8 Simple Ways to Define Your Brand

By Geraud Staton

Branding, in its simplest definition, is an expectation. Whatever your brand says about you, that is the expectation that your customer has. A lot of your brand happens before anyone actual interacts with you or your product. Do you have a high-cost, high quality product? Or do you have a low-cost, high value one? You can't be both. You can't be the person who disrupts traditional thinking AND be the person who follows traditions and applies those to your work.

The question becomes: what do you want people to think about you and your product, or you and your service, or you and your business? The following eight tips will help you put your best foot forward when it comes to branding.


1. Define Your Mission
What is your mission? What is the problem that you are solving for your clients, your neighborhood or the world? Knowing this is the first part of determining what your brand is. It's important because if your brand doesn't somehow show this mission to the world, then it does not serve you very well.

2. Know Who Your Customers Are
Who are you serving? A company that looks to create a less expensive, high quality dress shoe is wanting to help everyone show a more sophisticated appearance without paying a lot. So, your customers are most likely people for whom the difference in a $200 dress shoe and a $100 dress will matter. Probably not your big time banker, But quite possibly middle executives. So, what do they like? What are their personalities? What are their needs? The more you can learn about your customers and their likes, the better you are able to serve them!

3. Decide What Qualities You Want Them to See In Your Company
You know what your mission is, and you know who it is you are serving. What part of your mission do you want them to see? This is the sweet spot for your branding campaign. If you have a company that is focused on the needs of your customers, then this overlap will be large. However large it may be, what is it about your company that you really want your target clients to see? Is it that you care for the environment? Or that you are a company that cares about families? Are you all about saving money for your customer, or providing personal service?

4. Take a Stand!
You're most likely a small business, or a smaller part of a large corporation. Take advantage of the lack of bureaucracy and stand for something big! It may not be your primary mission, but it should make a statement about your organization. You may run a small pet sitting company, but that doesn't mean that you can't support nature preservation, or even a particular patch of land that is important to you. Even the Tough Mudder obstacle courses support the Wounded Warrior Project. You can stand for something as well.

5. Create a Logo That Fits
You don't have to be an artist to design a logo that fits your company image. And you don't have to panic about creating just the right thing. You don't want a logo that takes away from your message. You might think that dog is adorable, but if you're a lender you may be giving the wrong message. In future articles we'll talk more about designing a logo. For now, if you're not comfortable with it, seek out the help of someone with design skills. They will be a huge help!

6. Integrate Your Brand
Your brand should affect how you answer the phone, how soon you respond to email, your email signature, even what you wear to the office every day. If you're a laid back company, your language should be casual. If you're a more formal organization than your language should be more glitzy.

It should be a part of your company culture, which means it isn't just you doing it. Every employee should reflect your brand. That means that communication is key. If your employees don't know the message you want to get out, then they won't know how to share it with the world.

7. Develop a Tagline
It is surprising how often a tagline is overlooked. A tagline can be a shortcut to identifying your brand. - Don't leave home without it.  - Be all you can be.  - Fly the friendly skies. -It takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. These help a new customer zero in on what you believe.

What's your tagline?

8. Keep it Consistent
Once you know what your brand is, be sure to duplicate it in everything you do. Use the same font for your fliers. Use the same color scheme. Is there a sound associated? If so, be sure it can be heard often. The more your customers can see your theme, the more easily they will recognize it.


It has been said in marketing that if you aren't one of the first 3 people that someone thinks about when they need a problem solved, then you are most likely not going to get their business. If you are always at the top of your clients' minds, then you will be in a place to help them when they need you!

Have any more branding ideas? We'd love to hear about them. Please share in the comments!

Meet Connell of Connell Smiles

 

Connell Green has been with the Helius Foundation for about seven months. His business, Connell Smiles, is a growing cookie company here in Durham, NC. Connell talks a little about what brought him to Helius:

 

“I had a bad accident about a few years ago. A support beam fell over my head; in the next years, I had to learn how to talk again, I underwent speech therapy, I had to learn alphabets and numbers all over again. It was a very hard time. But it was in this time that I asked God to help heal me, I asked Him to help me find my calling. One day, I had a vision; I saw a pair of golden hands, and I wondered what that meant. Later on, something else happened to me. I started to hear different types of baking ingredients whispered into my ear. Then it dawned upon me- God was telling me that my gift was to use my hands. I was still recovering physically when I started to knead dough. I would spend hours kneading dough, and then I started to notice that it was giving strength back to my arms and shoulders. I started kneading dough every day and after a while thought “Hey I better make something out of it,” so I made cookies, delicious cookies. Soon I started to give them away to people, and soon after I started selling them. This whole process was really a way that God healed me from the inside out. 

It’s been years now. And I still love making cookies; every time I bake, a part of me becomes energised. That’s my love, cookies are my babies. I see cookies as a tool to get people to relax. You know, have a cookie and some coffee, have a good time, relax for a moment, see what’s in you, see what’s around you. I hope to sell my cookies at even more stores, perhaps a couple of franchises way into the future. Helius has been great in helping me reach my goals. I joined about 7-8 months ago, and really I learned that the best teacher you can ever get is the one that can be honest with you, tells you when you haven’t pulled up to your standards, and lets you harness your strengths. Geraud from Helius has been this teacher to me. And now he’s connected me with Duke students who are helping me refine my business ideas and targets. I’m really thankful. "

 

We're thankful to be working with such an amazing and driven individual. And it is great seeing him working with so many others. We have no doubt that Connell Smiles will be bringing smiles to everyone throughout the Triangle very soon!

Meet Ayubi of Afrokat

Meet one of our entrepreneurs, Ayubi who owns Afrokat, a business that refurbishes and designs shoes. Only 14 years old, his passion and ambition inspires us!

