After you become proficient in these tools, you can pat yourself on the back, because you’ve accomplished a lot. I will now show you how to make them work together like tools in a toolbox.
The power is in the links. You can create a message and decide how you will promote that message. Work backward, following these steps:
Verify your links between your blog and Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Create and upload a YouTube video.
Blog about the video (copy the shortcut and paste it into your blog entry).
Check your Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter pages to verify your links work.
I have an example for you. I wanted to promote my “If you are not selling a commodity, you do not have competitors” sermon. Here’s what I did:
I made a YouTube video and uploaded it. You can find it by visiting www.youtube.com and searching for “you do not have competitors.” This is an exact search—you need the quotes but not the period. Mine is currently at the top of the page.
I created a blog entry entitled “You do not have competitors” and wrote, “If you are providing a professional service, you do not have competitors. See and then ask yourself if you are providing a commodity or a professional service.”
I sent the blog and waited 10 seconds.
I verified this status update at Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. These entries all take people to my blog.
My blog entry has the YouTube video inserted in my verbiage.[i]
The power is in the links, which I created back in 2009. You can promote your messages to the world just as easily as I have in this example.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
I have a new presentation that I am calling How to make more money in the cloud. This will show services that help you promote your business for very little cost. Perhaps you’ve already heard of YouTube, Fiverr and QR Codes. I will be showing you how to use these tools to improve your marketing and make more money. How to make more money in the cloud will go live on March 1, 2012. I look forward to speaking to your group soon.
One of my customers thinks Twitter is a theater where celebrities report useless details. A famous cyclist came to town and tweeted, “I ate three bran muffins for breakfast.” Who cares? I should discuss this perception.
That may be important for this celebrity’s followers. People follow him because he is a national hero and very successful in his sport. What he eats and how he trains may be of great interest to his followers. Those tweets may be useless for some but important for others.
Nobody cares what I eat for breakfast.
Your followers will decide what is important. If you tweet about topics your followers find valuable, they will appreciate your reports and retweet (forward) your messages. You will also accumulate followers easily. The opposite is true. If you tweet about topics nobody finds interesting, folks may end up ignoring you. You will notice a gradual decline in your number of followers. It’s like writing a book: you have to know what folks will find interesting.
Celebrities have an extra luxury. People follow them because they are celebrities. Celebrities can write about whatever they choose and get away with that. It helps them remind their followers that they are active. This does not render tweets useless or praise them as being important. It is a luxury that celebrities enjoy.
One hundred forty characters is a short amount of text. Twitter users, especially celebrities, have found ways to pack a lot of info into 140 characters.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Let’s return to Daphne the Dancer. Daphne reviewed her file with the health club and learned that her noncompeting contract applies to locations within 10 miles of the club, so she found shared office space that includes a dance studio 19 miles away. Daphne had a lawyer review the lease before she signed it. She is actually renting time and will not be the exclusive tenant. The landlord also rents the studio for yoga, tai chi, and meditation classes. He does not foresee any schedule conflicts. The landlord said he would apply a fresh coat of paint and get her name in the building directory within a week. Daphne buys insurance from a member of her Mastermind group and schedules classes for Tuesday and Thursday nights. Daphne is overjoyed.
Daphne has a blog page at Posterous, the same service I use for one of mine. Daphne also has a Twitter page and has established a link between the two.
Daphne creates a blog entry with this info:
Subject: Daphne Dance Company is opening next month in Cameron Park
Text: Daphne Dance Company is opening next month at 1101 North Main Street in Cameron Park. Dancers can enroll for classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights.
When this appears on her Twitter page, the tweet will read, “Daphne Dance Company is opening next month in Cameron Park http://post.ly/dgb6 (or whatever link is created).
Everybody who follows Daphne will see this entry on their page. That’s why it is beneficial to accumulate followers. Your followers have already agreed to let your tweets appear on their Twitter pages just like I have agreed to let Karl Palachuk’s (and others’) tweets appear on mine.
Tweets can be 140 characters max. Blog entries have no limit.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Peggy the Bookkeeper runs her business under the name of Peggy’s Bookkeeping Service. She has a blog hosted at Posterous, the same service I use for mine. She has a Twitter page and has established a link between the two.
She may create a blog entry with this info:
Subject: Helping a customer create a budget
Text: I am helping a new customer write his budget for next year. We looked at his income and expenses for the past two years and then made some honest projections on what he will be making and spending next year. I also explained how new tax laws will affect his finances.
This automatically creates a tweet. Twitter will show her tweet as:
Peggy blogs and tweets daily. Here are some sample tweets that establish Peggy’s expertise:
Helping a customer create a budget
Reviewing a commercial lease
Transferring a customer’s assets into a trust
Establishing a trust for a customer
Establishing a 401(k) plan for a rapidly growing business
Converting customer files to electronic format
Attending training on new federal tax laws
All have subject headings that will show up in searches and establish Peggy as an expert. All tweets have links that will take visitors to her web site. These headings help establish Peggy as an expert at creating budgets, commercial leases, trusts, 401(k) plans, and storing documents in electronic format. Folks who search based on any of these terms are more likely to find Peggy, her blogs, and her tweets (if she uses these services regularly), than they would be if she ignored the services.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Pinterest seems to be the hottest thing in social media these days. I know people are jumping onboard this bandwagon, but WAIT! There is a big copyright issue with any media you post on Pinterest. In addition, Pinterest is granting themselves the right to sell you work. Very scary, if you ask me.
Here is how I use tweets (and how you can use them too). Remember that my tweets are really links to my blog. Here is a tweet regarding service contracts:
Subject: Replacing a DSL modem for a service contract customer
Visitors click the link, which actually takes them to an entry at my blog. The blog entry reads:
Subject: Replacing a DSL modem for a service contract customer
Text: I am replacing a DSL modem for a customer who lost Internet connectivity this morning. The modem replacement is not why I am writing. The fact that they have a service contract and their emergencies are able to pre-empt others is the reason. My service contracts grant customers a Service Level Agreement, promising a two-hour response for a network or server downage. The customer is back online. They are the top priority. You can have this top priority status too. See the link at www.cameronparkcomputer.com/support.htm.
People who find this tweet or follow me in general will learn that yes, I can change a DSL modem, and that there must be something special about being a service contract customer. They click the link. I accomplished this by sending an e-mail to my blog provider, who then automatically created the tweet and shortcut at Twitter. This blog and tweet took me less than 60 seconds to accomplish.
I have more room for detail in this blog entry than in the tweet. This explains that:
· I replaced a DSL modem
· I replaced it quickly
· The customer has a service contract
· Service contract customers get high priority response and
· You can have this top priority too…just go to my web site for more info.
I also know this blog entry was viewed 54 times in the following seven days. I also try to tweet at least seven times a week. It doesn’t always happen that way, but that is my beautiful plan. Here are some sample tweets that establish expertise:
Updating a customer’s web site
Replacing a DSL modem for a service contract customer
Helping a customer’s associate get e-mail working reliably
Showing a friend how to blog
Helping a friend use social networking and Twitter
Enrolling a customer in Cameron Park Secure Backup
Creating web movies
All have subject headings that will show up in searches and establish me as an expert. These tweets have links that will take you to a landing page within my web site. These headings help establish me as an expert at web sites, DSL modems, service contracts, e-mail, blogging, social networking, Twitter, secure backup, the Cameron Park Secure Backup service, and web movies. Folks who search based on any of these terms are more likely to find me, my blogs, and my tweets now that I use these services than they would have been if I had ignored the services.[i]
Tweets are short and simple. A tweet that I repeat every so often looks like this: What is your opportunity cost?http://post.ly/1dUFu. The link takes visitors to my blog.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
How many people out there use social media aimlessly and then lose track of time? This is a tool. Use it as wisely as you would use a hammer. Use it as a tool.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Remember when you first accessed the Internet? What a joy it was to pull up web pages for newspapers across the country, check the local weather, or read e-mail someone sent you 30 seconds ago. By now you’ve overcome the initial joy and decided to use the computer as a tool. You’re now able to get the current weather for Denver in less than 30 seconds. That’s not worth bragging about anymore. I hope you’ve already experienced the initial joy of social networking. Use it as a tool.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
There are some things you should not do in your picture. I’ve seen pictures of folks holding a 24-ounce glass of beer to the camera. They have a goofy look indicating they have already consumed a 24-ounce glass or two. I would advise against that. You don’t know who will find that picture. It could be your boss or a prospective employer. It could be a customer or a prospect. It could be your spouse or someone who may end up as your spouse. You do not know.
I’ve also seen people post fake pictures in their profiles. I’ve seen people post pictures of celebrities, dogs, and cartoon characters as their profile picture. If you are Paul McCartney, you may post a picture of Paul McCartney in your profile. If not, then don’t. If you post a picture of a Golden Retriever in your profile, you’re telling the world you’re a dog.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
People will see your picture before reading your name or any significant information about you. Pictures have a magical way of attracting attention. Facebook puts the picture in the upper left-hand corner. The picture is much larger than your name. Your picture has to be good. It is a magnet that attracts people to you or repels people away from you.
A good picture answers the question, “Can I trust this person?” A good picture includes a smile, open eyes, and decent top. I wore a suit in my picture. You can be formal or casual. When in doubt, err on the side of formality.
You can Google “Napoleon Hill picture,” “Dale Carnegie picture,” or “Donald Trump picture” to find professional pictures of these three successful men. Most of these pictures show them wearing suits and ties. That is no accident.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Daphne is a Facebook user. She completed her Facebook profile and told the world she loves teaching dance, knows sign language, runs marathons, and adores Paul McCartney. She is perfectly happy sharing that information.
Daphne concealed her marital status, birthday, religious views, and political views. She was hesitant to share her town, but felt that would be necessary if people wanted a local dance instructor. Daphne posted a professional picture of herself online.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
In my online profiles, I tell the world I like Paul McCartney and Rush. No—not the political commentator. Rather, the Canadian progressive rock band composed of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart. This information has helped connect me with others who are fans of Paul McCartney and of Rush. It helps people see that I have a life. It has helped establish connections. I realize some folks may not like Paul McCartney or Rush, but I feel the odds of that turning away a potential friend or customer are slim compared to someone saying, “Oh, Mark likes Paul McCartney and Rush too…I want to connect with him.” This is information I am comfortable sharing with the world.
Sharing helps me prove I have a personal life. In addition to telling the world I like Paul McCartney and Rush, I am on the record as an active triathlete. This helps connect me with other triathletes, swimmers, bicyclists, and runners. I am also fairly confident that telling the world I swim, bike, and run for fun will not turn away potential friends and customers. Sharing this information has helped establish connections.
Sharing touches a sensitive nerve with some folks. They share information and then wonder why they receive advertising targeted at them. My Facebook page had ads for Paul McCartney’s and Rush’s 2010 summer tours. The promoters of these tours did a good job creating Facebook ads and then targeting them at Facebook users who shared that they were fans of Paul McCartney and of Rush. Although I did not attend shows by either of these acts last summer, I did appreciate learning that they were still active. I am in the target market for these tours’ promoters, and am perfectly happy being in that group.
