February 2019
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National Random Acts of Kindness Day
My Pillar of Giving
February 17 is National Random Acts of Kindness Day. I, for one, was pleasantly surprised that there is a whole day dedicated to kindness. This characteristic is one of the four pillars that make up who I am as a person. As many of you know, personal development and business coaching are some of my specialties. I’m also launching a podcast which covers my four pillars: personal development, business, technology, and giving. By the time this newsletter comes out, the podcast, titled “All in with Rick Jordan” will be released for anyone to listen to. Simply visit this link, and give it a listen: http://MrRickJordan/Allin Giving is very important to me. I don’t like to say that I’m “giving back,” because it implies that I’ve already taken something from someone else. That's the exact opposite of what I want to do. I don’t go looking for people who’ve given me something in order to return the gesture — I just do it. Everything I’ve accomplished in my life is something I worked hard for, something I earned. Nothing was — or is — given to me on a silver platter, nor will it ever be.
I dedicate the time and energy of my life through the lens of a personal philosophy I’ve found to be true: The more I’ve done, the more I can do for other people. This doesn’t mean I haven’t failed; I’ve fallen on my face plenty of times over the years. Failing, as bad as it might sound, is all part of success. Everyone knows the saying, “When you fall, you get back up again,” and it's true. If all of us didn’t fail once in a while, we could never learn and grow as people. It's a concept a few people might find counterintuitive, but failures drive you forward toward success. When I began talking about my own podcast, there were a lot of haters, or trolls, on social media. They would trash me, saying, “I can’t believe you’re bragging about all the money you make and how successful you are.” However, I’ve earned these things, and I don’t have any problem talking about who I am or what I’ve done. These trolls come at me from a place of insecurity; ultimately, they want to drag other people into the same dark place they are. I believe the more you make, the more people you can help. The more success you have, the broader the net you can cast to help other people who need to be lifted. Even though giving appears last on the list when I talk about my personal pillars, it's there because it encompasses everything . My podcast exists to give people information, evidence of my own successes and failures, to help them on their own journeys. The
guests I bring on are resources to learn from. Many listeners might not know where to start in business, and I hope I can help them on their way. When you talk about random acts of kindness, it's not something that should be limited to one day. Use today to spark a lifetime of good deeds carrying from one day to the next. I believe that when someone crosses my path, I’m supposed to help them. About eight months ago, I saw an elderly woman in the grocery store. She was buying ice cream, but she was having a tough time finding cash in her purse. It wasn’t that she was financially struggling, she was simply having a tough time. I walked up to her and said, “I want to buy your ice cream.” She started to cry. It was her 80th birthday, and I had just unknowingly given her a birthday present. Don’t let February 17 slip as the be-all-end-all of your giving, but the start of something genuinely inspiring. Keep your eyes open and recognize your opportunities. You’ll see truly amazing things happen. Everyone needs a lift in life, and you could provide it.
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When you talk about random acts of kindness, it's not something that should be limited to one day.
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Hyperlocal Advertising for the Broad Modern Business Marketing Starts Right Next Door
3 Ways To Protect Your Business From Cyberattack
1. Plan for the worst.
The sad truth is that, no matter how much most businesses prepare their defenses for cyberattack, a breach will often occur anyway. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t invest in protection, but you should always have a plan in place if and when crisis strikes. Include actions to contain the breach, patch the affected systems, and coordinate teams (not just IT) to stay on top of the problem. The vast majority of breaches are instigated through minor errors by everyday employees. These noncompliant security behaviors aren’t just bad for your business; they’re bad for PR. That’s why cybersecurity should be everyone’s priority, not just the techies in your business. That means educating everyone on what to watch out for and what to do when hackers come knocking at your door. 2. Keep your team in the know.
Whether you’re the CEO of a major tech-savvy corporation or a freelancer, your eyes should be set on your next marketing move in this digital age. While spinning signs on sidewalks and flying banners from the backs of airplanes may be considered staples of public outreach to some, the tide is shifting to more targeted ways of reaching your future clientele. Virtually any business can benefit from utilizing hyperlocal advertising and its many strategic facets. Hyperlocal advertising refers to the process of hyperspecific or niche marketing campaigns implemented for a certain focus area. This can manifest in many comprehensive forms, depending on the specific needs of the business. A local mom and pop restaurant may choose to take advantage of hyperlocal advertising by sending ads to potential customers within a 5-mile radius during the hours they are most likely to be hungry, on their lunch breaks, or when they are otherwise free to stop in for a bite to eat. Alternatively, a major car dealership in a metropolitan area could target their potential audience by running ads during local pro games. So how does this work for YOUR business? It all depends on your desired campaign for your targeted region. Assuming you’re well-informed about your current demographics or the demographics you’re hoping to reach, there are several methods to effectively implement hyperlocal advertising tactics. By using GPS and IP addresses, you'll be able to target ads to specific cities, streets, and even buildings by inputting their coordinates. After you’ve narrowed it down, you can choose which areas work best for your goals. A mechanic shop expanding to a new city may cast a wider net, while a high-end jeweler may target areas with higher incomes. With hyperlocal strategies, your advertisements can be catered on a variety of digital platforms, like social media, streaming services, and apps. These new age technologies will give you more exposure and patronage for your ever- expanding business!