“Ever since I was as young as 10 years old, I was an artist. Growing up, I wasn’t that big of a talker, but art and design have always been an outlet for me to express myself. In the summer of 2015, I took my passion for art to another level; I began to refurbish and design shoes. Each shoe pair takes about 10 hours to make; it’s hard work, but I really enjoy it. I draw inspiration from my surroundings when I design my shoes. You see this shoe here? I saw a rose one day, and I thought, hey this could look sweet on a shoe. For some of my buyers, I discuss with them my design ideas and customise the shoes to their liking. My dream is to grow Afrokat as a business to show other youth that they should just go after their ideas and not hesitate, even if they’re young. With personal drive and support from amazing networks, it’s really possible to take your idea further. For me, it was great when Helius gave me my own space to make shoes here in ReCity, and I’ve had the chance to discuss my business goals and plans to further grow my business with them too. I am really excited to see where this will go!” 

We are certain this young artist is bound for success and are so excited to help him build upon the Afrokat brand. Get ready to discover your new, favorite shoes!

Helius works with Boomerang and EmPOWERment!

It's been a great seven weeks working with the amazing young adults from EmPOWERment and Boomerang. We were able to work with these adults for a few hours each week, helping them to create four business presentations to our panel of judges: Laura Fieselman, Lisa Long Jackson,Margot Carmichael Lester, Taylor Meyer, Dina Rousset, Deborah Stroman, and Chela Tu. 

With 5 minutes to present and 10 minutes of Q & A, the teams had a lot of information to deliver in a short amount of time. But in the end there could only be one team that made it to victory. Congratulations:



Kellie Farrington and Jasmine Flack!

Diversity in Leadership training with CUBE Chapel Hill

The Helius Foundation has been lucky enough to host UNC's CUBE - Social Innovation Initiative, at our office at ReCity in Durham. Helius was working with CUBE to develop a one-day Diversity in Business Leadership workshop. We were able to speak openly about how diversity affects us in ways that we may not see. We were able to speak with CUBE participants about not only racial and religious diversity; but about experiential, value and even ability diversity and it's importance in the work place.

Helius would like to thank Laura Fieselman of CUBE, as well as all of the students involved. We had some great conversation and made some amazing headway. We have something that we can take out into the world.

NCCU's Summer Youth Business and Entrepreneur Academy

It was a great privilege to be part of NCCU's SYBEA (Summer Youth Business and Entrepreneur Academy) this year. I was able to meet with a great group of students from the program who came to our space at ReCity in order to talk about ways to improve Helius' outreach efforts, particularly in reaching a stronger youth demographic. Through hours of questions, the students were able to narrow down their proposal to two separate potential projects! Helius will be utilizing some of the strategies provides in the near future!

We thank the students, the other partner organizations, and the coordinators of the program! This was an amazing event and we look forward to being a part of it next year.

  

3 Ways to Avoid Decision Fatigue

by Geraud Staton

Decision fatigue has been something of a fascination of mine for a few years now. This fascination was reinforced with President Obama told Vanity Fair, "You'll see I wear only gray or blue suits...I'm trying to pare down decisions. I don't want to make decisions about what I'm eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make."

Decision fatigue makes us order ridiculous items from late-night television, allows us to eat that bag of cookies when we're on our diet, or worse, lets us ignore danger signals that would normally shine bright to our normally sane minds. As John Tierney explains it, "It's different from ordinary physical fatigue - you're not consciously aware of being tired - but you're low on mental energy. The more choices you make throughout the day, the harder each one becomes for your brain, and eventually it will look for shortcuts."

Those shortcuts tend to follow two choices. We either act erratically, such as snapping at friends or family members, or spending money that we know we shouldn't. Or we do nothing at all, which is the ultimate energy-saving strategy. We don't exercise, or we don't cook dinner, or we don't make that important business call.

Call the client now, call later, or just watch Netflix?

Researchers have proven the effects of decision fatigue time and time again. In fact, if you're interested in how it works, you should read Tierney's article. As for how to manage it, we can give you three pieces of advice.

1. Make decisions early in the day
If you have some important decisions to make, or a large number of decisions, do it as early as you can. I do most of my writing in the morning, as well as getting the bulk of my work done first thing (I like to start at 6am). My afternoons are when I hold most of my meetings and the like.

2. Get plenty of rest
Sleep makes a huge difference in decision fatigue. If you're already tired, you're starting with a lower gas tank anyway. Avoid that with a good night's sleep. And if you have to make decisions later in the day, consider a nap.

3. Set up rules that are etched in stone
When you have to decide what to wear, it takes a toll. I've watched my wife change clothes three time before work. Already, she's starting a few steps down in her day. If you have the same breakfast every day, you don't have to decide what to eat. And you don't have to decide what to purchase when you do your grocery shopping. I eat the same breakfast and lunch every day. I wake up at the same time on weekdays and weekends alike. Many professionals, like the President, have adopted a uniform to alleviate decision-making.

By eliminated the decisions you have to make, especially when you have to make the same ones over and over again, you can give yourself more bandwidth. You can leave the simple things and deal with the larger ones, rather than the other way around.

Want to learn more? Check out John Tierney's article at 
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/magazine/do-you-suffer-from-decision-fatigue.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1

And be sure to tell us how you avoid decision exhaustion!

Three Reasons Your Small Business Needs a Board of Directors

James O'Brien, PhD, believes that you should have a Board of Directors, no matter what size your company is. Here at Helius, we agree 100%.

First off, it would help to know what a Board of Directors really is. A Board of Directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization (Wikipedia). They go by many names, including Board of Regents, Board of Visitors, Board of Managers, Board of Trustees, etc. Part of a typical Board's job is to establish broad policies, ensure financial resources, approve annual budgets, and set salaries.