The same holds true for triathlon vendors. Here you can find bicycle and shoe manufacturers, race organizers, and health food promoters. I saw their ads, too, at Facebook. They followed the same strategy that the promoters of Paul McCartney’s and Rush’s tours followed: they targeted Facebook users. The profile information I shared put me in their target market.
Advertising is a fact of life. The information you share online helps advertisers target you for whatever they are selling. Targeted advertising helps Facebook remain a free service. Facebook is a business too. The folks who work there like keeping a roof over their heads, food on the table, and cash in the wallet.
You have to decide your level of comfort with privacy versus sharing. Everybody deserves to keep some parts of their lives private. I am more private than most. You must also understand that sharing helps establish connections both on the personal front and the business front.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
I will be presenting How to Make More Money by Using SWOT to the Sacramento Coaches Association on Monday night. SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. When you perform your SWOT Analysis, you will make better decisions and in turn make more money. More info is at http://www.sacramentocoaches.org/february-membership-meeting-2/newsletter/. Show up early and get a good seat. YES, I will be expecting audience participation.
Some parents share their kids’ ages and pictures online. The pictures are adorable, but they are also lures for predators. If you decide you’d like to offer more personal information, including photos, on your profile, I advise getting another address at a P O Box, or concealing your personal information.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
If you have any comments on my privacy sermon in the last three posts, feel free to write me at 3450 Palmer Drive, Suite #4-286, Cameron Park, California 95682. It is not my home. It is a UPS Store in Cameron Park, California that rents me a small aluminum box and receives my deliveries. This is the address on all my business correspondence. It is also the only address I use in my online profiles. Folks who do not know me can send letters and packages to the UPS Store. Folks who want to target their marketing by zip code can find me on a list of those in 95682. My friends and some customers know I receive business mail and deliveries in Cameron Park but that I don’t live there.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Even more controversial than religious views are political views. Yes my friends, wars have been started over political differences too. I listed my political views as, “Everybody vote for me.” Folks who have never met me do not need to know my political views. Campaign solicitors do not need to see my name on a list of California Democrats, or California Republicans. I choose to remain off both those lists. Potential customers do not need to know my political views. My genuine views could attract more customers or they could turn away even more prospects. I advise not even going down that road. One of my customers told me that when you go into politics, you turn customers into enemies. Keep the political views blank or use my responses.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Some people are sensitive about revealing their religion. I sympathize with their right to keep it private. The same holds true with political views. Religious and political views can help attract folks who think the same way, but they can also turn away folks. Here is my solution: conceal them.
I listed my religious views as, “Everybody worship me.” You can find this at my Facebook profile. This would not insult or alienate anybody considering doing business with me. It may even draw a chuckle. If you meet someone in person and form a friendship, you can reveal your true religion in person. Wars have been started over religious differences. Think twice before you reveal your religion online. It may turn away more folks than it would attract.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Now that I’ve shown why (in the last three posts) you need to engage social media, let me address an always-hot topic: privacy. According to Wikipedia, privacy “…is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively.”[i]
People reveal information about themselves to help attract others who have some commonality. When I first enrolled at Facebook, I entered my high school information and Facebook found my classmates. Facebook matched folks who also graduated John Hersey High School in 1985. I invited them to become Facebook friends. Some of them invited me to become their friends based only on the fact that we attended the same high school.
I also shared that I am a fan of Paul McCartney. Facebook took that information and made it available to whoever promoted Paul McCartney’s most recent U.S. tour. It seemed that every day I visited Facebook, I saw an ad for Paul McCartney’s upcoming concert near San Francisco. How did the promoters know I would be interested in Paul McCartney tickets? It may have been the information I volunteered at the “Likes and Interests” section of my Facebook profile.[ii]
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Let’s return to our friend Daphne. One day, a man writes a Facebook post asking for a dance instructor for his deaf daughter. He writes, “Can anybody refer a dance instructor who knows sign language?” Twenty people respond and tell him to contact Daphne because she is great and knows sign language. Daphne receives a message asking if she is available. Daphne responds YES and schedules an appointment with this prospect. He hires Daphne.
What would have happened if Daphne had not engaged social media? The man may not have received a response to his request for a dance instructor who knows sign language. Folks might not know Daphne provided this service. One thing is for sure: Daphne would not have this customer.
This same scenario might be playing out for you now. If you’re engaging social media and finding folks who need your services, that is great. I’m glad this is working for you. If you’re not engaging social media but you’re asking how you can promote your services better, you need to engage social media. If you’re not engaging social media but your customers and competitors are, you may lose all your customers.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
I visited a conference of computer consultants in October 2009 and returned with a completely different view of social media. I realized it was a new avenue to promote my views, my business, and my services. It was an avenue where others could do the same. It functioned like word of mouth, only better. Social media is word of mouth on steroids.
Here’s how word of mouth works for business owners. Let’s suppose you wake up one day and decide you need a new bookkeeper. You could look in the phone book, browse through your junk mail, or stroll down the street. You could probably find one. Of course, you wouldn’t know if this bookkeeper was a good match for you and your business—you would just know where this bookkeeper rented office space.
Let’s suppose you asked your friend Judy to refer a good bookkeeper. Judy knows your neighborhood and works in the financial industry. Judy refers you to a bookkeeper she highly admires, Peggy. You go to Peggy’s office, talk to Peggy for a while, and become a customer. Everybody is happy. If you lived in small-town America and had hours of free time every day, this would work.
Most people don’t have that much free time. I can demonstrate how word of mouth on steroids works in this example. Suppose you wake up one day and decide you need a new bookkeeper. You could look at some bookkeepers’ web sites. Some may be good and some may be awful. Some of these bookkeepers may be local and some may be in another state. Regardless, you do not know which of these bookkeepers would be a good match for you and your business. You would just know what their web site says.
You visit a social networking site. In this example, I will use Facebook. You have been a member of Facebook for a few months and have almost 1,000 friends. You create a Facebook post saying, “Hey, I need a good bookkeeper in Sacramento. Can somebody refer one to me?”
Within a few minutes, you start getting responses. People tell you of their bookkeepers and share their success stories. They tell you where to go online for info on the bookkeepers they refer. You may even get a response from a bookkeeper named Peggy, who has already connected with you and was referred by several of your friends. You exchange a few messages with Peggy and agree to visit her office. You schedule an appointment, meet her, and become a customer. Everybody is happy.
You liked Peggy even before you met her. Why? It may be because 10 of your friends referred Peggy. It may also be because you exchanged messages with her. This became available because you’ve engaged social networking and it worked to your advantage.
It also works for Peggy. A few months ago, Peggy was looking at web site traffic, postcard responses, and junk mail costs. She asked, “What can give me better results at a lower cost?” The answer was social networking.
Social networking lets you establish thousands of connections, build your expertise, attract new customers, and keep in touch with current customers. You have to keep your marketing alive and promote at the places where your target audience resides. Even if Peggy has had some customers for 10 years, that does not mean Peggy is the only bookkeeper in town and other bookkeepers are not targeting her loyal customers. Peggy’s customers may be using social networking even more than she does. Social networking is big. Peggy should be there. You should be there too.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
I now view social media as a mandatory business tool. Media is changing. Newspapers have declining circulation, magazines are going out of business, and phone books are being ignored. They are losing; social media is winning. Facebook boasts 600 million members, Twitter has more than 200 million members, and LinkedIn claims 70 million members, with one new member per second. These are the three most prominent social networking web sites in the United States. You may like them or you may dislike them—that is not the issue. The issue is that your prospects and customers probably use these services. Your competitors probably use them. You should use them too.
Some advocates are very bullish. They claim the return on investment is that you will still be in business in five years. Sometimes I think that five-year projection is too conservative. I see successful businesses embracing social media as part of their marketing plan. I see failing businesses complain about the weak economy, but I feel the real issue is their outdated, ineffective marketing. One customer told me, “When cash flow improves, we can do your social media thing.” Last time I checked, they were pursuing bankruptcy protection.
As of this writing in 2011, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter currently are the big names. That may change in this highly explosive and liquid industry, and three other services may dominate the spotlight in five years. The services and names may change, but social media is here for good.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
In addition to separate charge cards, you should maintain separate records for your business. This will help you record business income and expenses. You can use this to track your time, send invoices, record payments, see what products and services sell well, and review who owes you money.
You’ll be able to see how much income you had this month compared to the previous month or the same month last year. You’ll be able to see how you spent your money this month and compare that to last month or the same month last year. My favorite report is the Accounts Receivable Aging Summary. This shows me:
who owes me money
how much they owe, and
how long I have been waiting to get paid
Any respectable accounting software will let you generate this report. It is mandatory. I use Intuit QuickBooks. You can launch QuickBooks and choose Reports à Customers & Receivables àA/R Aging Summary to generate your report.
This only works if you keep accurate and complete records in one place. I track my billable hours, reimbursables, and invoices in QuickBooks. I can run the A/R Aging Summary and know I am getting accurate information. If you run some of your transactions in QuickBooks, some in cash, and some in another tool, you will not generate an accurate report from any tool. Use one financial software package exclusively.
QuickBooks dominates the market. I’ve seen reports claiming QuickBooks has 94% market share among small business. Most freelance bookkeepers know QuickBooks. If you’re running your business on QuickBooks and become so busy that you need to hire a bookkeeper, you’ll be able to find someone pretty easily. If you use something else, you may have a tough time finding someone who knows it.
You can use QuickBooks to create your budget —it even presents a tutorial that can help you create one. You can plug in numbers for both your expected income and your expected expenses. Don’t forget your health insurance and FICA taxes from earlier in this book, when I challenged your desire to become self-employed.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Maybe I should answer this with a story. My first client was a highly respected professor. He bought a new Lexis and drove it 10,000 miles. One day, it wouldn’t start. He had it towed to the dealer. A serviceman called him a few hours later and asked “Sir, when was the last time you changed the oil”? He replied “WHAT”?
Yes, you guessed it. The professor neglected this simple maintenance task. He could have contracted out this task to a local shop that changes car oil. He didn’t and suffered the consequences. I see the same thing happen with computers and networks. Business owners neglect updates and don’t read logs. When some catastrophe happens, they ask “how could this have been avoided”? They could have checked logs and probably found errors 2-3 weeks before the catastrophe struck.
I have some good news. You can contract out this task to your network manager. He knows where to look for errors and any brewing problems. He can usually find and fix them before they create a computer or network outage. He will also follow a checklist that helps set high standards and consistent implementation. Yes, you will have to pay for this, but the costs of preventative maintenance are far lower than what you would incur if you suffer a computer or network outage.
Up until October 2009, I told people social media was a waste of time. I already have enough to do. I already stare at computers enough and don’t have time for more web sites with mostly user-generated content. I have a life, a wife, and a dog.
