June 2019
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Don’t Be a Happy Flipper
You’ve Got to Let Things Sit and Cook
Everyone likes to grill during the summer, including me. With the sun out and clear blue skies, it's the perfect season to plan a cookout with family and friends. I’ve been grilling since I was a kid, and my dad was the one to teach me to grill — or I should say, the one who taught me how not to grill. Most people have personal preferences in how they like their meat grilled, but if you head over to a five-star restaurant, they’ll recommend that the best way to serve it is medium rare. Whether it's beef, salmon, or poultry, medium rare is always the best way to prepare meat. But I didn’t realize that as a child because I was watching my dad cook. Whenever Dad would grill, he’d flip the piece of meat 27 times. He’d plop the steak down on the cooking grate then flip it over, look at one side, flip it again, check it, and repeat the process until the steak was beyond well done.
It wasn’t until I met a few chefs and a man named Wyant that I learned how to prepare a steak properly. I was the oldest of my siblings, and Wyant was like the big brother I never had. My family grew up really poor, and he was pretty well off and took me under his wing. He’d always take me out and show me useful skills and life lessons that I still carry with me today. Wyant first got me into technology and even helped me build my first computer when I was around 10. One day, when we were out grilling, Wyant saw that I was cooking very much like my dad, and he told me “You only flip it once, Rick.” It was from him that I learned flipping a steak 27 times won’t give me a five- star restaurant quality steak — you have to let it sit for a few minutes before flipping it, only once, then letting it cook some more on the other side. Since then, I’ve become an excellent griller, and my steaks are some of the best around. business. In order to cook the best piece of meat, or start a new project, idea, or goal, you have to give it time to make the most impact. You can’t make that impact overnight, just like you can’t cook a delicious steak by rushing it and flipping it over and over. I’ve found that the lessons I learned from grilling pertain to life and
used to use this old charcoal grill. And sure, they provide great flavor, but if the grill is the cheapest of the cheap, you’re not going to get a mouthwatering, quality steak. The only way to get outstanding and constant results is to put in your money to get a quality grill. In the 17 years that I’ve been married, I’ve gone through around four grills, all ranging from $500–$1,000. Just recently, I remodeled my backyard, which included getting a $3,000 natural gas grill. The difference in the quality of the cooking is incredible. Aside from giving your goals time to cook, you’ve got to put your time and money into finding quality equipment. The better tools you have, the better the outcome will be. Take it from a grill master: Don’t be a happy flipper; let things simmer for a while until they’re ready, and I guarantee you’ll be amazed at the results.
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You can’t make that impact overnight, just like you can’t cook a delicious steak by rushing it and flipping it over and over.
Additionally, you can’t cook a good steak without a proper grill. My dad
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The average businessperson reads and composes more than 120 emails every day, but there’s an overwhelming amount of business emails that seem to be written with no apparent regard for the reader. A massive chunk of people’s workdays is wasted wading through irrelevant, unclear, or incomprehensible messages. To remedy this issue, it’s vital to understand the keys to effective online communication, both to stem the tide of annoying and unnecessary emails and to protect your reputation as a professional. Here are three rules for effective email communication. Don’t Be ‘That Guy’ THE 3 CARDINAL RULES OF EFFECTIVE EMAIL COMMUNICATION When your message is sitting in an inbox packed with dozens of others, it’s essential to respect your reader’s time. Make the contents of the message clear from a glance at the subject line. Your subject line is what will draw the attention of the recipient — or lead them to skip over it altogether — so be specific and relevant. In the body of the email, your reason for emailing, as well as all the important points, should be immediately clear. Keep it as concise and as transparent as possible. 1. TIGHTEN IT UP. Many professionals assume that the need for brevity means they can get away with short, robotic missives. Managers are especially guilty of this, sending out single-sentence messages in all lowercase letters with nary an emotion. We get it; you’re busy. But it’s worth taking an extra moment of your time to craft an email that carries the human element as well. It’s important to take a professional tone and to keep communication brief, but you can still write, to some degree, like you talk. This will show recipients that you take communicating with them seriously. Again, you’re busy, and you’ve got to prioritize your work, but consistently ignoring emails is a clear sign of negligence and will make you unpopular among your coworkers. If you don’t have time to think of a clear answer, a simple confirmation that you received the message goes a long way. While you can safely ignore all those companywide filler emails you receive each week, you need to show your coworkers and contacts that you’re willing to put in a little effort and that you’re on top of your responsibilities. 3. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, REPLY TO THE EMAILS YOU RECEIVE. 2. WRITE LIKE A HUMAN BEING.
