Month: February 2023

Thanks to http://youtu.be/wxyGeUkPYFM

Thanks to https://www.theworkathomewoman.com/businesses-start-no-money/comment-page-2/#comment-1255897

In reply to Paul.

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your comment!

I respectfully disagree. I know many people who have started writing without experience or training; myself included. A positive mindset is one of the biggest factors in your success. 😊 If you enjoy writing, jump in and start doing it. The more you write, the better you get.

Another writer who started without experience is Danny Margulies; he chronicles his success in this interview:
https://www.theworkathomewoman.com/make-money-freelancing/

Here is a huge list of paid writing gigs, and they pay more than $5 per hour:
https://www.theworkathomewoman.com/paid-writing-gigs/

Wishing you all the best on your journey!

Thanks to https://www.allbusiness.com/black-business-owner-challenges

Since 1976 every U.S. president has designated February Black History Month to honor the achievements of Black Americans. And while the growth of Black-owned businesses is undoubtedly one of the achievements to celebrate, Black business owners still face formidable challenges.

Last fall, the U.S. Census Bureau released the 2021 Annual Business Survey (covering 2020), showing an estimated 140,918 Black-owned businesses with employees in the country, earning $141.1 billion in annual receipts and employing 1.3 million workers. Yet, according to Brookings, Blacks comprise 14.2% of the U.S. population, but only own 2.3% of all employer firms.

Additionally, there are about 3 million Black-owned businesses without employees. So, in total, there are approximately 3.12 million Black-owned businesses, generating $206 billion in annual revenues and employing 3.56 million workers.

Intuit QuickBooks recently released a new insights report containing some eye-opening stats about the “Black entrepreneurial experience in America.” It shows that “in addition to the pressures of running a business, Black business owners must navigate racism and biases that threaten their success.”

Black business owners must deal with racism

According to the report, 79% of Black business owners say they’ve experienced racism from a customer—with 48% reporting they had a racist customer interaction at least once in the past year.

Most (86%) of the Black business owners surveyed believe their businesses are “judged more critically than non-Black businesses.” In addition, the report says Black business owners “feel the impact of racial disparities” every day. So to avoid negative racial stereotypes, 82% say they behave differently in customer and vendor interactions.

But this serves as a motivating factor—94% say they “are motivated to succeed by a desire to disprove racial stereotypes.”

Despite what proved to be a temporary surge in consumer support following the murder of George Floyd and the Covid-19 pandemic, 46% of Black business owners who advertise their businesses as “Black-owned” think it is a deterrent to non-Black customers.

Funding and Black-owned businesses

The Intuit QuickBooks report also shows that 57% of Black business owners were denied a bank loan at least once when they started their businesses, compared to 37% of non-Black business owners.

On average, it costs Black entrepreneurs $5,000 more to start a business than their non-Black peers ($21,000 versus $16,000).

• While evidence shows it could take over 200 years to close the Black-white wealth gap, 73% of the Black business owners surveyed are optimistic it will significantly decrease in the next 100 years.

Bank of America’s 2022 Women & Minority Business Owner Spotlight reveals similar financial challenges for Black business owners—46% say they’ve faced issues accessing capital, and other challenges, including:

• 39% not feeling adequately informed about how to apply for capital
• 38% don’t have a relationship with a lender
• 21% don’t know where to apply for capital

Goldman Sachs10,000 Small Businesses Voices also released new survey data this month about Black small business owners revealing that 37% had difficulty accessing new capital and financing—14 percentage points higher than their non-Black peers. And in the past three months, 45% had to dip into their personal savings to keep their businesses afloat.

To help Black entrepreneurs discover funding opportunities, including equity, loans, and grants, Bank of America and Seneca Women launched the Access to Capital Directory for Black Entrepreneurs.

Businesses’ effect on Black communities

Black business owners are working to build stronger communities—75% told Intuit QuickBooks they believe Black-owned businesses are critical for a thriving Black community. And according to the Bank of America report, 87% are committed to driving social change through their businesses.

