budget assuming that you receive absolutely zero revenue. You need to plan for the worst case scenario. How much of your own money can you invest if you never receive a dime? You can not count on money you don't have simply because you have high hopes for the operation. You do not know the number of people I have seen evicted, or using pay day loans to finance their lives because they did not make the money they expected. From my experience, most small firms lose money for several years. When you develop the budget, include all the expenses you will incur, and do not plan on making anything. That way you can find the most cost effective option for you.
2- Do you have a fatal flaw? I really wish I had known about this when I operated my video store. A fatal flaw is essentially a nail in the coffin for your firm, before it is ever open. When I had the video store, I never considered that even if I got a movie for $10 and rented it for $2, I had to rent it 5 times for it to just pay for itself. In the end, I had over 600 movies, and would need 3000+ rentals to recoup my investment. There was no way that I could do that and still keep my business open. Another fatal flaw in my firm was that dvds were starting to come out. Video cassettes were becoming a thing of the past. Technology was moving quickly. Before you move forward, really examine your business and make sure that there is not an element that could signal your doom before you even open.
3- Get all your licenses- I can not stress this enough. You are not a business unless you go to your county courthouse and spend under $20 to get a business license. It just takes your time and gives you legitimacy. If you don't have a business license, you don't take your business seriously. Depending on your business type it also creates an entity outside yourself and offers a level of protection.
4- Get a separate business savings/checking account. In this day and age, you can use a debit card for almost everything. For that reason, it is ok to have a business savings account. However, you must have a completely separate account that you do not use for any personal transactions whatsoever. In addition, never use your personal account for business transactions. You have no idea how much time I spend yearly going through business owners' personal and business accounts eliminating personal transactions and trying to find business transactions for tax preparation. It is imperative that you keep the accounts as separate as possible. If you do not, you will pay higher self-employment taxes, lose valuable business deductions, and compromise the integrity of your bookkeeping system.
5- Set up your books correctly- I recommend looking at a schedule C of your income taxes (you can get a copy at www.irs.gov- just do a search for schedule C). If you do it on paper, get a ledger and create a page for each section of the schedule C. This way, at least once a week, you can sit down with your bank statement, receipts and all other information and group it by the different pages. You can even staple the receipts to the back of the ledger to keep it together or start a file system with these titles. But you have to do it consistently. If you don't you lose valuable exemptions on your taxes, and will pay higher self employment taxes. If you use a computer program, like QuickBooks, you can set up your ledger as these categories. The main point- set it up at the beginning. If you don't you will end up paying someone like me to decipher your information and try to get you organized for tax preparation. This can be really expensive, and time consuming and more than likely will not reflect all the expenses because even the best record keeper is likely to lose some information or receipts throughout the year.
6- Investigate pricing options. When I was working on my first MBA, I took a marketing class. The professor told us of Shiner Bock Beer- made here in Texas. When they first started, they priced the beer competitively and tried to compete with Bud and other brands. They did not make any money. Then they doubled the price and marketed it as a luxury item and it sold off the shelf. Do some testing on your own. Try several prices. Talk to your customers to see what they think your product is worth. See if you can add something to make it really special (at a low cost of course) that lets you significantly increase the price. Remember that the more you charge, the less you have to sell to make the same amount of money.

Now that we have discussed some of the initial steps of starting a business, we can move into a more detailed part of business planning- writing your business plan. We will continue that discussion tomorrow- how to write a quick and easy plan to guide your business through the start-up phase and start making a profit in your new firm.

Megan

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

Turning a Hobby into a Business

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:15:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

I have made a craft item for years as Christmas presents. Last Christmas, I was even able to sell some of them. Now, because of their success, I am considering starting a business, but want to be sure it is successful. What is the best way to turn a hobby into a business.

Sincerely,
-T.