To many Executive Directors of both nonprofit and for-profit businesses, particularly those that started their companies on their own, it may seem like giving away a great deal of power. Dr. O'Brien tells you why that may not be the case.


1) Boardrooms augment your core competencies
You're working in a small business, probably in an area that you are passionate in. But that doesn't mean you can do it all. You need to be able to manage staff, handle finances, manage recruiting, organize distribution, and perhaps even policy and lobbying. Board members can help with all of those things by setting regulations that help you stay on track.

2) Experienced Board Members help you avoid mistakes
Just as no one can do it all, no one is perfect. But, when you have experienced eyes looking over your organization you can often avoid costly mistakes that may come up.

3) Your Board is a simplification tool
I'm sure i'm not only speaking about myself when I say that sometimes Executive Directors can get very emotionally involved with what they are doing. We want to do it all. And we want to do it the best it's ever been done. Sometimes, however, we need someone to tell us to slow down. this is where your Board comes in. They can often see the forest while you're stuck in the trees.

And, with the power of the internet, you don't even need to have a Board that sits together once a week. You can reach out whenever and however you need. And, better yet nearly at anytime, day or night.


To read the entire article, go to https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/why-your-small-business-needs-an-advisory-board/.

And let us know in the comments how you built your small business Board of Directors.

How to Make Partnerships Work For You

A partnership of any kind should be about mutual support and gain. It should be the very definition of a Win/Win Scenario. Sometimes this isn't as easy as it would seem. In business, cultivating a win/win partnership can be even more tricky.

Fran Tarkenton has some advice that just might help. And he's more than qualified to offer it. Though many of you may know him from his stint with either the Minnesota Vikings or New York Giants, Fran is also the founder of Tarkenton Companies, a suite of small business software and financial planning ventures based in Atlanta, GA.

He offers a few great tips when you're looking for potential partners to help your small business grow.

For one, don't be afraid of "selling out" to larger corporate partners. Honest Tea was bought by Coca-Cola back in 2011. However, Honest Tea is an autonomous partner, meaning they operate with minimal oversight from Coca-Cola. They get access to a massive distribution chain while Coca-Cola gets to improve it's image as a sustainable brand.

As Fran points out, other partnerships aren't as smooth. A second piece of advice is to be wary of the line between mutual self-interest and selfishness. In the case of Citibank and Motivate. Their partnership, Citi Bike, is faltering. Motivate is having financial troubles. But Citibank has no real reason to bail them out. That was never a part of their partnership, and even as Motivate falters, Citibank is able to cash in on the brand equity provided by Motivate and the Citi Bike program.

When it comes right down to it, the key is to remember that a partnership is a relationship between people. As Fran says, "I've sat down with prominent executives who pledged to help grow my business through a partnership. They had plenty of prestige and resources. Despite that, there were time when I heard them out and walked away, because our underlying values and mission in business simply didn't align."


To read the full article check out https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-small-business/small-business-advice-how-to-strike-and-sustain-a-successful-business-partnership/2015/02/03/c72cafb0-abd8-11e4-9c91-e9d2f9fde644_story.html

2015 End-of-Year Fundraiser

Helping Those In Need The Helius Foundation needs your help. Helius is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit that works with Necessity-Driven Entrepreneurs (NDEs). These are individuals who are unable to find traditional, living wage employment. Reasons can range from job seekers being long-time veterans, single parents with limited available hours, the undereducated, people with minor criminal records, or individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds who lack the social networks needed to find well-paying jobs. These individuals create work for themselves through entrepreneurship. NDE's like James. James is a single father, with a 6 year old daughter named Tasha. He worked in the maintenance department at a local hospital for 11 years, before he was laid off. He has no college degree. For the past year he’s has been struggling to find work. Instead of waiting around for a hand out, James started a business that builds residential fences. But his business is not doing well. According to James, one morning before he went to work, he made his daughter three sandwiches. He told her they needed to last her all day. James, in the meantime, ate nothing. James is one of many NDEs. Among all entrepreneurs in the United States, 15% of them are NDEs, and these numbers are expected to increase by another 6.6% in the coming years.  And with Durham’s on-going entrepreneurial explosion there are more NDEs than ever, many of whom will be left behind without assistance. How Can You Help? You can support these men and women who wake up every morning and fight to provide a life for their families. Like you, they want healthier food options and better healthcare. Like you, they fight to provide an education for their children so that they don’t have to fight these same battles when they reach adulthood. Just click on the link below to be taken to our CommitChange Campaign.

About Us The Helius Mentorship Program provides all of the services that any business owner needs in order to create a sustainable business. We provide the same level of mentoring and coaching that you would demand for your own business. And we do so at no cost to the NDEs in our program! This includes one-on-one coaching sessions, free training seminars, and business development tools needed to take an NDE’s business from the idea phase to a fully-operational, self-sustaining business that earns a fair living wage. But we can’t do it without you. We Need Your Help Tax deductible donations of as little as $25 and $50 can provide a month of coaching for a local NDE. Donations of $100 to $500 can help in marketing and licensing of NDE businesses. Just click on the link below. Donating takes less than a minute. All donations come with the seasonal newsletter, including updates and profiles for the Program Participants so that you can see exactly what your donations have provided! Thank you in advance for your support. By donating to the Mentorship Program, you are giving struggling NDEs a fighting chance. You are providing them with the chance to support themselves and their families with dignity, despite race, education or financial upbringing. Sincerely, Geraud Staton Executive Director The Helius Foundation

5 Ways to Practice Appreciation

by Geraud Staton

There are hundreds, if not thousands of lists out there about what you should do to be happy. Sometimes, the list is 10 items long. Sometimes it's 15. Sometimes it's 7. Sometimes it's only 3. And nearly every one of them has at least this one item in common:

Appreciate what you have.