To help their communities grow, 55% of the Black entrepreneurs in the QuickBooks report want to see more mentoring from other Black business owners. According to the Bank of America report, 44% of Black business owners did not have a mentor, and 56% were self-taught.

What do Black business owners want?

Easier access to financing is at the top of their list. This is not surprising since 40% of the Black entrepreneurs in the Bank of America report don’t believe they’ll ever get equal access to capital. And 75% say they have to work harder to achieve the same level of success as their non-Black peers.

Despite all these challenges, all three reports found that Black business owners are optimistic about the present—and the future:

• 85% were able to pay themselves last year (QuickBooks)
• 81% are optimistic about the financial trajectory of their businesses this year (Goldman Sachs)
• 79% say their companies are successful (Bank of America)
• 78% expect their businesses to earn higher profits in 2023 (Goldman Sachs)
• 67% expect their businesses to create new jobs this year (Goldman Sachs)

Some Black entrepreneurs are also feeling hopeful. Angel Cornelius, founder and CEO of New York-based Maison 276, told Business Insider, “For most entrepreneurs, early-stage capital is sourced from personal networks. Unfortunately, the majority of early-stage Black entrepreneurs don’t have access to them…Following the George Floyd tragedy, I’m gradually seeing early-stage Black entrepreneurs obtain the necessary capital needed to execute their visions and fairly compete in today’s market. And I believe that the success of these entrepreneurs will serve as the foundational capital to support and nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs from our community.”

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices is calling for bigger change. Its National Leadership Council Chair, Jessica Johnson-Cope, says, “This Black History Month, we ought to celebrate the increasing success of Black-owned small businesses in this country. However, Black business owners and entrepreneurs continue to face systemic barriers relative to their peers. Our leaders in Washington must commit to removing these obstacles and allow Black businesses like mine to thrive.”

What does that look like? Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices has asked Congress to reauthorize the Small Business Administration, legislation to reauthorize and modernize key SBA programs, for the first time in 23 years. It says, “Modernization would improve access to capital and financing options for Black-owned small businesses, as well as simplify the certification process for minority-owned business programs.”

Thanks to https://www.personalbrandingblog.com/personal-branding-tips-for-executives-in-boring-industries/

Building a personal brand is all about capturing attention. If you work in a “boring” industry, it can be tough to communicate the key benefits that differentiate you from competitors. Especially when you work in an industry that’s not usually the topic of conversation or trending on social media.

Take the VoIP industry, a very boring industry. It’s hard to make VOIP stand out or make it “sexy”. People don’t usually turn to VoIP companies for engaging content, actionable educational or entertainment. But with the right attitude and the ability to produce quality content, leaders even in the boring Cloud VoIP industry can gain recognition and build an audience. (I’ll show you a real life example in bullet #1 below).

In this article I’ll show you real examples of how to capture your target market’s attention, convert them into stark raving fans, and build your personal brand even when you’re in a boring industry.

Ready? Let’s roll!

1. Be Bold. Be Authentic. 

Wallflowers and shrinking violets don’t build brands. People who are bold and enthusiastic do. For executives looking to make their mark and build a brand, being a hands-on, in the trenches type of person translates into authentic experience.

You don’t want to be the kind of exec that takes all the credit and not know how anything works. If your team does the heavy lifting while you get the kudos but you can’t explain how your widget works, then people are not going to respect your opinion.

Someone who shows they know what they are doing and can express their “Why” is going to be more authentic.

Don’t be afraid to have an opinion and share it, even if it happens to touch on the politics of the day. If it is earnest, authentic and well-thought-out—not some emotionally charged overreaction—then boldly proclaim it and let the discourse begin. That is what builds engagement, followers, and brands. 

Those who take a position and confidently support their way of thinking are more likely to stand out 

People value leaders who are confident and don’t flip-flop on their beliefs just to appease the masses. Sure, some feathers may get ruffled, but how many low-key, wishy-washy executives can you name? Exactly. You can’t name many because they don’t stand out and nobody knows who they are.

