3 Traits of a Great CEO

Organized

If you have ever been in the cockpit of an airplane, you know that the many tools a pilot needs are clearly and meticulously arranged. The speedometer, altimeter, and GPS are right in front of him, exactly where they need to be. A pilot knows precisely what he has to do and when he has to do it. If things ever go awry, he can rely on this system of organization.  A CEO, as the “pilot” of his company, needs the employ the same system of organization. If your instruments (financial statements, marketing reports, etc,) are missing or miscalculated, you can’t make the right decisions. In addition, your time, your most precious resource, should be spent on the important stuff, especially when it is getting hectic.  When things inevitably go wrong, you can trust that your system of organization will help you solve the problem.

“CEOs too, like great generals, need to inspire their “troops.””

Walks the Walk, Talks the Talk

One of the reasons George Washington was so revered by his soldiers was because he would fearless lead them into battle. Unlike other generals, he was on the front lines, leading the charge. CEOs too, like great generals, need to inspire their “troops.” They need to model the work ethic, attitude, and passion they hope to see in their employees. If the boss demands his workers should be responsible and diligent, he needs to model that behavior. Nothing inspires people like seeing their leader working just as hard, if not harder, than them. Not only will this yield inspiration, but respect as well. When your employees see how invested you are in the enterprise’s success, they will undoubtedly gain respect for you. When you actually “walk the walk” you become a much more effective leader.

Responds Well to Criticism

As many CEOs know too well, you can never be perfect. You constantly have to make decisions and any decision you make will inevitably be criticized. A big mistake is never listening to complaints and detractions. Too often, we take criticism to personally. John Wooden, the legendary college basketball coach, taught that “You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one“ The best CEOs listen to their detractors and reanalyze their decisions. You should not bend to the will of anyone, but instead realize you are not infallible. Take criticism, especially constructive criticism, as an opportunity to better yourself and the decisions you make. This way, you will constantly grow and improve.

Frequently Asked Questions: What's Handlr's Pricing?

We frequently get asked the question of, “What’s your pricing?” And we realized that this is something that needs a little bit of explanation. So, we decided to expand this conversation into a blog post where many other entrepreneurs in search of a business management software probably have the same question as well. Also, we want to open up the dialogue with our audience about their thoughts and opinions on this --please feel free to leave comments on this blog post at the end of your reading, we’d love to hear your feedback!

Handlr For Businesses

Our Handlr Partners have complete access to the entire platform for free. Seriously! Businesses can apply, receive an invitation code from us, fill out their company profile/information, and voila! Businesses can manage their team members’ schedules, manage customers, see reports, invoices, and more. To paint a detailed portrait of the whole process, the free version means that you can create appointments in your schedule, and whoever is assigned to the job will get a notification on the Handlr Team App (given that they’ve downloaded this on their smartphone) that they’ve been scheduled for an appointment. The team member can get directions to the job, check-in to the service, check-out when completed (business and customer gets notified of this), and the business gets paid instantly. It’s a beautiful thing.

Handlr for Customers

Let’s say your customers contact you directly to book an appointment with your business. Well, that gets pretty hard to manage when your business is expanding, and before the day is over you have hundreds of booking requests in your inbox, texts, voicemails and other channels of communications you have. By becoming a Handlr Partner, your customers can book you through our Handlr App. And we charge a 15% service cost that customers pay for the convenience. There’s more in it for them. Your customers can instantly chat within the app with you, and the assigned employee about their booking. The team member can send photos and updates about the service to your customer in real-time. And the customer can trust your business that the job is getting done with Handlr’s GPS tracking. They can also book other services on the app as well. For instance, if you’re a dog walking business, your customers can book a Private Dog Walk with you, and also find a local dog groomer on the app as well. We onboard complementary business so both businesses swap customers and your company grows.

We’ve had businesses that choose to have their customers pay for the 15% cost, or, some of our other Handlr Partners cut their prices back a tad and absorb the cost. There’s no right or wrong way of approaching this, just whatever works best for your business model.