Dear T.,

This is a wonderful question. Over the last 15 years, I have worked with a lot of very small firms, many in the very opening stages of formation. And during this time, I have seen a few go to be successful, while others have failed. The success of a business in not related to how great you make a product. Even the best products or services have been presented in businesses that failed. The true success of any firm is directly related to the business management of its owner.
1- Really investigate the NEED for your product or service. This goes way beyond seeing how many likes you have on Facebook as you show your work. It goes beyond the products you were able to sell at Christmas. NEED is a key to success. During these economic times, people still buy the same amount of soap, food, etc that they always did. They may switch to a more inexpensive brand, but if they really NEED something, then they buy it. On the other hand, products and services that are LUXURY ITEMS are on a tremendous decline. If they don't NEED something, then people aren't buying it right now. The greater the NEED, the greater the chances for success.
2- Really investigate your Target Market- This is the people that will use your product. What are their families like? Do they have kids? How old are they? Are they married? How much would they pay for your product or service? And where would they want to buy it? You need to know everything about them and you need information about how they feel about your business. Most of the marketing research I have done has consisted of a series of questions- about 1 page, that has a variety of measurements on the person and then more directed information about their relationship with your client. Once I performed a really extensive marketing study of a product that was supposed to be marketed to a high price, high customer service based clientele. After speaking to the end users, they would rather see it is a middle of the road, moderate price and moderate customer service firm. This kind of discovery was huge. The business could have approached who they thought would buy it and fail miserably. Find out everything you can first about your end user, and then about how they feel about your product before doing anything. Remember that you can bring samples, provide a presentation, or other information, while still protecting your product or service, and get genuine feedback. You also can use different avenues to get the information- in person, online, etc. to get the most diverse sampling. Just be sure they are in a place where they could actually encounter it.
3- Really investigate your competitors. Does anyone make or offer what you do? Is there anything like it at all? What is the closest thing out there? Know everything about these products and services. The internet has offered an age of transparency where you can find almost any information online. Use this resource and find out everything about them.
4- Really investigate yourself- Know thyself. Before turning a hobby into a business, be sure you know who you are and what you bring to the table. What are your strengths and what are your weaknesses? What gaps in education and experience do you have that you need help with? There are a lot of consultants, contractors, and other employees that can aide you for an affordable price. Even if you have to use something at first, keep this list in mind when you make further improvements. It will save you a huge headache and very costly fees by consulting with someone from the beginning.

After you have all the facts, you can decide if you can successfully turn your hobby into a business. Then if you choose to pursue, you can begin the business planning process and give your firm the greatest chances of success. Tomorrow's column will continue this question with the steps of business formation and how preparing from the beginning can bring you the highest profits in the end.

Thank you for your letter,

Megan

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

Business Priorities

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 04:21:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

I am trying to grow my small business and you see conflicting information about the best way to do that. In an ideal world, it would be great to be able to afford to take the best advice, but in this economy decisions have to be made. What is the best way to align your business priorities to show what actions need to be made.

Thank you,

-A.

Dear A.,

This is a great question. I know that it was the hardest one that I faced on a daily basis when I operated my store front. I ended up driving myself crazy and working over 3 jobs at a time to fund my decisions. Keep these ideas in mind when you sit down and define your business priorities to guide your decisions.
1- You do not have a job if you do not have customers. You may be the greatest artist in the world, but if you do not have any customers that buy your art, you are an artist and not a business owner. Before you do delineate your business priorities, put yourself in their shoes and find out what is important to them. Talk to them and ask a set of detailed questions to determine why they will/would buy from you. Online surveys can be created for free for up to 10 questions and for a small fee for more questions through www.SurveyMonkey.com. I have used the service several times to analyze and drive changes through my website and further analyze my target market. To have a successful business, know your customer.
2- You do not have a business if you do not have employees. Truly think about what would happen if all your employees quit today. It is somewhat common for employees to quit, or begin to limit hours if a new manager is instated. The new manager does things differently. They have to change how they do things. However, if you own your own business, there is not a new manager. There is only you. And you have to be consistent and show them you are on their side. Get to know your employees and find out why they work for you. Find out what they think about your organization and what you can do better. Treat them with respect and spend the time developing them. Remember that your employees can spread word of mouth advertising better than anyone. Give them a reason to speak out.
3- You have competitors. You need to know what your competitors are doing. There are a lot of businesses that are able to grow by differentiating themselves from their competitors and a lot of moderately successful businesses that follow the trends of their competitors. If you do not know what your competitors are doing, then you will not be able to make decisions to address them.
4- Kaizen- that means continual improvement. You have to constantly look for ways that you can get better. You may need updated software, new products, new versions, etc. If you talk to your customers and employees, then address their needs in choosing what to improve. Remember that if you remain rigid and do not embrace change, then you could lose any lead that you have acquired.
5- Develop your budget. One thing that I always do when developing the budget from differing options, I never count of getting my investment back. Although it is nice and you do projections based on success, the truth is that you may never make a dime from any investment. And if you add some increased income to your budget based on things like a return from an advertising investment, then you could end up in a lot of financial trouble. There are a lot of business that have failed completely because they spent money that was supposed to bring in more money.... and it didn't. So develop your business budget, and then develop a budget for every different option. See which budget is best for your firm.
Monthly Budget                                    Option 1- Advertising $300- hopefully bring in new business
Rent                    $1500                        Monthly Budget         $1800
Phone                 $ 100                        Advertising                 $ 300
Electricity            $ 150                        Total                         $2100
Internet               $    50
Total                  $1800                         Option 2- Computer Upgrades $500- new services/more clients
                                                             Monthly Budget         $1800
                                                             Computer                 $ 500
                                                             Total                        $2300
6- Refer to your overall Business Goals- It is imperative that a business have goals to guide them. If your business goal was to increase the number of customers you have, this will factor into your decision. If your business goal was to charge more per hour and have less clients, then you would choose differently from the options above. Remember the goals are to guide your business and refer to them so you have the largest chance of obtaining them. This takes the emotion out of your decisions.
7- Remember that situations are variable- There are certain situations where your business priorities can shift. It is great to define them and allow them to help you in decision making, but when individual situations arise, then can change for the situation. Don't beat yourself if you choose to change them for the situation. And don't feel the need to defend your decisions if you find yourself in that situation. Be confident in your decisions and don't second guess yourself.

