Ready, Set, Learn

Most economists are predicting that the economy will bottom out before the end of the year. How are you faring? Some industries have been hit harder than others, like real estate and automotive while some seem to be striving, like anything green. My question is—what have you learned from this downturn and what permanent changes you have made to cushion yourself in the future? We are anxious to help you explore the possibilities so you can be better prepared and better able to avoid negative consequences.

It is important that you take advantage of every possible learning experience. You may be in a position to go back to school or, more likely, you can just spend some dedicated time on your computer asking questions and looking for answers. Either way, updated knowledge will give you the edge in any type of economic chaos. Study everything you can. You will be better prepared than the competition to stay the course. This suggestion applies to your business and financial life as well as your personal life.

You don’t have to embrace all that the younger generations are doing, but you should stay open to possibilities. Read their blogs, check out their social sites, like Facebook and Twitter, and listen to their music. While we have lessons to teach them, they also have lessons to teach us. These interchanges will help all of us grow.

Keep in mind that the “annoying” teenagers of today are going to be the leaders of tomorrow and very much in charge of our fate. Having an idea of how they think and operate in life will put you ahead of the curve and lead you to a more satisfying life.

Should Your Business Use a Staffing Agency?

YES, YES, YES! – You should consider using a staffing agency because we save you money. We eliminate the direct burden of workers’ compensation costs and potential legal exposure, which can be significant expenses. Using a staffing agency also gives you the flexibility to release the worker without any cost to you and you won’t be responsible for unemployment costs either. The average cost of a new hire is $7,000.00 and we are able to substantially reduce that cost for you by taking on these extra burdens.

Staffing agencies offer customized recruiting, screening and training to identify the true talent. We aggressively recruit candidates and keep a large database of highly skilled talent to fit your every need. We guarantee to match you with the right talent – the first time. We also offer heavy screening to ensure that you are receiving an A+ employee. We do comprehensive drug screening, background checks, credit checks, motor vehicle reports and more.

If you are having trouble finding the right employee from your job posting, have no fear. We will post your open positions on various websites for free! We run “blind ads” so job seekers are not pounding down your door. They come to us; our pre-screening efforts are number one so we are able to weed out the bad candidates and only provide you with the best matches.

Work doesn’t stop when someone has to leave on an emergency in the middle of the busiest season or when your employees take vacation; someone needs to always be available. Staffing agencies can fill these temporary assignments. We can also fill temporary to permanent and direct placement needs; offering you a range from seasonal/short-term work all the way to long-term full-time careers.

Your staffing agency is an important partner of your management team, one that helps lead your company to success.

Contributed by Krysta Grizzard, Staffing Manager, Employment Trends, krysta.grizzard@employmenttrends.com

Do You Have Your Hat on Backwards?

In today’s tough economy you have done your due diligence, thoroughly analyzed your income and out go, and sorted your numbers every which-way. You have discovered that your Widget A only accounts for 12% of your business. Should you drop this product line?
WAIT! There are other areas to consider before you pull the plug. Have you done a full analysis of the total potential market? You are likely to find that although Widget A only represents 12% of your business, it actually represents 90% of the total market. Whether by design or happenstance you have discovered a niche and filled it. This has long been the mantra of product designers and sales teams-“find a niche and fill it.”
With this knowledge on hand would you still want to pull the plug on Widget A? What are the chances for add-on sales of your other products? Are your Widget A customers likely to recommend your to their friends and associates? How much of the infrastructure of Widget A overlaps other products in your line? It may only represent 12% of your income, but how much of your outgo does it represent, probably a lot less than 12%.
A major car manufacturer I worked for several years ago made just this mistake and has never been the same since. These are all questions they should have asked as part of their strategic planning analysis. Your Widget A may not be your most profitable product, but it may have a great value to you in the whole scheme of things, in capturing extra business, or in just filling a need that nobody else is able to do, thus making you a hero and a successful commercial enterprise.
A lot of the success of your business will depend on this balancing act. It is critical that you due your due diligence, but not make any decisions until you look at the picture from both sides, yours and the client’s.