I told people social networking sites were dangerous. Teenagers posted semi-nude photos of themselves. Sex offenders viewed them as libraries for potential victims.[i]
I also said social media was not for business users. E-mail, web sites and phones were tools business people used. These tried and true services helped business become more efficient. Keep employees away from social networking sites, I said. You never know when someone will look at somebody’s profile and find some offensive content. Firewalls I deployed blocked access to Facebook and MySpace by default because they were listed in the “Personals and Dating” category of web sites. This was a standard setting among my client sites. I highly advocated keeping this filter intact.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
In addition to the separate business checking account, you should get separate business charge cards. They will help you track business expenses and keep them separate from your personal expenses. I’ve seen some that send a year-end summary statement. This statement simplifies your financial planning by summarizing an entire year’s charge activity. The report you receive could include monthly and annual spending totals by category. Some example categories would include "Automobile," "Merchandise," and "Restaurants."
I carry three charge cards. One is for personal and household use. One is for products and services I buy to run my business. The last one is for products and services I buy on my customers’ behalf. I pass through the costs. Some folks would call this an escrow or trust account.
All three reside in my wallet at the same time. I label them with circular garage sale price stickers. I label them “Pers.,” “Biz,” and “Clients.” Putting stickers on charge cards may be a silly idea, but maintaining separate personal and business charge cards is definitely a smart idea.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Your business name has to describe what your business does. Like the domain name, it should not offend anybody (unless that is your intention) and it should be easy to remember. If your business is geographically based, you can put a community in the name. My computer consulting business name is Cameron Park Computer Services and yes, I am based in Cameron Park, California.
You have a punch list to complete when creating a business legal name:
Choose between a person’s name and a company name. My business could be “Mark’s Computer Services” and not “Cameron Park Computer Services.” Naming it after myself would stamp it on me forever. Even if I sold the business, folks could call and ask for Mark. Stamping my name on the business would not work to my successors’ benefit, but it could work elsewhere. Folks can buy cookies at their local Mrs. Field’s cookie store knowing that Debbi Fields is the founder but probably will not take their order. This friendly name works well for Mrs. Field’s cookies. It may or may not work well for you. Whatever name you choose, stick with it. Changing a company name and brand can leave your customers lost and asking, “Whatever happened to them?”
You need to register the name. This helps ensure that you have exclusive permission to use the name and also helps generate revenue for your local government. I am in El Dorado County, California and will discuss what I did here to make my business legitimate. Regulations for your community will differ. My editor lives in Sacramento. She told me she registered her business with the City of Sacramento…not her county. She also purchased a home occupation permit. Check your Secretary of State’s web site to see what you need to do.
Make sure someone else isn’t already using the name. It’s a good idea to check online at the U.S. Patents & Trademarks Office to make sure the name you’ve chosen isn’t already a federally registered trademark. The same holds true regarding logo design. Here’s an example why this is important. Doctor’s Associates, the company that owns Subway Restaurants, is trying to trademark the word “footlong.[i]” They feel they are marketing “footlong” Subway sandwiches and therefore own the name. A large grocer in Iowa is suing Doctor’s Associates and claiming that “footlong” is a general term and not specific to Subway sandwiches. This litigation may never reach an end, but the point is clear. If you choose a name that is trademarked or that somebody is trying to trademark, you may incur legal bills and other nightmares.
Get a business license. I have an El Dorado County business license because, according to the document itself, “It is unlawful for any person to transact any kind of business in the unincorporated territory of the County without possessing an unexpired and unrevoked County business license….” Need I say more?
Get a fictitious business name. I am a proprietorship and therefore have an El Dorado County fictitious business name certificate. According to the document itself, “The fictitious business name statement shall be filed with the clerk of the county in which the registrant has his or her principal place of business in this state.…”
Start doing business with a separate checking account. After I filed this document with the County, I took it to my bank and opened a business account under the name Cameron Park Computer Services.
Advertise the business. I also advertised my fictitious business name in a local newspaper because, according to the document itself, “Within 30 days after a fictitious business name statement has been filed, the registrant shall cause it to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the fictitious business name statement was filed.”
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Never! Never kill a domain or e-mail address(es). You never know when someone will pick up a five-year-old business card and visit the web site or send an e-mail.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Establish your Internet domain name. It should not offend anybody (unless that is your intention) and it should be easy to remember. The Internet uses domain names for web sites, e-mail, and security certificates. You register (rent) a domain name and then hire someone to host the domain. My friend Karl Palachuk says the domain name should be obtained before the legal name, which I will discuss in the next section. I have rented cameronparkcomputer.com, markanthonygermanos.com, escapethecubiclebook.com, escapethecubicle.biz, and escapethecubicle.net, among others. This gives me authority to create a web site and receive e-mail with these domains. I do not own them; I merely rent them. I would be wise to rent them for as long as I remain in business. As of December 31, 2010, I have a valid web site in production at cameronparkcomputer.com, but nothing impressive for the others. That is currently OK. I chose to write this book before creating web sites that promote it.
I’m sure you’re asking, “What about escapethecubicle.com?” I could not rent it. Somebody else already rented that domain name and has published a web site. I could contact that person and offer to buy the domain name, or I could just wait and see if he or she abandons it.
I do not believe in renting domain names from third parties and you shouldn’t either. I’ve seen some companies rent domain names in bulk, hoping that somebody will come along and pay an exorbitant amount for a domain. I once inquired about cameronpark.com. The company holding it requested $3,300. I did not give them $3,300. I gave them some profanity.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Summary: Two teenagers were refused entry to the United States after a series of tweets were taken somewhat out of context. Another reminder to think before you tweet.
Amid the funny wigs and the undue pomp in the traditional British courtroom, it seems that our distant American cousins fail to share our often-poor taste in humour.
When one teenager tweeted his friend claiming that he was going to “destroy America”, it appears that U.S. authorities took the public message somewhat too seriously.
At least the other teenager did not respond by joking about “diggin’ Marilyn Monroe up”. Oh, wait.
To their surprise, however, when they arrived at L.A. International, they were not only detained and questioned at length by U.S. authorities, but were swiftly — after a night in the cells, naturally — plonked back on a plane back to England, and barred from entering the United States again.
One U.S. Homeland Security agent allegedly told the hapless teenager: “You’ve really f***ed up with that tweet, boy.” At least on this side of the pond, one can bet that Her Majesty’s finest would not be so rude.
The famous quote goes: “England and America are two countries separated by a common language.” In this case, it could not be closer to the truth.
Just as something classified as “sick” can describe both a good, and a rather vomitous situation in English slang, so can the word “destroy”. And “crumpet”, come to think of it.
It’s not the first time a Twitter user has fallen foul of the law, however. In 2010, Paul Chambersfell foul of Section 127 of the UK’s Communications Act 2003, which describes how one tweet was of “indecent, obscene, or menacing character”. He only threatened to blow up an airport in a fit of anger.
When reporters asked whether the local police force would prosecute the lot of them, they reportedly replied with a rather succinct: “No.”
It just goes to show that even seemingly innocent descriptors can be taken wholly out of context. Anyone who has been through the U.S. border will know it is wise not to make any smart cracks, witty remarks, or frankly show any emotion for that matter.
It nevertheless serves as a reminder to think very carefully before you tweet.
For those who are selling commodities, I wish you good luck. Your competitors will find ways to reduce their costs and your customers will leave you the instant they find the same product elsewhere at a lower cost.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
When you’re selling a professional service, you don’t have competitors. The service and bond you develop with customers will be specific to you. I have customers who call and ask for Mark. They do not know my company name. We have a bond and high level of mutual loyalty. They know other guys out there market themselves as computer consultants and some may be cheaper, but my loyal customers do not call them. Life will be good when you show your customers you are uniquely qualified to provide a professional service for them and you are not merely delivering a commodity. Your customers are the judge. They decide if you are offering a professional service or a commodity. Your job is to convince them you are offering a professional service and are uniquely qualified to deliver it.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Let’s return to our friend, Daphne the Dancer. She currently has a side job teaching dance on Wednesday nights at a health club. Daphne has been working there since 2005. She provides a professional service and not a commodity. Teaching is an especially tough profession. I feel you cannot draw an apples-to-apples comparison between teachers—we are all different. Some bond with certain students and others don’t. Some have higher levels of expertise and people skills. Daphne has danced professionally in 10 countries. She knows sign language, runs marathons, and practices yoga. Even though the health club could hire another dance instructor, they probably couldn’t find one who has performed in 10 countries, knows sign language, runs marathons, and practices yoga. I don’t think Daphne is the most expensive dance teacher out there, but she surely isn’t the cheapest. Cheap instruction usually means large class sizes at the expense of personal attention. The health club charges a premium for Daphne’s classes. If you had a deaf daughter who wanted to dance, would you try getting her into Daphne’s class?
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
The FBI is looking to develop a web application that can monitor social networks, including Facebook and Twitter, in order to gain better real-time intelligence about current or potential future security threats or situations.
This plan was inadvertently revealed by the FBI’s Strategic Information and Operations Center (SOIC) in a market research request for a “Social Media Application.”
The eagle-eyed New Scientist picked up on the request, which aims to “determine the capabilities of the IT industry to provide a social media application.”
Government agencies like the FBI are usually reluctant to openly discuss how social networks are used as an intelligence tool.
In the Request for Information document, the FBI lays out the requirements for the application that it is seeking to build. In the background portion of the document, the SIOC writes:
The FBI has conducted market research and determined that a geospatial alert and analysis mapping application is the best known solution for attaining and disseminating real time open source intelligence and improving the FBI’s overall situational awareness.
We’ve embedded the six-page document below, but here are some of the highlights:
Provide an automated search and scrape capability of both social networking sites and open source news sites for breaking events, crisis, and threats that meet the search parameters/keywords defined by FBI SIOC.
Ability for user to create, define, and select parameters/key word requirements. Automated search of national news, local news, and social media networks. Examples include but are not limited to Fox News. CNN, MSNBC, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
Provide instant notifications of breaking events, incidents, and emerging threats that have been vetted and meet the defined search parameters.
Ability to immediately access geospatial maps with coding in addition to providing critical infrastructural layers. Preferred maps include but are not limited to Google Maps, Google 3D maps, ESRI, and Yahoo Maps.
Ability to instantly search and monitor key words and strings in all “publicly available” tweets across the Twitter Site and any other “publicly available” social networking
sites/forums (i.e. Facebook, MySpace, etc.).
The entire document is worth reading, if only to see the request for a “tweet lingo” dictionary within the app.
Monitoring social media activity isn’t limited to the FBI. Earlier this month, House subcommittee members urged the Department of Homeland Security to more closely monitor social media traffic.
While privacy advocates have bristled at the idea of social media monitoring, the government position is that if information is public, it’s fair game for scraping and monitoring.
The FBI’s RFI specifically targets “publicly available information” — rather than anything users keep private.
What do you think about how government agencies and law enforcement are using social media monitoring tools? Let us know in the comments.
A mandatory part of your business plan includes deciding what you will sell. This will be either a commodity or a service. If you are selling a commodity, you will have competitors. If you are selling a professional service, you won’t.