2. Share Actionable Expertise

Just because your industry isn’t interesting doesn’t mean no one is interested. You can still share your knowledge and expertise to build your brand. Take Ryan Stewman, the sales and marketing expert who runs a sales training called The Hardcore Closer.

Ryan gained a loyal following talking about lead generation. He has built a multi-million dollar business by taking what has worked for him, sharing it, and monetizing it.

Ryan was on the cutting edge of using social media and videos to promote himself and connect with people when he started in sales. Because of his success, he started to teach other salespeople how to use social media to connect with people and use tools for lead generation. 

He built a lead generation software company called Phonesites that helps salespeople create their own sales funnels. He offered free training on Facebook live and produced free content in the form of articles and training videos.

Sharing his expertise helped grow his personal brand which has allowed him to scale into other successful business ventures. He’s doing it right.

Chris the founder of SalesMessage is another great example. He has been using SMS texting to communicate with anyone who contacts their business or even subscribes to their webinars, events, or blog. 

He shares actionable tips, tricks and information while trying to covert some of the leads who contact him and gets a whopping 70% response rate on SMS texts. He recently shared the complete set of sample text messages to send to customers on his blog. He engages his potential customers and build his following.

But, one of the biggest mistakes you can make in personal branding is to be and act like someone you are not. You will eventually be outed, caught, or exposed. 

When building a personal brand, don’t pretend to be someone you’re not or have expertise when you don’t.

Elizabeth Holmes, CEO of the once highly-touted blood-testing startup Theranos, was once the darling of Silicon Valley. She was seen as an influencer and visionary in the same vein as Steve Jobs.

Theranos WAS Elizabeth Holmes and her personal brand of being a healthcare wunderkind carried the firm. Unfortunately for many people, the whole company and the whole story was a massive fraud. She faked her expertise and knowledge, the company was exposed and now it is no more.

A personal brand built on lies and half-truths will come back to bite you.

3. Be the MVP of Value

If you want to really stand out, you must be useful and add maximum value at all times. Do this by offering free info, training, and content about your industry and share that info while speaking at events and on podcasts.

We’re talking about sharing real expertise, not just thoughts or opinions, but practical knowledge that comes from actually having done the work.

Jack Kosakowski kills it here. Jack has been providing actionable social selling advice and content for over 5 years. With his SkillsLab social selling site, he has been helping salespeople to increase their presence through social media and how to correctly connect with—and sell to—their target clients. 

Value comes from experience. Jack has churned out content on social media, his blog, publications like The Harvard Business Review, and on podcasts—continually sharing what has worked for him, and how it took him from a newbie salesperson to the CEO of the US division of a Global Digital Agency.

4. Stop Selling and Build Trust Instead

Look, you don’t need to be Billy Mays or the ShamWow guy, pitching and promoting all day while operators are standing by. Constantly pushing product is exhausting. But talking and engaging with people in your own voice—your true self—and showing them how to succeed with examples and actionable ideas will build trust.

When you let people see the real you, trust is built and your brand strengthens and attracts new prospects.

Trust isn’t built by speaking AT people. It’s built by engaging and speaking WITH with your audience.

People like to do business with people they know, like and trust. And that’s usually not the guy with the bullhorn shouting “Look at me! Look at me!” Differentiate yourself by sharing knowledge from real-world experience in an authentic, engaging way that creates value and trustworthiness. This will build your personal brand.

When someone needs to seek out info in your industry, you will be top-of-mind because you will be the rockstar of your “boring” industry. They will come to you for the value you provide because you’ve built trust due to engagement, value, and expertise. 

 

The post Personal Branding Tips For Executives In “Boring” Industries appeared first on Personal Branding Blog – Stand Out In Your Career.

Thanks to https://seedtime.com/legitimate-home-based-business-ideas-opportunities/#comment-1998619 It was a great sharing, I did not come across such an article on the internet, thank you

Thanks to https://www.theworkathomewoman.com/businesses-start-no-money/comment-page-2/#comment-1255897

In reply to Paul.

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your comment!