The Takeaways

Handlr is free to use for businesses and that includes the entire dashboard log-in with 100% access to all the business management tools, and team member Handlr app. When customers book you through the app, the customer gets charged a 15% fee of your service price and they get to easily book you and many other services on Handlr.

If you are interested in seeing Handlr’s magic in action, schedule a demo with a rep, or apply to be a Handlr Partner here.

For any questions, feel free to email us at hello@myhandlr.com or leave a comment below.

Pop Quiz: Is your business ready to be automated?

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Ch. 10 of the Comprehensive Checklist for Growing Your Business: Community Outreach

In the midst of your crazy day of managing a business, the thought of community outreach and social responsibility probably isn’t floating around at the front of your head. They all say, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and that applies to raising a business as well. Without the support of your neighbors and community, your business probably wouldn’t exist. Let’s take a minute to surface the real ROIs on doing a little something for your community.

There are different levels of involvement that you can choose from that best fits your availability. You can sponsor local events, organize meetings/networking gatherings, or participate in a meetup. The opportunities of helping your community can get really fun and creative while also being a cost-effective method of marketing. It’s also a great opportunity to rally up your employees for good old team building and morale boosting. Now, on top of all those positive things, let’s get to how it can help build your business.

1. Get yourself publicly known by your locals.

   The more you put your name out there, the more your community will gain awareness of your business. Community outreach is heavily effective because it puts a real person in front of prospective customers. In contrast, with an ad, or website, it garners a one-way communication to your audience. Making real connections to people involves engagement, and a moment that you and your customer share - it’s hard to forget that.
    

2. Build long-lasting relationships with them.

   By putting a face on your business and engaging in conversations with people in your community, it’s only natural that you start to build long-lasting relationships with them. You get to know first names of pivotal people in the neighborhood, their family, and story. Slowly, business owners can build their network and make important connections that are beneficial for the long run. However, these connection are symbiotic. The more resources and value you can provide for your customer, they more they depend and come to you.
    

3. Increase company reputation and image.

   By staying active and involved in community events, it builds fantastic repertoire amongst your neighbors and customers. The driving force of purchasing decisions are made by emotion. If you can connect with your community on an emotional level, it’s a win-win for them and your business.

Community outreach can build your clientele and strengthen your presence in your community. By participating in these events, businesses can develop customer loyalty and top of the mind recall. It is also fantastic for building a positive reputation which can then lead to long-lasting, returning customers. Investing time into this method of marketing doesn’t have to be a complex process. Doing something as little as printing branded bookmarks for the library, or providing water for your local marathon can leave an unforgettable, lasting impression on your business.

7 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your CRM Software

““Get closer than ever to your customers. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves.””

— Steve Jobs

The late Steve Jobs said it best, knowing your customer better than your competitors is the only way to succeed. Knowing how to actually do that is where it gets tricky. A solid Customer Relation Management system is the first step in that process, so we’ve compiled some solid tips to ensure that you use your CRM to its full potential.

1. Choose a platform you can stick with.

Talk to a few business owners and you’ll undoubtedly hear some horror stories about switching CRM’s. Choosing the wrong form of Customer Management can set you back big time down the line. It’s important to choose a simple, easy-to-use software with enough features to work now, and down the line. This doesn’t mean you need to pay thousands of dollars for SalesForce to manage your ten customers and 2 employees, but don’t just take the easy route and start a messy, half-assed Excel Spreadsheet either. One of the worst experiences in business is realizing 2 years-in that you need to go back and redo all the work you’ve put into your CRM now that business is starting to pick up. We recommend checking out ActiveCampaign or Nimble.

2. Consider CRM training a crucial point in your small business growth.

Take the time to learn every corner & every inch of your new CRM, and make sure your employees do too. Employees often treat training programs as waste of time or a chance to relax. Don’t allow this to happen in your office. You’ve made a considerable investment in your CRM and you should insist that everyone takes the training process seriously.

3. Use it to track sales and new leads.

Your CRM has one main purpose, to keep track of your customers; so use it! Insist that your sales team processes any and all new leads through the new system. It will make keeping track of these potential customers so much easier as they move through the process of cultivation.

