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OCT 2020
Fall’s Simple Pleasures
The Best Parts of the Season That the Pandemic Can’t Touch
If you’ve lived in the Treasure Valley for a number of years, then you know that fall brings a welcome relief from summer, which typically ends with temperatures in the high 90s and a haze of smoke wafting into the valley from fires in our state and surrounding states. Personally, I don’t care for the heat, so I’m thrilled when fall comes, and we can enjoy a few weeks with milder temperatures and nice weather. Unlike spring, fall is a transitional season that is actually fun to experience. Spring can sometimes be cold or too wet, so it’s a hard time to get anything done. We’re often guessing if the warm weather will be here to stay or if we can anticipate one last snowfall. But in the fall, the changing colors of the leaves signal cooler temperatures and our days become steadily calmer and more crisp. Coming off the summer heat and anticipating the chill of winter, I love spending a few days each fall just soaking up the perfect weather here in the valley. Plus, as a skier, I love what fall means for the upcoming ski season. By this time of year, I’m usually preparing to hit the slopes as soon as the first traces of snow touch our foothills. It’s an exciting time! The second aspect of fall in southern Idaho that I enjoy is the changing colors of the leaves. I love the big red leaves more than the yellows or oranges. Our old home actually had a large tree whose leaves turned bright red each fall, and I loved watching the green leaves transform into a deep red fiery ball in our yard. Aptly known as the City of Trees, Boise has some great spots for seeing the fall colors. I typically recommend a hike up to Table Rock to see all the colors in the valley. The Greenbelt also offers some great tree sights. Sadly, this fall may look a little different than other years. As the pandemic has caused many of our favorite events — like Boise State football and Oktoberfest — to be canceled or postponed, we’ll have to find new ways to stay entertained and find new favorite fall fixes.
Fall is also usually the time when my wife is a little frazzled. After a summer away from her students, she’s often getting back into her teaching rhythm and working more on the weekends than normal. I’m sure this year will feel more chaotic than others. At the time of writing this cover letter, Keri’s school district was still trying to decide how to start the school year, and she has been tasked with planning for two different scenarios for her kids: one in the classroom and one that’s virtual. It’s all still so unpredictable, but I know she’ll get through it. Despite the activities we’ll miss out on this fall and the chaos I’m sure our household will be thrown into by the time you’re reading this cover letter, at least there are a few things we can still enjoy about fall in the Treasure Valley.
I hope you find time to enjoy a pleasant Idaho fall!
–Randy Amorebieta
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You’re Not Alone Learn and Grow With a Professional Association
Business is competitive by nature. If competitors didn’t push our favorite brands to be better, they may not even exist. Our technology options would be limited without Apple’s ingenuity. Shipping options would be limited without UPS or FedEx. And access to our favorite athletic gear would be more limited if no one was pushing the top brands like Nike to innovate. Competition fuels our greatest inventions, but behind every great leader or business is a core network of like-minded people and innovators supporting them. Professional associations connect business leaders to fellow innovators in their industry without competition from local rivals. These organizations offer many benefits and little risk to business leaders looking to grow. If you haven’t yet joined a professional association, these three benefits just might get you to change your mind. Education and Resources Google is great for a quick answer, but when you need to learn something more nuanced, a simple internet search won’t cut it. Professional associations
offer tailored, more in-depth help and resources like industry- specific training and webinars, how-to guides, and coaching. From peer advice and education to scholarly studies and reviews, associations act as a library of information for your industry. Networking and Mentorship Why reinvent the wheel when you can adapt it with a mentor? Associations connect you to leaders who have stood where you are standing and succeeded. You can learn a lot from their failures, wisdom, and guidance. You can also connect with peers in your position and bounce ideas off of them. You won’t have to worry about competitors “stealing” your processes, and you have an honest, go-to support team to help you refine them before presenting them to your team. Personal Development and Growth A business is only as good as the leader managing it, and all business leaders have room for improvement. An association can give you the tools to get there. And as you continue to learn, you’ll discover personal and professional areas that can be further refined. This personal development only makes you and your business stronger. Are you still not convinced you should join an association? Think of it this way: Your competitors could be growing through their involvement in an association while you remain stagnant. Push forward and connect with your peers today.
