Etha Walters

If You Can’t Find A Job, Try Creating One

August 3, 2010 by Etha Walters Leave a Comment

Cheese!

It seems that everyone is trying to stretch a penny these days, and for small businesses that can lead to cutbacks or layoffs. Losing a job in a recession is a devastating thing, especially when jobs are scarce. Unemployment will only last for so long and the bills keep coming in. Statistics show that there are 6 unemployed people to every available job. In small towns it can be as many as 20 unemployed to each available position. So what is a person to do?

If you are one of those many Americans who are having trouble finding a job, how about creating your own? This isn’t a strange idea in the face of a recession. Micro-businesses are businesses that have 10 people or less and over half of small businesses in the United States are home based. According to Startupnation, you can not only survive, but thrive in this economy.

Inc Magazine printed a story about CEO Paul Mann who was looking for a responsible dog sitter in a bind. After taking some observations of the people who responded to his ad, he felt a little discouraged in finding someone he could trust. That is when a light went on in Paul Mann’s head. He ended up leaving his corporate position for the comforts of working from home and started Fetch! Pet Care, a local network of pet sitters and dog walkers. If you asked him today if he would go back out into the world of glass doors and windows, his answer would be a very enthusiastic “no!”

The advantages of a home business include low over-head, tax deductions, shoe-string start up capabilities, and you can work in your pajamas. All you need is a phone line, high-speed internet, a place to keep records and a really great idea for a product or service that people need even if there is an economic downturn. While no one will tell you that starting a home business is easy, with a little research and a lot of hard work you might be able to give yourself a job.

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A SMB Life Preserver in an Economic Storm

July 21, 2010 by Etha Walters Leave a Comment

The rebound of recovery efforts in today’s economy is crawling like a 35g download on a dial up connection. It seems politicians are playing tug o war and in the meantime small business owners are struggling to keep things balanced and seeking new ways to sell to a penny pinching market. Some business owners may even feel that they have no other choice but to hold on and wait out the storm. Although it can be discouraging, you are not stuck in a ditch spinning your tires, you can be proactive in building the kind of life preserver that will help keep your small business afloat.

1. Communication
– Keeping tabs on how everyone is doing from your partners, your venders and others on your team is vital. Also, return information to them as to where the company stands and problems that need to be addressed. Get everyone involved in trouble shooting and the anticipation of hot spots or potential problem areas.

– Resolve conflicts within the company through mediation and compromise.

– Survey areas that can be improved and what is needed to do so as well as simplify areas that are bogged down and non productive. The survival of the company is in everyone’s best interest and feedback from others can help clean up areas and prevent other problems.

2. Organization
– Put the mission statement and rules and regulations in writing so your team has a map of where they are going. Positions within the company should also have a written description of duties and responsibilities.

– Make sure that technology is working for you. Is it a good work-flow or is it creating traffic jams within the office or when you travel. For example: it might be helpful to rent technology to cover a big business trip rather than to drag everything with you through customs in the airport. It takes time to check everything in, time to set up and make sure everything is working correctly, and time to tear down and check it all in for the trip back and time is money!

3. Accountability
– Meet complaints head on and compensate for inconvenience. Accidents happen and going out of the way to make things right builds on the integrity of your business and that is going to keep people coming back and recommend your company to others.

4.The Internet
– Social networks and blogging are vital to any company to make connections and to keep your business in the limelight. Writing blogs is a good way to offer information about products and service and link back to your website. Take the time to get to know Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, they are the super highway to advertising and networking. Some companies have departments dedicated to just this alone!

– Don’t let your website go stale. Keep adding new information, and keep contact information updated. It is, after all, your company’s virtual business card.

5. Pricing
– While price increases across the board might not make a whole lot of sense, it is important to have a good blueprint of finances. Strategically placing small increases can give your company a competitive edge but it takes research and planning.

I hope these tips have offered you some inspiration into a plan to help your company not only stay afloat but to flourish under the pressure!

Mint Money Management on the Move

July 17, 2009 by Etha Walters Leave a Comment

I hesitated writing a review about Mint.com because when it comes to money in times like these you simply cannot afford to fall prey to another internet fly by night; but after researching my little review, I have discovered that Mint.com is a quiet and steady freight train that could completely evolve the way we handle our money.

Mint is a money management website where you can view all your accounts in one spot. All you have to do is answer a few questions and give information for each account that you have and then Mint connects to all your accounts and brings all that information to one place where you can generate reports, plan a budget and access where all of your money is going and where to make cutbacks. I know what you’re thinking, giving all your personal account information to a website does sound like a security risk. However, after Mint gathers all your account information and creates a secure, encrypted connection to your account, they no longer keep that information on file.