The words “competitors” and “competition” imply you are selling a commodity that can be obtained elsewhere. For example, gasoline is a commodity. I know of some intersections in Sacramento that have three gas stations. I (and all the other drivers) can wait at a red light and see what the gas stations are charging for 87 octane gasoline. When I need 87 octane gasoline, I go to the cheapest provider. The name brand, the attendants’ uniforms, and the gas station decor do not matter. I have bought gasoline at gas stations that looked like dumps. I don’t care. I cannot justify going to the most expensive provider for a commodity when someone else has a lower price just across the street.
If you are not selling a commodity, you do not have competitors. Let me repeat that: if you are not selling a commodity, you do not have competitors. Read the next few pages and if you believe I’m living in Fantasyland, send your comments to author.
Here are some examples to illustrate my point.
My masseuse provides a professional service and not a commodity. I’ve been seeing her for more than four years. She understands where my muscles are tight and what areas deserve more of her time and attention. She also knows I do triathlons and practice yoga. She takes all that into account when deciding how to increase my flexibility and help me stay injury free. She must be doing something right—I’ve completed 24 triathlons and have incurred no back issues, injuries, or strains since becoming her customer. She probably isn’t the most expensive masseuse out there, but I know she isn’t the cheapest. The cheap masseuses are selling their services as a commodity. People who hire them are looking for the lowest price. I’m not. You shouldn’t get a cheap masseuse, as your professionally trained masseuse will be rubbing his or her hands on your body. This probably is not the time to be cheap.
My career coach provides a professional service and not a commodity. She isn’t the first coach or coaching service I’ve used, but she is the right coach for where my career is now and for how I want my career to grow. She is a public speaker, she is self-employed, and she provides advice and step-by-step plans on moving my career forward. Good things have happened since we started working together. She holds me accountable for the goals we set. She isn’t the most expensive coach out there, but she also isn’t the cheapest. I used a cheaper coaching service a few years back and lost interest in setting goals. Nobody encouraged me to set ambitious goals or held me accountable. I wrote goals on a piece of paper, reviewed it a month later, and awarded myself points until I became bored with the process. Cheap coaching services are selling their services as a commodity. People who hire them are looking for the lowest price. I’m not. Remember, the benefits you reap will far outweigh your costs. This is an important investment. The more you choose to invest, the greater your return.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
For everyone near Madison, Wisconsin, I will be interviewed on Tuesday 1/31/2012, 10:30-11:00 AM Central Time by Mitch Henck (http://www.wiba.com/pages/mitch.html). If you need help running your business, deciding where to put your time, energy and attention, or fixing your marketing, listen in. This is right before Rush Limbaugh takes the air. Yes, you can listen LIVE over the air (Internet streaming). Hope you can join us.
I wrote in the previous blog post about ahs, ummms and ands. Here’s a real-world example for you. This one comes from President Obama. Guess which one the president said:
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek,”[i] OR
“Ummm change will not come if we ah wait for ummm some other person or ah some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for and we are the change that we ummm seek.”
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
One of the biggest benefits of Toastmasters meetings is the “Ah, Ummm, and And counter.” Yes, I typed that right. Yes, ahs, ummms, and ands are a big deal.
When speakers interject ahs, ummms, and ands into their speeches, they dilute the potency of their message. They do not do this on purpose. Rather, they search for the right words, and in the meantime issue an inadvertent ah, ummm, or and. Everybody does it. Politicians are the biggest offenders. The next time a TV reporter asks a politician a big question, wait for the response. If the respondent is a good speaker and has a solid answer, you will hear it. If not, you will get some ahs, ummms, and ands.
Going through the experience of having somebody count your ahs, ummms, and ands can help you become a stronger speaker. It takes time to remove these inadvertent space fillers from your speaking, but it is a mandatory step.
I can demonstrate how ahs, ummms, and ands dilute the message. Suppose you walked into the room right now and asked, “Mark, what blog post are you writing today?” I could respond:
“I am writing about overcoming glossophobia, the fear of public speaking. I am including a funny quote from Jerry Seinfeld. I am encouraging readers to find a local Toastmasters club,” OR
“Ummm, I am writing about overcoming ah…glossophobia, the fear of public speaking and…I am including a funny quote from Jerry Seinfeld. I ummm am encouraging readers to find a ah local Toastmasters club and ummm go.”
Tough to read? Yes, I agree. It’s even tougher paying attention to speakers who issue inadvertent ahs, ummms, and ands. They put their audience to sleep.
Suppose you bought Escape the Cubicle in audio format (on a CD) and I read Chapter 1. It could sound like this:
“Chapter 1: Let Your Light Shine. Don’t let anybody take it away. I know a woman who worked at an architect’s office. It was a strict environment and the owner ruled with meanness. Staff was unhappy. People complained constantly. The office had a negative energy, and even though this woman had significant seniority there, she was almost as unpleasant as the owner,” OR
“Chapter 1: Ummm Let Your Light Shine and don’t let anybody take it away. I know a woman ummm who worked at an architect’s office and ah it was a strict environment. The owner ah ruled with ummm meanness and staff was ah unhappy and people complained constantly. The office had ah negative energy and ummm even though this woman had significant ah seniority there, she was almost as ummm unpleasant as the owner.”
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
In case anybody thinks they are immune from a disaster, think again. Fires, floods and thefts happen every day. You have to create a Business Continuity Plan to stay in business if a disaster strikes. See How can an EMR System help me recover from a disaster? before it’s too late. How can an EMR System help me recover from a disaster?.
In the last post, I discussed public speaking and becoming comfortable at it. It’s a tough road. Most beginners have glossophobia, the fear of public speaking. Even when someone looks comfortable on the outside, they may be a nervous wreck on the inside. Jerry Seinfeld shared his thoughts on glossophobia when he said, “…people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.”[i]
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Sacramento, California, United States of America January 23, 2012 — Cameron Park Computer Services is proud to report that its President, Mark Anthony Germanos, has achieved the CloudU certification, sponsored by Rackspace. CloudU is a curriculum designed for business owners and technical professionals who want to boost their knowledge of the fundamentals of Cloud Computing. By completing all 10 CloudU Lessons and sitting for a final online exam, professionals can earn a CloudU Certificate demonstrating their command of the most important topics in Cloud Computing.
“This is a very important step in where Cameron Park Computer Services, and computing in general, is going,” said Mark Anthony Germanos. “We’ve done some cloud migrations and our clients have reported great results. They report that everything works, everything works right and we don’t have to think about it at midnight. This certification will help us present cloud options to clients and create solutions that are highly tailored to our clients’ needs.”
Cameron Park Computer Services is a Sacramento, CA IT solution provider. With 20-plus years in this field, CPCS has seen multiple changes and has kept abreast of changes both for its prosperity and for the prosperity of its clients. When you run your business in the cloud, everything works, your information is always available, and the cost is usually lower than housing your business data onsite. You can learn more about how you can earn your CloudU Certificate at CloudU Certification. For more information, see http://cameronparkcomputer.com/cloud_certification.html.
In two recent posts, I discussed public speaking and glossophobia, the fear of public speaking. To conquer glossophobia, I recommend finding a local Toastmasters club. Toastmasters International is a non-profit organization that helps members develop their public speaking and leadership skills through practice and feedback in a local club. Toastmasters has more than 260,000 members in more than 12,500 clubs in 113 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people of all backgrounds become more confident in front of an audience. Toastmasters has more than 1,300 clubs in California. Meetings are not free; however, I think the low cost is certainly justifiable.
I was in Toastmasters twice. The first time, I completed 10 speeches and earned the Competent Toastmaster designation. I moved to a different zip code and found another club within walking distance. I completed another 15 speeches and achieved the Able Toastmaster designation. I understand the designations have different names now, but the point is I completed 25 speeches.
Meetings are fun and educational. Members give a 30-second introduction. They also participate in TableTopics, a part of the meeting when the leader calls on members at random to take the podium and speak for two minutes on a given topic. Imagine having the meeting leader look at you and say, “Here is your TableTopic: how do you know when your next career step is self-employment and not just another job?” The time you have to prepare is the time it takes you to rise from your chair and walk to the podium.
Meetings also have featured speakers. Two members present prepared speeches as lessons in their curriculum. If you are early in your Toastmasters training, you may find yourself presenting a four-to-six-minute speech on something you are passionate about. I was passionate about scuba diving and gave some of my best speeches on the subject.
When the featured speakers finish, their evaluators take the podium. Evaluators compare the speech presented to the objectives in the speaker’s curriculum. Evaluators usually follow the sandwich cookie approach: say something nice, say something that has to be improved, say something nice. I found this feedback very valuable. Where else can you go for valuable feedback presented in an open and friendly environment?
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Do you or your sales team struggle to get the number of new customers your company needs? Do you feel like your facing an army of competitors who always manage to beat your prices? Does it seem like your prospects always want you to give them the world but aren’t willing to pay a fair price?
Do you think that if you dropped your prices just a little, all of those problems would go away and new business would start rolling in?
The good news is that you’re not alone. Lots of smart entrepreneurs have thought the same thing. The bad news is that they (and you) are dead wrong.
Today you’re going to learn that your prices are causing unimaginable damage to your business. More importantly, your going to learn why (it’s not the reason you think) and how to fix it right away. I’m even going to share some pricing mistakes I’ve made in our company, how it impacted us, and how we fixed it. That lesson alone worth it’s weight in gold, and you get to enjoy the benefits without the pain, hard work or lost profits we had to go through.
The race to the bottom is fast and painful
No matter how low you drop your prices, there will always be someone willing to sell for less. Many of those companies may not be around in a year or two, but there will be plenty of new companies lining up to take their place. And even if their quality and service is inferior to yours, to the customers who just shop for the lowest price, you’re just the same as everyone else.
To add insult to injury, the customers who chose you because of your price will jump ship as soon as someone new offers them even a slightly lower price.
Eventually, you’ll end up selling your products or services so cheaply that you’ll make little to no profit and your begin to hate your own business and resent your customers. Along the way, you’ll damage your company’s brand because people will associate it with cheap, inferior products and poor service.
A few years ago, I made this same mistake. I dropped our prices by 60% during a particularly rough patch in our company’s history. Did we make up for the loss of profit by an increase in volume?
Not even in the slightest.
In fact, our volume remained almost exactly the same. What changed was the type of client who contacted us.
Instead of getting calls from peoples who were interested in value, we were contacted by people who were only concerned about the price. Even though our prices were at rock-bottom, we were repeatedly asked for discounts and payment plans because the people who contacted us had the wrong mindset. To make matters worse, many of the clients we did work with during that time couldn’t afford to finish the projects they started.
You’re known by the company you keep
The success of your business depends on the type of customers you choose to work with. Another way to look at it is that the type of customers you turn down can have a greater impact than the ones you choose to work with.
When money is tight, it’s easy to fall into the trap of taking on any customer who is willing to spend money with you. Most entrepreneurs, including myself, have made that mistake.
