There was once a time when I worked in a medical office and the doctor refused to use technology. The secretary didn’t have a computer – all information was written down and filed. The doctor figured he could continue running his business how he started, as long as he had new patients coming in. I was so confused how he received new patients, especially because technology has taken over all businesses these days. I finally realized that most of his patients were referrals – it helped that he had been practicing for over 30 years, but the relationships he has made in the medical field has brought him all his business. I can only image how much business he would bring in if he had a website or took advantage of social media.

In order to have a successful business, you need to find an option that helps you meet your needs and your financial goal. For more information on starting a franchise with Five Star, click here or call 1-866-965-STAR.

1. Keep it Professional. We all love to have fun, and working with friends and family can be a lot of fun, but don’t let that get in the way of running a professional organization. A good  company culture is critical to a successful and fun business so you don’t want to screw this up with too much goofing off.
2. Manage Expectations. I think one of the greatest contributors to employee withdraw, disengagement and finally loss is in correctly managing expectations. This starts on day one, and when you are working with friends it becomes even more important. Clear communication up front of what is expected, and regular communication on where things are at will keep the focus on results from both sides.
3. Clear Roles. It is really easy to go outside of roles in business with your friends and cross boundaries. In any business people need to have ownership, accountability and support to really excel. This becomes all the more critical to running a family or friend run business. Gerber, in his book E-Myth Revisted, talks about the current org chart and future org chart. One of the first exercises we went through at Five Star was building the org chart today, and our goal tomorrow complete with roles and responsibilities. This was a lot of fun, and is an ongoing exercise. Making sure there are clear roles, and who fits in those roles can make all the difference in your family/friend run business.

Read the next two steps in how to run a business with your friends by going to Scott Abbott’s website. Outline a clear organization structure that divides responsibilities and authority clearly. Review it with your partners and get them to sign on the bottom line. For any painting information, please visit Five Star Painting’s website or give us a call at 1-866-965-STAR.

Five Star stands by its motto which is to be clean, on time, and on budget.

CLEANLINESS

Five Star excels in keeping the job site clean with end-of-the-day site clean ups, and a major clean up at the end of the job. All of our franchisees are trained to give your home the “Five Star Touch”. This ensures that the only thing that’s noticed in your home are your beautiful new walls.

TIMELINESS

Five Star recognizes the importance of completing a project on time. At Five Star we are committed to completing the job on time. We pride ourselves on treating every customer with the utmost respect and value.

ON BUDGET

When you set out on a paint project, budget is a key aspect. With our customer influenced estimate sheet, you see exactly where your money is going. All the prices are broken down so you may choose exactly what you want painted while knowing exactly what you are going to pay.

We would love your feedback on the work we’ve completed. Please call us at 1-866-965-STAR. Thanks.

There are many people who still think they can use the freezer method with the paints we use today. Since oil paint hasn’t been used in years and latex paint is the new thing, it will freeze and you’ll find yourself with a brushsicle in the morning. It will be quite some time before you can actually use the brush again. Paint brushes can be quite expensive and it would be a shame to throw them out. Most latex paints, once frozen, will not go back to their natural viscosity – it turns into a jelly mess, rendering the brush completely useless. If this occurs and goes unnoticed, your painting project could end up being a disaster and a waste of time and money.

The moral of the story is –take the time to wash out your brushes after you paint, unless you’re still able to find some old oil paint lying around. It is worth it in the end for a professional looking paint job. For any questions that you have please contact us at 1-866-965-STAR or visit our website to chat live with a representative.

There are many ways you can create your email signature, but having a poor signature can hurt your professional reputation. With that said, here are some general instructions that can guide you in formatting a professional signature.

Email Signature Tips

• Include your name, your phone number, email address, company or website title, and your website address.
• Compact your information into fewer lines by using pipes (|) or colons (::) to separate the text.
• Keep it short (four lines is standard).
• Recommend matching the theme and personality of your website.
• Simple plain text is best; skip bright colors, special fonts, and graphics.
• Avoid including multiple phone numbers and email addresses. Pick your contact preference and get rid of the rest.
• Include links to your most important social media profiles, only if they are appropriate.
• Skip your mailing address — not every recipient wants or should have access to that information.
• Use the signature delimiter (– ) to help your signature get recognized
• Be careful with HTML formatting because it may not appear how you want it to for everyone.
• Optimize your logo or other graphics, upload the files to your server, and use an absolute URL.
• Consider using an email signature service. Here are a few to check out:

1. Exclaimer
2. CodeTwo
3. WiseStamp

• Instead of using hyperlinks, be sure to write out the full URL to ensure that the link will go through in the sent message.
• Update your signature on your cell phone if you frequently use it to send messages. Here are some easy guidelines on popular devices:

1. iPhone
2. BlackBerry
3. Nexus One

• Reconsider including a quote; you never know when you might offend someone or give the wrong impression.
• Avoid including a legal disclaimer unless required to do so.

Examples of Email Signatures

Default version:

–

John Smith
President | Top Web Design USA
555-555-5555 | john@johnsmith.com | http://www.websiteurl.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/twittername | LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/linkedinname

Replies:

–

John Smith
555-555-5555

http://www.websiteurl.com

To optimize the effectiveness of your email signature, you need to also track them. You’re your website address is written out in your signature file, you can redirect it by tracking the full URL. The best way to go about this is by using ad tracking software. This allows you to keep track of any traffic that comes your way through your email signature.