Some of us think that we do just that. We love our car when it's raining and we don't have to walk. We love our spouse when he or she does something amazing for us. But that isn't enough.

1. Remember that nothing lasts forever.
There are a couple of reasons people don't appreciate their health, their spouse, their financial situation or the origami bird that your son gave you. The first is that you believe that what you have will be there forever.

Go find a 70 year old and ask her how much she misses her knees. Then, go ask a 40 year old. You may get the same answer! When I was younger I could run and jump and not care about anything. I assumed I would always be healthy and when I got to a point that I needed to do something about it I would. But that time creeps up on you. You don't often get warning. One day I was jumping over the second floor balcony and rolling onto the ground below. Today, if I have to step down off of a two foot drop I cringe at how much it's going to hurt or how ungraceful I'm going to look. Knees: gone.

Your beautiful car will get a dent or a scratch. Your wife will wonder why you don't tell her you love her. Your friend will get a job in another state. Your job will have layoffs or get sold to some larger firm. Someone you love will die.

Before those things happen. Take the time to enjoy them while you've got them!


2. Truly observe those things around you.
Look around you. No matter where you happen to be, you are surrounded by stuff. If you're lucky, a lot of that stuff is yours. Pick a random item. Maybe it'd your old laptop. Maybe the sweater you're wearing. Or is it a pair of shoes that you just recently purchased.

How does it make you feel? How did you feel the first time you used it? Was it a gift? Is there some way you can improve it, such as cleaning or organizing it, ironing or polishing it?

What about something that DOESN'T belong to you. Look at the city street you're on. Or the field. Or the window of your office. There are things out there that have benefited you. The trees outside your window supported the life of you and all your loved ones. The streets of the city got you to where you needed to go and support so many events and businesses that you use regularly.

Pay attention to the world around you and notice the positive things. The city may be dirty today, but just as there are always negatives there are also always positives. You just have to chose what to concentrate on.

3. Keep a gratitude journal.
Yes. Like you, I used to keep a journal. I recently went back and looked at it. If I didn't know who those journals belonged to and I had to describe the owner, I would have said something like this:

"This is a guy who hates everything. His friends are shit. His lover is unreasonable. He has the worst luck on the planet. But also, nothing he's written about is that bad, so that probably means he's a whiner that sits on a rock looking into his empty hands like Gollum and wondering why everyone was out to get him. Also, note to self: do not invite that guy to your party."

It's time to cut out the whining. Especially to yourself. Want some evidence:
There was a study done by psychologists Robert Emmons, Ph.D. and Michael McCollough, Ph.D. Their study was called Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. The results have been sited as proof in talks, papers and scientific studies on emotion to this day. In the study, the two had people keep either a weekly or daily journal. The participants were put into three groups. One group kept track of positive events, one group tracked hassles, while the other tracked neutral events. At the end of the 10 week study the scientists found that those that kept a positive journal reported fewer health issues and exercised more. They felt more joyful and energetic. According to the study, the positive journal writers were 25% happier. The results for the daily journals were even more pronounced!

You can purchase the actual study here: http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/psp/84/2/377/

Keep a gratitude journal. Even if it's only a sentence or two. It will help you focus on the things that are positive in your life.


4. Don't compare yourself to others.
We tend to operate using the fallacy of association. This just means that you assume that, because A is a B, and that A is also a C, than B must always be C. It's like saying:

A: "My friend Joseph..."
B: "...is Asian..."
C: "...and loves milk."

Thus, Asian's love milk!

This sort of thinking could be said to be the base of all racist, classist or ageist thoughts since the dawn of time. But it's also one of the main reasons we dislike ourselves. We associate a lot of things to a single trait, and usually one we don't have.

"Sally is incredibly fit and has so many friends. I could never get a figure like hers (and thus, I will never have her kinds of friends)."

"Dave makes so much money, and he and his family go on so many adventures. I don't make that much (and thus, I will never ever ever be able to go on those kinds of adventures)."

Usually, we don't even stop there. Sally is fit and has friends and goes on adventures and has a nice car. You are not that fit...and then the list of things that are crappy about your life start to fill your head. And the truth is, some of the comparisons aren't even true! Sally doesn't have a nice car. You might actually prefer your car to hers. But you want a new one because yours is making a weird rattle. So, you give her car an instant mental upgrade. Comparing yourself to Sally has made you feel like crap. But it also have taken away your hope. You have no intention of getting that fit. None at all. So, you are resigned to not have any of the other things that you perceive fitness gives.

Leave Sally and Dave out of your daily comparisons. You'll be much happier for it.


5. Compare yourself to others.
Ok, there is a caveat. Compare yourself to the right people. Maybe you DO want to get into great shape. If that's the case, perhaps Sally becomes your measuring stick. This is especially useful when you aren't close associates. You don't want to be comparing yourself to close friends constantly. That breeds envy and a sometimes unhealthy level of competition.

But, if Sally works across the hall, you can use her for inspiration! Or, you could use people further outside of your circle. Want to be as financially successful as Richard Branson? Go find out what he did. Want to be charming like George Clooney? Find out ways to become more charming. These people can be used as examples for you.

Just remember, one things doesn't necessarily lead to another. If you want wealth like Branson, then go for it. But don't think that it takes that sort of wealth in order to have a family like Branson's. Those are two different things!


Are you appreciative? What could we do to be better at it?

How Strong Is Your Emotional Vocabulary

by Geraud Staton

I used to think that my emotional vocabulary was incredibly limited. I have recently taken up daily meditation. There are a number of ways to practice meditation. One of my tasks in my meditation is to do a body scan. In its simplest form, a body scan is where you check in with the different areas of your body. You note how they feel but you do nothing to alter those feelings. Just pay attention to them. The more often you do this, the more in tune with your own body you can become. I have experienced this first hand.