The problem is that you then become know for working with that type of client and end up getting more of the same. Imagine a real estate agent who sells only luxury waterfront property, but she has a slow couple of months, so she takes a listing for a small home in a bad neighborhood. She does everything right and sells it quickly at a fair price. Her client loves her so much that they refer their friends and family to her. Not being one to turn away business, she helps them too. It’s admirable that she was willing to help these people, but now she doesn’t have the background that the seller of a beautiful and expensive waterfront home is looking for in a listing agent, so she’s stuck selling more homes in bad neighborhoods.
Success breeds success
My company has worked with small start ups, Fortune 500 companies and everything in between, and that’s taught me that usually, the higher up the food chain you go, the easier the customers are to work with and the more realistic their budgets and expectations are.
Many solo entrepreneurs are brilliant, dedicated and ambitious people, but they can often difficult to work with because they’re so used to doing everything on their own. Because of that,they’re often less willing to part with their money even though it would mean seeing better results faster than if they did the work on their own. They also like to have a lot of control over every tiny detail.
On the other hand, executives of larger companies who are comfortable delegating are more than happy to let you do your job your way while they focus on the end result. There is far less hand holding and your profits are usually higher.
That’s great, but my business is different
I’m sure you like to think of your business as a unique and beautiful snowflake, but it’s not.
Unless you’re selling a commodity, dropping your prices is a short term solution to a long term problem. You might get an increase in new business, but it’s not the type of business you want, and your profits will suffer.
The choice is yours. You can either turn a profit while you enjoy working with reasonable clients who have realistic budgets and expectations, or you can work at a loss while you’re miserable working with unreasonable clients who are simply looking for the absolute lowest price.
What’s the solution?
The difference is whether you choose to focus on the value that you’re bringing to the table, or on the price.
When we dropped our prices in response to a slow economy, we began attracting the wrong type of prospect. So the obvious solution was to raise our prices. In fact, we raised them even higher than they started off at.
To most people, it probably seems counter intuitive. How can the solution to a slow period be to raise your prices? That can’t work, can it?
Indeed. It can, and it did. And it will work for you too, if you do it right.
That’s not to say it wasn’t “keep you up all night” scary. It was, and initially, I fought the natural urge to go back. But instead, I stuck with it and focused on the value that we provided. We spent more time qualifying our prospects – we were interviewing them just as much as they were interviewing us. And since our profit margins were higher (though still very reasonable) it allowed us to only work with the clients who were the best fit and turn the rest down. As a result, our clients got better results, we made a decent profit, and everyone was a lot happier working together.
Are you ready to make that sort of dramatic change in your business? Grab a note pad and make a list of all the benefits you bring to the table, then raise your prices by 50% or even 100%. You’ll still be reaching the same number of people with your marketing dollars, but their perception of your company will change, so the type of people who you speak to will be drastically different. They will be more concerned with the value and the outcome they’ll receive from working with you instead of just your price.
In my last post, I wrote about the Honda dealer that services my car. The Honda dealer has passed my Quality Control Litmus Test. Somebody in the dealership organization is surely monitoring quality and verifying that customers are getting high-quality service. It must be working—they have earned a good reputation and my loyalty.
A litmus test is a question that can be answered in a stark and obvious manner. The answer removes all doubt. For example, you may ask, “Mark, do you know how to write?” I can respond with, “Yes, I wrote the blog you are currently reading.” You should be convinced, beyond any reasonable doubt, that I passed your litmus test.
I am taking the litmus test one step further. I am asking you to identify and embrace a “Quality Control Litmus Test.” The Quality Control Litmus Tests tells you that the product or service you are receiving has great quality.
Everybody has such a test. This test activates when you’re at a restaurant eating a fine dinner. You say, “This is a great dinner. I am 100% convinced this is a great dinner.” When you visit an auto dealer and sit in a brand-new $116,000 car, you may say, “This is a great car. I am 100% convinced this is a great car.” When you see a play and review the plot, acting, costumes, lighting, and seating, you may say, “The entire production is great. I am 100% convinced this is a great production.” Your vendors should pass your Quality Control Litmus Test like the Honda dealership passes mine.
Your company should pass your Quality Control Litmus Test too. You set high standards for your quality control, tell the world, and then meet those standards. I’m sure you’ve seen other companies embrace methodologies or promote slogans. Corporations promote Six Sigma in their manufacturing processes. Likewise, I tell customers that technologies I sell work 99.999% of the time. My industry calls this “5-9s,” which basically means that something is highly reliable. As another example, Zenith Electronics Corporation started a very successful campaign in 1927. Perhaps you remember their “The quality goes in before the name goes on” campaign. It implies that unless the product meets the company’s quality standard, the product does not warrant the name of the company and would not be allowed to leave the factory. Zenith only wanted their name associated with a quality product.
You can embrace one of the methodologies or slogans from the previous paragraph. You can also tell people why your service is great and why they should therefore do business with you.
You can start small—start by showing up at work on time. Comb your hair and make sure your shirt is clean. Polish your shoes. My friends in the military tell of a “spit shine,” where they polish their shoes, spit on them, and then polish them again. I do a spit shine. People notice shiny shoes—they reflect well on you. When I meet someone with neat hair, a clean shirt, and shiny shoes, I usually end up doing business with that person. The opposite is also true.
Apply your Quality Control Litmus Test to your work product. Create a checklist for your work, perform the checklist, and then present that completed checklist to the customer. I’ve been maintaining computers and building networks for 19 years. I still complete checklists and present them to customers when I finish projects.
I had an emergency at a customer’s site the other day. The network stopped working. I drove to the office and identified the culprit as a failed switch. A network switch is a device that acts like the hub of a bicycle wheel—all the cables connect to it. If the switch dies, your computers stop talking to each other. I replaced the switch, tested Internet access, and tested printing. I had the boss test everything he needed to access. All tests were positive. He thanked me for the prompt response.
Twenty-four hours later, I called the customer. I asked how the network was behaving. I already knew. I identified the culprit the day before and removed it from service—I deployed a solution that worked. I did not receive any calls the next day from that customer, but I decided to call anyway. The boss reported that everything was working. The boss, like everybody else, has a Quality Control Litmus Test, and I believe my response and solution earned a “great” label in his estimation.
For whatever products or services you offer, identify how you can set high quality standards and then meet them. Make sure your customers know you met the high standards.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Being president of You, Inc. also means you get to choose your vendors. Life is good when you have vendors you can trust. Life is awful when you don’t.
For example, I want to discuss my car. I drive a 2000 Honda Civic and take it to a local Honda dealership for service. They know my car’s make and model. They also have a 10-plus-year history on my specific car. They know what service was performed last year, the year before, and the year before that. They know when the timing chain was installed, when the front bushings were replaced, and when the seat belt tension was adjusted. I recently took my car there for a squeaky noise and a 175,000-mile scheduled maintenance. I do not know what is on the 175,000-mile scheduled maintenance checklist…I don’t have to.
You may be saying, “Mark, the dealer is expensive. Can you take your car somewhere else?” Yes, I probably could. I could probably find someone cheaper, but I probably won’t find someone with more competence than the dealer’s mechanics. I may be paying more than necessary for routine maintenance. That’s OK. My car is not a laboratory for cheap mechanics. I don’t want to think about a cheap mechanic or his or her insufficient knowledge when I’m driving through a thunderstorm at midnight. That’s why I go to the dealer. They have the expertise and have earned my loyalty. I don’t have to think about them.
This may be a bitter pill. I am asking you to think like a business owner. I’m asking you to ask yourself how every dollar you spend will help your business. I’m asking you to leave town for training, conferences, and seminars only when the benefit outweighs the cost. I’m asking you to choose reputable vendors even if they’re not the cheapest you can find.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
That makes you the ultimate decision-maker. You view decisions from the perspective of the company and not just as a person who enjoys spending money. In this post, will present…
Being the President of You, Inc. also includes deciding which out-of-town training events you can justify attending. I’ve determined my out-of-town training that involves air travel costs me $1,000 per day before adding my opportunity cost. A training event, conference, or seminar would have to have excellent marketing materials, valuable subject matter, or a great reputation to help me justify spending $1,000 per day. You too should budget $1,000 per day for out-of-town training. When I say $1,000 per day, I am including these costs:
Roundtrip air travel
Parking at the Sacramento airport
Meals and hotel room
Rental car, cab, or shuttle
Event entrance fee
I’m pretty good at choosing which training events, conferences, and seminars to attend. These have taken me to Seattle, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Austin. I’ve attended Harry Brelsford’s SMB Nation three times and found it very valuable. At SMB Nation 2009, I met people who changed my opinion of social media. Who knows what my business would look like if I hadn’t attended this conference and been exposed to this new information?
You have to make these decisions too. You have to decide what justifies your time and energy. You decide what is so important that you can justify flying to get there and incurring the costs.
You may be saying, “I will do webinars. I don’t have to travel.” That’s great. I also do webinars. I’ve found that webinars are usually sales presentations while training events, conferences, and seminars are forums where I can meet people. You cannot shake somebody’s hand or buy somebody a beer through a computer screen. You cannot get an opinion leader’s honest opinion through a recorded webinar; you can after sharing a brew or two. Sometimes, you have to attend events in person. Person-to-person contact far outweighs staring at cameras and computer screens.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Would you like to find people who can help you grow your business this year? There are other people in the Roseville area who want to meet you!
Networking gives you an incredible opportunity to find success partners to help you accomplish goals! Come to the next Roseville Growth Network meeting on Thursday, January 19th. Join me for an Exclusive Speed Networking Event! Click here for more details: http://rosevillegrowthnetwork.com/event
You will have an opportunity to connect with other small business owners in a unique networking environment. Bring a stack of business cards and a notepad. It’s time to build some STRATEGIC relationships! At our last event, one attendee made a connection that led a new dream job. Other attendees found referral partners. Click here to register: http://rosevillegrowthnetwork.com/event
PS. There is a possibility that you might meet someone at the event who could change your life. You might meet a new customer, a business partner, or even a joint venture partner. There is a $10 registration fee at the door. You can bring 4 friends to the event for free. Click here to register for the event: http://rosevillegrowthnetwork.com/event
For anybody who visited Google or Wikipedia today, you probably noticed these sites are protesting SOPA, a piece of legislation that would censor the Internet. Visit https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/ to voice your NO vote to Congress.
For anybody who visited Google or Wikipedia today, you probably noticed these sites are protesting SOPA, a piece of legislation that would censor the Internet. Visit https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/ to voice your NO vote to Congress.
That makes you the ultimate decision-maker. You view decisions from the perspective of the company and not just as a person who enjoys spending money. In this post, will present…
For example, perhaps you are looking at your old cell phone and asking, “Should I buy a new smartphone?” Most people would say, “Yes, I would love the new toy.” You are running the business and therefore should ask, “Would buying a new smartphone help me run my business better?” The benefits include:
Ability to send/receive e-mail from anywhere
Mobile calendar, to help you know where you should be and when
Mobile contact database, letting you send e-mail to any contact
Synchronized contact database. You input a customer’s new phone or address info once. No more “I have this customer’s phone number at the office…but not with me” nonsense.
