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Monthly Archives: February 2018

Boost Business with 3 Software Automation Techniques

28 February, 2018

Time is money, so start freeing up time to make room for growing revenue.

Business owners know all too well that smart business management means being able to get things done efficiently and not get bogged down in day-to-day operations.

One of the biggest ways modern business owners are streamlining business operations is by utilizing automated software solutions to take care of essential tasks quickly and accurately. Here are three software automation techniques that can have a big impact on how you do business.

Categories: FINANCES Productivity

Tags: automation business management Neeta Nelson operations productivity tradegecko

Hyper Targeting Makes the Most of Your Budget

26 February, 2018

The right data lets you personalize your message, no matter what your market. Consider this example out of the tourism industry from Morgan & Co., a media agency owned by EO Lousiana member Eric Morgan.

A Millennial, a Gen Xer, and a Baby Boomer walk into a swanky hotel bar. They sidle up to the three feet of marble that separates them from the smooth-talking bartender and order the house special. Let’s call it a martini.

Waiting for the punch line?

Categories: Media PR/MARKETING

Tags: campaigns data eo louisiana Eric Morgan marketing media Morgan & Co target marketing tourism

Learn More, Grow More, Be More

23 February, 2018

It happens: You build a successful organization and business is humming along. Suddenly you realize: You’re bored and you want more. Not more money necessarily, but more personal and professional fulfillment. More enjoyment, more opportunities, more challenges. Entrepreneurs with an ongoing thirst for learning often turn to executive education programs to expand their knowledge base to tackle new challenges and opportunities.

The Entrepreneurial Masters Program class of 2016.

Core to EO’s mission is an unrelenting commitment to helping both first-stage and experienced entrepreneurs learn and grow to new levels of leadership, in business and beyond. Continuing education is important, especially when you’re trying to challenge the status quo. One way is executive education, offered through university programs and other professional organizations and institutes.

Categories: Coaching Inspirational Lessons Learned

Tags: Alpha Translations Best in Class Education emp executive education Hao Lam learning Michele Hecken

6 Keys to Building a Winning Startup Team

21 February, 2018

Did you know every job opening attracts around 250 resumes? And that number can feel like hundreds more if you’re in the midst of starting your own company and searching for the perfect startup team. Before you begin reviewing candidates, consider this checklist of tips for developing a top team.

Choose Experts.

Whatever area you’re looking to recruit in, look for experts in their fields. It’s tempting to hire people and then get in the habit of directing them on how you like things done. If you hire experienced professionals, you should trust that they know the best way to do their job. Explain your goals, describe what you hope to achieve and then give them the space to do what they do best!

Categories: Coaching Company Culture Hiring STARTUP

Tags: culture hiring startup

Can You Use a Personal Loan to Launch a Business? Yes. Here’s How.

20 February, 2018

If you have your heart set on becoming a business owner or founder, then one of your first steps is securing financing. You cannot use your credit card, unfortunately. What you can do, though, is take out a personal loan. You’ve probably seen ads and websites about personal loans. Did you know you can use a personal loan for financing the birth of your company? Well, you can—and it’s worth considering.

Yes, you can use a personal loan for your business needs

The thought of using a personal loan in order to establish a business may seem counterintuitive. Personal loans are often used to help finance weddings, vacations and medical emergencies—items with specific line items and costs. While it’s true that this type of loan is offered for a variety of reasons, its main function is to provide borrowers a way to meet their financial goals. What do you say to the bank when applying for a personal loan that you intend to use for your startup? You tell the truth. The financial institution is not going to refuse your application—though it may refuse to loan you money if you can’t provide some proof of fiscal responsibility.

Categories: FINANCES STARTUP

Tags: business loan emma bonney personal loan startup

Having the Conversation

16 February, 2018

Trust, transparency and triumph—the gift of your family’s future.

Written for EO by Susan Michel, founder and CEO of Glen Eagle.