4. Use all the features of the system instead of resorting to other ones.

Even the most simple CRM systems out there come packed with features. Explore these early on and try to use them as much as possible. Does your CRM have a group huddle or chat feature to keep everyone on the same page? What about a document manager? Use them instead of an outside program for a better flow of your daily operations.

5. Use in-house feedback as much as customer feedback.

Introduce your new CRM and it’s very likely that a few employees will adapt to it rather quickly. Focus on the feedback they provide about why they like it, what features they use most and where it can improve. Customers are an equal source if this type of information. Send out a quick survey or interview your more trusted customers about their experiences with the new way your business operates.

6. Don’t forget the least active users.

If you have a few employees neglecting your new investment, don’t just slap them on the wrist and push them to use it more. Try to understand what is holding them back and why they don’t like the new system. You’ll find that some simply don’t understand it and need more training, while others have specific gripes that can be fixed with simple solutions. Don’t be afraid to contact your CRM company directly with these complaints as they will often have a work-around or trick to fix the situation.

7. Try a system that engages the customer directly.

You’re CRM is all about the client, so try using one that has tools to get you in touch with them directly. ActiveCampaign for instance, works as both a CRM and email system, so you can track your customers and message them directly from the same software. This ensures that customer management, feedback and things like open-rates and stats are tracked in the same place.

Investing in a CRM is a big step in a small business. Learning to use it properly and introducing it to your staff can be a big commitment. These CRM best practices can help you ensure your effort is rewarded.

Ch. 8 of the Comprehensive Guideline for Growing Your Business: Marketing & CRM

It’s a challenging game of choosing which avenues will work best for your business but as a general rule of thumb, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Marketing should be an integrated mix of efforts that will eventually increase your brand recognition and customer awareness.

The 7 touch theory states that your consumer should hear or see your marketing efforts at least 7 times before they make a purchasing decision. This means that your marketing message should be consistent and repetitive across all your chosen platforms. Here are 7 suggested touches to keep in touch with your audience.

1. Direct Mail campaigns – make your content engaging and most importantly, relevant to your customer. It’s a complete waste of time to construct an email full of content to have it go straight into spam.

2. Email Campaigns – keep in touch with regular newsletters with what’s going on with your business and news from your industry. Let your customers know that you are knowledgeable and trustworthy. And as a best practice tip, create a simple call-to-action. Do you want your customer to call, sign-up, download, or come in? Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want!

3. Social media – research and find out where your customers are online. It’s also a game of fine-tuning what works best for your business. For example, Facebook and LinkedIn are platforms that are information oriented and article driven. On the other hand, Instagram is all about dreamy pictures and visually strong images that quickly capture your audience’s attention. So, if your business is selling medical equipment, using Instagram is a platform.

4. Telephone follow-up – Cold calling is one hard task to check off. Often times, people don’t answer the phone, you’re mostly spending your time talking to a voicemail, or you’re getting a straight up hang up. Give context to your prospects. They are more than likely to respond to your calls when they know what you’re talking about or can recall your brand! Sending them literature via e-mail, or handing out marketing materials at events are great actions to take before going straight to the phone.

5. Community Outreach – get out there, build connections and get noticed! Sponsor a local baseball game, organize a beach clean up, or host a networking event with other strong and like minded organizations in your area.

6. Speaking engagements – speaking at workshops or industry related events builds credibility and trust with your customers.

7. Print Materials - build on top of your face-to-face contact within your community and leave a stronger impression by giving them take away content. Whether it's a brochure or a simple business card, your prospects can refer to these later on when they need more information. You can hand these out at local fairs, expos, and business/industry events. 

For the full 2016 Comprehensive Checklist, visit here.

10 Inspiring Entrepreneurial Quotes for the Mid-Week Slump

“Your biggest enemy is the unknown and assumptions.”

— Donald Bittar

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“People are definitely a company’s greatest asset. It doesn’t make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps.”

— Mary Kay Ash

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“Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast about your project or service, and that bring friends with them.”

— W. Edwards Deming

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“There’s no shortage of remarkable ideas, what’s missing is the will to execute them.”

— Seth Godin

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“Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.”

