It’s Canada Day weekend here in Canada and Independence Day is coming next week for our American friends, so we thought we’d celebrate summer holidays with a little fun.
What will you be doing to celebrate? Let us know in the comments section!
It’s Canada Day weekend here in Canada and Independence Day is coming next week for our American friends, so we thought we’d celebrate summer holidays with a little fun.
What will you be doing to celebrate? Let us know in the comments section!
Being a small business can sometimes be very stressful, and the obstacle of finding the right staff has been known to throw a few business owners off balance. It’s difficult to find people with the right amount of experience to work for you, and can be a daunting task when hiring someone that needs to be trained properly.
Luckily internship opportunities have been expanding into the world of small businesses to help both the owner, and the intern. Here are four great reasons why hiring an intern is good for your business and good for them!
1. You have a chance to share and discuss your wisdom.
Business owners have the chance to pass on their wisdom to young interns willing to listen. If you have someone interning for you, chances are they are pretty interested in what your company is doing. Since your business is small, the intern will have a chance to learn directly from you, and you have the chance to discuss your business with someone who’s eager to learn from it.
2. You have a fresh mind to help exercise creative thinking and guerilla marketing.
Since interns don’t tend to stay on a long-term basis, businesses are being given the chance to work with a variety of young minds. Brainstorming with your intern about creative marketing techniques is good for both the business and the confidence of the intern, and so many fresh minds can come up with some pretty rad ideas.
3. You’re adding another member to the team.
Face it; even if your intern is only available for a couple hours every few days, it’s still an extra person on the team to help things run smoothly. As a university student who isn’t exactly fond of group projects, I still know the importance of teamwork. Interning for a small business and working with a smaller team is good practice, and a good way to get things done!
4. Small businesses will continue to have a welcoming attitude.
By hiring an intern, you’re not only providing help for you business and clients, but you’re also helping the intern! They need experience in the work world as much as you need a little extra help sometimes. Small businesses provide a really great atmosphere that is less intimidating for the intern, so you’re able to help them while they’re helping you.
Finally, a few wise words to businesses looking to hire their first intern: don’t abuse them! They may be working for free and grateful you’re giving them the chance to work with you, but that doesn’t give you the right to hand them tasks they aren’t equipped to complete or force them to stay up all night trying to get something done. It’s good to keep communication open, and make sure you’re always on the same page.
So if you’re a business owner looking for someone to add to the team, don’t overlook the thought of an intern. They might be just what you’re searching for!
© Zoe Begopoulos, DemGen Inc 2013
Virtual office services are services designed to compliment growing small to mid-sized businesses.
Often entrepreneurs do not have the resources to hire full time employees for every role required for their company. However, it’s also impossible to complete every task themselves.
A growing trend is to utilize virtual office services. That can be as simple as setting up a virtual reception line or as advanced as enlisting the support of an entire virtual team. There are also literal virtual offices available, should you require a temporary meeting space.
The point of virtual teams and virtual office services is both to have a professional public appearance, as well as get support completing tasks and reaching goals.
Small companies can appear much larger and act more efficiently with virtual support in place.
For example, you may be a one man or one woman show that currently wears all the hats in your business operations – reception, sales, marketing, customer service, accounting, etc. It becomes obvious to clients that it’s a small organization when the only person responding to all inquiries is you. Not to mention, it can quickly become overwhelming to do it all yourself.
Starting small with virtual reception will both give you a professional appearance, with a toll free number, but also help you to avoid being tied to the phone all day. You’re the visionary of your business and have better things to do with your time!
If your business has grown to the point you’re constantly feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, it may be time to enlist the services of a virtual team. For around the same price as one full time employee, you can hire an entire team with all of the complimentary skills and services to suit your unique business requirements.
Look for a team with a large and diverse talent vault and with many genius abilities. This will ensure that you only have to hire once, yet you will get access to a pool of skilled individuals to suit any need that may arise.
Personally, I wish virtual office services were available when I started my first company! It was always all of the ‘other stuff’ that drove me crazy – the things I knew were not within my genius abilities, but I thought I had to do anyway. All things happen for a reason and that experience surely led me to where I am today.
© Tamara Smith, DemGen Inc 2013
Summer officially arrived less than two weeks ago and for many small business owners feeling the time and cash crunch, a vacation is out of the question. For a season that provides relaxation for many, fun in the sun and long evenings spent with friends, the exact opposite can be true for those running their own business.