See What Our Customers Are Saying
Our law firm has used MicroTech for all our IT needs for many years. I couldn’t be happier with their performance and response time. I highly recommend them! – Tracy P. The staff at MicroTech took excellent care of us and completely solved our computer and network problems. – S. Anderco
Without our dedicated team, we couldn’t offer our clients the five-star IT services we’re proud to provide. In honor of their hard work, we want to list three special employees on their big days this October. Birthdays: Stuart Mulanix and Heather Howell Work Anniversary: Mike Biggs (6 years) Now, those are people worth celebrating. Thanks, everyone! www page 2
The Anatomy of an Email Hack
TAKE ACTION AND PREVENT BREACHES NOW
It’s no longer feasible for small-business owners to bury their heads in the sand and pretend email hacks won’t affect them. According to the FBI, businesses lost a total of $12 billion in email scams in 2018. What’s more, 76% of businesses were reported as phishing attack victims in that same year.
You can protect your business, money, employees, and clients with email scam prevention and action tactics. Here’s how.
Prevent it from happening. The goal is to stay steps ahead of scammers, who are regularly hunting for your data. Start by creating a strong password. This often includes using capitalized letters, special characters, and numbers. Choose words or phrases not typically known and require your employees to change their passwords frequently. In addition, don’t allow passwords to be the only stream of access into your system. Instead, use two-factor authentication, which offers another level of security. Finally, software updates and malware programs can also safeguard your business from email hacks. Take action when it does happen. There are four steps you should immediately take following a breach. Each one helps you actively recover and prevent the next hack.
2. Tell your team and IT provider. Your tech team needs to know what happened so they can get to work limiting the damage and providing further prevention. And by telling your team, you’re alerting others to additional breaches and possible issues. 3. Scan your computer. Your IT team should do this, but it’s important for you to understand that a computer scan for viruses and patches can detect hidden attacks placed there by scammers. 4. Determine what you lost. Compile a list and contact the affected parties. Your business should have an action plan to help clients and employees in the aftermath, too. An email breach is preventable, but as technology evolves, so do hackers. MicroTech Systems’ five-star IT service can provide regular updates to your prevention programs and immediate care after a breach. Learn more and discover helpful tech tips at MicroTechBoise.com/blog.
1. Change your password. By changing your password, you can limit the time hackers spend inside your system.
Have a Laugh!
Spooky Strawberry Ghosts
Ingredients
• • •
16 oz white chocolate, chopped
24 strawberries
1 package mini dark chocolate chips
Directions
1. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the white chocolate at 50% power for 30 seconds. Remove it and stir, then repeat the process until melted.
the parchment. Allow the extra chocolate to pool to form a “tail” effect.
4. Before the chocolate coating fully cools, add three mini chocolate chips to each berry to form two eyes and a mouth.
2. Lay out a sheet of parchment paper.
3. One by one, dip the strawberries into the melted white chocolate and set them on
5. Let chocolate set, then serve your spooky snacks!
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Inspired by Candiquik.com
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
125 E. 50th Street Garden City, ID 83714
Inside
Fall in the Treasure Valley
Join a Professional Association and See Your Business Grow You’ve Been Hacked! What Do You Do Now?
Spooky Strawberry Ghosts
2 College Recruitment Tactics You Can Use in Your Business
The Ol’ College Try How University Recruitment Tactics Can Get You More Customers
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we do a lot of things, but few institutions have been as shaken by this global event as education. When it comes to college recruitment, universities have had to become creative with their sales techniques for prospective students — and it’s paying off. Here are two pivots universities have made and how you can cash in on the action, according to the American Marketing Association (AMA). College Tours Students typically lead tours throughout the hallowed halls of the university and end with presentations, Q&A sessions, and conversations with experts. Since having to convert to online tours, universities have been able to target a wider demographic. More students can tune into a live tour without having to travel, and administrators and professors who may not have had time for previous tours can offer their expertise with prerecorded presentations. You Try It: Part of landing a sale is connecting with your prospective clients. What better way to do that than introducing what you have to offer in a virtual tour? Create a video of your team walking clients through your process step by step and introduce the prospective clients to your team. People do business with people they like, and
when you showcase your culture on video, clients will feel that connection, even if they can’t be there in person.
Direct Mail Campaigns With more people at home and school platforms converting to the digital sphere, universities have a greater opportunity to directly target students. In the past, mailers would typically hit the junk pile at parents’ homes. However, universities are using this opportunity to improve the design of their materials and mail out more appealing brochures and other packets they’d typically hand out on campus. You Try It: Mail has become more important than ever, but you need to stand out in a direct mail campaign. Play with the design of your typical mailers and consider adapting your e-newsletter to a print one. As Texas A&M’s director of social media Krista Berend explained in a June 2020 AMA article, “Our world is dominated by screens.” Engaging with your clients through the mail that goes directly to their homes — without targeted ads drowning out your message — is a much more intimate way to grab their attention.
You can learn other recruitment tactics at AMA.org.
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