I respectfully disagree. I know many people who have started writing without experience or training; myself included. A positive mindset is one of the biggest factors in your success. 😊 If you enjoy writing, jump in and start doing it. The more you write, the better you get.

Another writer who started without experience is Danny Margulies; he chronicles his success in this interview:
https://www.theworkathomewoman.com/make-money-freelancing/

Here is a huge list of paid writing gigs, and they pay more than $5 per hour:
https://www.theworkathomewoman.com/paid-writing-gigs/

Wishing you all the best on your journey!

Thanks to https://www.allbusiness.com/disadvantages-of-remote-working

By Ravi Komatireddy

Nearly three years after the dawn of the Covid-19 era, perhaps one of the era’s most lasting legacies is still with us: many of us continue to wake up in the morning and log on to work rather than driving into an office. A lasting effect of the lockdowns of 2020 was to incentivize greater workplace flexibility, and that is surely a good thing.

It’s no surprise that this trend has been difficult to reverse, even with many organizations calling their talent back to work. Many professionals got a taste of virtual life and decided they were never going back. Industry watchers have cautioned that CEOs who do not accept this trend are out of touch with the reality of the modern workplace, and risk losing talent to competitors.

Remote work will no doubt always be popular, and there’s no question that the pandemic forced many of us to question assumptions about the standard ways of doing business. But at the risk of being contrarian, I believe many organizations are making a mistake in caving into this pressure. We can’t lose sight of how much we have lost. And I fear that the longer the status quo goes on, the more difficult it will be to put this genie back in the bottle.

The metaverse is promising, but it’s not here yet

Let’s call a spade a spade—in-person collaboration cannot be fully replaced by virtual alternatives. Full stop.

I have no doubt that Mark Zuckerberg is sincere in his zeal to build a wholly immersive metaverse in which we can interact with one another in a seamless and engaging way. But the plain fact is we aren’t there yet, and today’s tools are not up for the job. Zoom, for instance, is an inadequate replacement for the energy, creativity, and team synergy that comes from being present in the same physical space and fully immersed in the task.

I should add a caveat that there are surely some organizations that are, more or less, operating on autopilot at this point. Their focus is keeping the wheels in motion, and it doesn’t especially matter if a technical or customer service representative is sitting in a cubicle or a living room, as long as they can complete tasks and follow set instructions. But achieving something new, bold, and significant often requires a more dynamic environment—one that can foster teamwork. In short, the challenges of remote work are especially acute when you’re building something new, like an early-stage digital company.

I’ve heard from many fellow entrepreneurs and founders on this topic, and there’s no doubt that remote work can provide benefits, including cost-savings and even productivity for some roles requiring deep concentration. As a digital startup, it’s tempting to embrace the remote work model, especially for customer support and operations needs. After all, no commute time, no office rent, and no need for physical space.

But the name of the game for most startups is ultimately collaboration.

Zoom: Where creativity too often goes to die

Innovation and conveying ideas are critical parts of creating something new, especially in a startup. After all, you’re building something from scratch, with a little blueprint of how to succeed. Without being in the same room as your team, it can be impossible to get everyone on board with your vision and have them understand your point of view.

Success essentially comes down to being able to trust the people you are working with. Consider the dynamics of an interdisciplinary team leveraging a wide range of diverse backgrounds; for example, at my company we have game theory experts, nutritionists, and doctors. These folks don’t necessarily speak the same language, to begin with. When you add remote work into the equation, it only doubles the problem of getting people to agree and understand— all the more reason to get them in one room to hash out solutions face-to-face. Bringing everyone together in-person for even just a few days is much more effective than endlessly enduring the miscommunications and sense of detachment I’ve felt in countless virtual meetings.

Social interaction is a fundamental part of human nature and, hear me out, it’s impossible to replicate in a virtual space. We can’t expect to shortcut 500,000 years of evolution and still be successful. We need to make eye contact with the people we depend on. We need to shake hands and to grab coffee or lunch together. We need the neurotransmitters that help us form bonds and unite behind a common vision—and that only comes from being in person. Until the day I can look into the eyes of a Zuckerberg-manifested avatar and feel a connection with a colleague, digital startups need to plan for physical meetings and recognize the importance of co-locating teams.