— Andy Warhol

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“A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.”

— Henry Ford

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“Almost all quality improvement comes via simplification of design, manufacturing...layout, processes, and procedures.”

— Tom Peters

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“Time is the scarcest resource and unless it is managed nothing else can be managed.”

— Peter Drucker

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“Do more than is required. What is the distance between someone who achieves their goals consistently and those who spend their lives and careers merely following? The extra mile.”

— Gary Ryan Blair

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“All lasting business is built on friendship.”

— Alfred A. Montapert

Ch 6. of the Comprehensive Guide for Growing Your Business: Modernize and Invest in Your Brand

It is mission critical to have a logo that conveys your brand’s look and feel. According to smallbusiness.chron.com, the company logo is, “the single most visible manifestation of the company within the target market.” We couldn’t agree more. For this reason, it is heavily important that you brand your company in a position that aligns with your target market. It’s a visual first impression to your customers so, make it count. Another astonishing stat from ConversionXL says, “visual appeal can be assessed within 50 ms” (Laja). That’s a fast assessment! Where does your logo stand on the eye-catching meter? Graphic trends are ever-changing but we do know that resorting to ClipArt, gradient heavy graphics, and busy elements in a logo add noise when you’re trying to break through the clutter. Seek for a clean, easy-read symbol for your company.

A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself if you logo is a clear read if it is shrunk down to a 1-inch area. Often times, many businesses strive to include tiny details in their logo that unfortunately, get lost when it’s printed on a business card or other small marketing materials. If your logo needs a bit of a facelift, there are many platforms available to you to solve your problem. You can hire a local graphic designer to create branding and marketing materials for you. 99designs or Canva for Work is commonly used to instantly get a few designs created. Moo.com and Vistaprint.com are great options for cost-effective and high-quality marketing materials with a fast overturn rate.

If you have employees, it’s not a bad idea to have matching team shirts made. Even having branded marketing materials like table cloths and tents can help strengthen your brand image amongst customers and team members both. Having a cohesive and unified look across your company on all platforms goes a long way. Paying attention to small details and cleaning up the look of your company positions your business in a better spotlight in consumers’ minds.

5 Reasons to Not Just Take Checks and Cash

Welcome to 2016, where consumers are less and less carrying around their wallets. Consumers these days are now being exposed to many different payment platforms. We have Square, Venmo, PayPal, Apple Pay, Android Pay, the list is growing everyday. Where does your business stand with accepting other forms of payment? Here are 5 reasons why your business should not just take checks and cash.

1. Checks are becoming an archaic thing of the past

Let’s face it.  Soon, checks will be an extinct method of payment. According to Bank Innovation, “From 2003-12, checks decreased by half, from 36 billion to 18 billion.” It shows that soon enough, (estimated by 2021 with the rate of decline) check use will plummet to a whopping zero. Major grocery retailers like Whole Foods and Albertson’s have stopped accepting checks for the past several years now, and we’ll continue to see this trend widen as more payment technology expands and becomes available to us.

2. Cash isn’t always available on hand

If you’re anything like me, and a part of the emerging generation of the young, mobilized, “Swipe” generation, getting cash requires taking an extra step to get a transaction done. Going to the ATM to withdraw cash, or going to a store just to hit the cashback button, it all takes extra time in the day. People have to find cash and the stash (as much as I’d like it to be) isn’t infinite - the cash flow has to be replenished. As opposed to electronic funds, consumers always have access to their accounts, whenever, wherever.

3. Cash =  Room for Error

Dealing with cash is a mainly a manual activity. We count cash with our hands, do the math in our heads, and in cases where cents are involved, there’s a million coins multiplying and jingling in our pockets. We’re constantly adding and subtracting figures even with a register machine. This leaves a huge margin for error and inaccurate cash handling, especially when a business owner has a staff of workers dealing with cash all day. Lessen the friction of handling cash and automate payment processing. When dealing with a large fleet of people out in the field, it's best to not have them physically handling the cash and checks so that they don't have to be responsible for dropping off payments to you as the owner.

