Long Commutes Can Kill and There’s Actually Proof |  |
- Long Commutes Can Kill and There’s Actually Proof
- 20 Mistakes to Avoid When Building Your Team
- Google Plus Lets You Get a Personalized URL
- 13 Questions to Ask a Potential Business Partner
- Google Adds Location Sharing for Android Hangout App
- 3 Ways Churches are Leading the Way with Video
| Long Commutes Can Kill and There’s Actually Proof Posted: 06 Nov 2013 02:00 AM PST
Advocates for working from home when starting a business cite all kinds of reasons. There’s the lower overhead, spending more time with friends and family, a more flexible work schedule and more. But one reason for cutting out long commutes rarely even gets mentioned — the fact that long-term, you may be saving your life! Jane E. Brody, a columnist for The New York Times observes:
Chris Tackett of Treehugger says the study makes the case for neighborhoods built to encourage shorter commuters and more walking and biking. But, of course, entrepreneurs can’t wait for urban renewal. So the question becomes how do you make sure you’ll still be around to enjoy the fruits of your labor once your business has grown? Again, Brody argues less commuting allows more time to live a healthier lifestyle including more exercise, eating better and getting more sleep. If your business can be started from home, you should consider how much time you could save that would otherwise be lost in commuting. Learn more on the study and the connection between commuting distance and health from the American Journal of Preventative Medicine here. Long Commute Photo via Shutterstock The post Long Commutes Can Kill and There’s Actually Proof appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| 20 Mistakes to Avoid When Building Your Team Posted: 05 Nov 2013 04:00 PM PST
Team building lets you, the small business owner, sleep at night. And, as with anything in life, there are right and wrong ways to go about it. The most important thing to remember when doing so is that your team is human – they have feelings and emotions. Persuasion is a necessary ingredient to proper team building and can aid you in a successful approach towards motivating others. If you approach your team building efforts neglecting the feelings of others, you will be making some of the biggest team building mistakes there are. To avoid that, read through this list of team building mistakes – and make sure you’re never guilty of committing any of them. If you’re tired of sleepless nights, there’s a good chance that your employees are as well. Put your business team into place successfully, using diplomacy and tact, while avoiding these team building mistakes. Do Not Make These Team Building Mistakes1. The Assumption That Everybody Is EqualA team consists of people. In essence, people with different skills, temperaments and learning curves. When you build a team with the false assumption that everybody is exactly the same, you are quickly heading for mediocre results. 2. Showing Your PreferenceAs a professional, you must strive never to make your employees sense that you have a preferred employee. If your team members begin to notice that you prefer some people over others, they will be discouraged and unmotivated. 3. Allowing Cliques to ThriveWhen you allow cliques to thrive in your team, it means that you are promoting segregation and that will surely defeat the aim of your team. It can cause resentment among your team members towards one another. 4. Being SubjectiveAs a good team leader, you must strive to always be as objective as you can be when dealing with your team. You can never succeed in building a good team when it is obvious that you are subjective. 5. No Clear Cut GoalsIf you don't have a clear cut goal for your team, you are headed for failure. As the team leader, for you to successfully build your team, you must always communicate the goals that must be achieved to every member of your team. When you fail to do so, you fall short as a successful leader. 6. Not Being ApproachableIf you want to build a successful team you must be open and approachable. If you are not, you will not get the feedback that is required to help you and your business learn and grow. Being unfriendly, harsh and abrupt will leave important tasks undone, as well as get you and your business nowhere – fast. 7. Doing Most Tasks YourselfThe fact that you are the team leader doesn't guarantee that you are the only one that can do everything better. If you are not delegating, you are missing the point of a successful team. Delegating is essential for your business, particularly if building a successful team is one of your goals. 8. Not Enforcing Rules and RegulationIt is not enough to have rules and regulations in your employee handbook. The responsibility falls on you to always enforce them. You want to build a sturdy team and in order to do that, it’s imperative for all of your team members to adhere to the rules. Otherwise, chaos will ensue. 9. Accommodating IndisciplineSome people are naturally wired to flout rules and regulations. If you desire to build a successful team, you must always discipline anyone that breaks the rules. When you accommodate indiscipline, you are setting your team up for failure. 10. Not Trusting Anyone on Your TeamIf you approach others with distrust, you'll always only ever see reasons why you can't trust people. Building a team without trusting your team mates will hinder performance and production. You will always see reasons why they can't be best at what they do. On the contrary, building trust will build a closer rapport. 