Essentially, some of the most satisfying days in a startup can involve knockdown, tedious arguments around solving complex problems no one has ever faced, late into the night with nothing more than a large whiteboard and raw brainpower. The satisfaction and synergy that comes from working with a hand-picked team of bright minds to solve difficult problems are impossible to replicate with a mouse, keyboard, and streaming camera.

Great projects require accountability—and camaraderie

Finally, it has to be said as an executive: remote work too often leads to a lack of accountability and team spirit. When team members are working from different locations, it can be difficult to build strong relationships and a sense of shared purpose.

The last thing a startup needs is for remote employees to feel like it is harder to resolve conflicts, feel less involved in the mission, and perceive less trust in each other. This can be fatal to a startup. How can we foster strong relationships if our peers are little more than faces in boxes on a tiny screen (on one of the numerous tabs open)?

Some CEOs may appear to be behind the times for refusing to embrace remote work, but face-to-face collaboration still has no equal. Even with today’s technology, Zoom alternatives cannot replicate the creativity, synergy, and focus that come from people being together in the same room. To quote The Beatles—guys who knew something about the power of in-person collaboration—“We need to come together…right now.”

About the Author

Post by: Ravi Komatireddy

Dr. Ravi Komatireddy, MD, MCTI, is a digital health entrepreneur who is the founder and CEO of Daytona Health Inc., a digital health startup with a fresh take on using humans and algorithms to provide ultra-personalized coaching to upgrade people’s health behaviors and improve health, longevity, and performance. Previously, he cofounded and served as chief medical officer of two digital health startups: Lumiata Inc., a big data, AI healthcare company focused on creating the world’s largest medical graph database, which was eventually used by the Google knowledge graph; and Reflexion Health Inc., a digital medicine, tele-health physical therapy solution using motion tracking cameras in the home. Ravi advises several digital health startups and holds a volunteer faculty position at the University of California San Diego.

Company: Daytona Health

Website: www.daytona.health.com

Connect with me on LinkedIn

Thanks to https://www.theworkathomewoman.com/free-resources-business/comment-page-6/#comment-1264347

In reply to Sandy Knutson-Grebner.

Thanks for sharing your experience, Sandy!

Thanks to https://www.allbusiness.com/disadvantages-of-remote-working

By Ravi Komatireddy

Nearly three years after the dawn of the Covid-19 era, perhaps one of the era’s most lasting legacies is still with us: many of us continue to wake up in the morning and log on to work rather than driving into an office. A lasting effect of the lockdowns of 2020 was to incentivize greater workplace flexibility, and that is surely a good thing.

It’s no surprise that this trend has been difficult to reverse, even with many organizations calling their talent back to work. Many professionals got a taste of virtual life and decided they were never going back. Industry watchers have cautioned that CEOs who do not accept this trend are out of touch with the reality of the modern workplace, and risk losing talent to competitors.

Remote work will no doubt always be popular, and there’s no question that the pandemic forced many of us to question assumptions about the standard ways of doing business. But at the risk of being contrarian, I believe many organizations are making a mistake in caving into this pressure. We can’t lose sight of how much we have lost. And I fear that the longer the status quo goes on, the more difficult it will be to put this genie back in the bottle.

The metaverse is promising, but it’s not here yet

Let’s call a spade a spade—in-person collaboration cannot be fully replaced by virtual alternatives. Full stop.

I have no doubt that Mark Zuckerberg is sincere in his zeal to build a wholly immersive metaverse in which we can interact with one another in a seamless and engaging way. But the plain fact is we aren’t there yet, and today’s tools are not up for the job. Zoom, for instance, is an inadequate replacement for the energy, creativity, and team synergy that comes from being present in the same physical space and fully immersed in the task.

