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Betrayal Vs. Trust In Business

Betrayal Vs. Trust In Business

My journey into business didn’t start in a fancy boardroom, but in the lessons I learned as a kid from my dad. He was a ‘built-from-scratch’ entrepreneur who was hit hard when his business partner betrayed him, stealing hundreds of thousands from the company. This awful event showed me how vital trust and honesty are in business. It’s the glue that holds everything together. But when my dad’s partner decided to break this trust, the fallout wasn’t just about the lost money. It was a betrayal that shook us to our core. From this experience, I learned that having a team you trust and business relationships built on integrity are critical. It’s about being able to trust and respect each other fully. However, that trust also needs to come with a dash of caution. It’s like having an alarm system along with strong locks for your home. Now, in my own business, these early lessons play a big role. They help me make the right choices and drive my mission of protecting other hardworking business owners. For the tech industry, I accomplish that by taking cybersecurity very seriously. In today’s world, cyber threats are everywhere. It’s my goal to help fellow entrepreneurs keep their business and their client’s data safe from these cybercriminals. After all, it’s important work with and IT company you trust to help keep you safe from cybercriminals.

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5 Essential Tech Tools To Grow Your Business And 2 You Should NOT Waste Your Money On

5 Essential Tech Tools To Grow Your Business And 2 You Should NOT Waste Your Money On

Growing your business involves learning how to make money and hang on to it responsibly. When you’re in the weeds, it’s easy to think that a fancy piece of well-marketed software could help dig your way out. That’s usually not the case, and you’ll likely end up paying for software that you dont need and barely use, and that burns through your bank account. On the other end, a few pieces of technology benefit most growing organizations. When set up and implemented correctly, these pieces of software can improve operations, increase efficiency and lend a hand to revenue-generating efforts. Investing in the right technology is not a wasted expense. However, with so many options, especially with the new wave of AI-powered digital tools, it can be challenging to decide which ones you need and which ones are distractions. In today’s blog, we’re outlining five tech tools you should use to grow your business and a few that will only take up space. Tools To Use: Direct Messaging Platforms – Whether everyone is in-office, remote or hybrid, a communication tool is a must. These tools allow for targeted communication that can be one-on-one, small, select groups, entire departments, channels within the organization or the entire organization. This feature helps to keep messages relevant instead of consuming everyone’s time. Tools like Microsoft Teams or Slack are popular options that offer video call capabilities, integrate with other tech tools, can leverage AI and more. Other critical factors to consider when choosing which software you’ll use are whether it’s high-speed, easy to use and scalable, and whether the company provides great support. Project Management Software – This is essential for internal and external projects to keep you on track, on budget and organized. Using this tool, you can work with others on your team to set deadlines, assign tasks, monitor deliverables, track issues, connect with clients for feedback or approval and more. However, there are many options available that have more features than you need. When choosing project management software, first see if there are any industry favorites. For example, JobNimbus is specialized software for roofers in the contracting industry. Others exist specifically for health care. Finding these unique options can help you get the project solutions you need. If you’re looking for a general tool, software like Monday, Asana and ClickUp all continue to top the popularity chart. Customer Relationship Management Software (CRM) – If you’ve been tracking leads and customers via pencil and paper or with a simple spreadsheet, this tool will change the game for you. CRMs allow you to store your customer information in one place, which can help streamline your sales process, strengthen customer relationships, increase sales and run a smoother operation. Again, look for industry-specific options first. After that, tools like Keap or Salesforce come highly recommended. Cloud Computing Solutions – These are vital for all organizations that share data or collaborate on projects. The cloud is a web-based hub that holds all your data virtually and can be manipulated by anyone with access at any time, even at the same time. It syncs to all connected devices to share changes in real time, allowing for better collaboration and scale-up as your company grows. Cloud platforms to consider are Microsoft Azure, Google Drive, Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Dropbox. Cyber Security Solutions – Digital tools make running your company easier, but they invite new threats into your business. Cyber security is a serious issue for business owners. You handle sensitive data, financial information and more for you and your clients, so safeguarding it against cybercriminals is necessary. Computers, USBs, mobile devices, servers and networks must all be secured. While there are antivirus and firewall solutions available for you to set up on your own, having an IT company with a cyber security expert on the team monitoring your network is recommended. Hackers break through the standard firewalls regularly, which leaves people who think they are protected unknowingly exposed. With 24/7 monitoring, an IT team can patch those holes before cybercriminals can find them. Those are five tools all business owners would benefit from. But what about items you don’t need? Here are two you can avoid wasting money on. 1. Ineffective AI Tools – With the launch of ChatGPT, a wave of new AI-powered programs has popped up. It seems like there is an AI tool for everything. The problem is, can these tools be used effectively? Many programs were rushed to market and are still in the early stages of development. They have frustrating bugs and limitations and don’t produce quality results. Be selective about which AI tools you use. Do you need it? Does it work? Remember, whenever you sign up for another free trial or create an account, you’re giving your private information to a company that could experience a data breach. Choose carefully! 2. Duplicates – Are you paying twice for the same tool? As software companies merge and develop new features, you might find that you can consolidate your tools in one place. For example, if you’re using Canva to design images for social media and something else like Hootsuite to schedule them, you could reduce the number of tools you use from two to one because Canva can schedule the posts for you! There are likely other areas in your business where this can happen. Spend some time evaluating what you invest in to see if you can eliminate anything. When it comes to running an efficient business, choosing the right tech tools is critical to your success. Instead of spending your limited time researching the best options, let our tech experts help. Using our FREE Network Assessment, we can help you identify bottlenecks and areas of opportunity in your business to help you save money, improve productivity and grow. Click here to book your free assessment now or call our team at 314-207-4273 to get started.