How can you get some time off for yourself this summer?
Think of smaller ways to celebrate the season, not all of which will involve getting away.
If you can afford it, a spa weekend is a quick and very relaxing getaway, but leave your electronic devices at home if at all possible! Another idea is a day or two at a resort area or rental cottage nearby. Having even one day to relax at the lake, take the canoe out in the early hours of the morning or spend a late evening around a fire can recharge your energy levels and make you feel better about getting back to work. If nature isn’t your thing, there are usually bed and breakfast inns not too far away where you can sign up for nearby agricultural tours or wine tastings. Whatever fits your interests, there is sure to be something within a fairly short distance that can give you a day’s reprieve from thinking about your business.
While others are spending their summer relaxing, start organizing a mini vacation for later in the year. Prices at most popular areas drop once school starts and September can be a beautiful month to take a week off. If you set everything up right, what is considered a very busy season for small businesses can flow smoothly with minimal input from you while you enjoy a peaceful few days gearing up for the fall and winter.
Not everyone enjoys the muggy, hot weather and if you are one of these and prefer the snow and cold then this is the time to get down to work and move ahead of the competition. Getting your finances in order and focusing on your business through the summer and working extra hard at what you love to do can be a vacation of sorts for some people. Set some end of year goals and use this opportunity to advance professionally. Apply for upcoming fall and winter courses that will help add value to your business, whether it be product or service based. Knowledge about anything that pertains to your business is always worthwhile and should be a continuing effort.
Hire a virtual assistant or team to take over any absolutely necessary tasks for a day or a week and spend each day as a tourist in your own city or town or those nearby. Most of us never take a close look at what our own area has to offer and are often amazed at what is available so close by. Sign up for a tour or one day bus trip; some tour companies even have one day mystery trips with unknown destinations! There are also walking trips, museums and art galleries if you live in or near a larger centre. Concerts and plays are particularly popular during the summer, many of them at outdoor locations. There are also fairs, festivals – the list goes on. Take advantage of your own locale and get out there and do something different.
Even if you aren’t taking a break from work, take some time out to reflect on the past year – your successes, your mistakes – and learn from them. Celebrate your successes and the wonderful summer weather in whichever way you choose, either solo or with friends and family. Don’t forget to take advantage of the early mornings and beautiful sunsets, they’ll be gone before you know it and another fall will be upon us!
© Chris Draper, DemGen Inc. 2013
Though this may be the final day of Small Business Week, it’s important to recognize the role small businesses play in economic growth. Support small and local businesses every day!
Any of our clients, team members and friends who are based in Canada or the Northern states understand, this spring was pretty non-existent. It’s mainly been an extended winter with glimpses of summer…
As we move into summer, it’s important to maximize your time. Beautiful weather has it’s own agenda. If you have children that are off from school, it’s even more key to budget your time accordingly.
Busy entrepreneurs and business owners often want more time in the day, but the truth for many is – we’re inherently workaholics. However, with the right preparation, you can still easily take time off. Your business can keep moving forward without you.
Planning ahead is crucial. If you are clear with where you’re going and have the right support team in place, your business can continue to reach goals while you recharge and make new memories with family and friends.
It’s often helpful to start with considering what personal adventures you’d like to have. (We tend to be much more cognizant of our work agendas and goals.) Once you have a plan in mind, you can work with your team to ensure everything will be covered in your absence.
Plan to only be reachable for emergency situations. Personally I scan only for the subject the heading 911 – my teams code for my attention, and it’s rarely used. This will ensure you cover all bases in advance and can take a step away with confidence.
As an entrepreneur myself, I know how hard it can be to let go, but there is a wide world out there waiting to be experienced by you. It simply isn’t healthy to live in your business.
Summer is short, so strive to achieve both your work and personal goals… You can do it!
To your Recharge and Success,
Gary
P.S. Here’s an oldie but goodie that always reminds me of summer.
© Gary Evans, DemGen Inc 2013
Please tell us more about Redefining Success?
Redefining Success is aimed at the “successful business woman/entrepreneur” – someone like me. I’ve been the primary breadwinner and the sole support of my family. I have enjoyed a lot of conventional success in the eyes of others. I’ve also been rather unconventional in my life.