Thank you for your question and please share your successes in the future,

Megan

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

Cutting Expenses while Increasing Revenue

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 00:30:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

Last year (2010) was not the greatest year for our business. Now, looking at 2011, I want a much higher profit margin. What can I do now, to increase my bottom line?

Thank you,

-A.

Dear A.,

There are only two ways to increase your bottom line- cut expenses and increase revenue. Follow these steps to increase your profit margin today.
1- Call your utility companies. This is such a pain and we all dread it, but during the last week I called my utility companies to see if there was a better plan for me. Time Warner decreased our cable/internet by $15 and we were on the highest plan for AT&T. We used less than half the minutes allotted to us. That was another $30 monthly savings. Those two bills saved us close to $600 yearly. Our programs did not change (except to a more suitable level), but overall the savings add up over the course of the will.
2- Shop around for supplies. There are thousands of specials online. I was able to save over $10 on printing on just one package by entering an online order. I searched for coupon codes for the store I was going to and immediately received a list of coupons. In addition, you can install a bunch of different tool bars such as the GoodSearch toolbar that offer immediate coupons online. In addition, this toolbar donates a portion of every purchase to a charity of your choice (for instance, I have my kids' PTA selected and every purchase helps them).
3- Don't be brand specific if it is not necessary. There are things that you need to pay a little more for, but depending on your business and its customers, usually things like paper, trash can liners, paper towels, etc are not brand specific. Don't waste more money on items that have a lower priced alternative. In addition, you may buy more expensive items for your home and can buy less expensive items for your business.
4- Find small ways to spend on your advertising over time. Advertising is a constant expense. It does not have to be haphazard. Set aside a little money weekly to go towards advertising. VistaPrint currently has great inexpensive prices on door magnets. There are also different companies online that offer inexpensive exposure for your website. I currently love blogsurfer.com. For just $1 per week, my blog is shown to a lot of people, getting hits for our firm. I also invested in things that matter to me- like the school directory. Look into different things that would benefit your firm and would help you, as well as support your values.
5- Look at your prices versus your competitors. When I had the video store, I prided myself on having the cheapest movies in town. Older movies were 5 movies for $5 for 5 days. Blockbuster was charging almost $5 per movie. If I had even tried to meet in the middle and charge $2.50 for a movie, our income would have also increased by 250%. It would not have affected my sales at all. Make sure your prices are appropriate. Unless you are selling a lot of volume, the lowest price is rarely the right option.
6- Include inexpensive, value added services. Value added services are extra things you can offer with your current supplies that don't cost you much, but can be huge incentives. For example, having an auto repair facility that also offers free car washes for repeat customers. Other examples are including a free print with an order for a photographer, offering a free hair bow with the purchase of 5 bows, etc. The main idea is if you will do business with me, I will give you an extra incentive to being my customer. When deciding what to include, look for things that you discard every month. Is there extra fabric left over that you throw out, or something that you could easily make without costing you much?
7- Send direct response marketing. This is marketing and advertising that gives an incentive for contacting you. I have seen real estate agents offer a bottle of wine for meeting with them. I have seen people offer free books, or audio book packages for purchasing or registering by a certain date. When deciding on a direct response marketing strategy, always include a condition- such as the first 100 people to do this, receive this. Or register by this date to get this. Be clear with the condition in the ad and give them an incentive to contact you now.
Be creative in your solutions, and be sure to let me know about your successes.

Megan

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

Using Social Networking in Job Seeking

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 20:43:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

I have spent a lot of time establishing my social networks. Now I am looking for a new job. Is there anyway to make my social networks work to my advantage in my job search?

Thank you,

-A.