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Advice from Shark Tank TV Stars: A Successful Business Knows the Problem It Solves

Advice from Shark Tank TV Stars: A Successful Business Knows the Problem It Solves

What problem does your business solve? And for who? Do you communicate that clearly in your marketing? Is your business good at solving that problem? These are the questions that stars of the hit TV show Shark Tank asked participants during a panel discussion I recently attended at an industry event. You’d be surprised how many people had to think for a long time to clearly answer those questions. On the show Shark Tank, entrepreneurs present their business ideas to a rotating group of potential investors including Daymond John, Robert Herjavec, and Kevin O’Leary, all who spoke on this panel. If participants of the show don’t know the problem their business solves, they’re not going get investments or earn the Sharks’ trust. Why listen to these TV stars? They’re wildly successful in business! Robert Herjavec is a tech genius, and immigrant turned multi-millionaire who kicked off the discussion by sharing his personal story of overcoming adversity. He encouraged entrepreneurs to embrace the latest technology and stay ahead of the game. Daymond John, the streetwise fashion guru who turned his love for hats into a multimillion-dollar brand, urged business owners to identify and fill gaps in the market. And Kevin O’Leary, the software entrepreneur turned savvy investor, emphasized the importance of having a clear understanding of your value proposition and standing out from the competition. The overall theme of the panel discussion was “Know the problem you solve.” The panelists emphasized the importance of positioning your product or service as something that uniquely solves a problem or improves your customers’ lives. Here are five key takeaways from their discussion: Identify the problem you’re solving: Before you can position your product or service as a solution, you need to identify the problem that you’re solving. This requires a deep understanding of your target customer and their pain points. You need to be able to articulate how your product or service addresses their needs and solves their problems in a unique and meaningful way. Focus on the benefits: When positioning your product or service, it’s important to focus on the benefits, not just the features. Customers don’t buy products or services based on their features alone; they buy based on how those features will improve their lives. Make sure you’re communicating the benefits of your product or service clearly and concisely. Be specific: Don’t try to be all things to all people. Instead, focus on a specific problem or set of problems that you can solve better than anyone else. This will help you differentiate yourself in the market and build a loyal customer base. Tell a story: People remember stories much better than they remember facts and figures. Use storytelling to illustrate how your product or service solves a problem and improves your customers’ lives. This will help you connect with your customers on an emotional level and make your product or service more memorable. Test and iterate: Once you’ve identified the problem you’re solving and positioned your product or service as a solution, it’s important to test and iterate. Get feedback from your customers and adjust as necessary. This will help you continue to improve your product or service and stay ahead of the competition. Your business can thrive or fail based on knowing and applying these concepts. This can also change over time as your business grows and problems and people change. As an IT company founded in 1984, my own business has changed many times over the years! We opened our doors when computers were just starting to be used in the workplace. Then we helped individuals build custom computers specifically geared toward their needs. In the 1990s we transitioned to setting up networks of computers and began using internet capabilities in the mainstream. Now, we’re helping businesses keep their technology running hassle-free while also protecting them from cyber-attacks. People Don’t Know What They Don’t Know The world is filled with people selling things to solve problems that you never knew existed. Some are scam artists while others are trying to genuinely build a business offering an essential service for the world. It’s hard to not be skeptical these days where there’s a new danger and something else to worry about (and pay for) in the news every day. As an IT company, we have the same conversation with business owners every day, despite repeated news headlines about the latest business or organization being hacked. Many think that they are too small to be at risk of a cyberattack. Others think that their current IT guy “has them covered” because he seems to know a lot about technology. Most business owners think cybersecurity is a yearly conversation they have with their insurance company to fill out a form to qualify for insurance. In reality, cybersecurity is an ongoing risk that requires ongoing, proactive management that’s constantly evolving along with technology and threats. Being A Trusted Expert in Your Field The Sharks are all trusted business experts, which is why millions watch their show and thousands apply to have a chance to pitch their business for a chance at getting an investor. People are looking for someone knowledgeable and trustworthy to help solve their problems, not an amateur who seems risky. As a wrap-up for the panel discussion, the Sharks reiterated the importance of deeply understanding the problem you solve so people know you are the person and the company to help them. Become the person and company that they trust to solve their problems with excellent service and by adding value. Then your business will thrive.

