Best of the Janes: Getting Back on Track

While any female entrepreneur who has experienced a setback in her business will ultimately take a multi-pronged approach to getting back on track, certain specific elements of the rise to ideal apply differently to each entrepreneurial type.

A recent study from Jane Out of the Box, an authority on female entrepreneurs, reveals there are five distinct types of women in business. Based on professional market research of more than 3,500 women in business, this study shows that each type of business owner has a unique approach to running a business and therefore each one has a unique combination of needs. When a woman is living as her ideal entrepreneurial type, she feels satisfied, personally and professionally. This article outlines six ideas for jumpstarting cash flow following a business setback.

Most women business owners who have experienced a setback are living a Tenacity Jane phase. Tenacity Jane is an entrepreneur with an undeniable passion for her business, and one who tends to be struggling with cash flow. As a result, she's working longer hours, and making less money than she'd like. Nevertheless, Tenacity Jane is bound and determined to make her business a success. At 31% of women in business, Tenacity Janes make up the largest group of female entrepreneurs. Typically, a woman business owner becomes a Tenacity Jane for one of five reasons: she has a craft or skill, but lacks business knowledge, the business started undercapitalized or acquired more debt than can be comfortably carried at current revenue levels, she doesn’t charge enough for her services, she lacks focus and is trying to accomplish too much all at once, or something has changed in the industry or cost structure that has caused a once-prosperous business to falter financially.

To move forward from a Tenacity Jane phase, a woman business owner must:

1. Invest in her own knowledge. New knowledge can be the key to jumpstarting profitability. Even if she is an expert in her craft, she may not have the knowledge she needs to run a successful business. Odds are, she recognizes where she can improve her knowledge for the betterment of her business. An entrepreneur can create her own training plan or she can hire someone with expertise to fill in the gaps. Whether she reads books, buys home study courses or attends live classes, an entrepreneur who builds her knowledge base dramatically increases her chances of boosting her profit. Some areas where she may need new knowledge: marketing (specifically, email marketing, social networking as a marketing tool, etc.), financial management, team building and delegation, and project and time management.


2. Identify her target market and its needs, and then market accordingly. By surveying her existing customers, a female entrepreneur can get an inexpensive and very accurate picture of which of her products and services are most in-demand, and of the profiles of the people who are using them the most. Then, she can market to similar people, thus increasing her chances of attracting ideal clients who need (and will pay for) her services.


3. Evaluate her pricing and raise it, if possible. Whether she “started low” to win business and never raised her rates, or she over-estimated her profit margin, it never hurts for an entrepreneur to evaluate how her pricing compares with that of other similar professionals in her area. She can send surveys to existing customers, asking them about industry pricing, and call competitors and ask for a price sheet. Also, by evaluating her costs and margin, she can determine whether she could increase her margin slightly and therefore increase her profits. When considering hourly rates, a female business owner should remember to include the cost of taking time off for vacation, and the time she spends working non-billable hours marketing, paying bills, etc. She should consider what each project or unit is worth to her – and create a guideline for herself about how much she has to charge to feel properly compensated.


4. Network. By networking with other like-minded professionals, a woman business owner creates opportunities for a support system in which she can share ideas and information, and for getting word of mouth referrals. Also, networking provides chances for affiliate relationships, in which two professionals who offer related services market their products together.


5. Upsell. Business owners can drive profit fairly easily with a little extra work through consistent upselling. In this sales approach, every time someone buys from the entrepreneur, she offers them a chance to pay just a little bit more for an expanded service or an augmented product. For example, if she sells a necklace, she upsells to include a fancy jewelry box. If she sells an information product, she upsells to a continuity product such as a newsletter.


6. Communicate regularly with information and offers. Every business owner probably has a list of prospects and current customers. A female entrepreneur must recognize that the more frequently she communicates with her prospects and customers, the more frequently she’ll be on their minds – increasing the likelihood that they’ll buy from her! Business owners can employ (almost) effortless marketing methods for communicating regularly, such as social networking, blogging and newsletters.

   

It is common for a business owner to experience a setback within her company. Fortunately, by following specific steps and guidelines, and by using the six cash flow jumpstart strategies listed above, a female entrepreneur can overcome her setbacks and be on her way to living her ideal entrepreneurial type and enjoying her successes.