Dear A.,

It is easy to make your social networks work for you in a job search. The main thing you want them to do is introduce you. So you have to make sure that they present you in the best light. Remember that this is the first impression your potential employer has of you, so make it count.
1- Professional- To make your social networking work for you in a job search, you really have to review every social account you have to see how it presents you. Although a Wonder Woman wallpaper may appeal to you, it does not strike a professional cord. Instead change graphics, fonts, or other features to create a professional appeal.
2- Pictures- This is where most people fail. There is usually some picture from Spring Break or something on the site that you uploaded (or a friend tagged you in) that shows you years ago. The problem is that online it is recorded forever. Delete pictures that are not professional. Family pics are okay, because they create a private face to your life. Just be sure that all captions (even joking ones) support the appearance you want to present to your company. You can always save pics on your computer so that you have them, without them being online.
3- Comments- Here is another big problem area- make sure that the comments and messages are professional. Remember that your potential boss may not have your sense of humor and can actually be offended by a comment. They will not know the ethnicity of a close friend or what your political beliefs. It is easy to misunderstand you and make assumptions that could cost you the job. When you use your social networking in job seeking, make sure there is absolutely nothing offensive or questionable because you do not know your employer yet.
4- Personal information- Using social networking in job seeking, refrain from sharing very personal information. I am notoriously transparent. If you know me, you know about parts of my past. However, being transparent can hinder your job search. The employer wants to know that you can keep any personal business out of their workplace. There is nothing worse than someone that constantly complains about their life and what is going on. You may need to edit out these comments and posts to present the right face to your potential boss.
5- Display your best work- Showcasing your best work will create the biggest impact when using social networking in job seeking. I have been offered positions based on the quality of work in my blog, the presentations displayed on linkedin, number of followers I have, and the feedback number I have in e-Bay. If you have spent time on these networks and their development, see what links to your work are included and be sure to display your best.
6- Google Yourself- This is how many employers find you. Make sure there is not an obscure account that you forgot about that is online. It is easy to cancel old accounts, or otherwise re-develop them to reflect your current sensibilities.
7- Have someone you trust review all your sites, then include the information on your resume (if appropriate). That is the important thing- what job are you applying for? If it has anything to do with e-commerce, include the links when you are sure they are in the best form. If it is an online job, include the links (especially for artist or writing positions). If it is for teaching, an executive manager, or other more traditional fields, it might be best to keep that information to yourself.

Good luck with your job search, and be sure to send me your success story.

Megan

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

Choosing the Right Employees

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 02:32:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

I have to hire another employee. What is the best way to insure I get the right person? We have a small organization and I simply can't afford to pick the wrong one.

Thanks,

C.

Dear C.,

There are few things that are as expensive in every company than your employees. Every business spends thousands of dollars hiring workers- between the recruitment, selection, training, supervision, and correction of their mistakes. Take these measures to prevent a potentially costly mistake.
1- To hire the perfect employee first, review all of your job descriptions, for every employee. See what they are supposed to be doing and who is in charge of what. In most organizations there are considerable overlap. Make sure that there are no duties that are under the umbrella of two or three people's job descriptions.
2- Choosing the right employee also requires you review each employee's competencies. What are your employees good at? Are the best matched in their position? In most organizations, a person starts a position and their job evolves over time. Are they in the right position, or can their job description be refined to best suit everyone? It is far better to customize the job descriptions based on the competencies of employees, rather than to create the job descriptions and force an employee to perform in a position that they are not suited for.
3- Before you hire the perfect employee, involve the employees in the HR refinement process. Talk to them. Find out what they enjoy and what they hate to do. Find out what they do the best. Before hiring another worker, conduct reviews and sort out any changes that would suit your organization. Get your HR structure in order before bringing another person into the firm.
4- Create the job description for the new position. Be very specific about what you expect. That way you can hire someone with minimal training. You want someone that can start from day 1 and produce.
5- Then, write a job ad based on all of the preceding data. Only write the ad after you have reviewed everything and can custom create the position that you really need filled. This will let you create the best ad to find the perfect employee for you.
6- Observe the way that someone conducts themselves throughout the entire process. I am probably the worst person to apply with. I have put up ads and the people that respond to them did not know that I work with people to get them jobs, write their resumes, etc. I have received resumes without cover letters or with significant grammar or spelling errors. How the new employee presents themselves to you is exactly how they will present themselves to your customers. If they drop off a resume, see how they are dressed, how they make eye contact, etc. If they are going to be in touch with your customers, see how they present themselves.
7- Thoroughly investigate former positions and references. Most people will look at a letter of reference and not call the employer or will see they submitted references and not make the calls. Remember that this is your money and it is important to make sure they will be a proper fit.
8- Establish goals and provide feedback often. Create a training system based on positive reinforcement and full disclosure. You want them to be successful and it is your responsibility to make them be successful. It may take more time in the beginning, but it is so worth it throughout the lifetime of their employment.

Please keep me updated as your employee grows into the perfect fit for your firm.

Megan

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

Continuing Education

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:11:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

I am currently employed as a Medical Assistant and am considering going back to school to become a LVN. Is it the right decision to get this degree?

Thanks,

-L.

Dear L.