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The Biggest Risk Is Not The One You Don’t Take, But The One You Don’t See

The Biggest Risk Is Not The One You Don’t Take, But The One You Don’t See

“The biggest risk is the one you don’t take” is a mantra you’ll hear motivational speakers deliver in their presentations to make the argument that you should throw all caution to the wind and go for it (whatever “it” is). And while that may be a good piece of advice to get someone to take action on an idea (and get the speaker applause at the end of their presentation), truly smart, experienced entrepreneurs and business executives NEVER throw “caution to the wind” and take wild risks. They take calculated risks, weighing consequences and putting buffers, hedges and checks in place to reduce the risk and potential losses. They look for the risk because they know unchecked optimism is not only foolish, but dangerous, and Murphy is always standing by with a big wrench in hand, ready to throw it into your best-laid plans. If you follow Warren Buffett’s two rules of investing, you’ll see this same caution: Rule #1 – Never lose money. Rule #2 – Never forget Rule #1. A good question to ask yourself is where are YOU putting your business and your money at undue risk? While you cannot prepare for and prevent EVERY risk in your business, one area where we see a lot of businesses taking huge, unmitigated risks is with their data and cyber security. Despite the overwhelming evidence that the risk and the financial consequences of cyber-attacks are enormous, we still hear, “Nobody is going to hack us…we don’t have anything they want,” or “We can’t get hacked because _____,” with the blank being things like “we use cloud applications” or “we have a good firewall,” “our people are too smart to click on bad links in e-mails,” or other similar “reasons” for their false sense of security. They explain it away. Candidly, it’s our belief that this is not founded in confidence and logical thought but based in a willful neglect and a desire to avoid spending the funds necessary to truly secure their data, their business, their finances. And while I completely understand that nobody wants to spend a lot of money on IT, the risk doesn’t cease to exist just because you choose to ignore it. One of the smartest investors in the world, Howard Marks, CEO of Oaktree Financial, said, paraphrased, the less risk you perceive, the more risk there is. For example, if I don’t think there’s any chance I can die in a car wreck on my way to the store, I’ll fail to put on my seat belt, text while I drive and be a lot less cautious about paying attention to the road than if I thought there was a very high chance I could be in a fatal crash. The lower the risk perceived, the higher the risk actually is, because we lower our guard and don’t protect against it. That’s exactly why small businesses are the #1 target for hackers. They’re EASY prey. Sure, they don’t get the bragging rights of bringing down a company like Dole or hacking into Microsoft Azure, but hacking millions of small businesses for a few thousand dollars each in ransomware pays. You just don’t hear about these attacks because they don’t make the evening news, just like you don’t hear about the 6 MILLION car wrecks that happen every year. Only the big ones – or the ones that seriously impact rush hour traffic – get noticed. If you are not all that certain that you are truly and fully protected against such hacks, reach out to schedule a brief discovery call with us. We can conduct a quick and easy cyber security risk assessment and tell you for sure if your current IT company is protecting you, and what level of risk you’re at for a cyber-attack. It’s free and comes with no expectations or cost. Remember, not all successes are measured in gains secured. Sometimes success is defined as losses avoided. If you were given the chance to go back in time and unwind 2 or 3 financial, business or life decisions you’ve made, knowing what you know now, I’m sure everyone would take that opportunity. Most likely, you’d go back and warn yourself about dumb mistakes you made and put protections in place to avoid losses you incurred. Sadly, there’s no genie in a bottle to make that happen, so an ounce of prevention against cyber-attack IS, without a doubt, worth a pound of cure. Call us today for your FREE Cyber Security Risk Assessment.

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