Like many, I confused external validation in the work place with being successful. However, I think that there’s a time and a place where, as we age, we look at what we really think of our life and “success”. Sometimes it falls short – or we would prefer to expand into our heart – try new things, let go of things as well. We can sometimes get hung up on what others will think or whether society will see us as successful if we live life more on our own terms…
The long and the short of it for me is balance – and bringing a spiritual component into everything that I do. It’s about working from the heart instead of from the business intellect.
I’ve always been a very creative person and have brought that creativity into everything that I do. But it’s easy, especially in the investment business, to get carried away with numbers and performance as the typical markers of success in the corporate world.
Redefining Success is for women who are ready to look at how they can build more satisfaction and more spirituality into their lives. As a woman who’s been there before, and as a successful investment advisor, I can help them not only with their investment assets but to explore resources in the community that will help them explore territory that they may not be as familiar with. I want to really help women “redefine success”.
What inspired you to create this company?
Quite frankly it was simply a process for my business. I have always reflected on where I am in my life and my journey. As a woman that’s moving through my 50s into my 60s, naturally I’m looking back at my life, my family, my children, my career and asking myself “What do I want from my life now that I’ve been successful? Now that I have done all the things that everybody says you’re supposed to do to make you happy, am I really happy?”
Over the course of the last six or seven years I have really focused exclusively and directly on my life and how I wanted to change. Whenever you change you have to let go of things and make some choices that may be difficult. I would have liked the type of assistance that I am now offering.
Life is a transition that’s a process. I want to be there to help other women go through that transition process. I want them to feel that there’s a place that they can not only have their investment assets and retirement planning taken care of, but they also feel, in partnering with me, that they have guide , in me, to resources and services that will help them to explore new areas in their lives .
What common trends do you see with your client’s needs, position, inspiration etc?
I think the common trend is – the aging population. Through the aging process we look back and engage in a new decision-making process about how we want to live the rest of our lives. It’s the natural evolution of moving into one’s middle-age. In doing so, many of us reach a place where we want to want more and recognize that in order to have more we have to change. So that would be the common trend in the clients that I see who also worked very hard and achieved a very high level of success. They are financially well-off but may not feel like they’re well off financially. We’ve all heard about a common fear amongst women of ending up as “bag ladies”. This is all about helping women move to a place where they feel increasingly fulfilled and satisfied with their lives, with their accomplishments and see the choices that they are going to make for their future are the most prudent thing.
What’s the most rewarding thing about what you do?
Well, it’s helping people discover new interests, helping them take first steps in directions that feel very foreign to them, helping them move into increasingly satisfied lives. It’s a real joy to watch the process of blossoming and the happiness in women when they are moving in a direction that is more fulfilling to their experience.
What are your greatest recent accomplishments?
Transitioning out of the corporate brokerage environment at Raymond James into their more entrepreneurial arm and establishing my own offices on Front Street at Church. The new company is Redefining Success, which is really, what is success to you? This is an idea that I’ve had probably since I was born. I’ve always been in a place where I’m interested in reframing things and most of my life has been centered around learning how to do that – moving into something that is expressive of me and isn’t necessarily the same message as the investment community as a whole.
The message I want to give is very organic – very emotional and spiritual. Most people would ask, “How does that mix with the investment practice?” I see a more organic and spiritual direction as the way that the world is moving. Again, it comes back to the fact that as we age us we start to make hard choices about what matter to us in our hearts.
Yes, the creation of a caring investment practice focused on women like me would be my biggest accomplishment. It’s taken courage for me to meet the challenge of doing so, as well as meeting the obstacles and practicing what I preach.
How has working with DemGen been a benefit to your business?
I remembered when I left the corporate branch office, I did consider using virtual assistants because they would give me access to skills and talents that I couldn’t hire myself and because what I was doing was radically different from what would normally be presented by the investment support community. It was important for me to have access to outside resources to create some of the marketing and to create the look and feel of a Redefining Success! It had to “feel and look” different than a typical brokerage firm site. www.redefiningsuccess.ca
DemGen certainly has helped in providing those kinds of resources, as well as utilizing tools like Infusionsoft. They help put together and execute marketing campaigns and have copywriters available. I have access to social media consultants, all of whom have a lot of expertise that I couldn’t ever hope to have and would have a very difficult time assessing and hiring if I had to go out into the community and look for it myself. They are helpful in that regard.