11. Being Over AmbitiousYou cannot achieve everything at once. Hence, you need to take things bit by bit with your team members. When you over work your team to meet your targets, you'll wear them out quickly. This will affect future target goals negatively by making your team apprehensive to being open to new goals. People generally don’t like repeating negative experiences. Never be over ambitious when building a team – slow and steady wins the race. 12. Not Rewarding PerformanceIf you choose not to reward and celebrate people that perform well in your team, you are going to send the wrong signals by failing to provide incentives. This amounts to a minus for you as a leader because you will never get the best of your team’s performance if you fail to reward them for their achievements. 13. Irregular Team MeetingsTeam meetings are one of the major forums where people air their views. Building a successful team requires consistency in meetings. Not creating the medium for members to meet and discuss their ideas and thoughts will amount to a break down in process. 14. Not Acting On People's SuggestionsIt is not a must to act on all of the suggestions you get from your team members, but you should try to act on the potent ones. When you don't do this, you will discourage your employees from making suggestions to you in the future. Even if you get foolish suggestions, never make the suggested look foolish. 15. Giving No Room for Team BondingThis might be expensive, but it is very important that you take your team outside their work environment to a place where they can relax, have fun together and bond. Not permitting room and opportunities for team bonding is permitting people to continue working together without truly knowing and understanding one another. 16. Neglecting Team Members WelfareIt is true that we go to work to add value and get paid, but if you intend to build a successful team, you must not joke with the welfare of your team mate. You must show them more than simply meeting their targets at work. You must show them that you are interested in them and their lives outside of your work environment. 17. Scolding A Team Member In The OpenDiscipline is necessary when the situation calls for it, but it will do more harm than good when you do it in the presence of others, especially subordinates. You can summon members of your team that require discipline and do so privately and professionally. 18. Celebrating Excellence in SecretWhen a member of your team performs excellently, it is always nice to celebrate them openly so that others can be encouraged and inspired to want to reproduce or outperform such feats. If you do it privately, you will have succeeded in demotivating the person that performed well and you will give the rest of your team no evidence of anything to strive towards. 19. Allowing Unhealthy CompetitionAs a team leader, you have the responsibility to discourage unhealthy competition. Building a successful team requires competition among team mates, but when the competition becomes unhealthy and somewhat heated, the team quickly disintegrates. 20. Reminding Your Team of the Hierarchy That ExistsIf at every opportunity you rub it in that you are the boss, you are unconsciously building barriers that will hinder the free flow of ideas. Ideas rule and hindering the flow of them will get you and your brand nowhere fast. Remember: You are the leader and as such, you must lead by example. Sad Employee Photo via Shutterstock The post 20 Mistakes to Avoid When Building Your Team appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Google Plus Lets You Get a Personalized URL Posted: 05 Nov 2013 01:30 PM PST
Just like a customized license plate on your car, your Google Plus URL can now be personalized. Having a personalized URL can really help with your branding. It will be easier for people to find and remember your Google Plus URL. And it will be easier for people to search though your account for what interests them (photos, video, about section.) But more on that later. Now let’s see how you can trade in that boring old hard-to-remember Google Plus URL for one that’s impossible to forget Who Gets a Google Plus Personalized URL?First of all, it seems as if just about everyone is entitled to a personalized URL on Google Plus. But you need to be a member in good standing. Here’s what’s required:
You won’t have to scratch your head to figure out whether you’re eligible or not either. Just check the top of your account to see whether you’ve been pre-approved. How to Get Your Personalized URLIt’s not quite accurate to say Google lets you pick your new URL. Instead, when you click the “Get URL” button at the top of your Google Plus profile, you’ll see the one or more possible URLs Google’s approved for your account. Choose the one you like best, but be aware. If you’ve got a name like “Joe Smith,” you might be prompted to add a few letters or numbers to distinguish it from other similar URLs out there. You’ll need to approve Google’s terms of service for the new URL and might be asked to verify your account with your mobile phone number. You can also make minor changes in layout, for example, capitalization and accents. Just understand that once you’ve confirmed the new URL, it can’t be changed. Easier Search of Your ProfileWe told you in the beginning your personalized URL would be easier for your connections to find. But the new URL makes it easier for friends to search your account too. There’s a neat trick you can use to find the content you most want to see on a Google Plus account using the new personalized URL. For example, let’s say you want to see someone’s photos or video on their Google Plus page. Just add the keywords “photos” or “video” at the end of the new Google personalized URL like this:
Google says you should find the content you’re looking for quickly. Find out how a personalized Google Plus URL will change your Web presence. Image: Google The post Google Plus Lets You Get a Personalized URL appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| 13 Questions to Ask a Potential Business Partner Posted: 05 Nov 2013 11:00 AM PST
If you don’t like (or at least respect) your business partner, things can only go downhill from there. Just as you would screen potential employees, you need to make sure that you and your future partner agree when it matters most. But how do you find out if it’s a match made in heaven early on? What questions can you ask when interviewing a potential business partner to ensure you’re doing your due diligence? We asked members of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation-only organization comprised of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs, the following question to find out:
Here's what YEC community members had to say: 1. What’s Your Deepest Goal? “If you’re going to do business with anyone, you need to get clear on the why. Knowing where you’re going is great, but if you don’t know why you’re both going there, then you’re screwed. Always start with why, and let the circle expand from there.” ~ Jonathan Mead, Playbook 2. How Much Do You Plan on Working? “It’s easy for partners to overlook the amount of work it takes to make a business successful. The reality is that you should plan on working 40 to 60 hours a week on a startup. If one of the partners doesn’t plan on working that much, he better be very good at what he does and extremely efficient. Otherwise, it’s going to cause all types of problems. ” ~ Dave Nevogt, Hubstaff.com 3. What’s Your Exit Plan? “It’s vital to know what motivates your co-founders and what their “end game” is. Some may be motivated by financial goals, whereas others are interested in the idea of running a business and growing teams. Communicating that ahead of time will go a long way toward identifying everyone’s strengths and weaknesses while building a business relationship. ” ~ Tyler Arnold, SimplySocial Inc. 4. Which of Our Skills Overlap, and Which Ones Differ? “It is critical to understand where you and your business partner’s skill sets compare and differ. In my experience, the best business partnerships are ones where the partners have complementary skill sets, but understanding where the overlap occurs is important, too. Having a deep understanding of each person’s strengths and weaknesses will help when it comes to dividing tasks and collaborating.” ~ Doreen Bloch, Poshly Inc. 5. What Motivates You? “What motivates you? Unless you understand that about someone, it will lead to misalignment and frustration.” ~ Panos Panay, Sonicbids 6. How Would You Handle a Media Crisis? “This is one thing that many entrepreneurs fail to plan for or even consider. We have controls in place at my business so that one doesn’t occur, but I want to know that we’ll have a fast and relevant response if one does occur.” ~ Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance 7. What Happens if Something Goes Wrong? “Partnerships are great when everything works out as planned. But what happens when things go wrong? How will they react? What do they care most about? What resources are available if necessary? Whether it’s an investor, a reseller or development partner, you should understand how they will react under duress and what milestones you can put in place to detect problems early and react promptly.” ~ Trevor Sumner, LocalVox 8. Have You Done It? “Have you had a business partner before? I think it is a rare person who can truly understand what it takes to start a business or run one with someone else. Until they have done it at least once to see the pluses and minuses, I have a healthy concern for us.” ~ Sam Saxton, Salter Spiral Stair and Mylen Stairs 9. Do You See What I See? “If you're going into business with another person, you have to make sure that you're both trying to lead the company to the same place. Otherwise, you'll end up pulling against each other in a tug of war that no one can win. Ask a potential business partner to define his short and long term vision and goals.” ~ Nick Friedman, College Hunks Hauling Junk and College Hunks Moving 10. What’s Your Vision of Success and Failure? “Business partners are often in agreement about the work that needs to get done and the direction the product should take. But they don’t bother to talk specifics when it comes to success and failure. Ask a potential business partner to clarify what success in the business would look like (specific revenue targets or valuation/sale amount) and what failure looks like so you’re both crystal clear.” ~ Susan Strayer LaMotte, exaqueo 11. If You Didn’t Have to Work, What Would You Do? “This is a simple question that can tell you a whole lot about a person such as their passions, interests, drive and motivation. Our differences are what makes the world go round, which can also make for a very successful partnership (as long as your passions, priorities and what excites you are in harmony with one another). ” ~ Rebecca Zorowitz, Ooh La La Candy 12. What’s Your Main Priority? “It’s important to have a business partner who is willing to invest just as much of their time into the business as you are. So, it’s imperative that you find out how much of a priority this business would be in their life, which should show you just how serious they are about it and how much of themselves they will commit. ” ~ Steven Le Vine, grapevine pr 13. How Do You Handle Bad Situations? “You need to understand how your business partner will act if it doesn’t go as planned. How have they handled bad situations in the past? You want to make sure you’re partnering with a rational, reasonable and respectful person.” ~ Chuck Cohn, Varsity Tutors Talking Photo via Shutterstock The post 13 Questions to Ask a Potential Business Partner appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Google Adds Location Sharing for Android Hangout App Posted: 05 Nov 2013 08:00 AM PST