One of the best things that you can do in this economy is continuing your education. A medical assistant is very limited in the jobs that they can apply for and work in. There is very little upward mobility without additional certifications, such as LVN, RN, or PA. Several things need to be considered to see if this is the time for you to go back to school.
1- What job opportunities are available in your area for LVNs and would be available if you continued your education? Check at the local hospitals, clinics, doctor's offices, etc and see what the difference is for schedules, pay, benefits, etc. Many people will do a pro/con sheet to see what immediate advantage continuing your education will do for you.
2- Will any of your previous schooling transfer? Depending on which school you choose, some hours may or transfer. You really have to look around. When I went to St. Edward's University in Austin, I was able to create a portfolio at a significantly reduced rate per hour to get out of some classes. I also transferred to the Texas A&M and a lot of courses would not transfer. Look into options before making your decision. One of the worst mistakes I see is that people enroll without thoroughly investigating the college and what will transfer. There is nothing worse than having an early class that you have already taken. Talk to an admissions counselor to be sure that you have the best opportunity for you.
3- How far do you want to go? Are you looking for higher degrees- do you want to be a PA or a doctor? If so, then you have to continue your education to do so. The choice is really your personal preference and your goals in life.
4- What is the cost? When I talk about cost, I do not mean purely monetary. What is the schedule for classes? How much time will it take, including homework, etc? Can you current job be used as an internship if necessary? Do you have a family that you will be able to spend time with? Does the school have financial aide options available? Really think about all the costs of going back to school to see if it is the right time in your life.
Overall, remember that this is your life and you can make the choices to make your dreams come true. Be honest with yourself and you will make the right decisions.

Megan

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

Installing Your Sprinkler System

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:29:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

I started my business years ago to pursue my passion and bring my own personal artform into the world. However, I find myself, day after day, addressing fire after fire, problem after problem and I don't even have the time to do my art anymore. I end up managing, even though I have a business manager. How can I do what I need to to relieve myself from addressing these problems and move towards pursuing the art I love?

Thank you,

-J.

Dear J.,

This is a very common problem with business owners. They are skilled in a certain area, whether it be writing, auto body repair, or taking care of children. In fact, they love it and want to be able to bring this skill to the world. Then they find that owning a business is a lot of work and start spending more time behind a desk than doing what they love. They key to putting out the fires once and for all is to install a sprinkler system- a plan that addresses the fires and creates a guide to deal with them permanently.
1- What are the main problems you are dealing with day after day? I remember when I was a general manager. Every week the general managers (and alternating weeks the assistant managers) would meet for a company meeting. The agenda was essentially the same. The managers complained about the same things- employees showing up late, doing paperwork incorrectly, not cleaning, etc. And every week nothing changed. It affected the way that the managers could manage. They did not spend their time doing higher level management issues, they corrected errors. After a while I noticed that they were the same types of problems, over and over, day after day. What are your daily problems? Identify the main issues and make a list. When you have them identified, then you can look for solutions.
2- Who are the problems caused by? In my example, I noticed that the hourly workers, those making minimum wage were the ones that seemed not to care enough to do the work correctly. And the company sentiment only reinforced that they were replaceable and told us to threaten them with their jobs, write ups, etc to do their job right. Clearly, this system was not working. Identify the people that seem to be involved in the problems first.
3- What actually matters to you (and do they know it)? In my case, although they had to sign the agendas and read them all week, they did not adequately understand their goals. They did not realize that there were only four things I really cared about and was "graded" on- cleanliness, paperwork, sales, and upgraded services. There were so many small things that they did all day, and focused on. These four things were not given priority. I have experienced the same things with my kids. They do a lot of stuff, but I only care if they put the trash in the trash, dishes in the sink, toys in the toy box, and clothes in the dirty clothes. As long the kids do these four things, I'm pretty satisfied with the amount of cleaning I have to do afterward. What are the things that matter to you? It is different for every person- even in one organization. Delineate what matters to you, and then make sure that people know it.
4- Provide the training and motivation that they need to succeed. In most cases, you did not provide training to support these new goals. They were shown a lot of stuff, a lot of facets of their job, but not the 4-5 things that matter to you. So, you will need to educate them on the ways that they can succeed. The worst thing you can do is constantly correct them. Provide them the information they need to succeed and reinforce it with a contest, reward, etc. To have the biggest chances of success, then make it individual. For example, let everyone know the goals, provide the education, then have a prize that is undefined, maybe in a certain price range. Then when someone wins, offer them something that matters to them. Trust me, if you have working parents, nothing is better than a night out with free babysitting. Get to know them and make it individual. Finally, make sure that everyone wins. Change up the goal for the week, have a most improved award, or otherwise reward everyone and make sure that has a turn in the spot light. Make it a big deal.
5- Finally, this may seem like a lot of work- at first. But you will see that once people get in the constant flow of following these goals, you will have a lot more time to do what you love and will spend less time correcting your employees.
Please keep me updated on your successes,

Megan

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

Should I stay or should I go?

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 00:30:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

I have been at my job for 3 years and I absolutely hate it. Because I have been here so long, I have been able to get a couple of raises and am concerned that if I change jobs I may not make as much or have as many benefits. However, I hate going to work each day. Is it worth changing jobs just to be happy, or should I stick it out and see what happens in the future?