But the body scan isn't only for the physical sensations of the body. It's also for the emotional. What are you feeling? And it is here that I realized that I didn't have enough words for my own emotions.

"How do I feel today? I feel...bad?"

"Bad" isn't a terrible way to describe a feeling, but it isn't a great one either. This is where your emotional vocabulary comes in. The reason that a high emotional vocabulary is important is because unlabeled emotions often become misunderstood emotions. Knowing that you feel bad about a particular situation is not the same as knowing you are feeling irritable or impatient or frightened. Feeling bad about something is more likely to make you avoid that situation. But what if what you are feeling isn't bad, but wary? Being wary makes you pay more attention rather than shutting down and fleeing. And that wariness might allow you to see something useful that your subconscious suspected was there.

The more specific you can be in regards to what you are feeling, the faster you will be able to handle your emotions. This is especially helpful for our most extreme emotions. Feeling angry is completely legitimate. If, on the other hand, you're feeling violent or hostile, and are aware of the difference, then you also know that you should take a step back before you do or say something that you will regret later. There are many instances where someone's emotional outburst was a shock to even themselves. This is often because they were unable to identify what they were feeling, or had mislabeled that feeling as something more generalized, thus letting it build and not recognizing the change.

Outside of self-awareness and conflict resolution, having a strong emotional vocabulary, which leads to a strong emotional intelligence (or EQ), can also help you with your social awareness. Being able to understand your own emotions allows you to better understand those of the people around you. It can be quite effective knowing that your potential business partner isn't "a total douche" but is instead feeling threatened or insecure.

Here is a list of emotional vocab words to help get your started, thanks to Henry4School.

How are YOU feeling today?

6 Steps in Defining Your Business Goals

by Geraud Staton

Defining ones business goals seems that it would be as straightforward as deciding what you want out of your business and, if you're feeling inspired, posting those goals somewhere that you can see them on a regular basis. 

Unfortunately, deciding on your desired outcomes isn't just about picking a lofty goal and going for it. You also need to make sure the goal you're hoping to attain fits in with your company values. 

At Helius, we use 6 steps that help us in goal setting and determining how a goal will affect us and our customers. We do this with every major decision, ranging from internal growth issues to helping our clients in furthering their own agendas.

1. What do you want?

This is to be stated in the positive. We all know what we don't want, but concentrating on that is said to the main reason goals fail. Mary Lore discusses this in-depth on her website "Managing Thought." 

As Mary herself said, "When we are focused on what we don't want, that is all we see, and our ideas and decisions are based on what we don't want. When we know what we want, we give ourselves the ability to imagine new possibilities and generate ideas on how to be and what to do or say in each moment to make it a reality."

State your desired outcome in a positive statement and then be sure all your decisions lead you toward that specific goal, not running away from something you don't want.

2. How will you know when you've succeeded?

Sometimes our goals can be nebulous at best. Defining what you want, as stated above, may be difficult for some people. Even more difficult is knowing when you've hit your mark. If you can't count it, it becomes infinitely harder to hit your goal. Having a goal to "improve customer relations" is admirable, but what does that mean? Is it getting one person to leave a positive comment on your company Facebook page? That fits the description, doesn't it? But, I doubt that's what you're going for. 

These are sometimes called metrics or key performance indicators. If you want to acquire a strong customer base, define what that means so that you can track it. Is it nine new customers per month? One hundred new users? Do you want to make $20,000 in revenue this month, or increase productivity by 10%? You need to know. 

"There's no point in driving all night to get to a particular location if you have no idea when get there!"

3. What resources do I have?

Your list of resources is just a list of tools that you have at your disposal that will help you reach your goal. These resources take many forms. People are the most obvious. Who are the people that are available to help you, including employees, partners, and mentors? Write them down and be sure to utilize them as often as you can. You also have physical tools that will likely help you. Make a note of those as well. These tools could be a product that you and your team have created, an instructional video or book, even a procedure that is in place. Don't let money slip through the cracks either. Determine now whether you have enough to reach the goal you've set. 

Don't forget about that which motivates you. Motivation is a resource that is as valuable as any of the others. What motivates you or your employees or your partners? And finally, be sure to list your own personal characteristics. Any talents that you possess that will help you meet your goal should be listed as well.

·         

4. Ecology

In Neuro Linguistic Programming there is the study of ecology. The ecology of a person is simply the relationship between that person and his or her environment. According to Joseph O'Connor in The NLP Workbook: 

"Many personal and organizational changes fail because the system boundary is drawn to narrowly and the 'side-effects' turn out to be major headaches."

So, how does your desired outcome fit in with the world around you? Who else is affected by this goal and the hunt for it? Will this goal affect them emotionally or physically and if so, how? 

Is it worth giving up your current situation for? Perhaps your company has attained a level of financial security. Is it worth jeopardizing that in order to acquire a couple of new clients that may or may not provide significant future income?

And what else will you lose while trying to acquire your goal. This is your opportunity cost. Simply put, your opportunity costs is what you gave up in Choice A by taking Choice B. For example, if you decide to buy an expensive telephone network for your company, your opportunity cost might be the less expensive, outsourced phone service and the ability to provide extra training with the surplus of funds. In other words, you've lost out on training, at the expense of your choice.

Finally, pay attention to the things that could happen once you attain your goal. Many companies have attained the success they wanted, only to be forced to close up shop when they couldn't meet demand. 

5. Does the outcome keep within your company identity?

This is simple. It is also often overlooked. If you are a company that cares about the environment, then it may behoove you to not hire the disposal company that has been cited for improper disposal techniques, despite how inexpensive their service might be.