I should add a caveat that there are surely some organizations that are, more or less, operating on autopilot at this point. Their focus is keeping the wheels in motion, and it doesn’t especially matter if a technical or customer service representative is sitting in a cubicle or a living room, as long as they can complete tasks and follow set instructions. But achieving something new, bold, and significant often requires a more dynamic environment—one that can foster teamwork. In short, the challenges of remote work are especially acute when you’re building something new, like an early-stage digital company.

I’ve heard from many fellow entrepreneurs and founders on this topic, and there’s no doubt that remote work can provide benefits, including cost-savings and even productivity for some roles requiring deep concentration. As a digital startup, it’s tempting to embrace the remote work model, especially for customer support and operations needs. After all, no commute time, no office rent, and no need for physical space.

But the name of the game for most startups is ultimately collaboration.

Zoom: Where creativity too often goes to die

Innovation and conveying ideas are critical parts of creating something new, especially in a startup. After all, you’re building something from scratch, with a little blueprint of how to succeed. Without being in the same room as your team, it can be impossible to get everyone on board with your vision and have them understand your point of view.

Success essentially comes down to being able to trust the people you are working with. Consider the dynamics of an interdisciplinary team leveraging a wide range of diverse backgrounds; for example, at my company we have game theory experts, nutritionists, and doctors. These folks don’t necessarily speak the same language, to begin with. When you add remote work into the equation, it only doubles the problem of getting people to agree and understand— all the more reason to get them in one room to hash out solutions face-to-face. Bringing everyone together in-person for even just a few days is much more effective than endlessly enduring the miscommunications and sense of detachment I’ve felt in countless virtual meetings.

Social interaction is a fundamental part of human nature and, hear me out, it’s impossible to replicate in a virtual space. We can’t expect to shortcut 500,000 years of evolution and still be successful. We need to make eye contact with the people we depend on. We need to shake hands and to grab coffee or lunch together. We need the neurotransmitters that help us form bonds and unite behind a common vision—and that only comes from being in person. Until the day I can look into the eyes of a Zuckerberg-manifested avatar and feel a connection with a colleague, digital startups need to plan for physical meetings and recognize the importance of co-locating teams.

Essentially, some of the most satisfying days in a startup can involve knockdown, tedious arguments around solving complex problems no one has ever faced, late into the night with nothing more than a large whiteboard and raw brainpower. The satisfaction and synergy that comes from working with a hand-picked team of bright minds to solve difficult problems are impossible to replicate with a mouse, keyboard, and streaming camera.

Great projects require accountability—and camaraderie

Finally, it has to be said as an executive: remote work too often leads to a lack of accountability and team spirit. When team members are working from different locations, it can be difficult to build strong relationships and a sense of shared purpose.

The last thing a startup needs is for remote employees to feel like it is harder to resolve conflicts, feel less involved in the mission, and perceive less trust in each other. This can be fatal to a startup. How can we foster strong relationships if our peers are little more than faces in boxes on a tiny screen (on one of the numerous tabs open)?

Some CEOs may appear to be behind the times for refusing to embrace remote work, but face-to-face collaboration still has no equal. Even with today’s technology, Zoom alternatives cannot replicate the creativity, synergy, and focus that come from people being together in the same room. To quote The Beatles—guys who knew something about the power of in-person collaboration—“We need to come together…right now.”

About the Author

Post by: Ravi Komatireddy

Dr. Ravi Komatireddy, MD, MCTI, is a digital health entrepreneur who is the founder and CEO of Daytona Health Inc., a digital health startup with a fresh take on using humans and algorithms to provide ultra-personalized coaching to upgrade people’s health behaviors and improve health, longevity, and performance. Previously, he cofounded and served as chief medical officer of two digital health startups: Lumiata Inc., a big data, AI healthcare company focused on creating the world’s largest medical graph database, which was eventually used by the Google knowledge graph; and Reflexion Health Inc., a digital medicine, tele-health physical therapy solution using motion tracking cameras in the home. Ravi advises several digital health startups and holds a volunteer faculty position at the University of California San Diego.

Company: Daytona Health

Website: www.daytona.health.com

Connect with me on LinkedIn

Thanks to http://youtu.be/wxyGeUkPYFM