Camera to take pictures and send them via e-mail or store them for later use
Web surfing, to help you do research from anywhere
GPS mapping, to help you figure out where you are and how to get where you want to go. This comes in handy in downtown Sacramento, where you can get trapped on the one-way streets and not know which direction you are going.
I think that would justify a $200 expense and an additional $10 per month for the Internet access. I hope you agree.
I’m also recommending dual monitors. If you have a desktop computer, you can install a card that will let you physically connect two or more monitors to the computer. If you have two monitors that are 15” wide, you can stretch your image to a width of 30” and make it appear across both physical monitors. I’ve seen decent monitors at $150 on sale. I recommend setting a price point at $200 each before shopping. Maybe you think $200 for a monitor is high. My first LCD monitor was $999.
You can run multiple apps. I usually run Outlook on my left monitor and QuickBooks, Firefox, or Dreamweaver on the right monitor. When I generate invoices in QuickBooks, I can see QuickBooks send the invoices to Outlook and then see Outlook move them from the Outbox to the Sent Items folder. Running applications side by side makes life easier than constantly minimizing one and maximizing the other, over and over.
Your investment would be:
$200 for the first monitor
$200 for the second monitor (I recommend the same make and model)
$ 50 for a dual-output video card
$120 for someone to install the card and make everything work
$570 Total
This will greatly improve your productivity. I feel the investment is justifiable. If you’re not convinced, see my video at .
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
The Stop Online Piracy Act is very dangerous. It gives lawyers the power to shut down web sites of their clients’ competitors. Very dangerous piece of legislation. Dangerous. Dangerous. Call your Senator and tell them this is awful and must be defeated. Barbara Boxer is at (202) 224-3553 and Diane Feinstein is at (202) 224-3841.
Ask your friends, family, and neighbors what you do for a living. Fasten your seat belt for the responses. My mom introduces me this way: “This is my son Mark—he works with computers.” A neighbor wrote a 413-word summary on what she thought I did. Mom was more accurate.
You need to know how well you communicate what you do. This lets you gauge if people really understand your Definite Mission. They probably haven’t heard your elevator pitch. They might not read your newsletters, Facebook posts, or blog entries, but they are a barometer of how well you communicate what you do.
Refine and promote the message. I constantly refine my message. You can find my elevator pitch in my Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter profiles. Check back often…they’re not written in stone.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
You might not have 30 seconds. Somebody walked up to me after a recent speech and said, “In 15 words, why should I do business with you?”
You need a good response. After you have created an elevator pitch and are comfortable presenting it, condense it even further. You might come into contact with someone who may have heard hundreds of elevator pitches and wants something even more concise. They may want 15 words. You have to be ready.
I responded, “I can turn your problems into solutions. I’ve been doing this since 1992.” That was 13 words (five seconds). It met his criteria and helped establish a dialog. We ended up talking for another 10 minutes. When you have an answer, you look competent and invite new business. If you don’t have one, you may end up looking inexperienced to a prospect. I am sharing a few more similar responses for your review. They’re all 15 words or fewer.
I can turn your problems into solutions. I’ve been doing this since ****.
I can turn your problems into solutions. How can I help you today?
I’m a business owner too. This works for me and my business.
My customers are jumping for joy!
I was skeptical at first, but I gave it a shot. It works great!
My product is not the cheapest, but it is the best value.
You won’t have to think about **** anymore.
Pay me to think about ****. You’re running a business.
It works. It works right. You won’t have to think about it at midnight.
Embrace one of these or create one of your own. I have created a worksheet to help you answer the “Why should I do business with you?” question and posted it at www.cameronparkcomputer.com/escape/Why-should-I-do-business-with-you.doc. Write the date in the left column and your 15-word responses in the right column. Get ready for this question. You may need a 15-word response tomorrow.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Imagine this scenario. You step into an elevator. The door closes. Someone introduces himself and asks you what you do. You have less than 30 seconds. What do you say?
You need an elevator pitch. According to Wikipedia.com, “An elevator pitch is a short summary used to quickly and simply define a product, service, or organization and its value proposition. The name ‘elevator pitch’ reflects the idea that it should be possible to deliver the summary in the time span of an elevator ride, or approximately thirty seconds to two minutes.”[i]
You need an intelligent response. The person who asked could be your next customer, investor, or someone who refers you to a big customer or investor. The response has to be direct, smooth, and sincere. It cannot sound like a sales pitch.
I met some business owners a few years ago who had a practiced and consistent elevator pitch. They owned a company that rented boats. Their customers could call and schedule boat time as if they were scheduling service on a car. Staff would make sure the boat was available, prepare it for use, and clean it afterwards. I asked one of the owners what he did and he replied, “Well, do you golf? We are like a country club for boaters. Our clientele can call us and reserve a boat. We do all the prep work beforehand and cleanup afterward. All you have to do is show up on time.”
I found someone else with a name badge for the same company. I asked her what she did. She recited the same exact elevator pitch. I found two others, asked them what they did, and received the same pitch. Imagine that! Four people had the identical response. I’m impressed that all four had practiced their responses. They gave me enough information to answer my question, but they didn’t drown me with an unwanted sales pitch. Maybe they sat at somebody’s kitchen table and said, “OK, how do we respond when somebody asks what we do?” When you create your elevator pitch, give yourself and your staff permission to vary it. The pitch should always sound fresh.
My current elevator pitch is, “My name is Mark. I help people attract business by using social networking. I help people stay in business by keeping their computers and networks working. That is what I do…I’ve been doing this since 1992.” It is concise, yet it doesn’t drown people with all the details of what I do. It helps qualify people who may need to hire me. It also helps weed out the ones who probably don’t.
It is your turn. Grab an index card and create your own elevator pitch. Time yourself. You have 30 seconds. Practice, practice, practice.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
When you start doing SWOT Analyses, you may find more Weaknesses than Strengths. That surely would make sense. Stay positive. You’re better off knowing your Weaknesses than you are thinking all you have are Strengths. The document you downloaded for Pete’s and Daphne’s SWOT Analyses has a blank column. That’s for you and your business. Download and print this form. It is a two-page PDF. Completing it shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes. My SWOT Analysis template is at http://cameronparkcomputer.com/escape/SWOT-analysis-for-petes-plumbing-and-daphne-dance-company.pdf.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
I am running a business too, and run SWOT Analyses on my business from time to time. Here’s what I wrote in a previous SWOT Analysis for my business.
My Strengths:
Loyal customers
Great reputation
Respected social media presence
My Weaknesses:
No Macintosh training or support
One-man show
Vulnerable to customers’ cash flow challenges
My Opportunities:
Lawyer customer wants to change his Internet access and phone system to reduce costs
Restaurant franchisee customer needs a new notebook computer
Seven speeches scheduled in the next seven weeks. Great opportunity for new customers
My Threats:
Local corporations are downsizing. Former staffers feel they can enter my niche and target my customers.
Cloud technologies are becoming more commonplace. People think they can move to the cloud with no outside help.
Social media is becoming more commonplace. People think they can establish their social media presence with no outside help.
I listed “one-man show” as a Weakness. That can be a Weakness or a Strength. It’s a Weakness because people know that I don’t always answer the phone. Sometimes I’m driving. Sometimes I’m giving speeches. Sometimes I’m in meetings. I cannot promise that callers will not go to voicemail. This is also a Strength. I am free from paying FICA, unemployment, and health insurance for people who could depend on me for a living. I don’t have the pressure of meeting payroll. I can take a two-hour lunch and attend yoga. I’m the boss. I am also free from the office politics that drove me away from my last cubicle job. Weaknesses may really be Strengths—it is open to perception.
I listed “local corporations are downsizing” as a Threat. Here in the Sacramento market, Apple, Hewlett-Packard, and Intel all have a large presence. They hire staffers en masse when the economy is good and they fire en masse when it isn’t. The extremes are pretty visible. The 2008-2010 downswing left a lot of people shocked and unemployed. Seeing that they worked for a technology company, they felt they could do some consulting until their corporation rehired them. They printed business cards, knocked on doors, and told people, “Hi. I used to work for ***. You should hire me to run your network. I will beat anybody’s price.” They are desperate, so they price their services below market rates.
I initially thought this was a Threat. I now view it as an Opportunity. These low-ballers are merely waiting for the corporation to call. When that happens, the low-ballers will abandon the customers they have accumulated and return to the corporate 9-5 job. I tell my customers this and remind them I’ve been consulting in Sacramento since 2001. I will remain loyal to my customers no matter what happens in the economy, and am not waiting for a corporation to rehire me.
I listed “cloud technologies are becoming more commonplace” as a Threat. Remember what I said about Threats needing 10 seconds of thinking to become Opportunities? Promoting the cloud is easier compared to this time last year. When computer people say “the cloud,” they are talking about running services and storing data offsite. Web sites that sell goods and services reside in the cloud. Most e-mail resides in the cloud. Your cell phone network resides in the cloud. People see “to the cloud” commercials during Sunday football games. They know friends are moving their businesses to the cloud. They read reports explaining that when you move to the cloud, “everything works, your data is available from anywhere, and the cost is usually less.” My work is easier. I don’t have to educate as much.
I listed “social media is becoming more commonplace” as a Threat. This may really be an Opportunity. People see ads promoting company pages at Facebook and Twitter. They know advertisers are abandoning phonebook, newspaper, and magazine ads for something better. They read reports that Facebook’s founder gave $100 million to Newark, New Jersey’s school system.[i] People want to become literate with social media. I see a demand here similar to the demand when web sites were becoming commonplace and “everybody” wanted a web site yesterday.
I’m a big advocate of SWOT Analyses. I see successful customers asking the right questions and making smart decisions, but I also see failing customers who don’t even ask decent questions. SWOT can help both types of customers. I showed you Pete’s, Daphne’s, and my SWOT Analyses. In the next blog post, it will be your turn.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Daphne has a great reputation as a teacher and as a professional dancer who has performed overseas. Knowing sign language can only work to her benefit. On the flip side, she has never been self-employed, so she is nervous.
Daphne watches the dancing contests on TV and knows that if she wants to open her own dance studio, now would be the time. Some of her friends can get her on morning TV talk shows, which would convert into wonderful free publicity. On the flip side, she does not know if the health club would fire her.
With the opportunity of dancing being “hotter than ever,” other dancers have started teaching dance. Some are on TV. Some are on the Internet. Some are in her town. Maybe Daphne is too late. Daphne’s SWOT Analysis is available on the Internet.[i]
Daphne identifies these Strengths:
Great reputation
Knows sign language
Savings to cover startup costs
Understands financial concepts
Daphne identifies these Weaknesses:
Startup mode
No experience being self-employed
No support structure
She can turn Weaknesses into Strengths. She is in startup mode—she has no established vendor relationships and can therefore barter services. She can provide dance lessons to a student in exchange for the student’s father creating and publishing short, promotional YouTube videos. She can attend networking meetings and tell everybody she is opening a dance studio. Daphne thinks she has “no support structure,” but I know she has lunch with happy, self-employed friends on the first Saturday of each month. She doesn’t realize this is already a support structure and a potential Mastermind. With a little work, Daphne can convert these Weaknesses into Strengths and then look for more Weaknesses.