Mint.com has also partnered with Yahoo! to give you at-a-glance views of your spending, budgets and investments, plus timely alerts, delivered right to your My Yahoo! personalized homepage; and for privacy reasons, your actual account balances are never displayed.

Mint has a little ways to go before its concept is fully functional, for example not all banks or creditors have joined mint yet; but for the most part I do recommend checking it out. We just might be seeing a development that is going to change the way we handle our finances online.

Image IS Everything

February 4, 2009 by Etha Walters 1 Comment

There is an old campaign slogan that says “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” That is a very true statement and an important rule for selling just about everything… including yourself!

You wouldn’t meet a new client in ragged jeans and a sweatshirt or wear the same outfit two days later for a first date, or, at least I hope not. Your online image is just as important as meeting someone in person, probably even more so. Let me explain… when you upload an image to the internet it’s presence gets picked up by spiders that reports new content to search engines. In other words that image becomes searchable. This is just one of many issues in regards to using images. I have decided to compile a useful list of things to think about when you are posting images on the web.

1. Don’t upload any images that you would not want your boss, clients or mother to see. – Think twice before you post that crazy picture of you passed out in a dumpster after a night of partying, even though you might post this picture using an alias, if you registered your alias anywhere on the net with your real name, search engines could index both names together so your image of you in all your glory, could pop up in a search, which doesn’t exactly portray the image of someone trustworthy.

2. As I said before, first impressions are very important so consider your profile images. I am going to use a dating site as an example, with so many great digital cameras out there that are affordable and easy to use there is really no reason to upload that old Polaroid picture of you from prom in1982. Smudging out the face of the girl that you were with makes it look even worse. Taking the time and effort to put up good quality images shows that you are considerate of the image you put out and that reflects the effort that you are going to put into a personal relationship or the relationship with your clients.

3. You can make a large picture smaller but you cannot make a small picture larger – Images are usually uploaded in a JPEG format. This format is designed to compact information in your image and editing and re-editing can degrade the image. When you make an image smaller it throws information out so when you go to enlarge it again it cannot replace the information lost so it begins to pixelate and pull the image apart making it look fuzzy or distorted. Save your pictures in three’s, one original burned on a CD to preserve the image, the second in a large format (300 dpi) for printing or creating new files to edit, and third a smaller (72dpi) image for the web. This one you also want to burn on a disc because the more you work with it the more degraded it can get.

There are many free editing tools that come with most operating systems or can be downloaded from the web that are easy to use that you can adjust color, crop, and touch up or ad a little art. So with a little time and effort you will always put your best foot forward. Quality shows it what you see so regardless of whether it is working to draw in a mate or a client make sure it works in your favor.

Small Business Credit Crunch Deserves Attention

December 10, 2008 by Etha Walters Leave a Comment

Frustrations grow as the nation’s big three auto makers line up for another $17b. As the federal government focuses on damage control at the macro-economic level, it has ignored the micro-level small businesses. Meanwhile small businesses with stellar 800 credit ratings out of 850 cannot get a loan or their credit line has been reduced. Some economically respectable small businesses have had their credit lines cut in as much as half. Despite the fact as large companies are downsizing and outsourcing, small businesses have become the principal job generators in this country, accounting for almost all the net job gains in the United States.

A credit crunch on this job-generating sector of our economy should be a key part of any economic recovery plan and small business advocates have approached Washington on this very issue. Their quest was to meet with the Federal Reserve to ask for a relative pittance, $13 billion in bailout money, to go to the Small Business Administration to guarantee loans and provide small businesses with technical assistance. The SBA has had its budget slashed drastically over the past 30 years and by nearly 30 percent during the current president’s terms alone. Their quest is a hopeful one as their hard work may leverage as much as $620 million for small businesses if a bill authored by Sen. John Kerry to provide SBA loan guarantees is passed and signed into law.

Entrepreneurs, along with the rest of the country, await the inauguration of a new President with an ambitious agenda. Obama’s inheritance of a badly wounded economy has become first priority and has already with his experienced team set down to put plans to work. Two important elements will undoubtedly be job and economic growth. President-elect Barack Obama and the new Congress are likely to view an economic stimulus package as a critical tool for restoring confidence in the economy.