Choosing cash as a means of payment also means dealing with receipts. In other words, generating trash. Whether a business is writing up a receipt for the transaction, or a consumer is receiving one for his or her payment, how inconvenient is this process? Going paperless is on the rise (soaring, actually), and receipts are thrown in the trash 2.5  seconds after it’s handed to the customer. Whether it’s choosing Square, PayPal, Venmo, or it’s built into an app like Handlr, automating payment processing means businesses get paid quicker, and faster. The best part of automating the payment process is avoiding the awkward conversation of, “So, that invoice from last week…”

4. Mobile payment is preferred

Since 2014 and the almighty release of Apple Pay, I’ve gotten used to the idea of not carrying around my wallet anymore. In fact, I get a bit irritated when I walk into an establishment that doesn’t support Apple Pay. I even prefer to shop at locations that accept it. When they don’t, I think, “Why isn’t this business investing in the easiest ways to accept payment?” But taking a step back, the percentage of preference of mobile payment is outstanding. TechCrunch reports that, “Ninety-four percent of consumers under 35-years-old bank online,” weighing the scale far on the electronic/mobile side. It’s the livelihood of a business to offer methods of payment that consumers prefer, otherwise, they’re not coming to ya.

5. "Electronic Funds are Not Safe."

In, “How the Decline of Cash Makes America a Safer Country,” posted by The Atlantic, Thomspon states that cash was the bloodline of the black market, because cash is absolutely untraceable and easily stolen. Now with the declining statistics of using cash, we see a correlation if a decline in the percentage of crime rates, particularly with robberies and other illegal activities. There’s dangers to using anything really, including using cash.

Also, banks and payment processing companies ensures consumer safety and most of the time, gets the money back pretty quickly to their account when there are instances of fraud. In cases of unauthorized transactions, it’s common for banks to immediately issue a new card (with a temporary card in the meantime) fast.

And lastly, we have to remember that convenience trumps all. Paper checks are quickly dying because it takes days to process and it’s simply a long process to deal with it. The success of fast-food restaurants and on-demand services like Uber, is because it’s so instant, easy, and accessible to use. 

Ch 5. of the Comprehensive Guide for Growing Your Business: Review, Review, Review

Review your financial reports for the year before and make sure that your bookkeeping is organized for the year ahead.

Financial Reports and Statements come into play when you least expect it. It’s important to stay on top of your reports because investors, creditors, and banks look at these to analyze a company’s performance and overall standing. It’s a good rule of thumb to review your statements to ensure accuracy and thoroughness.

Stay organized! We’re still early on in the year and starting off on the right foot can make this your easiest year of bookkeeping yet. Here are some tips we’d thought might help:

• Get a separate bank and credit card accounts for personal and business.
• Dedicate a small amount of your time per week to organize your finances.
• Ditch the paper & declutter- the IRS accepts electronic copies of your receipts.
• Store it in the cloud - you can’t do a quick word search through your physical folder of files!
• Sign up for Quickbooks Online to keep your finances organized and ready for taxes.
• Don’t know what you’re doing? Simply, ask for help from a professional.

I’m Behind on Bookkeeping

Is, “I can’t even right now,” your first reaction when you hear, “bookkeeping?” It’s a heavy chore, we get it. If you’re at a loss of where to even start when you need a Profit & Loss Statement, hire a local bookkeeper for a few hundred dollars per month. They can help keep you organized and prepared for taxes. You can also outsource your bookkeeping to a company like Bench.co who provide bookkeeping experts you can depend on.

Staying on top of paperwork is one of the many keys to success when owning your own business. Double checking, or even triple checking your numbers and financial reports safeguards you and your business from future mishaps when those reports have to come into play again. If you have any suggestions or ideas on what works for you when dealing with reports and statements - we’d love to hear them! Feel free to drop us a line in the Contacts section.

Bigger Business Book Club

If you're a small business owner who is looking to become a bigger business owner, you must read our first two books on the list...