How has going virtual benefited your business?
Again my time is well spent because I have at my fingertips a team of professionals who are well-trained in their specific interests and expertise that I can take my ideas and concepts to, and know that there’s somebody there that is able to pull it all together for me. It’s like having this one person working for you that can do, you know, 10 different things. They are all different people but because of the company it makes it very handy, easy and effective.
Did you have any initial reservations about going virtual and, if so, what made you change your mind?
Sure I had some, but I guess if I had reservations about going virtual it was the same issue I have about anything, which is how do I know who’s the right fit and how much does it cost and this is reasonable – the usual sorts of questions. I also think that because I’m in a very highly regulated environment that there’s some concern about how to manage the huge compliance issues that face financial services and integrate virtual assistants into it. But you know, that’s fairly readily resolved because the virtual assistants are really dealing with the marketing and it’s not the nitty-gritty back-office investment side of my practice that DemGen is responsible for – that’s handled in house. In my offices I have a very capable team that know their stuff on the investment side
Has DemGen exceeded your expectations?
DemGen has some really capable people working for them and it’s always about learning how to work with the tools that you are given. There’s been a learning curve for sure, learning how to use the assets of DemGen and their virtual assistants. We are working through the process of really fitting well together and it’s a rewarding process. We’re starting to hit our stride now. I feel that each month we will build on the success of the month before and work to have a very effective relationship. I’m enjoying the process of doing that. I feel that DemGen is responsive to my needs and my concerns and we are developing an excellent rapport that I expect to stand me in good stead going forward.
Web – www.redefiningsuccess.ca
Facebook – Redefining Success
LinkedIn – Pamela Johnston
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist, or even a seasoned business professional to tell you that the road to success in small businesses can be pretty topsy-turvy. Small businesses face difficulties that large corporations don’t have to worry about, and they sincerely appreciate the support of their local community. Community support seems to be coming to an all time high according to recent studies.
These studies are helping to prove that now is the time to both start your own small business as well as support the small businesses in your area. The small businesses I refer to here are the ones we see on Main Street, like the farmers markets, the barber shops, the book stories, and the mom-and-pops that we all know and love.
In this year’s Citibank Small Business Pulse survey, results show an increase in multiple areas of small business growth, providing a lot of optimism for business owners and start-ups. An average of 48 per cent of business owners rated conditions this year as either good or excellent. Along with that, the amount of business owners rating conditions as poor is a record low of 14 per cent. United States census information shows that approximately one third of business enterprises consist of entrepreneurs, sole-proprietors or home based businesses.
With those types of numbers, it’s great to see that these small businesses are opening their doors to make the move to bigger outlets. About 13 per cent of business owners intend to open a new location this year, and another 25 per cent are looking to grow internationally. Possibly the best result shows that 26 per cent of small businesses plan to hire full time staff this year, which is an increase of 11 per cent from last summer’s response of 15 per cent.
Aside from the numbers, it’s hard to ignore the benefits of small businesses within your community. It’s not only a great feeling to be able to walk into a restaurant or boutique that you frequent and be able to recognize the owner and greet the staff by name, but it’s also a great way to build a positive atmosphere within the neighborhood. When you support a small business, you’re also supporting the livelihood of a neighbor or a friend.
Half of business owners who took the Pulse survey believe they will be able to see a rise in revenue this year, and have an even greater outlook for 2014.
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and help your favorite small business!
© Zoe Begopoulos, DemGen Inc 2013
Sources:
Business Week (various figures about Pulse Survey) – http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-06-18/economy-looking-healthier-to-small-business-owners
1/3 Of Small Businesses Quote – http://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartrobertson/2013/06/19/recessions-and-bull-markets-why-small-businesses-should-hedge-retirement-bets/
Narrow the definition of Small Business – http://www.forbes.com/sites/brockblake/2013/06/18/lendio-small-business-week-micro-business-week/
Daily Finance – http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/06/18/citibank-small-business-pulse-reveals-three-year-h/
For this week’s column, I’m going to take things in a bit of a different direction and share a bit about what’s been going on in my personal life, to put things into perspective for you.
I’m a single workaholic. I’m blessed to work with DemGen and spend much of my time with my cats, working from my home office. Within a week one went through a serious decline at only 11 years old. One day he wouldn’t eat, the next his legs were paralyzed, soon after he had passed in my arms.
