Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Building Business Within a Community

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Building Business Within a Community The seeds of community can be critical when it comes to choosing a location for a new brick-and-mortar business, and small-business owners are likely to rely on personal connections to develop and sustain a strong customer base. Local ownership and even word of mouth, however, only go so far. Physical businesses shouldcontinually remind the community of their existence and engage in community outreach to help ensure a pipeline of new customers. I asked three local business owners how they reinforce the strong community ties that can ultimately lead to more sales: James DiSabatino, owner ofRoxy’s Grilled Cheesein Boston; Cheryl Munoz, co-owner ofSugar Beet Food Co-opin Chicago; and Janet Schultz, owner ofBlue-J Eco-Friendly SmallOffice Cleaningin North Carolina. James DiSabatino:We opened our first food truck in March of 2011. By 2014, we had a second truck and our first restaurant.We didnt have any money for promotion, so we relied strictly on social media to help spread the word. Cheryl Munoz:We were everywhere all the time. Through our events, like an annual Edible Garden Tour, and cooking and growing classes, we built the Sugar Beet Food Co-op brand by bringing like-minded people together for skill-sharing and fun. We volunteered for other organizations, were present at community events and meetings, and established our presence as a partner in the community. Janet Schultz:Blue-J is a socially conscious business employing those on the Autism spectrum. When it was founded, I began networking with the Cabarrus Chamber of Commerce and a number of other localbusiness organizations. Ivolunteered and participated in events with the Autism Society of North Carolina andAutism Speaks. Ialso hit the streets in a number of cold calls. What ongoing activities do you engage in to stay on the community’s radar? Munoz:Early on, we established a nonprofit organization, Sugar Beet Schoolhouse, which provides food literacy training and development throughout our community. By partnering with area service agencies, schools and businesses, we will continue to build on the goodwill and the groundswell of interest in local, sustainable food that we have fostered over the years. Schultz:Blue-J is a give-back company. As such, our employees often participate in volunteer work during their free time. We volunteer at dog washes, we help decorate downtown during the Christmas season, and we collect food for the hungry of Cabarrus County. Blue-J employees have spoken at rotary club meetings, and we had a presence at an Autism Speaks Town Hall meeting. We also held a client appreciation luncheon where weshared our business model with our present clients with the objective of seeking referrals from them. DiSabatino:We participate in as many local events as we can, allowing people who would not normally try our food to do so. We also raise money for local organizations through ticket sales to the events. Its a win-win. For the rest of the interview, check out the AMEX Open Forum.

How Professional Resume Writing Can Get Your Resume Seen

How Professional Resume Writing Can Get Your Resume SeenIf you have a professional resume in hand, the best way to get it noticed is to use professional resume writing Toronto North York on Toronto's biggest search engines. You might not think that it would work but when you take a look at the right search engine, you will see the results.Professional resume writing Toronto North York on Toronto's biggest search engines can help get your resume seen by as many people as possible. You are best to use the Internet to get the most exposure for your resume. It is free to submit your resume online and you can also find services for free.Resumes do not have to be long or complex. One that is created by a professional has to reflect your best qualities and also be convincing enough to convince a recruiter to hire you. There are some common mistakes that one can make in professional resume writing Toronto North York on Toronto's big search engines that will quickly lead to an error in the se arch result page.Complete sentences and paragraphs are of little use when you are looking for work online. The only reason you need to keep your resume short is to fit all the information into the page. By limiting yourself to just a couple of sentences you are likely to leave out the critical information that will create a better resume.Researching and including important key words and phrases is another common mistake. Instead of leaving out important information you can simply include it without changing the format of your resume. By including key words and phrases, they will be seen by many other job seekers and the job search process will be more effective.One of the best ways to get your professional resume noticed is to use professional resume writing Toronto North York on Toronto's big search engines. This is a great way to get your resume seen by many other job seekers and more jobs will be found for you. Resumes that are short, direct and include information about your ski lls are likely to be noticed.Professional resume writing Toronto North York on Toronto's big search engines will save you time and save you money. This is not to say that hiring a professional is expensive. In fact, you may be able to save up to 90% of the cost of a standard resume with this type of professional resume writing.In order to use professional resume writing Toronto North York on Toronto's biggest search engines you will need to consider the information you want included in your resume. If you do not know what your talents are, you will not be able to use the available services and find the jobs you want. No matter what industry you are in, or what job you are looking for, this can be the best way to get your resume noticed and get you the job you want.