Daphne identifies these Opportunities:
Dancing is “hotter than ever”
Friends can get her on TV
Studio space available
Dancing won’t be “hotter than ever” forever and her friends might not be able to get her on TV if she drags her feet. Daphne found studio space and the math will work for her. She needs to act. These Opportunities won’t last forever. Someone else may get on TV, become the local Dancing Queen, and rent the studio space.
Daphne identifies these Threats:
Health club can hire someone else
Other dance instructors
Difficult to get financing
These are viable Threats. The health club could hire someone else, in which case Daphne would lose access to her loyal customers and no longer have a place to dance at all. This could threaten Daphne’s beautiful plan.
Like Pete, Daphne realizes Opportunities are Threats that need 10 seconds of thinking. Daphne’s health club could hire someone else and fire her. That would be a blessing in disguise and free up Daphne to develop her own studio. Her students are very loyal. They would love to get more time with Daphne, even if that means becoming customers of Daphne Dance Company while maintaining their health club memberships. Other dance instructors admire Daphne—some could become her students and some would send business her way. Daphne thinks financing is difficult to obtain and then remembers she has significant savings that should help her get up and running.
I remind her that her business plan is almost done. She just needs to generate some financial reports, which, for a contract auditor should not be too tough. When she finishes the business plan, she can pursue outside funding.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Pete has been a plumber for 30 years. On the Good side, he has a long list of satisfied and loyal customers. He has a great reputation. On the Bad side, Pete is old-school: he does not have computers in his office, still advertises in the yellow pages, and does not know what social media is. Pete knows that some new developments are happening in his county and the developers are getting SBA loans. He also knows the local big-box retailer is reselling services from another plumber. Pete has unreliable cash flow and he senses that his competitors, as well as the industry as a whole, run their businesses more efficiently than he does. He thinks he cannot compete against younger plumbers. They use computers.
Pete needs a SWOT Analysis and can follow these questions:
Strengths: What are you doing right?
Weaknesses: What are you doing wrong?
Opportunities: What deserves your time, energy, and attention?
Threats: Where are you vulnerable?
Strengths and Weaknesses are opposite sides of the same coin.
Pete identifies these Strengths:
Locally owned
Great reputation
Long list of satisfied clients
Pete identifies these Weaknesses:
Social networking =?
Yellow pages marketing
No computers in the office
He can turn Weaknesses into Strengths. Pete does not utilize social networking. He thinks ads in the yellow pages will bring in new business. He has no computers. Pete needs to hire me.
Within a month, he can convert these Weaknesses into Strengths. He can have a decent social networking presence and understand how social networking will help him attract new customers and retain current customers. He can abandon the ineffective yellow pages ads. He can run his business more efficiently on a new, highly reliable computer network. He can do this work himself or he can contract out for it. Either way, Pete’s business will be stronger. Pete will have to find more Weaknesses that he can convert into Strengths.
Opportunities and Threats also warrant your attention. Pursue the opportunities—they won’t last forever. Somebody else may pursue the same opportunities you identify and gobble them up if you are too slow.
Pete identifies these Opportunities:
New development
Remodeling is on the upswing
SBA loans
Pete knows developers are converting abandoned warehouses into residential lofts. Demand is strong; developers cannot complete these conversions fast enough. He knows developers are obtaining SBA loans to finance their projects. Pete can contact them for more work. They need plumbing subcontractors; a plumber with 30 years’ experience should fill that need.
Pete identifies these Threats:
Big-box retailer has plumbers
Others use computers
Unreliable cash flow
Pete knows people are buying water heaters, refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, and dryers at the local big-box retailer. People ask for a good plumber and the retailer schedules a plumber to install the appliances. It’s not Pete. He also thinks his younger competitors run their businesses more efficiently because they have computers and better planning. This threatens Pete’s livelihood.
Pete realizes Opportunities are Threats that need 10 seconds of thinking. He can approach the big-box retailer and ask them to resell him. Pete has 30 years’ experience; the younger plumbers don’t. This Threat is actually a golden Opportunity.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: “How can I grow my business” and “How do I become my own boss.”
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
I will be speaking Wednesday morning at the Tri Valley Consultants Panel on free and low cost cloud solutions for consultants. Tons of great content here. Hope my friends in the S.F. Bay Area can attend. See http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/218734 to sign up.
SWOT is an acronym that stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. SWOT can be your best friend, helping you make better decisions in both your personal life and your professional life. A SWOT Analysis helps you:
· Convert weaknesses into strengths
· Determine what you are doing right
· Determine what is important
· Make better decisions with your time
· Get a strong start to the week
SWOT is not my idea; it was born in the 1960s at Stanford Research Institute. Corporate leaders were puzzled as to why corporate planning failed, so they approached Stanford Research Institute for a solution. They asked SRI:
· Why does corporate planning fail, and
· What can be done about it?
SRI developed this analysis that has since helped countless companies and organizations reset their priorities and become more successful.
I started doing SWOT Analyses on Friday afternoons when I looked at my schedule for the following week and didn’t know what I would be doing. SWOT helped solve that. I will use two companies to help present the SWOT Analysis.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Find a small-business-owner support group in your area.
Find small business advocates online. In addition to my Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter connections, I have found Wall Street Journal Small Biz at Twitter. Subscribe to this list. You can also connect with me at these three sites.
Filter the negatives. You’re starting a business here—it is no easy task. Filter negative news from your life. This includes the nightly network news, political talk shows, and useless sitcoms. You can find intelligent and positive sources of information both online and on TV. This will be a tough habit. Be strong.
With at least two-week’s notice, tell your boss you will be leaving the company. Be strong. Do not accept any counteroffers.
Do not go to the bar with your coworkers.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Create a web site or hire someone to create the web site for you. Since you’re starting out, you do not need a fancy one. You do need one that works, features correct spelling and grammar, and presents your company in a positive light.
Get professional business cards. You may be surprised at how cheap they become when you order 1,000 or more.
Catch up. I gave you a lot of work in February, March, and April. Use free time this month to catch up.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Purchase a smartphone that lets you send/receive e-mail, take pictures, surf the web, and back up data to a computer. You won’t always be at a desk, but customers will assume you are usually available.
Buy an accounting package. I recommend QuickBooks. You can run your business on this. Spend time learning it, or, if you’re too busy or uncomfortable, hire someone to do this for you.
Get a business-class computer. The primary factor here is price. The business-class computers I resell cost $900 and last 5+ years. You should expect this from a tool that you will use to run your business. I’m not talking about a $300 big-box netbook special here. I’m talking about a business-class computer that you will use exclusively for the business. Buy a $300 special for the kids. That will help keep them away from your business-class tool.
Use an offsite backup mechanism. I discuss offsite backups and the cloud at length in this book. Review both strategies and decide which one you will embrace. Remember, something is better than nothing.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Create accounts at Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. If you’re too busy or uncomfortable, hire a professional to do this for you.
Get a professional picture in electronic format. Upload this to your profile at Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and any other sites you choose.
Create a blog. Establish links between the blog and the services I describe (above). If you’re too busy or uncomfortable, hire a professional to do this for you.
Establish some mechanism for storing your passwords. There are several available, but I recommend using an online free password manager called LastPass. Finding yourself handicapped because you cannot log in to a web site is downright silly. Do not let this happen to you. I made more money in 2009 helping people recover lost and forgotten passwords than I did killing viruses and malware.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Decide where you want to do business. Yes, this includes checking the cell phone service, Internet coverage, and tax structure at the place you want to open up shop.
Do your SWOT Analysis. SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. I cover the SWOT Analysis later in this book. You can download my SWOT Analysis form for your personal use now[i] or finish reading the book and then do this checklist.
Create your elevator pitch and remember you are currently employed but looking at changing careers. You can start yours with, “I am researching creating my business, which will…” Remember, you’re still in the cubicle. You have to honestly share that info whenever sharing the elevator pitch or explaining why you bought these books. Be accurate and honest.
Become cheap. Start stockpiling cash for your business. Cancel any vacations or large personal purchases. You have better uses for that money. Frugality is a habit. You need 21 days to embrace a habit. Make personal frugality your first.
Make gift requests count. My family publishes Christmas lists, so I asked for a Sprint gift card. I received one and used it to buy a new phone that I use for my business.
Create an entity. This includes registering your Internet domain name(s) and official business name. Establish an e-mail address at one of your domains.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Review your personnel file. Verify the vacation and sick time you’ve accrued and at what rate you are accruing them. Look for any derogatory items in your file. Seek out the author and ask for either an explanation or retraction. Write a memo that contests everything the author said. For example, suppose someone complained she saw you drinking alcohol on company property. Write your memo contesting her claims, saying either you have never consumed alcohol on company property or it was at a social event (holiday party, new customer celebration, etc.) and your boss granted permission. Be honest. You may need your employer as a reference. Make sure your file paints you in a positive light. Anything derogatory must be outweighed by something favorable.
Look for any noncompeting contracts. They may be in the personnel file or they may be somewhere else in the boss’s or HR office. Someone will probably ask, “Why do you want to know?” Say you may be starting a business someday.
Get the insurance details. Find out how much you and your employer (combined) are paying for your insurance. Make sure this amount includes what you (combined) are paying for your family.
Get your own copy of my second book Escape the Cubicle; How to leave your corporate or government job for something better. If you borrowed a copy from a friend, thank that friend for letting you borrow it. You should have your own copy so that you can make notes in the margins and dog-ear pages. You’ll have access to this book 24 hours a day. It is available in paperback at modest pricing. Make a small investment here and get your own copy. Mark needs a new pair of shows…nuf said.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
I have created a new word: PIMPAGE; the act of promoting one’s own goods and services.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a small business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful companies embrace. He helps his clients embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. Mark feels those who embrace cloud computing, social media campaigns and QR Codes give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark moved from Chicago and restarted his business in California with a cell phone and a Honda Civic. An active triathlete, he has a life, a dream wife and a dog. For additional details, visit http://cameronparkcomputer.com. Twitter: http://twitter.com/markgermanos. Facebook: http://facebook.com/cameronparkcomputer. LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/markgermanos.
I am proposing you create a six-month exit strategy timeline after deciding to become self-employed. This will give you time to determine what you want to do, prepare for the transition, and be good to go when you wake up one day and find yourself self-employed. I have created a sample timeline starting with January 1 and ending with June 30. When Independence Day arrives, you can celebrate your career’s Independence Day.
You can have a party. You can have a ribbon-cutting at your place of business. You can have cake and behave as if your new baby were coming home that day. Invite friends, neighbors, and professional contacts. Start your new career with a bang.
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
For anybody confused by computer and Internet jargon, I want to present a story. This helps answer the question: What is Search Engine Optimization?
A man finishes work on a Friday and goes home. He looks in the mirror and says “I want to meet three beautiful women tonight. I want them to adore me. I think I will need to dress well, have good hair and clean my teeth.” He takes a shower, gets dressed, combs his hair, brushes his teeth and departs for the bar.