Fold and Toss & Fold and Toss & Fold and Toss &…

Are you old enough to remember this? This was the little boy who lived down the street and delivered your newspaper. If he was lucky he had one of those spiffy canvas bags he wore to carry the papers. He got very good at tossing your paper on the porch, unless you were mean to him and then he would hit the bushes or a puddle.

Do you still have the newspaper delivered? I do. I like the feel of the paper and the ritual of spreading it out to read while I eat breakfast. On Sunday I take the whole thing apart before I even start. I sort the parts I want to read in their “proper” order and get rid of all the fillers and ads.

Unfortunately my pleasure is slowly being taken away. Today’s paper only had 36 pages (plus the ads). It barely lasts through breakfast. Because of economics papers are cutting back on their hard copies. They are pushing readers to the internet. They are waving a two edged sword—encouraging people to read the paper online causes the loss of readers for the “real” newspaper. Many of the Country’s newspaper publishers have converted to online publication only.

Getting the news without the ritual of the daily newspaper is like the difference between eating and dining. You do get the job done, the fuel for your machine, but where is the pleasure of the slower pace and the feel of the paper. Life is already moving too fast, I want to hold on to the small pleasure of reading the newspaper with my breakfast in the morning.

This came to me on the net several years on the net. I don't know who the author is, but think it is a very important sentiment.

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups. Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."God brews the coffee, not the cups.......... Enjoy your coffee!

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything.
They just make the best of everything."

Is outsourcing a dirty word!

Today it is called outsourcing and considered a dirty word, but really, it is brokering. Sending specific tasks to professionals outside your organization has several advantages if done properly. This practice shouldn’t impact your current staff; in fact it should strengthen your team.
When I was a printer I often outsourced projects. What it did was buy me the use of equipment that I couldn’t justify owning myself. and trained staff to go with it. Jobs that were beyond our capability were sent to vendors who could do them properly and I didn’t have to be burdened with owning equipment that we rarely used. This also gave us extra staff so we could be more efficient. We didn’t have to be all things to all people, we could do what we did best in house and send the rest to other talented professionals. Our goal was to give our customers the best possible product and they didn’t care how we did it. Brokering made us more profitable, more efficient, and able to deliver a great product.
Brokering differs from outsourcing in that it doesn’t shift your whole production elsewhere, negatively impacting your team members. It allows you to free up manpower so you can get more done in less time, control costs more effectively, enhance accountability and create a positive working environment for everyone. We had a lot of fun, while doing a great job for our customers.

What Would Miss Manners Say?

“ In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them 'Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down. It's where we get the phrase 'mind your P's and Q's”

Did you thank the person who held that door for you today? She/he didn’t have to do that, but they have good manners. Do your good manners show in response. Minding your P’s & Q’s is important to getting along in our fast paced society.
I watched cars this morning jamming themselves into traffic. Their drivers must assume that their journey is more important than the other guy’s. Somehow this is justification for them to create a hazard and put lots of people in jeopardy. I’m sorry to tell them this, but it is just plain RUDE to act like that. Your mission is no more important than the other guy so back off and be calm. I’ve long contended that driver’s licenses should not be issued to “A” personalities.
How long did it take you to send a thank you for a gift, grand gesture, or pleasant encounter? The internet has made us lazy and caused us to get away from hand written notes of appreciation. Other methods will do the job, but nothing is nicer, and more caring than a snail mail card (do you remember those?) Our mothers forced us to reply within 48 hours, but that was another generation. There is no good reason for not returning to those practices-they are very civilized.
We say we live in a supposedly civilized society, but I see too much pushing, shoving, ignoring, disrespecting, and plain rudeness to consider our society truly civilized. It is incumbent on each of use to do our share to bring back life’s little niceties. Sure they take a little more time, but the pleasure the give, and return are worth the effort. Try a smile and a thank you on a stranger and see what I mean.