The 4-Hour Work Week: How to Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich 

by Tim Ferriss

The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It 

by Michael E. Gerber

Being an entrepreneur requires a growth mindset that is constantly open to learning and improving yourself. You have to be willing to make changes and put in the heavy lifting in order to grow and experience freedom. These two books are the ultimate guides for taking the necessary steps to put your business on autopilot. We're not being paid as an affiliate to promote these books, they've just really changed our lives.

4-Hour Work Week

The book seems a little crazy at first. Especially if you're a small business owner who is a solopreneur and working 24/7. It seems a little outlandish to reduce your work day by 20 hours, however, we highly recommend that you give it a chance because Tim Ferriss does a great job of putting your business operations into perspective. Ferriss points out how many hundreds of hours per month are wasted on mindless tasks that can be automated or outsourced in order to free up your time for growth and more sales. Ferriss gives a ton of examples of, "high-tech shortcuts, for living like a diplomat or millionaire without being either."  Ferriss lays out step-by-step hacks for things like - how to tackle email more efficiently, how to negotiate better with clients, and most importantly, how to go from making $40,000 per year working 80 hours per week, to $40,000 per MONTH working only 4 hours per week. Read this book and your mind will go into growth hyperdrive. If you're on the go, you can listen to the audio book or you can catch the Tim Ferriss Show podcast for a serious dose of inspiration from truly revolutionary entrepreneurs, artists and scientists. We're addicted to it.

The E-Myth

This book is the holy grail for small business owners. This is the book that you will be giving to all of your business owner friends after you read it. Michael E. Gerber is considered to be the World's #1 Small Business Guru for a reason. He makes a convincing argument that most people are working too hard "in" their business and not "on" it. The problem that most small business owners face is that they get into daily habits that are difficult to change and they are afraid of relinquishing control to other people. A lot of small business owners are stuck as a "One Man Band" and are so busy walking dogs, making pies, tutoring kids or teaching lessons, that they have no time left over to really work on the actual business. Gerber breaks down the mental barriers that we put up by reminding us that we can't do it all and we can't keep going in the vicious cycle of only making money when we're physically working.  If you are never able to confidently step away from your business for the day, the weekend, or for a vacation - you will burn out and you will feel stuck. Gerber points out that the most successful service companies in the world have been built by putting the systems and processes in place for people to consistently follow in order to maintain quality control and order. You are not the only person who can walk dogs, make pies, or tutor kids. You can build a bigger, better business by releasing control and putting the branding, systems and guidelines in place so that you can trust your team and free yourself up for more growth and freedom. This book tells you how and it speaks volumes to anyone who is starting a business or looking to take their business to the next level. We give it an A+++.

The End of an Era: Why Yelp is on its Last Leg

More than ever, an online review, often anonymously written on websites like Yelp can make or break a small business. If you own your own service business, chances are you’ve already felt the dramatic effects of a single negative review can have. A disgruntled customer can ruin a business’s reputation without ever stepping foot inside, and with little to no evidence of their claims. Search the web and you’ll encounter endless horror stories of distasteful reviews that, regardless of merit, have essentially crushed a business’s standing with the public. Even when countless good reviews outweigh a few bad ones, the systematic way in which Yelp strong arms its business users creates a dead end for a small business on the cusp of greatness. The real problem lies in Yelp’s ability to “filter” reviews in an effort to reduce fake reviews that have plagued the site.

However, the more you look in to this feature, the more you begin to wonder if Yelp is using this as a tactic to scrape money from a helpless business. John, an East Bay Restaurateur explained his experience to the East Bay Express in an article that explores the Extortion tactics that Yelp is using against owners like himself. John received multiple phone calls from Yelp employees after a few bad reviews of his restaurant inexplicably appeared at the top of his page. When Yelp offered to remove these reviews at an enormous price, John knew something was wrong "It totally felt like a blackmail deal. I think they're doing anything to make a sale." John isn’t alone. Hundreds of businesses around the web are stuck in similar situations, all the while potential customers avoid their establishment. Simply google it and you’ll see for yourself.

The lack of a standardized format for reviews means that a business's Yelp profile rarely accounts for an accurate reflection of it’s standings with the public. This is an out of date process that will eventually fail. As the public catches on to the scheme, Yelp will lose credibility and more structured review systems will take its place.