The stimulus package expected pass, likely to hit $300 billion, and it is possible that a piece of it is passed before President George W. Bush leaves office. It is expected to see aid to states and cities facing budget shortfalls, extended unemployment benefits and food stamps, and big infrastructure spending. Overcoming pessimism that currently overshadows the markets and economic decision-making will require some symbolic moves. It is encouraging that so far, the President-elect seems to be surrounding himself with experienced advisers, many are from the Clinton Administration, who are seasoned pros who have been there and who understand the importance of business.

While help with the economy slowly trickles down to small businesses, cutting costs and pinching pennies can be stressful, and could use some support along the way there is no doubt that the resilience of small businesses is the steadfast heartbeat of America at it will survive.

The Death of the Yellow Pages

November 2, 2008 by Etha Walters 1 Comment

I reached and picked up my newly installed ringing phone the other day and I looked at the caller ID and it was a local number. So I clicked it on and said my “hello?” and the small voice of an older woman said “Heather?” I got halfway through “I’m sorry, you have the…” and I heard a click! She had hung up on me. I frowned for a moment thinking of my years of customer service and how social rudeness had become one of my biggest pet peeves. It only takes a moment to be polite I thought. I looked at the ID again musing at the thought of calling the lady back and giving her a lesson in proper telephone etiquette. It probably didn’t occur to her that I could call her back. I had another call an hour later a very nice customer service rep was on the line congratulating me on being entered into a sweepstakes that was supposed to be a “no purchase necessary” and she started on a script about magazines. Before she got too far I said, “Excuse me, but I just bought a house and my budget doesn’t allow purchases at this time.” I heard a click. The 800 number was on my caller ID and she had told me up front her name was “Julie” and her operator number. I had the ability to call her back too.

Looking for businesses or people has far evolved the phone book and operators. With caller ID’s you know who is calling you, and with search engines you can find the people and businesses you need. No one wants to strain their back picking up the phonebook when they can go to yellow pages on line or search locally through websites like Yahoo or MSN. As a matter of fact, studies show 2008was the first time, search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN were the leading source of information for local customers. This not only changes the face of communications but it also changes the direction of advertising. Advertising on the web is more economical than print and there are many local directories where you can list your small business for free. Other things to consider with yellow page advertising vs. Internet are:

– Usability – In a culture of internet read cell phones and laptop computers you can find the business you are looking for from any location. No hunting down big bulky books and then returning them to the phone booth or receptionist. All the information you need is right at your finger tips with a map for directions to boot.

– As a business owner why would you want to give your prospects a detailed list of you and your competitors, including their addresses and phone numbers? That is exactly what the Yellow Pages do. Using search engines, you have the opportunity to differentiate yourself from everyone else and help you stand out to the ideal client. You want them to find you, not all your competitors.

– Search engines now have the ability to determine where the search is coming from. It can target way down to a city, zip or area code. With a defined geographic area, you have an incredible opportunity to be the top firm that comes up when people use a search engine for services in your area.

Despite the long years of trusted service that the yellow pages has offered its customers and will remain to do so I anticipate, for many years to come, the times they are a changing and so are the needs of subscribers. The Yellow Pages still offers a little more than nostalgia and the embracing of more technical tools has been a slow evolvement so I would say the Yellow Pages are still alive but wounded.

By the way… remember the older woman that hung up on me the other day? My phone rang again last night and I smirked when I looked at the caller ID. It read “Heather” so I picked up the phone and said “hello?” and this young lady said, “Is Travis there?” I replied “I’m sorry, you have the wrong number.” She answered, “Ok, Thank you. Have a nice evening. Goodbye.” I said, “You too. Goodbye” and then she hung up and I smiled. Some things should never die.

Travel Techs for Small Business Travel

September 26, 2008 by Etha Walters Leave a Comment

Getting a business up and running takes a lot of work and dedication. Many of the biggest companies around were started with a shoe string and a dream. It happens with persistence and knowing your craft, and networking is the key. Getting your product and service out and making sure people know who you are and remember. Dress to impress, come well prepared and be confident that when you walk into your next conference or big meetings that you have everything you need to create the persona of being the right company for the job.

When it comes to a small business and traveling, there is a lot to prepare for. Hotels, flights, rental cars and presentation equipment can be quite the juggling act. Wouldn’t it be nice to walk into a conference or presentation and have everything ready and set up for you? The right equipment, software, projector and slide show, all there and ready to go.

Well it isn’t all a dream; Travel Techs do that very thing. From renting a laptop, to renting a projector, to set up, your experienced Travel Tech Meeting planner can relieve some of the stress of traveling, everything you need is up and running and ready to go and all for the fraction of the cost of hotels, and convention centers. Here is more information on Travel Techs.