Five Ways to Keep Up in Business

Five Ways to Keep Up in Business Having your own business is as terrifying as it is exciting. You are now in charge of an intricate knit of finances and people, responsible for figuring out where to spend and save, who to target and learn from. It can be daunting to step into the fierce world of business, surrounded by your competitors and feeling overwhelmed by customer demands.   If youre running your own business, even if you’re just getting started, here are some helpful ways you can keep up with the fast-paced rhythm of the money-making world. Get Mobile The growth in technology is pushing people further and further from the burden of static physicality. This means that we can delegate parts of our body’s workload onto our digital devices. In business, this will help you keep up with larger companies in your field. Make yourself accessible to a wider target market by focusing on the improvement of your online presence. Being able to reach audiences all over the world is clearly an excellent way of expanding your potential consumer base. Using a professional service such as    Minneapolis mobile marketing can help you enhance the efficacy of your business online. With a larger population able to access your business,   the higher the probability of success. Stay Moving Contemporary trends and fleeting sparks of mass interest are barely tangible, not only because they tend to exist mostly in the digital realm but also because they barely last a few days at a time. Instead of letting the fluid nature of consumer demands dissuade you from maintaining a strong business, learn to accept the flow of the trend-tide and utilize it where possible. It is possible and even beneficial to keep up your strong primary business focus while allowing for extraneous and low-effort side pursuits. Just ensure that these endeavours cost considerably less than your main business and that the trend you hope to engage with is actually worth spending time on. That way you can attract more consumers by optimizing the popularity of the moment while sticking to the essential integrity of your business. Learn to Tread Water (But Not for Too Long) While keeping up with larger, more financially flexible companies might compel you to rush ahead with ideas and expenditures simply to prove your business can manage it.   But the risk of stretching your resources too far and losing momentum are high. Keeping up isn’t about forcing yourself to overtake but to steadily train yourself and your business to improve over time. After broadening your consumer base by enhancing your mobile marketing and by accepting the trends that have potential money-making qualities, you can take a moment to breathe. Your business is a structure that requires the right balance of elements. If you inflate your priorities too far in one direction it may all go lopsided. For example, focusing entirely on marketing and forgetting the service or product â€" which is ultimately the most important thing â€" you will unfortunately lose customers when they realize that the thing they were hoping to be given does not actually exist as advertised. Avoid making this mistake by paying attention to the progress of your business and resisting the urge to power ahead carelessly. Learn from the Best Not to say that you should mimic Apple’s marketing strategy to a fault, of course, but taking notes on how successful, larger businesses operate can significantly improve your own. There’s a reason those companies have achieved high status and notoriety; search for their secrets to build your own strategy. This way you won’t have as much trepidation when experimenting with new business techniques as these will have already been tested â€" and proven effective â€" by bigger companies.  Learn from the Worst Similarly, you should pay close attention to the mistakes of fallen businesses. Things like corruption, misunderstanding of finances, and poor product quality all contribute to the failure of a company. Find the commonalities between the techniques and expenditures of unsuccessful businesses to pinpoint a pattern of mistakes. That way you can avoid falling into the same traps without having to learn the hard way. The tricks to keeping up with intimidating big businesses are fairly simple once you know them. Embrace modern technology and its ability to reach around the entire globe. This will open your business up to a much larger audience. Keep an eye on current topics and trends, no matter how fleeting they might be. Choose which of these to fold into an eye-catching marketing strategy. Don’t push yourself past the limits of your business. Emulate the success stories of the industry and learn from the mistakes of others.