6. Next steps?

So, what are the next steps? It's a simple question that many companies fail to answer. "If you build it, they will come" only works in the movies. Creating a goal does not make it happen automatically. What are you going to do to make it happen? If you don't have your next steps in mind then you run the risk of not starting at all

This doesn't have to be super detailed, and you don't have to lay out your entire plan from now until eternity. But, you should know your next steps. E.L. Doctorow has famously said, "Writing is like driving a car at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." 

This applies to nearly everything in life. You need to know where you're going, have an idea how to get there, and know the next few steps ahead of you!

How Emotionally Intelligent Are You?

Article Review:

I wanted to share this amazing article by Travis Bradberry, contributor to Entrepreneur. this is one of the best articles I've read regarding the strengths of having a strong emotional intelligence, or EQ. He talks about the things that define a great emotional intelligence in great detail. Some of these traits include Embracing Change, Knowing your Strengths and Weaknesses,  or Neutralizing Toxic People.

This is an amazing read for anyone who wants to start building their emotional intelligence. Or, if you are just trying to become a better person, in general.

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http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242881

Set Processes, Not Goals

by Geraud Staton

Let me start by clarifying. Goals are important. I'm not saying you shouldn't set them. You absolutely should. Not only should you set them but you should evaluate them regularly. As a matter of fact, I set not only long- and medium-term goals for my company and for my art, but every Monday I set small weekly goals. All that goal setting could be overwhelming. It can also be counter-productive.

Besides, there are only so many reminders and so many life creeds and so many affirmations that I can do. And that is what goals actually are: visions of your future. When you say, "I want to increase company sales by 25%" you are creating a vision of the future of your company. The better you can visualize the more likely you are to make it happen. Being a goal setter puts you ahead of many of your peers.

Is that enough? Not even close!

You should do more than just set goals. Especially for your long- and medium-term goals. Let's use the increase in sales as an example. You have set a goal to increase your sales by 25%. Now what? Every day you come in, re-affirm your goals, and do whatever you can to make them come true. Sometimes this works. Again, daily reminders of your goals put them firmly in your vision, and this is a good thing. But there are also downsides. You never really see success because you are always comparing yourself to a better future. You constantly reinvent the wheel using some new idea or technique you read about online. Maybe you just flounder around because the goal is so wonderful but the day-to-day is so blah!

Best thing to do is to figure out HOW you reach your goal. This is not earth-shattering news. In fact, there are people who can tell you how to set goals a lot better than I can. Check out Forbes article from December 2014. Excellent advice!

So, now that you have the goal, you need to develop that plan, or the process that will make it happen. And that process becomes your focus. Instead of coming in every day and reminding yourself that you want to increase 25% in sales and that you've only gone up 7%, you might say, "today I am going to create 1 blog post for my business website, call at least 5 past clients, post 5 value-added entries to your social media accounts, and respond to 3 forum feeds today."

And the next day, this will be your same goal. And the next. And the next. You'll do so because you have determined that this is the way you will increase your sales. And you'll continue following the process until you've made it. There is no frustration that in week 2 you've only increased by 18%. There is no loss of momentum when you learn of a new technique that you can try on day six. You are living through the process.

And every day you complete the process is a successful day. If you forget the goal you'll still have success. In fact, I believe you'll have more success forgetting your goal than if you forgot the process.

Who do you think will be a better musician: the musician that only dreams of playing in the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra but practices rarely, the musician that only practices for 8 hours each and every day but rarely thinks about what she wants to do with it, or the musician that does both?

The 10 Most Popular New Businesses According to Inc.

I know that many of the people that come to us ask if there is any chance of them starting a new business if it isn't centered around technology. This is a common concern. But, just because hi-tech businesses get all the glory it doesn't mean they are the only game in town.

Inc. Magazine has just posted a great article that proves it. Check it out here. Tell 'em the gang at Helius sent you.

We loved this article. How about you?

The Importance of a Prototype

by Geraud Staton

There are steps that one must go through in order to get a product or service into the hands of your first customer. In fact, in the spirit of there being more than one way to skin a cat, let's say there may be quite a few ways of getting your product into your first customer's hand. In small business, the worst way to do it seems to be the most common. 

Josh Kaufman in The Personal MBA described it this way: "Develop the offering in private, make everyone involved sign non-disclosure agreements, raise millions of dollars in venture capital, spend years making it perfect, then unveil your creation to the astonishment of the world and the thunderous sound of ringing cash registers." Of course, Josh goes on to say that this is not the case. You are more likely to be in for some major disappointment if you operate this way. 

As president of my university Entrepreneur Club, I have seen it hundreds of times. We would have a meeting where we talked about out next project or business venture, and we would open the floor for questions. This is a time when people, who are working on their own businesses, could ask a room of like-minded entrepreneurs for their advice, discuss issues, or tell us about some resource that we may not know about. The Club is amazing for that sort of thing.

Often, I would get some student to approach me at the end of the meeting like he was about to sell me some stolen watches. He'd pull me aside and tell me he had a business idea and could he present it to the group. But, he wanted to make sure no one stole his idea, and he wanted to see if we had signed non-competes for all of the club members. And even then, he only wanted to talk to the most senior members of the group. 

This attitude is, unfortunately, not rare. There is a fear that people are just sitting around in the shadows waiting to nab your idea and make it theirs. I'm not saying there aren't some shady characters in the business world, but I do know this: starting a business is difficult work. And doing it alone makes it even harder. Doing it alone and doing it RIGHT is next to impossible. How do you know what your customers want if you don't ask a bunch of them? How do you find out information about distribution and the sales cycle and financial sources if you don't ask people who know? How do you start looking for partners or even employees if you don't let people know what you've got going on?  