Interested in learning more about the five Jane types and which Jane you are? Check out www.janeoutofthebox.com.

How to Properly Staff An Answering Service

Companies of all shapes, sizes and industries are only as good as the people they are staffed by. The company could be an ice cream stand, if the employee isn't good working with people and making sundaes, they aren't going to help the company succeed. A life guard stand isn't helping anyone if the lifeguards staffing it aren't able to swim. Construction sites will become dangerous and fail if the people building there are unfamiliar with the tools they use. Likewise, an answering service will be unable to provide professional and effective service if not staffed by willing, able, and well trained call center operators. For this reason, properly staffing an answering service is one of the biggest considerations for any manager.

The entire process of staffing an answering service starts with the hiring process. When interviewing applicants, you need to pay special attention to their verbal communication skill as well as how friendly they are. Everyone has different skills and abilities and some people just aren't very adept at talking to other people, especially over the phone. For this reason, I sometimes suggest that call center managers first interview their prospective operators over the phone first. After all, what better way to conduct a job interview than via the medium the applicants would be using to do their job. I don't suggest making every hiring decision based on this first test, but you gain a humongous amount of insight in future job performance by this first call. If the answering service job applicant does well in this situation, I schedule a meeting in our office soon thereafter.

For many people, the job of answering service operator might seem like a very individualistic position. Indeed staff members spend a great deal communicating with people one-on-one over the phone, but it remains of the utmost importance that employees are team players and work well with others. Even though the center may answer for hundreds of clients over dozens of industries, the entire center must work as a whole. I sometimes compare the staff of an answering service to a television. Although there are many different parts each doing a specific task at any one time, the entire system has to perform in harmony if the entire operation is to work correctly. If there are a few points in the system that underperform or cause issues, it holds back the rest.

A very important thing to consider when properly staffing an answering service is how much prior experience the applicant has. Many people in this business have been answering calls for decades and really do have much to offer you and your center. These are the sorts of people who love what they do and are great sources of motivation for the newer operators. Training is always paramount but much is learned on the job over the course of working day to day answering calls. Experienced operators are frequently some of the biggest teachers in the business, passing on tips and knowledge to the rookies.

After a number of years, I've actually had these experts run the training sessions and I've been very fortunate to have them on staff. They have been invaluable in helping me to decide which applicants will work well together in our operation long term. When hiring for an answering service call center, you ought to seek people you can visualize being a part of your center for years to come. Answering services come and go but the ones who stick around for years after years are those who take each and every call seriously and help and encourage their operators to strive for excellence.

Article Tags:
Answering Service, Call Center

MBM Destroyit 2503 Strip Cut Paper Shredder - DSH0300 Review

For a simple, heavy duty centralized office
shredder, the MBM Destroyit 2503 Strip Cut is a great choice. This
device is easy to use and will quickly dispose of your documents with
its lifetime guaranteed steel blades. Built for high volume use in a
medium office, the 2503 will reliably work all day. Here is a closer
look.

Strengths:

• For starters, the 2503 has a Safety Protection
  System installed. A clear safety shield allows for the safe
  disposal of CDs and prevents fingers from entering the blades. The
  "Easy Switch" controls use of three modes- stand-by, stop,
  reverse- in a simple single button. Illuminated symbols show the
  machine's status. An automatic stop function is activated
  by an open cabinet door, a full shred bag, or a paper jam. If a
  jam occurs, auto reverse feeds the paper back out to unclog the
  blades for you. Finally, an Energy Save Mode kicks in after one
  hour of no use and powers down to a sleep mode to conserve electricity.
• Hardened steel blades are driven by a powerful single phase
  motor. The motor is double protected from overheating, meaning
  that it prevents itself from being fried and saves you from
  potential costly repairs. The durable gears are contained in a
  fully enclosed dustproof casing to avoid corrosion. Both are
  designed to keep your shredder in top running condition.
• An
  automated photo cell senses paper in the 10¼ inch feed opening
  and begins shredding on cue. The high quality blades take
  up to 21 sheets at once and also eat staples, paperclips, credit
  cards and even CDs. Items are shredded as fast as 24 feet per
  minute, so you can shred your stack and quickly be on your way.
• Sliced strips are collected in a 26 gallon shred bag that
  nestles in a pull-out bag frame mounted on rollers for simple
  removal and replacement. The whole unit is housed in a high
  quality wooden cabinet situated on casters for easy mobility. The wood
  acts as a noise reducer by absorbing some of the sound waves
  produced by the motor, giving you a quieter office.