When situations like this arise in life, it truly makes you take a step back to evaluate your life. Pets are part of the family. The loss can be even harder to deal with given they provide truly unconditional love.
As I process and work through this tough time, I’m so thankful to be where I am. The DemGen Team is truly amazing. Members of our amazing team talent vault that I’ve never even met have reached out to provide support and insights.
This situation has taught me how important it is to surround yourself with the right team and people. DemGen has provided me support and space without pressure, which is exactly what I needed.
I’m still pressuring myself to get back on top of my agenda, but our Strategic Team has reminded me living life is the most important thing of all.
Given what I’ve been through in the past week, I beg to ask – are you letting life pass you by for your business?
As a workaholic myself, I understand the commitment. It takes a traumatic experience to make you see a different perspective. Instead of waiting for the worst to happen, appreciate every day and ensure you live life to the fullest.
Your business can survive without you. If that seems crazy, you need to bulk up your team and delegate. Success means nothing if you haven’t embraced life. Consider what you would speak about in a worst-case scenario… Probably not your most recent work achievements – more likely personal memories.
DemGen was founded with the mandate of giving life back to busy entrepreneurs and business owners. Though I always understood that, I have a different perspective now.
When life hands you lemons you can make lemonade (which I’m ironically drinking right now)!
The only reason to be stressed out is that you can’t let go. There are awesome people out there that can help! Don’t wait until it’s a critical situation.
Life is too short to work 24/7. It’s possible to achieve work goals AND have memorable personal adventures. (Trust me, when sh*t hits the fan, you aren’t thinking about your latest ROI…)
Be sure to always make memories that will last forever. DemGen can help and I say this through personal experience, not as shameless self-promotion.
Here’s a pic of my lil guy in his glory days…
If you need support for a similar situation or want to provide some, please share in the comments section.
RIP Busta 2001-2013.
© Tamara Smith, DemGen Inc 2013
Though small business owners don’t set out to fail at their ventures, most, if not all will at some time make mistakes that can affect their businesses drastically. The important thing is whether or not they learn from these mistakes.
The worst mistake you can make is forgetting that your customers ARE your business.
Make the purchasing process easy for your customers and the same goes for returns or correcting errors. If it’s too difficult your customers will give up and go elsewhere. Put yourself in their place and decide if your product or service is attractive to a large customer base. Ask yourself how you would like to be treated if you were your own customer.
Never under value your product or service.
Just as you are hungry for new business when you first start out, many consumers are particularly interested in new businesses. They are looking for better services, better offers and improvements on what have become mediocre or boring products. What can you do to make your offer stand out from the rest?
Use social media to get to know your customers, not just as a marketing tool.
Intelligent use of social media creates a bond and a level of trust. Use your mistakes and failures as an opportunity to learn and grow, to keep from remaining stagnant. There are growth stages throughout running a business and you will not always be moving forward and upward. Use these stages, the growth plateaus, to take stock of where you are now, how far you have come and where you would like to go. What you thought you wanted a year ago may have changed.
Know your gifts, talents and skills.
Some business owners don’t realize what they are good at. Those closest to you can be of the biggest help and advise you of what they see as your best abilities. What you’re good at is what will make you successful. Get help with the rest and position your business so it revolves around your unique talents. Knowing when you need help and not taking advantage of the talent of other employees is one of the biggest mistakes that small business owners make.
Also know your style, how you like to work and when you work best. Taking advantage of your strengths can be just what your business needs to outpace the competitors. You know yourself better than anyone else, so concentrate on what improves your productivity.
Always remain professional.
The life of a small business owner isn’t easy but as your brand grows and people get to know both your products and how you deal with the public, your business and your name will always be linked. Remember that how you react to adversity and/or complaints will also be noticed. How you choose to respond can make or break your business. Don’t forget word of mouth, some of your best customers will be referred to you by others and you can also miss out on new customers through bad publicity.
Keep learning.
Keep up with technology. The world of business is constantly changing. Take some time to enrol in online courses, free or otherwise. Keeping your finger on the pulse of small businesses, especially those which are local, and always increasing your knowledge will help you avoid most business errors and ensure that your business is around for a long time.
© Chris Draper, DemGen Inc 2013