And one of the best ways I know to show what you have to offer is through the creation of a prototype. Prototypes are not just for robotics! You can tell me a hundred times what your product is and what it does. Ask me to repeat it and you'll get a lot of confused looks from me. But, if you show me your product and how it's supposed to work, you will have my full attention.

There are four types of prototypes. 

1. Functional Prototype

This is a model of a product that works, even if it doesn't actually look quite like the finished product. If you're making a stapler that also shoots paper footballs, you may not have the actual football shooter part done. But you can show what the stapler is supposed to do by creating a crude electronic attachment, much larger than the finished product will be. 

You can show this to a client and now your client knows what you are working on and can see how much fun it would be, even if it's not as easy to hold yet. It gets people excited and they know what's coming and may even be able to help you refine the process.

2. The Mock Up

Unlike the functional prototype, this model may not work at all. But it will look identical to the finished product. This is often used for aesthetic products. If you want to create a pistol that looks like one you saw Buck Rogers use when you were a kid, you may not make the gun itself, but rather an actual model so that it feels and looks just like the one you plan to build. 

In some cases, it may not be the exact size of the intended product, but it should be to scale. Car manufacturers and home designs would fit into this category. 

3. The Design Prototype

Maybe you don't have access to a 3D Printer. Maybe you carving skills aren't up to snuff. Maybe you're allergic to moulding clay. That doesn't mean that you can't show the world what your product looks like. It just means you need to slip into the two dimensional world. This prototype, often called a spec. Unlike a true prototype, the design prototype would be used for complicated products.

Usually, the design prototype is used in conjunction with either a mock up or a functional prototype. But, in cases where you either don't have the ability or don't have the time for a 3D model, this is a fine alternative. Just be sure the design shows exactly how the product will look and what it will do. And then, make plans to create a 3D version as soon as you can.

This works better than just telling me about the suit.
Check out more at Gizmodo

4. Video Prototype

This is how one can show a service. One could describe the customer experience from beginning to end, either verbally or on paper, but it would most likely not spark the imagination or create the interest that a video prototype would. If you are offering a unique landscaping service, show us how it works. Show us what you do that makes you better than your competition. Show us the before and after images. Show us what we can expect from your service, beginning to end.

This doesn't have to be limited to the service industry. Particularly if you have a large product. If you're building hand-made, one-of-a-kind canoes, you may not be able to bring one to a presentation. But you can bring a video of the process of creating it. You can show us how well it floats or turns or flips or whatever canoes should be able to do. 

A prototype will make your product or service more memorable for your potential clients, potential investors and even your parents when you try to explain to them what it is you plan on doing for a living. Show and Tell is always better when there is something to look at. You remember the kid who forgot bring her Show and Tell assignment in and just stood up there telling the class about her "thing"? Do you remember what she was talking about?

No. Of course you don't. And no one will remember what you're talking about either.

6 Ways to Evaluate a New Market

By Geraud Staton

Congratulations! You have decided to get off your duff and put your product or service out there into the world. Good for you! That step alone has put you further than almost everyone you know. You are an entrepreneur, in it's most basic sense. 

en·tre·pre·neur

ˌäntrəprəˈnər/

noun

1. a person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so.
2. 
   
3. synonyms: businessman/businesswoman, enterpriser, speculator, tycoon, magnate
4. 
   
5. 
   
6. This is your new reality. Unfortunately, there is still some work to do. Just because you have a product or service to put out there doesn't mean that the world wants it. 

First, a word of caution: take this lightly. Don't let anyone tell you your dream isn't worth it. That includes your friends, family and even professionals like me. If you created a revolutionary stethoscope that you think the world must have, then you better do whatever it takes to give it to the world! 

But, to ease your pain, and to perhaps give you a little more of a solid foundation, here are six things to look for when you have a new product. 

1. How many people are buying the type of products you want to sell? 

People hate market research. I hated market research for a long time. But, it is vital to one's business. If you hate it, hire someone else to do it. Just get it done.

What you want to know is: how many people buy things like what you're selling. This is not the time to get all proud and yell, "No one is making anything like what I'm making!" If you have a new stethoscope, then look at the existing stethoscope market. How many are getting bought? Scale of 1 to 10, where is your product? If you are selling a new tooth brush, nearly everyone buys that. That's a 10. If you are selling books about how to sew your own tuxedo out of recycled rubber tires you probably are only at a 1.

2. How much can you sell it for?

I just heard your blood pressure shoot up. Don't worry! I'm not asking you to price your product yet. I'm only asking you to take a guess as to the price of the type of product you sell. Athletic shoes are $50-200. Tooth brushes are $3-10. 

A 10 in this area is probably a weapon's satellite with lasers or something. A 1 is something small, like butterscotch candies. Yummy.

3. How much will it cost you to get a client?

This is important! If you are selling a weapon's satellite you not only have to build it, which will be expensive, but you are going to have to do a lot of work to sell one. Testing and events and the procuring of contracts. This is massive. If you sell art, maybe you just need to put something on your Facebook page.

That's weapon's satellite is a 1 in this case. It's costly to sell. A 10, on the other hand, is something like a baby-sitting service where you need no overhead and marketing can be word-of-mouth.

4. How many people are doing the same thing?

There are, supposedly, no new ideas under the sun. But, just how many people are doing what you do? How much competition do you actually have?

Let's say you want to sell ink pens. If you sell a pen that writes blue, but you think that it's the ink that really matters. So, your pens have a special blue ink that really writes smoothly and it's organic and it's made from easily acquired materials like grass and blue daisies. As cool as this might be, it's still only about a 3 in the originality department. There are plenty of blue pens that write smoothly.