Weaknesses

• The 3/16 inch strips produced offer a level 2
  security. For general internal documents, memos, and other low
  risk items, level two keeps things safe. However, if you have a
  plethora of sensitive material to dispose of, you may consider
  this model in a higher security version.
• The
  10.25 inch opening limits what can easily slide into the blades. Again,
  for generic office shredding, this isn't a problem. Offices
  needing to dispose of many wider or odd shaped documents might
  prefer a machine with a larger opening.
• Taking up to 21
  sheets at once as fast as 24 feet per minute, this machine is
  designed more for continuous use than high capacity. These sizes are
  appropriate for a medium size office with about 6-10 people and
  will be an ideal fit for that amount. Larger businesses with
  higher shredding needs will want to check out MBM's larger models.

MBM Destroyit's 2503 is well-suited to the needs for a low
security, medium office shredder. Safety and automatic features make
use simple and uncomplicated. A one year warranty offers peace of mind
and guarantees reliability. We think the 2503 is an excellent choice
for your next office shredder.

Create an Image with Stylish Business Card Holders

A card holder is a case inside which one can store visiting cards. Business executives who visit different offices for professional reasons exchange lots of visiting cards with people they meet and interact with. Exchanging visiting card with a person is corporate courtesy and that’s why business professionals always carry their visiting cards in their card holders.

A Visiting card contains vital information regarding an individual such as name, address, contact number, professional designation and name of company he/she works which help other to communicate in times of need. Corporate people meet hundreds of individual’s everyday and get their cards but to store so many cards along with the cards of their own, they need spacious holders to hold their cards in. As a card holder is carried either inside the wallet or inside a pocket in the suit it doesn’t need to be very good looking but as one needs to pull it out in public at frequent intervals, therefore the  holder must bear some element making  an impression in the receiver’s mind.

Hence in order to have the first impression fair, one must always look for appealing card holders. There is no need to worry, as they are available in endless varieties. You can opt for a simple but colorful fiber holder or may carry an elegant looking metal holder. Metal holders are the most glamorous of all. They are available in different shapes and sizes. One can have a flat card holder that looks similar to a cigarette case or may opt for a holder with more depth. Flat metal ones are more popular as they are easy to carry. They fit in very easily inside the pocket of your business suit or in your wallet.

If you are fond of leathery shine, you can opt for a leather holder for your business card. With a look similar to leather wallet, leather business card holders certainly make a style statement for one. A holder in shiny black leather can add to your glamour when you bring it out of your pocket, take out your card, and give it to somebody. And if you are giving it to a lady, you can be rest assured of leaving an impression on her mind. Leather holders are more useful than metal holders as they serve two purposes. Apart from storing visiting cards, you can use it as your money bag.

Card holder is now a hot choice among various corporate gift items. Glamorous holders made of leather and metal sell like hot cakes from gift shops. Apart from holders that are carried in pockets, you can gift an item that can be kept on desktop. Fiber-made transparent cardholders look gorgeous on desktops. Business professionals of higher ranks, who do not travel frequently, use such holders to store visiting cards who come to meet them. If you are planning to impress your boss, present him/her with a glamorous glass or fiber-made card holder as a birthday gift. It will surely carve a mark in his heart. If your boss is fond of arts and handicraft, make him/happier with a nicely carved wooden one. You will find them in different designs. The best would be one that looks like a box and contains a separate space for keeping a pen. Some holders include a matching pen, and if your item doesn’t have one, buy a pen and make the ‘gift’ more attractive.

The Secret to Wealth Creation –Time Control!

How do we tune in to the rhythms around us? How do we synchronize our frequency with the changing frequencies in time?

It has only been in the last twenty years that modern scanners and experimentation have taken neuroscience to a level where we can now know with more certainty what cognitive functions are taking place in which parts of the brain.

The four sides of the Wealth Dynamics Square, a profiling system used by over 30,000 entrepreneurs to find their flow, match the ‘four sides’ of the brain: our frontal lobes (located on the front and top of the brain) are the centre of our creative thinking and intuition; our parietal and occipital lobes (located at the centre and back) are the centre of our sensory function; our left hemisphere is responsible for analysis, with one input at a time; and our right hemisphere is responsible for our relationships, with multiple inputs at a time.