Whether we have aging parents, adult children or both, we all should consider having an honest conversation about the future. If there’s one lesson I have learned from working with families over the years, it’s that elderly parents often regret that they didn’t start a dialogue with their adult children sooner. With 76 million American baby boomers moving into the retirement stage of their lives, there is a huge opportunity and need for families to start having these conversations today.

While these conversations cause all of us to come face to face with our own mortality and the possibility that health-related issues may result in a diminished capacity, the alternative—not having the discussion—can result in tension, misunderstandings and, ultimately, your wishes not being followed.

Categories: FINANCES Legacy

Tags: eo new jersey family financial planning succession succession planning susan michel

4 Signs You Are Not Ready for the Business Growth You Want

14 February, 2018

According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) survey, the greatest obstacle to a company’s growth is the company’s inability to manage fast growth. Being unprepared for growth can flat line your revenue potential and reveal underlying problems that may prove irreparable. Thus, a smart strategy for growth not only sets goals but assesses fundamental issues and considers potential weak spots.

Think you’re ready for the next stage of growth? First, review these four reasons your business may not be ready.

Categories: general

Tags: Chris Odogwu entrepreneurship growth

6 Tech Startup Tips From a Non-Techie

12 February, 2018

Meet Debbie Goodman-Bhyat.

She’s the founder and CEO of Jack Hammer, an executive search firm based in South Africa. She is also an EO Cape Town. When Debbie found herself at the helm of a new tech company, Virtual Coaching Partners, she learned all that she didn’t know about web development and tech startups.

She looks back on those first months of “unconscious incompetence” in an article recently posted to Inc.’s EO channel:

If you had told me at any point in my adult life that I would become a tech entrepreneur, I’d have quickly assured you that you were utterly nuts. I can’t work my home theater system and still need help navigating iPhone software downloads: Technology and I are not soulmates.

Categories: Lessons Learned STARTUP Technology

Tags: debbie goodman-bhyat EO Cape Town Jack Hammer tech entrepreneur Virtual Coaching Partners

My Top 6 Growth Hacks

9 February, 2018

By Miranda Naiman, accidental entrepreneur, motivational speaker, organizational development practitioner, writer, and founder of Empower Limited, a Tanzanian human capital consultancy firm.

I officially took the plunge about nine years ago. I resigned from my beloved job and leaped into the unknown to launch my company, Empower. If I could fly back in time to Empower’s start-up phase and give my younger self advice, I would offer these six thoughts.

1. Keep your finger in every pie.

Your start-up needs your attention at every juncture. Make certain you understand how every aspect of your business. In practicality, this means you get involved in technical, administrative and financial tasks as well as marketing, business development and strategic planning. (Lest we forget that your business runs simultaneously with your family and personal commitments, balance your energy effectively.)

Categories: Coaching Entrepreneurial Journey Inspirational Lessons Learned STARTUP

Tags: #womentrepreneur Empower Limited growth lessons miranda naiman startup

3 Keys to Navigating the Entrepreneurial Maze

7 February, 2018

By Mike Monroe

“Nobody trusts a person who fails a lot,” he said matter-of-factly. “So you might want to be careful whom you tell about your grandiose plans to take over the world.” My mentor’s advice felt like a parental reprimand. Up until that point, I had been the consummate visionary: the guy with a million and one plans but nothing to show for them. I realized that the only way I would be taken seriously as an entrepreneur is if I actually got serious, went to work and created results.

That was almost 10 years ago. Many successes (and even more failures) later, the advice still rings true. Navigating the trials and tribulations of running a business, no matter whether you’re a serial entrepreneur or you’re just starting out, can feel a lot like being stuck in a labyrinth. Paths extend in every direction, and it’s nearly impossible to decide which path will take you the right way—if there even is such a thing.

Wrestling with uncertainty isn’t rare. After all, starting and running a business is a high-stakes venture.

Categories: Entrepreneurial Journey Sales STARTUP

Tags: entrepreneur GetSkillsForLife.com. leadership lessons lessons learned Mike Monroe Vector Marketing