In 2019, there is no greater threat to the safety of your business than ransomware. According to a 2018 survey conducted by Datto for 2,400 managed service providers specializing in data security for small to mid-size businesses, over 55 percent of clients had been targeted by a ransomware attack within the first six months of last year. The biggest issues cited were poor end-user cyber security training, risky user practices, and weak passwords. But the biggest issue of all may simply have been ignorance. “The No. 1 threat for SMB CEOs is thinking they are immune for some reason,” said Michael Drake, CEO of masterIT. “They think they don’t have anything the hackers want, so it’s not worth the price to protect themselves.” But the numbers don’t lie: Hackers are zeroing in on the low-hanging fruit of small businesses in droves — it’s time to wake up and invest in the protection your business needs to survive. THIS IS THE BIGGEST THREAT TO YOUR BUSINESS TODAY
SmallBusinessComputing.com, Nov. 19, 2019
THIS COMMUNICATION TOOL CAN IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS
According to a study by Zipwhip, 39 percent of businesses use a texting app to stay in touch with their clients. Relying solely on email communication in 2019 is a mistake. Create an opt-in list to form a texting list, then create a number to which the customer can directly reply. Avoid chatbots, and craft the tone to be as human and conversational as possible. If you’re able to provide value without being annoying, you’ll be amazed by the benefits you can reap with text communication.
SmallBizTrends.com, Feb. 19, 2019
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Defeating the Summer Slump
3 Ways to Keep Up Productivity During the Summer
DRESS DOWN
June 21 marks the official beginning of summer and the productivity slump most businesses experience. The sun’s tantalizing rays draw your eyes from computer screens or conference room meetings to the outside world. A weekend of fresh air, sunshine, and cool evenings on the back porch infiltrate your mind. Your productivity is sapped, but you’ve still got work to do. So, what can you do? Here are a few ways to combat the summer slump. If you’re in a management position, consider tweaking the standard 9-to-5, Monday through Friday schedule a little bit. Some businesses will implement a 9/80 schedule, meaning employees work 80 hours in nine days instead of 10, so they can get every other Friday off. Some businesses will let employees work half days on Fridays during the summer, and others will let employees work remotely on certain days. Sitting at a desk for eight continuous hours can stagnate productivity at any point during the year, but during the summer, there’s an easy way to remedy it: getting a little exercise. Since the sun is shining, why not take advantage of it while you work? Try scheduling a “walking meeting” outside, or implement exercise breaks every couple of hours. Moving around boosts productivity, and doing it outside can be a great change of scenery. RELAX THE WORK HOURS GET MOVING
If shirts and ties are the norm at your business, you might want to consider embracing the laid-back vibe of summer by relaxing the dress code a bit. It’s a small way to ensure employees don’t feel like they’re missing out on all the perks of summertime without losing productivity. Plus, who wants to wear a suit in July? It’s tough to compete with the allure of a warm summer day, but sometimes those days can work to your advantage if you make a few simple swaps in your everyday work routine.
HAVE A Laugh
Shiny New Gadget of the Month
Beachgoers all know the security dilemma that comes with a stray wallet. When it comes time to put on your trunks and head into the sea, do you bury your valuables in the sand? Hide them under a towel? Or leave them be and hope for the best?
For all of those who find each of these options less than ideal, there’s FlexSafe. It’s a handy, personal, portable safe designed to stave off thieves, wherever you are. Water resistant, slash-proof, RFID-blocking, and equipped with a heavy duty three-digit combination lock, it turns you from an easy target to a walking fortress. The bag-shaped design clips into itself, allowing you to secure it to a beach chair, umbrella, or any other unwieldy surface and go on your merry way without worry. At $59.99, it's a sound investment for those of us finding ourselves leaving our valuables exposed on the regular.
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Inside This Edition
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This Is the Biggest Threat to Your Business Today The 3 Cardinal Rules of Effective Email Communication How Grilling Fits Into Every Aspect of Life
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3 Ways to Keep Up Productivity During the Summer
Have a Laugh
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Become a Pillar in Your Community
Make a Positive Impact 3 Strategies for Genuine Community Involvement Even if most of your clients are located in other parts of the globe, the place your business calls home is a huge part of your identity. When a company makes a point to get involved locally, it’s doing more than making new connections and getting its brand out there — it’s also making a positive impact on the place it calls home. Most companies experience a slowdown in the summer. Here are some strategies to take advantage of that lull and create a plan for your business to get involved in the community and be a good neighbor. Every town boasts its share of charities and nonprofits looking to make a difference. Find a cause you believe in, then help out. This could mean donating a portion of your revenue to a local women’s shelter, volunteering as a company at the soup kitchen, or sponsoring a gala that raises money for a children’s hospital. Supporting charities demonstrates your values and attracts the kinds of customers who share them. SUPPORT A LOCAL CHARITY
JOIN A PARADE
This sounds unconventional, but sometimes it pays to think outside the box. Most towns put on a Fourth of July parade in the summer, so why not join in? Building a float could be a great team-building exercise, and a lot of people will turn up and see your mobile advertisement in the parade. Being in the parade shows that you’re part of the community, and when you top it all off by tossing candy to the kids, you’ll really make an impact. Your company could donate school supplies or even sponsor a program. Art and music programs are often the first to suffer from budget cuts, so support from a local business could make a huge difference. Donate art supplies to the classroom, sponsor high school theater productions, or offer scholarships to help young musicians pay for new instruments. Keep the arts alive by helping the kids in your community do what they love. These suggestions require time and resources to pull off, but making the effort can transform your company from just another business in a sea of many to a pillar in your community. WORK WITH LOCAL SCHOOLS
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