“The brain is simply a collection of neurons and other cells, Gathered together in one place to simplify the wiring.” -    Helen Phillips, New Scientist

If our brains are all so similar in size, and if wealth appears to have little to do with intelligence or talent (with fortune eluding many of the most intelligent and talented amongst us), what is the process by which our brain turns success into a habit?

All of our actions are based on either a conscious action, based on mental calculation, or unconscious action, based on reflex. Breathing is a reflex action, whereas intellectual argument is a calculated action. Yet when we see a great athlete in action, it is often a reflex action at a critical moment that wins the game.

“In the same way that I tend to make up my mind About people within thirty seconds of meeting them, I also make up my mind about a business proposal Within thirty seconds and whether it excites me.” - Richard Branson

In 1997, researchers at John Hopkins and the University of Maryland using a PET scanner found that we all learn new skills through our outer cortex, but then in repetition these physical skills are stored and accessed through the inner brain, within the cerebellum.

Conscious thought operates on the outer layer of the brain. We are masters of pattern recognition and we experience the world by comparing our experiences to the patterns formed by our past history. This is where we conduct our conscious thought. Yet within the centre of our brains, we conduct our unconscious thought.

It was only in October 2005 that a study at MIT found the location where our habits are stored: the basal ganglia, located next to the cerebellum in the inner brain. They found through a series of experiments that at critical moments when a familiar situation was encountered, a lost habit could be automatically re-activated from within our unconscious.

Dr Ann Graybiel, Professor of Neuroscience at MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, said: "It is as though somehow, the brain retains a memory of the habit context, and this pattern can be triggered if the right habit cues come back. This situation is familiar to anyone who is trying to lose weight or to control a well-engrained habit. Just the sight of a piece of chocolate cake can reset all those good intentions."

Our actions are fired much faster by the more primitive, unconscious inner brain, responsible for our automatic actions, than by the outer, conscious brain, responsible for pattern recognition or memory. But to ‘program’ our habits at the centre, we need to first create patterns through our experience. To know and not to do is not yet to know.

We learn to drive a car consciously by using our cerebral cortex, until it becomes an unconscious process accessed through the cerebellum and basal ganglia. A footballer learns through practice but scores in the game through instinct and habit. We gain our greatest learning through conscious thought, but at our critical moments we achieve our greatest actions through our unconscious thought.

“We are what we repeatedly do; Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” - Aristotle

Tuning in is a process of conscious learning, leading to unconscious habit. The more we play the same game, the better we get at that game. Where do we experience flow? Is it a pattern or a habit? Is it conscious or unconscious? Hidden in the very centre of our brains, (above the cerebellum and the basal ganglia) lies the pineal gland - about the size of a pea. The pineal gland, which controls our melatonin levels, looks after our sense of rhythm with nature, synchronizing our internal biorhythms with nature’s cycles.

This tiny pea in the unconscious, automatic part of our brain has been recognized for thousands of years as the doorway to our flow.

For more information about Roger Hamilton and Wealth Dynamics, visit www.roger-hamilton-news.com

Reviewing the Fellowes Electron 120 Rotary Trimmer

Fellowes makes some really innovative
office tools including rotary trimmers. One of their trimmers is the
Electron 120, a device that features an LED cutting guide. Here's what
you need to know about this cutter's strength and weaknesses so you can
decide if it will fulfill your cutting needs.

Strengths:

• If you tend to work with letter-sized paper (8.5” x 11”),
  then the Electron 120 would probably be perfect for you. This trimmer
  has a 12-inch cutting length so it makes cutting letter-sized sheets a
  snap. You can also use this device to trimmer smaller sheets as well as
  photographs.
• This device uses SafeCut blade cartridges that
  enclose the blade in plastic, making them very safe to handle. The
  plastic protects your hands so you can use this trimmer without getting
  injured. SafeCut cartridges come in four different types: straight,
  folding, perforating, and wavy. The different blades make it easy to
  give your projects a unique look and it only takes a minute or so to
  change blades. Plus, you can store the cartridges right in this device's
  base for easy access.
• The Electron 120 comes with an LED
  cutting guide. This feature shows you where the cutting line is so you
  can get the best possible cut. (Note: to use this feature, you'll need a
  CR2032 battery.) Also, there's a paper clamp so your sheets can stay in
  one place.
• This is a pretty durable trimmer partly because
  the base is made out of metal. There are cutting guides printed on it
  for easy reference.
• The Electron 120 isn't very large thanks
  to its approximate dimensions of 3" (height) x 9” (width) x 19"
  (length). It's also very lightweight since it only weighs 4.5 pounds.
• Finally, this trimmer is affordable (it can be yours for less than $70.00) and it comes with a 2-year warranty.