At the bar, he meets three beautiful women. Sure enough, they adore him. All three give him their names and phone numbers. They whisper to each other “He is wonderful. He dresses well, he has good hair and he has clean teeth.”
His SEO campaign worked. He tweaked his appearance to meet what he thought his target audience wanted. How is your Internet marketing working? Are you attracting the right prospects? Are you attracting any prospects? Call 530-677-8864 today for a .COM audit. Initial consultations have no cost.
***
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a small business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful companies embrace. He helps his clients embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. Mark feels those who embrace cloud computing, social media campaigns and QR Codes give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark moved from Chicago and restarted his business in California with a cell phone and a Honda Civic. An active triathlete, he has a life, a dream wife and a dog. For additional details, visit http://cameronparkcomputer.com. Twitter:http://twitter.com/markgermanos. Facebook: http://facebook.com/cameronparkcomputer. LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/markgermanos.
After tending a resignation letter, you must be careful. Your final two weeks of employment are not the time for anything casual or untoward. That includes going to the bar with your coworkers and discussing how everybody hates their jobs. News of people quitting or getting fired travels quickly. You have to leave on a positive note and give your coworkers a professional final impression of you.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Am scheduling this post for 12:01 AM US Pacific Time on January 1, 2012. Let me be the first to wish you a Happy New Year!
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Work Smarter and Present a More Professional Image With Free and Nearly-Free Tools Wednesday January 11, 2012
Happy New Year! Well, not yet. But if you mark your calendar to join us on January 11th for our first Tri-Valley Consultants Forum breakfast in 2012, you’ll get a chance to wish your colleagues a Happy New Year in person!
Kicking off our next breakfast series: Innovative Models for Transforming From an Independent Consultancy to a Virtual Company, we will be conducting a panel discussion on the topic of cloud computing. Registration information coming soon. For now, just mark your calendars. Cheers!
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
…because your boss or her boss may call you into the office, close the door, and say, “What can we do to keep you here?” This would be the counteroffer and I recommend you reject any counteroffers as invalid. You’re not leaving for more money—you’re leaving for something better.
Back when I was a cubicle dweller, a coworker named Kevin, whom I highly respected, resigned and gave our employer a two-week notice. Two weeks went by. The following Monday, our boss called a staff meeting and in walked Kevin. Our boss started the meeting with, “I’m sure you have heard that Kevin here resigned. OK, let’s start the meeting.”
My impression of Kevin never recovered from that. What did the firm do to keep him onboard? Did they offer more money, more vacation time, a signing bonus? Nobody knew. One thing was for sure: Kevin’s loyalty was suspect. Everyone knew that if the firm ever wanted to fire Kevin and replace him with somebody cheaper, they could justify it by citing his disloyalty. Do not put yourself in the position Kevin did. When you announce you are leaving the company, you really are leaving and not entertaining any offers to stay.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
An exit strategy is a plan to gracefully and professionally leave your job. It is a multi-step process. Mine will take six months to complete. It shows respect to your boss, coworkers, and affiliates. Nobody expects you to work at a job until the day you die. They do, however, expect you will leave in a professional manner if and when you make that decision.
You need to remain on good terms. This is a very small world, and a former boss may end up self-employed (or worse, unemployed) and become a very valuable customer, partner, or resource. I am consistently amazed how people change when they leave unsatisfying jobs.
When you formally notify your employer that you’re leaving, you will be an instant celebrity. Coworkers will ask where you are going, why you chose to make the change, and who will take your place. Coworkers will also watch you closely. They will make sure you show up on time and work a full eight hours. They will make sure you really are working. They will observe when you leave. Coworkers will look at you differently, giving glances ranging from “The slob is finally leaving” to “I wish I had the courage to do that.”
You also need a written resignation letter. This should be professional, as you do not know who else besides your boss will read this. After telling your boss, you can write something vague and appreciative, like, “As we discussed, I will be concluding my employment here on June 30. I want to thank you for bringing me onboard, teaching me valuable skills, and providing a friendly atmosphere. Thank you.”
This resignation letter may be the most significant document you create at work. It is also a golden opportunity to thank your employer for giving you a wonderful job, even if the opposite may be true. Regardless, the resignation letter is not the vehicle for showing your dissatisfaction. If you have issues with any coworkers or anything at your job, write your issues on a notepad and then burn it.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
A conversation with our friend Daphne will help me explain the four “P”s of marketing. Daphne is opening a dance studio.
I tell her. “Let’s focus on the four “P’s.” You’ve already set an arbitrary price of $250 for a 10-week class. We have to call dance studios in other markets and make sure that is realistic.
“We can promote the studio online. I will show you social media later so you can see how to use Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and a blog as part of a marketing agenda. You won’t have to burn money on postage.
“Let’s stick with your 10-week class for now. You can add other products as you get more time and a larger clientele.
“You also need to schedule yourself at the place of business for these dance classes. You should show up an hour early, at least, and plan to stay afterward. You’re the business owner and not just an employee.”
In her Business Plan, Daphne writes:
Price: $250. Promotion: social media. Product: 10-week classes for multiple age ranges and covering different styles of dance. Place: Downtown Cameron Park, CA.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: “How can I grow my business” and “How do I become my own boss.”
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
I want to present five bad habits I see in failing businesses. If you see yourself adopting any of these habits, you can identify and break them, thus increasing your chances of survival. You can add to this list, but here are the top five bad habits I see:
1) It is a hobby and not a business. Some businesses are run like hobbies. The owners spend time and energy in the business whenever they feel like it. They let their personal lives and relaxation pre-empt their budding business. As a solution, I recommend scheduling blocks of time for the business. If you own the business on the side, schedule blocks of time outside of work to run the business. If you are full-time self-employed, schedule honest workdays. You (the employee) owe you (the employer) an honest day’s work.
2) Lack of a plan. People don’t plan to fail; rather, they fail to plan. They launch their business but don’t know a) what products and services they will sell, b) how much time and energy the business will need, c) how much their raw materials will cost, d) their overhead, e) how they will acquire customers, f) who the competitors are, g) how to monitor progress, and h) what is happening in their industry. As a solution, I recommend writing a business plan. I introduced business plans earlier in this chapter and will create one when you meet Daphne the Dancer.
3) Marketing is weak. If potential customers do not know who you are, where you are, what you do, or what you offer, they will not know you exist. They will look for someone who provides the goods and services you offer, but end up buying from somebody else. You have to have good marketing to survive. This includes good marketing of your company as a reliable business partner, and of your goods and services as being of high value to the customer. This also includes deciding which marketing tools will work for you. When I discuss social media later, you will learn how folks are abandoning newspaper, phonebook, and magazine advertising and replacing it with online marketing, videos, and QR Codes. It’s the wave of the future. As a solution, I recommend asking yourself how others view you, your products, and your services. Can they find you? Do you have a decent logo? Can you show why your products and services are better than others’? Are you getting a good return on your marketing investment?
4) No retraining. Just because you had success doing something a particular way yesterday does not mean it will bring you success tomorrow. You have to continuously find new and more efficient ways to accomplish the same or a better result. If not, someone else will, and at a lower cost. This applies both in your line of work and in your marketing. I have one customer who is not very successful. I told him social media will help him get more business. I invited him to one of my “Use Social Media to Improve Business” presentations, but he declined, telling me he would do the social media “thing” after business improves. I kid you not. As a solution, look at your tools. See if they are the same as you were using last year and then ask if you can replace them with something better. See what others are using and be open to retraining. You have to refine your habits.
5) Employees don’t care. I’ve seen employees stand around wasting time while they could be helping customers. I’ve seen employees disappear for long lunches or long afternoons without caring about their work. This cannot happen in a successful company. You are paying people for their time, energy, and attention. If they are not at work but getting paid, you need to hold them accountable for the missed time and kill those bad habits. As a solution, I recommend having employees keep a journal. This journal will show what they did at work, with whom, and for how long. If they know their supervisor is supervising, they will not try stealing time from you.
So, what do you think? being your own boss is not for the weak or lazy. You have to be strong. You need good ideas and practices to survive.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
I’ve read countless reports showing most fail within the first year. Of those that survive one year, most fail within five years. The statistics are disheartening. Yet, my business is going on nine years and I’m no Einstein. Most businesses providing you goods and services started as small businesses. They overcame the odds.
You have to overcome the odds too. You have to be ready to:
• Trade personal time for business development time. This includes turning off the TV at night and working on your business.
• Objectively measure your time. If you work 9:00-5:00, get home by 6:00, and finish dinner by 7:00, schedule time every evening for business development. This may involve a serious discussion with your family. Tell them you are building a business and need to devote significant time and energy into it. They will probably understand if you are honest and open in advance.
• Be cheap in your personal life. Postpone your upcoming vacation, large-screen TV purchase, and new car. Sell your boat, unless your business requires a boat for its day-to-day operations. Spend this money instead on tools, training, and marketing for your business.
I’ve seen successful businesses and I’ve seen downright failures. I believe I can walk into a business, talk with staffers and within 30 minutes, tell you if the business is successful. I don’t need to read the financials or talk to their competitors. Staff already knows.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Christmas has finally arrived. Let’s hope Santa will deliver:
1. A Congress that cooperates
2. An economy that works
3. Faith, to help business owners justify spending $$
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Seeing that tomorrow is Christmas day, I will ask everybody to have a Merry Christmas. Even if you practice another faith, remember that we are all connected.
*****
Mark Anthony Germanos is the author of two books, Escape the Cubicle: How to leave your corporate or government job for something better and How to Make Computer Systems Work for You. He has faith in a slow but sure Sacramento business revival. Sacramento small business owners are leading the way. His second book, Escape the Cubicle, is for those who want to escape cubicle jobs and become successfully self-employed. Escape the Cubicle answers the questions: "How can I grow my business" and "How do I become my own boss."
Mark is the President of Cameron Park Computer Services. As a business owner and computer networking consultant, he has seen habits that successful Sacramento small business owners embrace. He helps Sacramento small business owners embrace those habits to increase their profits, efficiency and happiness. An advocate of Sacramento business revival, Mark believes everybody should run their lives like a small business, perform SWOT Analyses and use social media campaigns to improve business. He used to say “social media is stupid.” That was until he attended a conference and saw how Sacramento small business owners can use social media campaigns as a valuable tool. Since then, he has earned more than $40,000 in business via social media. His Sacramento small business clients also have five-figure returns. Sacramento small business owners that launch social media campaigns give themselves a comparative advantage over those who lag behind. Mark does not do everything, but his clients do receive great results and participate in the Sacramento business revival when they follow his advice.
Hate your job? Quit your job. Escape the Cubicle will show you how to quit and transition smoothly into a career you will enjoy. Click the cover for your copy.
Meet Mark
I do 3 things: 1) I do IT solutions and have been since 1992. 2) I do business consulting. I show you how to save money. 3) I do SEO and social media marketing. Go google Sacramento small business revival" and see who dominates the first two pages. I don't do everything but people who take my advice get great results.
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