Generic InMails Just Chill Out for a Minute

Generic InMails Just Chill Out for a Minute Hands up if youve ever received a generic InMail on LinkedIn  about a new opportunity or role that youd supposedly be a good candidate for (whether or not thats true, whether or not youre remotely interested)? *Everyone raises hand*. Thats what I thought, you can all put your hands down now. Its pretty stock standard stuff, really, in the world of recruitment.  Recruiters recruit people for specific roles, on behalf of organisations. Whether its an internal recruiter or an agency one, the end goal is ultimately the same. Players gonna play play play play play, Taylor Swift is gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake  and recruiters gonna recruit, recruit, recruit, recruit, recruit. Hi (insert your name),  I hope you are well.  I wanted to talk with you about an exciting opportunity Im working on which I feel youd be a great for! My client is looking for an XXX to help lead the YYY. Theyre offering a really competitive package for the right person, let me know if youre open to having  a confidential discussion. Best regards, ZZZ. You can spot a generic InMail from a mile away. They have a certain formality; a one size fits all gleam about them. It really doesnt matter though; youre either interested or youre not, so youll  react in one of the following ways: Youll think, no, this has no relevance to me right now and Im not interested,  ignore it and go about your life. Youll think, no, this has no relevance to me right now and Im not interested, write a quick not interested, thanks note, bump the automatic response option, refer someone or say lets keep in touch though, then go about your life. Youll think, actually yes, this sounds interesting, write back telling them to give you a call to discuss. Unfortunately,  these reactions dont cut it for some. Sometimes,  recipients  of these  generic approaches on LinkedIn feel the need to retaliate in a sinister way, replying with a nasty, snide remark. Or, in some cases,  Ive seen naming and shaming occur, which ultimately tears down a recruiter, ruining their reputation in a public forum.  Some feel the need to  go to the recruiters boss and dob on them for un-targeted approaches, or publicly whinge and whine about recruiters and their spamming ways, igniting  a recruiter-hate debate online. They feed the rumours  that recruiters are relentless and chase candidates for their deal at all costs, without doing research first. If Im totally honest, I just cannot  understand how and why people get so frustrated at receiving generic InMails, even if they are completely irrelevant to them and their profile!  I guess these people feel at liberty to express scathing testimonials  about recruiters  seeing as they feel theyve been wrongly targeted, had their time wasted or been victim of some line-crossing behaviour. But my question is this: Why does it matter? The generic InMail approach  transcends recruitment  and is used by sales people and business developers across a range of industries. LinkedIn is an incredible networking tool that  allows  professionals to build and foster  relationships that they otherwise might not have the means to. If youre on LinkedIn, youre putting yourself out there to be contacted. Recruiters are simply doing their jobs when they contact you. Dont you have something better to do than whinge? Why, why, why? First of all, lets look at why  recruiters send generic InMails.  They are ultimately looking for candidates for their clients, and you have appeared in a search theyve run, suggesting to them you could be a good fit for the role. With millions of people in the world, if a recruiter wrote a personalised InMail to every person on LinkedIn who could potentially be suited to a role they are recruiting for, they would have zero hours in the day left and would  never stop writing. Obviously, the better the recruiter, the more targeted their searches will be and the more relevant the InMails; but even the greatest recruiters dont have time to craft individualised InMails for every single person. Recruiters are up against so many odds; they are up against a range of competitors and need to reach as many relevant people as possible, so as to deliver the best possible talent options for their clients. This is all not to mention that many people put generic  information about their own careers on LinkedIn in the first place, leaving a lot room for guesswork, ultimately inviting more generic approaches. You could be the perfect person for the role, but a recruiter wouldnt necessarily know because youve only listed a few details which could be interpreted a million and one different ways! How remiss it would be of a recruiter not to at least make an approach, and let you decide if you are / arent interested or suitable. All within reason Obviously there are far better approaches recruiters can make other than the generic InMail. Great recruiters really get to know their network and attract candidates for their clients  in  more strategic ways than generic InMailing. This is not an approach to be constantly relied upon, nor is it effective enough to build a business on, however if one candidate is placed off the back of a generic InMail, that could mean a HUGE fee for an agency recruiter, or a budget / target reached for an internal one. Worth it? Indeed. Let me also point out that if you  tell someone not to contact you again, you have every right to do so. Im in no way condoning harassment or repeated unwanted approaches. Im just talking about random recruiters who get in contact about a particular role for the first time, not knowing  much about the person theyre InMailing. In summary Recruiters have to try everything; they cant afford not to.  Recruiters arent InMailing you for the fun of it, nor are they doing it to be annoying. They are doing it  as a way to offer you the chance at applying for a role they are working on, and sooner or later you might actually really need their help. Who cares if a recruiter InMails you about a role of no relevance? Obviously they have huge pressure on them and are trying all they can to find people for their vacancy. The answer is simple; just ignore it if youre so disinterested. Its not invasive, its just an InMail. Get over it.

