Why You Should Be Open To Volunteer and Charity Options As A Small Business

 Starting a small business comes with numerous obstacles. There is never a dull moment - and it doesn’t get easier with time. Making sure your business is successful takes time, dedication, and creativity. One thing a lot of small business owners tend to take for granted is all of the good things that accompany the act of community service. Many owners aren’t concerned with making sure to develop a strong community bond from the beginning because they have a million other things going on.

However,  the key to a successful small business is establishing and maintaining that community bond.

 There are multiple things small business owners can do to start building a stronger community connection. The best way to get involved is to know what your customers are interested and involved in. Making an effort to get to know them will open up opportunities you may have overlooked, such as: you can offer your space after hours as a meeting place for different groups or organizations, or volunteer a team of your staff at different community improvement projects.  It could also be as simple as sponsoring a team or event. And the best part: most of these things cost little or next to nothing other than the time of you and your employees.

Finding some way big or small, to contribute not only helps improve the community, but it is excellent free publicity. Recent studies by Cone Communication and Echo Research have illuminated the benefits of community outreach. Many American consumers have admitted to shopping at certain places or buying certain products because they value that company’s community efforts. AND - by building such a great name for your business through community involvement, you’re also building a loyal customer base.

So, here are some tips on getting your business involved:

1.       Get your employees, and/or families on the same page. In order for your community efforts to work, you’re going to need a team who is equally as jazzed about all the benefits of helping out the community. Most successful small businesses are not a one man show, and this shouldn’t be either.  Not only does getting your employees involved look good, but it creates leadership opportunities that might not otherwise present themselves. It also allows you to connect with your employees on a deeper level than you normally would during normal work hours.

2.       Don’t just expect these things to show up on your door step. Going out of your way to find community service opportunities is when you’ll really begin to broaden your potential customer reach. Just because a volunteer opportunity may seem small or abstract doesn’t mean it won’t be beneficial to your business. You can find opportunities through word of mouth, a little internet research, watching the news, or even getting your employees together a couple times a month to brainstorm.

3.       Get involved and stay involved. Volunteering just once or twice a year may have the opposite effect on your business; if customers just think you’re getting involved in the community for the publicity of it, that may leave a bad taste in their mouth. Making it a goal to give back to the community in some way at least once a month will help keep your name in good standing, and also keep your employees on track with your community goals.

4.       And last but certainly not the least- let your customers know what you’re up to. By keeping your website or blog up to date with what you and your team have been doing in the community, you’re helping foster that good name that you want for your business. It’s a somewhat subtle way to keep new and old customers in the loop, and it also let’s your customers know that you’re not afraid of using social media. We all know how wonderful the internet can be as a marketing tool; and this is just one more way to advertise your business, without seeming to try.

Keep these four things in mind, and you’ll have no problem building and maintaining a beneficial relationship with your community.


 Sources:
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226974
http://www.independentwestand.org/community-involvement-equals-more-business-%E2%80%93-a-real-winwin/
http://www.padgettbusinessservices.com/blog/community-involvement-is-crucial-for-small-businesses 

Image Credit:
ShutterStock
 

7 tips for decreasing your caffeine consumption while maintaining your energy

            Some days making it from 9 to 5 can seem unfathomable- nearly impossible; especially without my morning cup of joe. My love affair with coffee is somewhat of a love-hate relationship. I love coffee; my body hates anything after the third cup. Coffee isn’t so much about the caffeine for me as it is about the ritual. Getting to work, powering up my computer, mixing my coffee while I mentally prepare myself for whatever my day has in store, and nursing my soul through the morning with cup after cup of rich, nutty, piping hot (or in the summer months, frosty cold) coffee. But I get to about eleven am and I lose all focus, my knees and hands start shaking, and  I scarf down some sort of food and fast, so I don't keel over. 

I haven’t quite mastered the coffee rush. 

So, I’ve painstakingly learned when to cut myself off. And even though I manage to escape the faint feelings, I lose a little bit of steam, and after lunch it’s all down-hill from there. With that, I’ve come up with some decaffeinated tricks to battle my coffee urges, all the while increasing my energy levels. 

7 Tips For Decreasing Your Caffeine Consumption While Maintaining Your Energy

1. Eat a nutritious, filling breakfast

We’ve all been told never to skimp out on the most important meal of the day, but so many of us are guilty of it. Especially those of you with kids, dogs, or just spouses who are, dare I say it - distracting in the morning rush. But even if it means making a giant batch of oatmeal in the slow cooker to last me the week, I make sure to eat something before I start my day. Eating breakfast tells your body that it’s time to get moving, provides nutrients for your body to thrive on until your next meal, and eating a healthy one will yield the most energy. 

2    2. Don’t just eat breakfast, but eat smaller

Eating big meals is what America is all about. Making sure we eat three meals a day is an ideal we’ve all grown up on. However, we’re all familiar with that lethargic feeling that accompanies large meals. I’ve made it a habit to eat about five or six small meals throughout the day. It helps me avoid the sleepiness, but also makes me feel wonderful spiritually- who isn’t happy when they get to eat all day long?
 