According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, immigrants currently make up about 15 percent of the U.S. labor force. More than half are from Latin America and a quarter are from Asia. Only about 40 percent speak English when they arrive in the United States. The western states will likely see the largest increases, followed by south and southeastern states. Immigrants are projected to account for half the growth in the nation’s working-age population by 2015 (Inc.com).

When a person speaks little English, they can get intimidated and frustrated trying to communicate with an English-speaking supervisor or coworker and vice versa. Workers may act like they know what is being said, but in fact, may not know. In some jobs, this can be dangerous. For example, when ordering food at an American restaurant and the server cannot understand English, you might not be getting what you asked for. All language barriers may not have such appalling consequences, but they could contribute to a lack of productivity and mistakes being made, all of which could be avoided if communication were clearer.

Here are a few pointers from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Workforce regarding language barriers in the workforce:

• Never assume your communications with someone with limited English-speaking abilities has been understood. Ask for feedback or for demonstration, particularly when you are training them.
• Be patient. A thoughtful supervisor or co-worker can make all the difference in helping prevent feelings of inadequacy and embarrassment when a person cannot express him or herself clearly or fully.
• When working with immigrants, refrain from using slang that might not translate well. Choose words that convey the most specific meaning and stick to one topic at a time.

Many immigrant workers have little or no problems absorbing into the American workplace. They are able to speak English well and can understand the business and social culture. However, others can find it more challenging. With the melting pot of workers coming into the new reality of the American workplace, it is important for employers to understand the many cultural differences of immigrant workers so they can help them incorporate faster. This understanding and sensitivity will help employers increase recruitment, hiring, and advancement of immigrant workers. Ultimately, it will help businesses remain competitive by maintaining a stable and profitable workplace.

Most accounts for advertising through social media are free, but for some you will need to be educated on how to function them. Because social media is so cost effective, you can determine the cost by choosing how much production time you want to put into your content. Professional quality is extremely crucial.

The major goal is to stay on a personal level, so that you get a connection with your audience. It is to share one’s voice, to be authentic, and to encourage a community. Others will notice that they can relate to you in similar experiences. The more the audience connects with your business, the more they will want to work with you. When a business owner shares their passion through social media, it really shows how much they love their work. It can be far more effective compared to an ad.

Here are some ideas before you jump into the social media scene:

• Find out what forms of social media your clients or customers use. The most popular are Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.
• Search the forms of social media that your business could benefit from.
• Use advertising content that you already have and be creative with new ideas for new content.

Below are a few tips when maintaining your accounts for social media:

• Answers your readers’ emails
• Be prepared to speak with customers
• Keep your content original
• Good quality design and easy to read

We will see small business owners finally start to embrace these significant expansions in the New Year. It is essential to understand how social media plays a beneficial role in your business. You would be surprised the number of customers social media brings in. It also expands your search engine optimization, which improves the volume or quality of traffic to your website in a natural or unpaid way. To better your understanding, you can sign up for webinars regarding Social Media 101.

I have a pet peeve. I wonder if I am the only one with this pet peeve, as it is somewhat unique. I understand that what bothers me probably bothers others. However, to truly qualify as a “pet peeve” it has to be something that really drives you mad. Care to join the bandwagon? Then tell me, when someone emails you anything, and I mean anything, that is an obvious email forwarding hoax, what do you do? I hit “reply all” and commence with the linkage to the various websites that explain email hoaxes. I know, I am a jerk, but I just cannot help myself. I don’t want to embarrass anyone. I am certainly not trying to take an elitist stance; I simply cannot stand by and watch the IQ of my friends and family drop before my very eyes.

This is what prompted this post. Within the last week, two of my very best friends (if you read this, I am not sorry because you should have known better then to send me those emails) sent me two of the oldest email chain letter hoaxes in the world. The first one was about how “Touched By An Angel” was kicked off TV for being too spiritual and how they were now trying to remove the word “God” from TV altogether. “If you are a Christian or of any faith, save us from the madness that TV execs are trying to rain down on society!”. Seriously folks, do you really think a chain email would get God back on TV anyway?

The second email I received just tonight is an oldy but a goody. “Bill Gates is giving away his money! Just forward this email and you will get $240 for every email you send out. He and Intel and AOL have joined forces as Kings of the Internet to bring large checks to you and your family.” The first clue that this email is a hoax is the fact that they still include AOL as a big player in the payoff. At least update your hoax with Google, Yahoo or something more believable. An additional clue the email is a hoax is the somewhat obligatory “my cousin is a lawyer and she showed me her check stamped PAID IN FULL”. Who stamps checks that say “paid in full”? I can’t remember seeing one in awhile (or ever). I have seen bills with that stamp on them, but not checks.

I am sorry I sound like a know-it-all. I realize that there are a lot of great email chain letter hoaxes that probably save lives and more. In spite of those, a word to the wise about any email you get that asks you to forward it to anyone you know:

1. Go to Google, type in the main subject of your email that you received and add “hoax” to it and see what comes up.
2. If it is about saving something so sad (like someone’s life, or a basic religious right), then don’t waste your time on #1. It is a fake.
3. Don’t forward it to anyone. In fact, join the club and hit “reply all” and type away as the elitist jerk who just has to speak up. It is kind of fun.
4. If it involves making money by any means of mass communication, it is a fake.

Join me in stomping out email hoaxes, embarrass others and hit “reply all” when you see the chance!

***UPDATE*** Since I started typing this blog I received a mass email from a friend listing the companies that buy and sell oil that isn’t from the Middle East and to PLEASE forward it on so that we all could buy gas from the companies that didn’t support the Middle Eastern oil Monopoly. AHHHHHH!!!!!