Thanks,

A.

Dear A,

This is a great question. Until about 10-20 years ago, the idea of employment was to get a job, stay with it until retirement to collect your benefits, and deal with any problems no matter how miserable you are. However, today, many people are having 3-4 different careers, starting their own businesses, and changing jobs purely based on happiness, instead of benefits or salary. When making this decision, consider the following factors:
1- Opportunities for growth- When choosing to stay with a job or to leave for new opportunities, first consider if there is the opportunities for advancement. If you are in a small organization currently where there is little room for advancement, cross training, management experience, or other growth, then it may be to your advantage to see what other opportunities are out there. However, if you are in a position where your current job is surrounded by growth opportunities, where you could move to other departments, or work with other managers, then it may be to your advantage to keep your eyes open for opportunities in the firm.
2- Benefits- Some firms offer tuition reimbursement, great benefits, health insurance, 401K, or other benefits that others do not offer. Although benefits should not be the main reason to stay with a firm, the costs of these benefits can be extensive, and hard to replace. In particular, look at your need for health insurance, see if 401K or retirement accounts can be transferred, or if you can find suitable alternatives to the benefits, as well as calculating their cost into your salary before looking for other work.
3- Personality conflicts- Sometimes the problems you are having at work can be summed up as a personality conflict with a manager. This is interpersonal drama that can be worked on, but may not be a real reason to change jobs. Get to know the manager and see if you can resolve some of these problems. However, if there is a deeper issue, you may need to change jobs to bring about growth for you.
4- Is this your chosen field- The times that I have seen this issue the most are when someone is not working in their chosen field. Just because I know how to do accounting, does not mean that I have any desire to do accounting in my professional life. I may do it for a few months out of the year, but I would not do it 8-5 every day, even if I am skilled at it. My husband did tech support for years, but wanted to get in the gaming industry. He became really dissatisfied before making a decision to make the change. Are you in a similar situation? Has life brought you into your position, but you have no desire to continue in this field? If so, then the problem lies within you and you will never be happy until you start going in the right direction. You may want to look for ways to continue your education, take enrichment courses, network, or otherwise start in the field where your heart lies. Only then will you begin to have the job satisfaction you desire.
Whatever you do, do not be afraid to start on a new path to make yourself happy, just be sure to thoroughly investigate your option before making a decision. Once you do, you may be surprised at the ease in which your decision can be made.

Above all, follow your heart, and you can not fail.,

Megan

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

New Job Search Strategies for a New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:53:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

As a new year approaches, I wish to focus on my job search in earnest. What can I do to take advantage of the new year?

Thanks,

-K.

Dear K.,

One benefit of a new year starting is that budgets are started over. This means that most of the companies that had hiring freezes because of budgetary problems from last year will soon be able to start hiring again. Taking the right course of action now is imperative to starting out on the right foot in 2011.
1- Review and Revise Your Resume- The new year is a great time to update your info on your resume. It really should be done at least once a year or any time you change positions. List any new projects you worked on, any times you were acknowledged, change your references to include supervisors or others that you worked with, etc. Make sure it is showing your best foot and makes the best first impression.
2- Look for Interoffice Positions- When you decide to stay with the same company, you increase your chances of being promoted. They already know you and know what your work ethic is. They have personal experience with you. In addition, most companies will hire from within their company before hiring an outside source. It costs thousands of dollars to adequately train an employee to reach their potential with a company and hiring from inside saves them significantly on this cost.
3- Get Letters of Reference from Key Supervisors- Asking for letters of reference is one thing that usually makes a supervisor sweat. They know that there is only one reason that you need one- for a job. So either you are just collecting them and you are at least thinking about a new job, or you are actively looking for a job. Either way, obtaining letters of reference will plant the seed that you may not continue to work there. If they rely on you, then they are more willing to recommend you for an open position.
4- Edit Your Resume for Open Positions- I can not stress this enough- change key sections of your resume for each job. You want the first 1/2 of your first page to highlight your key strengths- this is where you need to have your accomplishments and skills reflective of each position. It takes just a few minutes to change these sections and show them why you are perfect for that one position. If you submit 10 applications, each resume should be slightly different. By doing this one step, you can triple your chances of being offered the job.
5- Update your wardrobe and attitude- If you want to move up in a company, you need the hiring managers to associate with you- you need that common ground. So dress like they do, mirror their body language when talking to them, go to lunch with them socially. In other words, build that relationship and show them that you are similar and would do the job well. Change your attitude, if needed, to show them that you are someone that they would enjoy working with. You have to play the game and be social to really succeed. Get to know them and do things with them if possible to really stand out for a position.

Good luck with your promotion and be sure to let me know when you are offered the job.