The Advantages of Using Volunteer Provided Resume Writing Services

The Advantages of Using Volunteer Provided Resume Writing ServicesThere are many advantages of using volunteer provided resume writing services. In most cases these services are provided for free by a well known company, but you do not have to spend money to get the service. If you want to hire a writer, this would be the way to go. The advantages of having a writer to write your resume far outweigh the disadvantages.In addition to giving you the opportunity to save money, professional resume writers are able to provide you with a unique writing style. It is often difficult to find a writer who will write your resume in a manner that will be able to attract attention and retain the reader's attention. This ability to connect with readers will help you achieve your goals in the long run.When you choose a particular writer, you will be able to work with them personally or through them. There are companies that can provide you with samples of work that they have done and then you can hi re them. They can help you get a sense of the style that you are looking for and the skills needed in the job.Volunteers are usually able to get the job done quickly. They are familiar with the requirements that a resume must have and know exactly what they are talking about. They will be able to provide you with samples of their work so that you can see the style of writing that you need. Because these people are so familiar with the requirements, you can feel more confident in what you are getting.Using a writer also gives you the ability to see the work that they have done on other resumes. These individuals are aware of what the style of writing should be and what to avoid so that you do not risk alienating your current employer. They can work with you to provide you with a resume that does not leave anything out.The writers can also ensure that you do not overlook any details on your resume. This will help you avoid making the same mistakes over again. They are able to avoid yo u making mistakes that could make you look bad and give you the chance to improve your chances of getting the job.A good writer can make certain that all of the information on your resume is accurate. The information that you put on your resume is very important. The information can affect your chances of getting the job you desire, as well as your wages for the job.If you are wondering if you should use a freelance writer to write your resume, the answer is yes. The benefits of using these services far outweigh the disadvantages. While you may not be able to afford to hire a professional, you may be able to afford a person who has volunteered to work for free.

Is the world getting a second-rate version of you

Is the world getting a second-rate version of you “Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.” Judy GarlandYou are a genius.   How often do you say that yourself?   Well, Im here to tell you that every single one of us has a core genius.   Its the unique perspective, talents, ambitions,   network, presence, purpose and life experiences that no one else can replicate because they are uniquely yours.Your core genius is so important and powerful that when you build a career around it, you are truly unstoppable.   Take my client with a genius for public relations.   We crafted a plan for her to leave her corporate job and embark on her dream of having her own firm.   Since day one, clients have been clamoring to work with her.   And now that shes in control, she has much more time with her kids while still earning a great income.   Shes created her ideal career and her success has inspired her husband to take his genius and start his own business too! If everyone is a genius, why are s o many people unhappy in their jobs?   “The mass of men [and women] lead lives of quiet desperation. Henry David Thoreau. When you lack an understanding of your genius, you tend to look at whats out there and shoe horn yourself into jobs that fit perhaps some of who you are but dont showcase the full value your genius is capable of providing.When this is the case, you dont get fully compensated for what youre capable of.   You end up having to do what you can to get by.   You might even start questioning if you have a genius at all.   Or you might get the sense that you could be doing something more meaningful but fear that will require starting over.   So, you resign yourself to living for long weekends and vacations.   You dont talk much about work but when you do, you say things like What are you going to do?   No one likes their job.Over time, you stop putting your best out there.   You do a good job but you dont do a great job.   You get the job done but you dont add new in novative thoughts or ideas to your work.   You take on more responsibility to move up the ladder but end up resenting the increased demands because they take away from quality time with family and friends.   When you do have an inspired impulse, you talk yourself out of implementing it or you make a list and think, Ill get to that when I retire.The good news is that you dont need to live another day outside your genius.   You can build a bridge back to the kind of life and career that fit who you really are.   You can Soul Search, Research and Job Search and get focused clarity on your core genius and learn how to make a living being of service to others.   With these insights, youll know how to take smart career risks that dont endanger you or your familys well being but that give you the freedom to try new things and express your creativity and your genius in new and ever expanding ways.   Sound like a dream?   It is.   Its your dream job and thats part of your genius too.   When you have a day dream about where youd rather be and about what youd rather be doing, thats a clue to where your genius wants to and can take you. Its not a pipe dream.   Its not childlike wishing.   Its your core genius showing you what youre truly capable of.Its my genius to help light your way!   And I am grateful that I get to help real people transition to living and working from their core genius.   Take my client who was tired of fighting higher-ups to get his ideas implemented.   Working together we used his Soul Search, Research and Job Search insights to update his LinkedIn profile and ensure it showcased his genius.   Via LinkedIn he was sought after for an executive role in a new industry where they appreciate his genius.   He is thriving and being thanked almost daily by the CEO and members of the executive team for his contributions.   This kind of career happiness and success are possible for you too.   Contact me to figure out your core genius and make it your path!  (Genius Photo courtesy of flikr user Denise Krebs.)