3    3. Schedule your most grueling work for the morning

Humans naturally retain their highest energy levels in the morning hours, so powering through your toughest (or most boring) work in the AM can help make the rest of your day more productive.

4    4. Turn down the temperature

Under normal circumstances, this suggestion would be the farthest from my mind considering I always feel cold. However, I have noticed that I’m much more alert when I’m a little bit chilly. The heat naturally contributes to lethargy, and even though it might feel nice to be in a toasty office, the cool air is better at keeping us awake.

5    5. Let there be light

This probably goes without saying, but light even in unnatural forms makes us feel more alert and helps increase productivity. Our bodies naturally respond to light, and when it’s dark out our bodies start to think that it’s nap time. If like me you aren’t blessed with a window nearby, invest in a decent desk-lamp.

6    6. Disrupt yourself

I start to feel to the sleepiest when I’m working on a project for a long stretch of time. So instead of trying to stick it out and make it through the project, I switch gears. Taking a break from one task and working on a quick project in between can help reboot our brains a little bit. And I always feel a bit more accomplished when I can cross little things off my list.

7    7. Nap

Now, don’t get me wrong; I’m not suggesting you lay your head down on your keyboard and take a little afternoon siesta while the rest of the office is slaving away. But most jobs generally allow you to take a couple breaks throughout the day. So instead of sitting in the kitchen or chatting it up with a coworker when you’re feeling exhausted, maybe sit outside or head to your car and take a ten to fifteen minute cat nap. Even taking naps at home on the weekends or during a busy evening can help you feel better rested throughout the rest of the week.

Sources:

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/7-caffeine-free-ways-to-increase-alertness.html

http://www.yast.com/productivity/20-ways-boost-energy-relying-caffeine/

5 Tips to Get Your Parent on the Tech Track

 

About a month ago, my dad decided to step up his cell phone game and buy a smart phone. 

The last eight years or so, my dad has been nurturing the same basic prepaid phone that he's always had. He used his cell phone primarily to screen his calls but rarely answers them. If I called him on it and left a message, it wouldn't be long before he called me back from his house phone. My best guess for the reasoning behind this would be a combination of causes. One, he never carried his cell on him. So when he'd hear it ringing from a distant room in the house, he wouldn't  be able to make it in time to answer. The second reason being that he never figured out how to program any numbers in it, so unless you left a message he had no idea who was trying to give him a buzz. The third reason was that he refused to give in to the technological pressures of today's world. It was one thing for dad to get a cell phone, (I mostly think he did it to hush the voices of cell phone reasoning coming from every direction) it was another to actually use his cell as it was intended.

I was surprised, to say the least, when my dad made the leap and decided to get a smart phone. He had my brother and me over to help him set it up, program some numbers, and show him the basics. All of this seemed like monkey work to us, but by the lost look my dad's face held the entire time, it was obvious the feeling wasn't mutual.

Since then, he's shown multiple frustrations with his new tech accessory. He can't quite figure out how to see his missed calls, or return them for that matter. His texts are always a jumble of letters, scripts of nonsense, and half paragraphs. A couple of minutes after every text comes the phone call expressing his frustrations with the sensitive keyboard and his chubby-dad fingers.

All of his trouble got me to thinking: is the root of our parents’ technological troubles, us? Stay with me here; with all of my dad's struggles in learning how to use his new phone, my brother and I have done the bare minimum to help him understand it. I know that every person my age has had someone ask them for help with a new gadget they bought, and we all deeply dread this request. It's equally as frustrating for us to try to explain how things work as it is for them to muddle through it on their own. My generation is by far the least patient of the generations before us. The last thing we want to do is take a second to slow down, and break down tasks that we fly through daily. 

So to make things easier in the long run for both us and our parents, I’ve decided to pass on some tips that have helped me get my parents on the tech track:

1.      Start small. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was the Internet. By starting small (like “here’s how to turn your device on”) or showing them how to toggle, it’ll make their overall learning experience a little easier. When you overwhelm someone while trying to teach them, basic human instinct is to immediately shutdown at the earliest sign of frustration. So in order to avoid that, spend a fair amount of time teaching your parents the basic skills to navigate their new device.

2.      Keep calm and technology on. Like I said before, my generation is most definitely guilty of lacking patience in all areas of life. And playing the teacher role isn’t for everybody, but being able to remain patient and speak to your parent in a calm, cool, and collected fashion will also decrease frustrations for both parties.

3.      Show them one task at a time. It is really easy to get lost when jumping from one task to another. Instead of jumping from texts to taking photos, to using the internet, and then going back to texting, show them the basics of each task, one at a time before moving to the next.

4.      Make them do it on their own. Having your parent send you a text by themselves is the easiest way for them to learn. Have them send words, pictures, and emoticons (if they’re into that). It’s more reassuring for them if they know they can do it before you leave, but still have you in the room just in case something goes awry. Make them get lost in their apps, and navigate their way back home. Once they know they can do the basics without you telling them every step, they’ll be less likely to ring you on the house phone and ask you to walk them through it.

5.      If all else fails, make sure they have an expert understanding on the ins and outs of YouTube. That way, the strangers of the internet can give them at-home tutorials when you’re not around.