But, if you sell a pen that also squirts floral scent into the air while you write, you are probably at a 7 or 8. I have never heard of a pen that squirts the smell of lavender while I write with it. There you go. One idea for free. Be sure to send me one when you create it!

5. How soon can you put this out into the world?

This one is easy. You have an idea. You want the world to have it. How long will it take you? I am an oil painter. I can put a painting into the world in about a week. If I want to write a new book, it might take me months, not including the time I have to look for a publisher. If I want to put a cancer drug out into the world, that will take years! 

How soon can you do what you do? If you can do it within a couple minutes, then you're at a 10. If it will take you 5 or 10 years then you are at a 1.

6. Can you keep making money at it once you've sold it?

Anyone who knows me is aware that I am an oil painter. I have been a painter for many years. For a long time I worked in portraiture exclusively. Let's just say that once I sold a painting to a client, I never saw them again. They may have sent me referrals, which is great, but not many people want two portraits of themselves!

Then, I decided to paint whatever the hell I wanted and if people wanted to buy them, great! This moved me further along in regards to this line of questioning. People might only purchase a single portrait, but I have many clients who own multiple works of art by me. I even have a few collectors. This is much better. 

Check out my work, if you'd like. http://geraudstaton.com

I have even dabbled in the print market. This would be the best by far! Now only can I sell a painting or two to the same client, but I can also sell them multiples as gifts. And it gets even better if I sold my work on mugs and t-shirts and calendars. Someone could have their entire apartment furnished with Geraud Staton artwork!

If you sell portraits, odds are good you sell one item and then need to produce another one in order to make any more money. This puts you at a 1. Almost all service businesses are in this category. If you sell a fancy pen that smells like lavender, and also have a dozen other scents, and you also sell the scent refills AND the ink refills, then you are probably at a 9 or 10. 

Your Score:

Your score is arbitrary. I will not tell you that you must have a score of at least 50 out of 60 in order to be a success. There are plenty of successes who were at 10! But, the higher you are up this ladder, the more ease you will have in selling your product. If there are ways that you can improve in a particular area before you release your product, even better. 

But, also, don't spend too much time on this. I'm a firm believer in the "fail fast, fail often, fail cheaply" school of business. Put it out there and don't spend 3 years developing  THE PERFECT pen that smells like lavender. Someone else will beat you to the market. Then, you'll have wasted a ton of money and a lot of your time.

Besides, I really want that pen ASAP. 

How to Interview Potential Employees

by Jenny Tracy

Many of us have been interviewed before; we have rehearsed our elevator pitch and practiced answering the basic interview question, but as an entrepreneur you will need to practice another aspect of interviewing, flipping the role and being the interviewer. Whether you are the owner of a small one-person start up with the goal of growing, the founder of a striving business that needs more employees, or an employee in a managerial or supervisor position within a company that is hiring, you will need to review and know the basics of interviewing.

Here is a cheat sheet for interviewing potential employees:

Be clear and be prompt. Be clear and concise when scheduling the date, time, and location for the interview, and respond as promptly as possible to inquiries and e-mails from the candidates. Taking too long to respond reflects poorly upon your business. If you are having difficulties finding a time or place that works for both you and the interviewee, consider interviewing over the phone or web camera, these are great alternatives that accommodates both parties.

Be on time and be courteous. If you are meeting at a neutral location, aim to arrive 15-20 minutes before the scheduled interview time; definitely don’t be late. If you are meeting at your business or office, be ready when they arrive. Be courteous: Shake their hand and introduce yourself, then offer the candidate a glass of water or coffee, and thank them for meeting with you.

Dress for the part. Today is not the day to wear your most casual outfit. The candidate will be dressed for an interview, and you should be too. If you ever find yourself in an outfit predicament, opt to over dress rather than underdress. A business suit is almost always acceptable interview attire.  

Be prepared. Read through the candidate’s resume before they arrive and refresh yourself on the position you are interviewing for. Be prepared with job-specific questions; it helps to have a page printed out with the questions you would like to ask. It is appropriate to ask 8-15 questions in an interview; any more seems like a bombardment, and any less seems like a waste of the candidates’ time. Here is an article of the 10 best interview questions to ask. If you need more options or question ideas, this article provides 100 common interview questions. Forbes contributor, Louis Efron, suggests that you ask every candidate this question: “When in your life have you been so passionately focused on an activity that you lost track of time and what were you doing?”

Questions you CANNOT ask. There are certain questions that you cannot legally ask during an interview. This is a list of the illegal questions that you may not use and some alternative ways that you can legally rephrase the questions.

Use the STAR method. This is a common method for effectively answering behavioral questions. Before asking behavioral questions, ask the candidate to answer the questions using the STAR method. STAR stands for- Situation (Explain the background and set the scene), Task (What is the Target), Action (What they did), Result (The outcome, what happened). The STAR method ensures that they answer in a way that allows you to follow along and understand their response.

Take Notes. Taking note of the candidates’ responses to your questions is especially helpful when you are interviewing more than one candidate. It will allow you re-read the responses when analyzing the candidates and making your hiring decisions.

Be understanding. Understand that interviewing can be stressful for candidates. To help calm their nerves, express to them that they can take their time answering questions and that they may ask you to repeat or further explain any question throughout the interview.

SHHH! The candidate should speak 70-80% of the time. Don’t make the interview about you, spend majority of the time listening to the candidate to get to know them better and to see if they are a good candidate for the open position.

Do you have any questions that you would like to ask me? Allow the candidate to turn the table and ask you any questions they may have. Although it may be tempting to answer the questions in a casual and laidback manner, remember to stay professional during this final step of the interview; it is often the most memorable part for the interviewee.

After reading this cheat sheet you should now have the knowledge and information necessary to interview candidates that can help your business grow and prosper.

Any other tips? We'd love to hear them