Use your cash flow to adapt, expand and succeed

Use your cash flow to adapt, expand and succeed Speculate to accumulate is so often said when discussing the expansion of your business that it has almost become a cliche. As is often the case with cliches, the phrase itself is rarely expanded upon. So what are you expected to speculate with and how can you tell if the time is right to be looking forward and expanding?   There are many indicators for businesses that are looking towards expansion and growth. First of all, the economy will play a significant role in any decision you make. If the market is rough and customer sales are down, this is a red flag for you to avoid any further expenditure. However, if your sales are positive and the economic state of firstly your industry but also the climate of your country are leaving you with a sense of optimism, then it is time to start looking at your books. We all want our business to reach its full potential. For some of us that will be opening up a few chains and for others it will be a global shipping strategy, but the one thing that will link all of our ambitions and how we achieve them is how we monitor our free cash flow. Before looking into where to open your new store or what country to explore next, you need to make sure your business is healthy, and that is where FCF comes in. Different from net cash flow, FCF is looking at how much difference there is between your cash flow and capital expenditure. It is here that you will find that all important money that you can use to grow your company while ensuring you don’t expand beyond your means. You may be reading this and realizing that you have the capital available to move your business to the next level but are wary of making significant changes to your current set up. Well, don’t be. As discussed here, companies that don’t look to the future and embrace it will get left behind and eventually fail. Expanding your business doesn’t have to mean making it bigger and bolder, it can mean moving into new areas to make it more efficient. Home businesses, for example, may struggle to organize growth but following tried and tested methods just with a modern day twist can alleviate a lot of that pressure. Digital marketing is one area of business that can be used for as big or small an expenditure as you would like and ensuring that it is done right isn’t necessarily linked to budget.  Assuming you’re now looking at ways to expand your business, what can you do? A social media audit will give you a strong indication of how your business is being represented online. Analyzing all of your data across the many networks used every day by millions of people will help to set you up with a coherent social media strategy for the future. Even now the biggest conglomerates are finding new and exciting ways of developing their social media strategy on the understanding that this is a new way of reaching your consumer base and the rules of engagement haven’t necessarily been set yet. Staying in the digital market space, you should use this opportunity to look at how well your SEO is performing, what does a cursory search engine glance tell you about your company? There are several analytics tools available to you as well as the tried and tested Google Analytics and having assessed your cash flow you can now decide whether this is the time to redirect the manpower you have at your disposal so that you can utilize your time to get to grips with how digital expansion can help your business. There are more traditional ways to expand your business like looking into brick and mortar stores or increasing your stock. The point of this article is not to tell you what to do but instead show you how you can do it, the most important of which is to ensure you have the cash flow to expand into new areas, build upon what you already have and achieve the dreams that you have for your business no matter how big or small they may be. So, now is the time for you to pick through your accounts with a fine tooth-comb and analyze just how you can take your successful business and make it better.