Weaknesses:

• The Electron 120 can only cut 10 sheets of paper at a
  time, which isn't a whole lot. The cutting capacity should be fine for
  smaller jobs, but it wouldn't be sufficient if you need to cut a lot of
  paper at once. If you need to cut more, a stack or guillotine cutter
  would be more helpful.
• Also, the 12-inch cutting capacity
  makes it really hard to use this device for large sheets of paper.
  However, there is the Electron 180, which has an 18-inch cutting length.
  It would be a better choice if you like what the 120 has to offer but
  need to work with larger items.

Recommendation:
Overall, the Fellowes Electron 120 is a pretty good rotary trimmer. The
SafeCut blade cartridges make this device a great choice if you're
concerned about safety and the four different types of blades will make
it easy to give your work the look it needs. You'll always get the right
cut thanks to the LED cutting guide and you'll find that this is a
pretty durable product. Just be sure to consider the cutting length and
capacity because it you have a lot of large cutting jobs, this device
may not do the trick. However, if you decide that these two features are
fine with you, be sure to take a look at the Electron 120 today.

Reviewing the Swingline 1312 SmartCut Dial-A-Blade Rotary Trimmer

If you're looking for a rotary trimmer,
one name to look for is Swingline. The stapler giant manufactures a lot
of cutters including their basic 1312, one of several Dial-A-Blade
devices. This cutter is good for personal use and it can do three
different cuts, including wavy ones. To learn about this trimmer, check
out its strengths and weaknesses as outlined below.

Strengths:

• The 1312 is great to have around if you want a device
  that can give you different cutting styles. This device can do both
  straight and wavy cutting and it can even score your paper for easy
  folding. You don't even have the change the 3-in-1 blade to take
  advantage of the different cutting styles. Just turn the dial on top of
  the cutting head. It's incredibly easy.
• This trimmer has a
  12-inch cutting length, which is ideal for letter-sized paper (8.5” x
  11”) and photographs. Since this trimmer is small, it's perfect for
  personal use, especially if you're into crafting.
• The 1312's
  blade is located in a piece of plastic so it will be very difficult to
  injure yourself. The blade is made of steel and if it ever gets dull,
  you can purchase a replacement for it.
• This cutter has an
  alignment grid printed on the base. The grid measurements are given in
  both standard and metric units so you can choose between inches and
  centimeters. There's also a transparent paper guide so you'll be able to
  see what you're doing when you cut.
• The 1312 is covered by a limited one-year warranty and it's affordably priced.

Weaknesses:

• The 1312 can only cut 5 sheets of paper at a time. This
  cutting capacity will be fine if you're using the trimmer for a personal
  project, but it won't suffice if you need to cut a large number of
  sheets at once.
• Since this trimmer has a 12-inch cutting length, you won't be able to trim large sheets of paper with it.
• Most
  of this device is made out of plastic. While this makes the cutter
  lightweight (it only weighs about a pound) and portable, it does mean
  that it's not the most durable device. It wouldn't be a good choice if
  you need something for heavy-duty use.

The Swingline
1312 is a cutter that's clearly meant for personal use. Its cutting
capacity is fine if you're working on a small project, but it wouldn't
be good if you need to cut a lot of paper. The 12-inch cutting length is
fine and the 3-in-1 blade is unique. Both of these features make this
trimmer perfect for arts and crafts including collages, scrapbooking,
making greeting cards, and so on. It's great that the cutter is
lightweight and portable, even though the plastic isn't likely to
withstand a lot of use. Overall, the 1312 is a good trimmer for those
special projects so if you need something to add to your crafting
arsenal, take a look at it today.