3. Budget for robust cybersecurity.
Of course, all of these measures won’t mean a thing if you don’t actually invest in cybersecurity. Instead of a one-and- done task to check off, cybersecurity actions should be a regular component of your day-to-day. Include the costs of training, employee time, documentation, consulting, and the latest security innovations.
2019 is the Year of Personalized Marketing
2019 will be a year of rapid innovation, where new technologies continue to empower consumers to make ever more informed decisions. However, this doesn’t mean that business can totally automate, depersonalizing the sales process from start to finish. This includes your marketing, which needs to be more personal than ever. Stock images and generic campaigns will no longer cut it. Laser-targeted, individually tailored content will drive conversions where Google Adwords will fail. It’s also worth noting that with the increasing advent of voice search technology, search engine optimization will shift more towards long-tail, conversational queries — the kinds of questions humans actually ask. Keep these facts in mind, and you’ll be a step ahead of the competition.
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Why Your Business Needs to Implement Two-Factor Authentication Now, Not Later
HAVE A Laugh Here’s where two-factor authentication (2FA) comes in. 2FA forces users to input more than one field of identification to access their account. If you’ve ever used your PIN at an ATM, you’ve already used 2FA, but many other forms exist. When logging into your email, Google can send an alert to your phone that includes a login number, which you type on your PC to gain access to your account. Banks often couple passwords with one of your security questions. Whatever the tactic, it’s much sturdier than your average password. It’s still not foolproof, but it’s an excellent first-line defense against hackers. A survey by Paychex recently found that 68 percent of small business leaders remain unworried about their digital security. If you need proof, you can just look at the passwords they and their employees use. According to SecureAuth, a staggering 81 percent of Americans use the same passwords for multiple accounts, the majority of which are unimaginative old standbys like “1234567,” “qwerty,” and “password.” These trends, compounded by the fact that passwords generally aren’t very airtight, turn the typical login and password combination into a paper shield for hackers. Even stronger passwords that include multiple uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and other characters often only take a few hours to crack with an advanced brute-force tool. Once they’re cracked, they’re often posted on the darknet or sold to the highest bidder.
However, implementing 2FA into your own business isn’t the easiest proposition. You’ll either need to create a custom solution — a big headache that may not be worth it for your small business — or hire a technical company suited for the job. This doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s worth noting, though, that whenever you bring in an outside party, it’s a potential failure point for your cybersecurity. It’s vital to vet them properly and ensure they practice what they preach. 2FA can’t be the beginning and end of your cybersecurity strategy, but consider it a large first step toward protecting your livelihood. Trust us — when the digital wolves come knocking at your door, you’ll be glad you installed the door in the first place.
Shiny New Gadget of the Month
Sure, your big honking iPhone or massive Android is impressive, but does it have a screen the size of an entire wall? The Movi is the first smartphone to integrate a built-in pico projector into its design, allowing users to project 720p images up to 200 inches in size wherever they are. At only $599, it’s a bargain when compared to other comparable projectors. However, there are caveats: The Movi’s FHD phone screen can’t compare to its higher-end OLED competitors, and its camera leaves something to be desired. But if you’re an avid video buff with a mind for convenience, the Movi may be just what you’re looking for.
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Inside This Edition
1.
My Fourth Pillar
2.
3 Ways To Protect Your Business From Cyberattack Better Targeted Ads for Your Local Customers
3.
2FA Is Essential to Business Security
Have a Laugh
4.
How to Create a Culture of Love
Create a Culture of Love in Your Company 2 Tactics That Will Create Loyal Employees Company growth is the top priority for many entrepreneurs. If a business stagnates, it will eventually fail. However, when leaders focus solely on finding the best ways to reach new customers, they often overlook an integral part of running a cohesive company. While an operational-minded approach will do wonders for the efficiency of your business, behind every company’s success are the employees who made it possible. That’s why this Valentine's Day is the perfect time to create a culture of love in your company. FAMILY One of the best things you can do is invest in what matters most to your employees: their families. A familiar problem for many business owners is that their families can fall by the wayside amid the complications of running an organization. Your employees can also face this struggle. The chaos of trying to raise children while balancing a career and a personal life is a significant stressor. As the leader of your company, you can help ease these burdens. A date night for an anniversary, spontaneous time off, or even added vacation
time are all simple gestures that go a long way to create a company culture where your employees feel loved. AUTONOMY A dangerous pitfall for many entrepreneurs is developing a detachment between their own work life and the work lives of their team members. During the growth of the business, owners can fall into the age-old employee-boss mindset, and that hierarchy often creates a rigid environment. The moment an employee starts to look at their manager as a boss is also when they start to see their work as a job rather than a career they’re excited about. Trust and autonomy are essential to developing a productive professional relationship, and offering your employees remote work, flexible schedules, and the freedom to take control of their workdays are great ways to establish reciprocal relationships and foster entrepreneurial mindsets. Try some of these tactics at your company this February to create a culture of love where your employees and customers thrive.
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