Work Less to Protect The Environment and You

Americans work longer hours and take fewer vacations than any other industrialized country in the world. We create higher stress levels for ourselves, alienate our children and senior citizens because we’re too busy and leave a HUGE environmental footprint.

The way we work into excess also drives our habits. We consume like crazy, driving ourselves further into debt – both financially and ecologically.

Before you start arguing, I’m an entrepreneur … I understand that running your own business requires dedication, focus and time. But, I also look back (unfondly) to the days of working for high-strung others. Working to the point that my hair was falling out due to the extreme stress and pressures of a demanding certain someone (that’s another blog entry entirely).

So what are the options?

One is to telecommute. At Snackbox, many of our workforce is comprised of extremely seasoned freelancers. By employing their talents and expertise, we’re providing our clients with brilliant minds who are adamantly opposed to being a part of the traditional workforce. Some may be stay-at-home moms with full-time nannies; others may be running from exactly what I experienced – the physical effects of intense stress.

Other options include requiring a specific number of hours each week – if you can’t get your work done in that amount of time, then changes need to happen. Perhaps your employee could use training on organization? Perhaps their workload is too extreme?

The first step to reinventing how we work? Talk with your employees. I’m sure they have spoken about many fixes behind your back … engage them and empower them. Together, we can all become better rested, more efficient and more profitable.

/by

Green Business Travel Tips

Most of us travel for work. Here are a few tips for traveling as green as possible.

Book an eco-friendly hotel. Many cities offer great “green” options. My most recent “green” stay was at a great San Francisco boutique hotel called The Orchard Garden. Do your homework and listen to what other reviewers say on booking sites.

Use stainless steel water bottles rather than the typical plastic bottle. They last longer and are much better for the planet.

Regular sunscreen damages the coral reef. Look for environmentally-friendly options with biodegradable ingredients.

Rent a hybrid car. Some hotel chains even give discounts to guests who are driving fuel-efficient vehicles.

Book a non-stop flight. The majority of fuel use and harmful emissions happens when the plane is taking off and landing. Avoid layovers when possible.

Take shorter showers (this is something you can do at home, too, obviously).

Do not disturb. Use that door sign to prevent housekeeping staff from changing your sheets daily, waster electricity by vacuuming, etc.

Hang up your used towels. This lets staff know that you plan to reuse them, ultimately conserving water.

/by

So You’re Going to Add Staff …

Adding your first employee is such a scary prospect. I compare it to selecting a nanny for your first born. This business is my baby of sorts and I’m not going to allow just anybody in to help me care for it.

Many times, the pain goes away after that hire. You may not put as much emphasis on checking references or finding THE perfect candidate. But it’s still important. These people that you’re hiring directly influence your company’s culture and its success.

Hire staff better than yourself. Surround yourself with intelligent people who have expertise and knowledge in areas you may not be as well versed.

Hire passionate people. Employees that believe in the company are far more effective internally. Optimism and passion can be infectious (and that’s a good thing!)

Listen to your gut. I always say that I trust my gut before my brain. So many times your intuition weeds out the yuck – listen to it!

Check references’ references. Talking with references is a given, but listen to me: Call the references and then ask those people for references. If you go one level deeper, the people that are not merchandise front and center, you have a better chance of getting the real picture.

/by

Gaining Advantage Over Your Competition

,

Generating leads is key to business success at any level. We need leads to sell more yogurt, add more clients to our firm, etc. And the competition is thick in letters nine feet wide. There are three key areas that elevate successful companies:

1. Advertising requires a usually high upfront investment and typically offers lower credibility when compared to public relations; however, you also gain a high level of control in your message. Because of the large investment required for a strong advertising campaign, it’s important to find a seasoned advertising partner that can help guide you in the most efficient and effective directions.

2. Public Relations (PR) requires a much smaller monetary investment when compared to advertising and, many times, produces high credibility. The downside of public relations is that you don’t have control of your messages – often, the control is with the reporter writing the story. Again, finding a seasoned partner is key here, too. It’s important to work with a PR firm that reports back to you. We run into many clients who share horror stories of paying retainers for months on end, never seeing results of any type.

3. Referrals or word-of-mouth marketing sometimes net the highest results. To date, each one of our clients have come to us through referrals. The key here is to encourage friends, family and business associates to pass those referrals through. Teach them how to talk about your business and talk through the types of leads you’re looking to obtain. Many times, your best friend’s aunt’s boss could be the perfect lead to catapult your business to the next level.

/by

Building a Successful Business

So you have the idea, but do you have the chops?

Always think big, think positively. Entrepreneurs are eternal optimists. Bad economy? We’ll succeed. Smallest company in the pitch? We’ll win.

Don’t be afraid to break the mold. People don’t reach success by following others. Be a leader. Be the first person to try it.

Focus. Stay focused on your goals; keep your eye on the prize. By having your hands in too many things, it forces you to lose focus, lose steam and lose money.

Believe in yourself and your idea. If you can’t believe, then why should others. Sure there are unsure moments, but talk about them in the privacy of home with your non-business support network.

Never, never, ever give up. Failures are some of the best learning experiences life can give you.

/by

Instant Messenger in Business

It all started innocently: I opened an AOL instant messenger account when I was at an ad agency so we could all communicate without having to look at one another. Then, in conversation with a client based in another city, we decided IM would be a great way to communicate throughout the day. She was on Yahoo! So as any good AE would do, I set up the Yahoo! IM account.

Fast forward a couple years and suddenly I have IM accounts with the above two as well as gmail and who knows who else. The solution? Adium.

Adium is a simple program that runs on my desktop and allows me to access ALL my IM accounts through one portal. My personal IM accounts are integrated with my business IM accounts and life becomes just a little bit easier.

/by

Networking, Building Alliances

,

The strongest business alliances are based on strong relationships, not transactions.

“I’m terrible at networking.” It seems to be a common whine. But networking gives you what you put into it. Here are some quick tips for building your network:

1. ALWAYS carry business cards. If you don’t have business cards, have some printed online. For under $100 you can have some pretty professional looking business cards through vendors like Overnight Prints.

2. Carry a small notebook. You can jot notes down about new acquaintances. Record these notes into your Rolodex. Suggested notes include how you were introduced, personal details (number of kids, where they’re from), favorite restaurant, etc. These notes come in handy for future meetings.

3. Make yourself visible. Attend industry events, fundraisers, … any type of event where you can introduce yourself.

4. Be friendly. At networking events, people are expecting complete strangers to say “hello.” Walk up, shake the person’s hand and introduce yourself. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the conversation will easily start flowing.

5. Stay connected. Look for reasons to communicate with everyone in your network. I go through my Rolodex monthly and review who’s in there. You don’t have to talk to everyone monthly, but pick a few and start up the conversation again.

6. Refer, refer, refer. Any time you can offer an introduction between two people in your Rolodex, everyone benefits. An email introduction is simple, quick and beneficial for everyone involved. By introducing folks in your Rolodex to each other, you’re keeping the line of communication open and you’re inviting others to refer you as well.

What are your top networking tips?

/by