Imagine you’re consulting with a potential client or customer or holding an impromptu discussion with several prospects in your area via the Google Hangout app for Android. Maybe you’re about to be a panel speaker at a local conference and want to encourage your Google Plus following to attend. At the end of the conversation, you want to quickly share your location with other participants so they can drop by your office with any extra questions or drop by the conference for a chat. Sharing Your Location with OthersPreviously you might have had to email them an address or a link to the location on Google Maps. No longer, said Google Senior Vice President, Vic Gundotra, during a recent official announcement about updates to Google Plus and Google Plus Hangouts specifically. Gundotra explained:
When a user hits the new place button at the bottom of the app, Google will fetch his or her location from Google Maps and share it with Hangout participants. On the official Google Blog, Gundotra wrote that Google had also integrated its SMS text messaging service into the Android Hangout app to further centralize communication. Other ways to use Google Plus for marketing include recording webinars and tutorials or holding regularly scheduled question and answer sessions with clients, customers or colleagues. You could also consider holding regular consulting hours online, giving people with questions about your products and services the opportunity to drop by. Image: Google The post Google Adds Location Sharing for Android Hangout App appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| 3 Ways Churches are Leading the Way with Video Posted: 05 Nov 2013 05:00 AM PST
When you think about video and innovation, you might think of the gaming industry, high technology or digital media. While those enterprises may be the face of the technological transformation underway, they’re by no means the be-all-end-all of video marketing. In truth, every industry must be doing some serious soul-searching nowadays to lure in younger patrons and customers who are tech-savvy and in search of relevant content and targeted messages. That means that traditional marketers should be stepping up their game and trying new ideas out. There’s been no greater movement forward over the past decade than that of churches and houses of worship in general. They might seem, at first, to be slow to innovate, built around longstanding rules and tradition. Yet spiritual leaders have been doing everything they can to attract new audiences and recreate their sermons and outreach throughout a sea of change. Below are some of the ways that churches have incorporated video. How Houses of Worship are Performing Church Video MarketingWeekly SermonsIt’s not just Joel Osteen who has recognized the power and influence of video followers. In fact, many church leaders have brought video into their weekly sermons to help give a creative crowd a more visual accompaniment. This is how we engage and stay focused during business meetings and presentations, and these spiritual heads have gotten on board with the trend. Whether the video showcases clips of the community at a recent charitable event, footage from another church to help inspire the entire congregation or a series of stock video clips focused on reaching a more spiritual state, church leaders can deliver a message that will hit home and resonate. Promotional VideosIt’s something that every congregation has worked on since the beginning of time. How do you bring in new clientele while still serving the needs of existing followers? Some churches have gone beyond the typical word-of-mouth marketing. Putting out video advertisements, on local television or through social media, will help demonstrate that your community is cutting edge: If tastefully and professionally done, you can get in front of new patrons using the same methods that companies use to try to find new customers. This investment can pay off with more than just new faces. It’ll bring more attention and pride to the existing patrons. History of a ChurchIf your house of worship has a long and important history inside of your area, it’s essential to get that story told however possible. Oral tradition is valuable, but we won’t always have those people’s voices with us. While there’s still time, hire a videographer to put together a short video that covers the early days of the church. Some congregations have turned to videos like these as valuable marketing materials that convey the longer narrative that might not yet be known by all. Projects like these appeal to our emotions while showcasing spirituality, commitment and tradition. These are lessons everyone can learn and other industries should take heed. Church Photo via Shutterstock The post 3 Ways Churches are Leading the Way with Video appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
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