Megan
Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

Outsourcing VS Insourcing

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 04:12:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

I have a small business and do almost everything myself. I have decided it is time to get some help. I know that so many businesses are going overseas to obtain cheap labor and reduce expenses, but I hate doing that. How can I get the help I need, maintain my bottom line, and not be forced to outsource overseas?

Thank you,
-Ken

Dear Ken,

You are absolutely right, it is considerably cheaper in some cases to hire overseas sources to reduce labor and other costs. However, there are still ways to buy American and get the help you need. This trend, called Insourcing, supports your local economy, and takes advantage of an untapped resource here in America.
1- Untapped Resources- Insourcing takes advantage of untapped human resources. In this economy, it is estimated that 8.3% of Texans are unemployed. Nationally it is estimated at 9.4%. This is only people actively looking for work and those not working. There are so many more that are self-employed or underemployed. Many have college degrees, have years of experience, and are looking for additional income.
2- Set Your Prices- I usually utilize Craigslist.org, but there are quite a few different resources available (Monster.com: WFHM.com and ratracerebellion.com focus on at home work). I tell them what I can pay. Some will try to negotiate and that is a great idea because of their vast experience. Remember to offer a fair wage and require references and a resume, but there are people out there that need work right now and will accept lower than what they did before just to make ends meet. Be honest with what you can pay, and ask for their estimate on pricing.
3- You control the hours- When I worked from home, most contracts had a limit on the number of hours that were allotted each week. If I was going to go over, I had to send an email for approval deliniating what I was doing, how many hours over it would be and the critical status- in other words if it is an emergency or can wait until Monday when the week started over. This way, you control how much you pay, how fast the project is completed, and the depth of the project.
4- Increase job performance- Because the people work from home or for themselves as an independent contractor, they know they are paid for performance only. There is no standing at the watercooler at work wasting time. You log in and work. You can utilize a system like FreshBooks.com to keep up with their time entry and streamline your payroll processing.
5- Lower other expenses- By Insourcing, and hiring someone that does not work at your facility you can save a tremendous amount of expenses. You don't have to supply a desk, a computer, computer programs, electricity, a phone line, etc. A contractor is totally responsible for these expenses.
6- Trial Period- Insourcing also allows you to use someone as an Independent contractor or provider of services and you automatically have a trial period to see if they are a fit for your company. If you don't mesh, pay the for the work they did and hire someone else.
7- Stimulate the Economy- Bringing business to those that need it here, puts money back into the economy. In addition, you are showing a business professional what you do. I have made a lot of clients because I did good work for them and have become customers of my contracts because I liked their firm. And I had money to spend because they paid me. There is little that you can do better than to pay someone and have them spend that money at your firm.

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

Changing Website Content for Search Engines

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 08:52:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

I have been writing small articles and blogs lately. How do I make sure that I am getting the most out of them in the Search Engines?

Thank you,
Maria

Dear Maria,

Adding content is essential for a search engine optimized site. However, sometimes content does not give you the results that you need. Take these steps to get the most of the additional content for your site.
1- For each article or blog that you have written, identify how you would search for the article if you needed it. Many times we have great titles, but the goal is to drive traffic. So list the different things that you would type into the search engines to find the article. Identify 2-3 key words that can be used for that article.
2- Think about the keywords you would use to find the site. Get feedback from friends, family, and colleagues to see how they would find your company.
3- Keeping both sets of keywords in mind, make sure that those particular phrases are listed 3 times or more per article. This means including both sets of keywords. The main keywords for the and the article specific keywords have to be included 3 times each.
4- Edit to remove any redundancy. This is the hard part. You do not want to sound like you are throwing those keywords out there. You want it to be an informed article that establishes your credibility and gets you business. Make sure you point is clear, even though the keywords are repeated so many times.
5- Read the article out loud to yourself and have another person read the article. There have been quite a few times that I have written and edited an articles. Because I wrote them, I know what I was trying to say. I also typed every word, so i miss grammatical errors. To eliminate potential problems like this one, read the piece out loud (your are more than twice as likely to pick up on something that doesn't sound right this way) and have another associate read the piece and provide feedback to insure they understand the article as well.
6- Go through every article and repeat this process for the largest results. As you write new articles, keep this in mind to avoid editing your writings later.
Good luck optimizing your site. Please let me know if you have any questions,

Megan

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

Business from the Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 02:33:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

I have been trying to build my business for years. And I have read book after book and program after program and listened to webcast after webcast and tried, really tried to follow their instructions. However, nothing happens. These ideas may work for some people, but not for me. Am I just unable to be successful in business, or can I find some way to be successful?

Thank you,

Alexis

Dear Alexis,

I understand all too well where you are coming from. I have worked for myself for years. I have worked with amazing business leaders who are truly successful. But I had such trouble being successful in my own firm. Taking these actions made my business really change and produce the results I wanted.
1- Be yourself. The one thing that I really hated working in other firms is there was a need to present this image of me that was part of me, but I had to suppress my love, my laughter, my sense of humor. Any time I relaxed and tried to be myself, it was met with disapproval. This is your firm. Your firm is an extension of you. So when you consider any changes, really look within and see if those changes resonate with who you are.
2- Network as who you are. When you speak to people on a daily basis, be yourself and represent yourself and you firm as who you are. I have made the most meaningful connections with other parents that talk when picking up their kids from school. I have made business contacts at HEB or Kinko's, etc because I love my business and just talk to people as I am in line. I am myself all the time and do not pretend to be someone I am not. When you are genuine in this way, and have faith in your abilities, people respond to you.
3- Do things you believe in. I always had a problem with fitting in the things I want to do in my daily life. I want to run a 5K, for example, but training just did not fit into my schedule. Then my starter went out and I started walking. Then there just happened to be a 5K blocks from my house. I fulfilled this wish and met so many people that have the same interest and really applaud each other in their accomplishments. As we were participating in the event, we talked and networked as well. This has led to not only friendships but business contacts.
4- Focus on your clients. Learn about them. Learn what is going on with them. Don't always focus on WIFM, learn what they are going through. Develop the relationship and this will lead to not only more business for you, but also a more fulfilling life.
5- In all things, lead from your heart. I know this is probably contrary to business life. But we are talking about your life and your business. If it feels right, then listen to yourself. Trust me, listening to yourself will bring you more success than listening to other people and leading from your heart will not steer you wrong.

Please keep me updated in all your successes,

Megan

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com

Building a Business on a Very Limited Budget

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Joy Dean) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 06:30:00 +0000

Dear Megan,

I started a business and have a business license, but do not have a lot of money to invest in it. How can I build my business without a large investment?

Thank you,

-Diane

Dear Diane,

Unfortunately, a lot of businesses fail because of limited capital. However, there are a lot of opportunities to build a business without huge investments.
1- Create business goals. Figure out where you want to go before you spend a dime. Create realistic business goals based on the limited capital. This will affect your business decisions and what advice you can take, but having business goals will allow you to make the right decisions with the capital you have.
2- Create priorities. Decide what is the most important thing to do first. This varies from business to business. If you are a small local firm, you may need business cards first, or a magnet for your car. If you are providing products, you may need certain materials. If you have a wider base, you may need to design a website. Decide what is the most important thing for you to do based on your situation.
3- Determine if some things rely on others. One of the most basic concepts of project management is that you have to do certain things before you can even consider others. It keeps things from becoming overwhelming. Look at your priorities and see what you have to do first. For example, you have to check to see if a domain name is taken before you can buy it. Then you have to purchase the domain name (and site builder, program, template or other necessary supplies) before you can actually build it.
See what things have to be done sequentially before you do anything. A great way to do this is with post-it notes. You can take a wall of your office or home and start to enter the main points, then fill in the details and move them around as you order them. You can buy different colors to delineate different parts of the project that go together. Visually seeing these things on the wall makes it easier to organize.
4- Research different pricing options. You will be amazed at the different supplier pricing options of the different things that you need to do. www.VistaPrint.com has so many specials right now on many things that your business may need. But they also have a lot of suppliers. Amazon.com is another great source of information where you can get things extremely inexpensively. One big hold-up on some projects recently for me was that my power cords kept going out on various computers preventing me from working. I was able to find power cords for one computer for under $2 through Amazon. And if you would like a way to contribute to charity, GoodSearch.com has a toolbar that you can install where you select your charity (including PTAs for schools, cancer research, etc) that costs you nothing, but gives a portion of every purchase from Amazon, ebay, and other retailers to the charity of your choice, and offers additional coupons. There are also several free options for various computer services on the internet. Do your research and see what you are able to invest in.
5- Spend just a little when you can. You may only have $5 per week. Spend it wisely. You are probably not going to miss this $5, especially if you can eliminate some other expense (I miss my Diet Dr. Peppers, but this got me over $5 per week to invest, that is $20 per month). I know this amount may not seem like much, but if you use it wisely, you are able to take care of things that your business needs.
6- Finally, get a separate checking or savings account for your business and re-invest every dollar you make. Some people reimburse themselves from their business revenue because we invest way more than we get back in the early stages. If it is at all possible, re-invest your revenue in the firm. You will find that it is like a snowball growing as it goes downhill, especially if you are in an interest bearing account. You can also specify that a certain amount is automatically taken weekly or monthly and moved from your personal to your business account. It costs nothing and is a great way to save up for other purchases.

Just because you are on a limited budget does not mean that your business will not succeed. It simply means that you have to make good business decisions. Spend what you can wisely and remember to work on your business daily for the greatest chances of business success.

Megan

Submit your questions to Ask Megan and receive a free resume review or small business consulting appointment. Email your HR questions to AskMegan@ConsultingProsperity.com