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| The January 2003 Issue of the Gots To Have It, Newsletter contains: The talented designers of the Gots To Have It website: Check 'em out here! |
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 Fear
is something that creeps behind most of us like a dark shadow. It
can hold you back or sometimes be the driving force that propels
you further. The satisfaction of defeating fear is something that
we all would love to achieve! This newsletter will hopefully shed
some light on the fears that might be holding you back from succeeding
in your business or from even getting started. Roll those sleeves up and get ready…It's on! |
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I recently conducted a lil' survey asking my colleagues what were their biggest fears when thinking about starting a business or running their business. The following are the top three fears that resulted from my survey and some ways to combat them. 1. Fear of Failure: But of course…the most obvious. Unfortunately, the reality is that 30-50% of start-ups fail for various reasons...not always because of poor sales. Actually, of every seven businesses that shut their doors, only one actually fails - that is, leaves unpaid obligations (Small Business Administration-sponsored research). Then you have your external factors that are uncontrollable, hence the thousands of 9/11 layoffs. However, there are some basic ways to get over failing, if you plan ahead for the good times and bad:
2.
Fear of Insufficient Cash Flow -AKA- Going Broke:
Your need for start-up money is the reason that you shouldn't storm
out of your dull 9 to 5 just yet. Yeah,you might hate your job,
but think about it as the contributor to your "lay-away plan
for escape."
3.
Lack of Stability: Some of the main reasons people leave their
9-5s is because they are bored to tears with the monotony. You can
almost expect to be shaken into a world of change when you are in
business for numero uno. But I for one think that's what makes its
so exciting. Routine ~yawn~ is what many are escaping. You'll be
free to call your own shots and instability is something that might
even be welcomed.
by Lena L. West Another year has come and gone. We've all made our resolutions and as you begin the New Year, you probably have several items on your 'to do' list. But, no matter what, if you want to avoid being crippled by data loss or virus Îhappenstances', you should take time to focus on two areas: data security and virus threats. If, however, you don't mind being out of business for several days, fumbling to pick-up the pieces, then this article is not for you. Here's how you can prepare: 1. Back it up. If you are a not doing a regularly, scheduled, off-site back up of your company's critical data, that data is in a perilous situation. On September 11th, many companies learned the hard way about how important off-site data backups can be. If your office or computer were to be ruined in a flood tomorrow, how long would it take for you to regroup and get back to business? If your answer is more than 2-3 days, that's too long. Your clients, vendors and suppliers will have moved on by then. Remember: you would be the one with the emergency - not them. Business will go on. Clients will move on. Once your backup is configured, it doesn't take any effort from you to backup data, in fact, most programs run automatically. If you have a backup plan in place, add it to your calendar to run a test backup every month. But, always remember, if you are backing up to a storage device (CD, tape or zip drive), take the media with you and store it off-site. Your backup is totally useless if it's in the flood with your computer. If you have high-speed Internet access, consider off-site, Internet backups. They are reliable, secure and cost-efficient. 2. Keep it current. Take the time to get the latest security patches and upgrades for your business hardware and software. Printers may have new drivers and software may have security holes that need patching. 3. Install anti-virus software. The best protection comes in the form of software. Buy it, install it, activate it - but most importantly, UPDATE it. Due to the fact that a plethora of virus threats are spawned on a daily basis, you must update your anti-virus software to ensure adequate protection. Make an entry on your calendar to update your anti-virus software with the latest virus definition files each week or set your software to automatically check for and download updates as they become available. 4. Keep your eyes peeled. The usual suspects are attachments that end in .exe (executable) or .vbs (Visual Basic Script), both popular virus carriers. Want to take it a step further? Disable macros in your word processing and spreadsheet programs. After which, when opening a document, you will be prompted to enable or disable macros. 5. Don't trust 'trusted sources'. If you get an unexpected attachment with a non-descript or odd message ("I sent this for your review"), be on alert -- even if the source is known. Many virus programs manipulate the sender's address book and automatically send nonspecific email messages and attachments to the addresses listed in the address book of the victim's email program. 6. Stop it in its tracks. What do you do if you've already opened the attachment? Disable your computer's connection to the Internet, immediately. This will stop the virus from being able to send any email. Run your virus protection software, if you've followed the advice in #3, you'll have the updated software. If the virus has done serious damage, try to restore your system files from your backup (see #1). If you don't feel comfortable slaying the beast yourself, enlist the assistance of a technical professional. Keeping up with your business technology can be a little scary. But, just as with any fear, if you are prepared, you've already won half the battle! Lena L. West is the Founder & CEO of xynoMedia Development, http://www.xynoMedia.com, a technology-consulting firm that specializes in helping companies make strategic decisions about the use and implementation of technology solutions. Please email her at LWest@xynoMedia.com for a listing of her professional recommendations on products that will help you implement the above steps. |
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| ABOUT US: Simone Kelly-Brown is the President and CEO of Gots To Have It Marketing, Inc.. For over 10 years, she has been working with small business owners who are just starting out and want to get their businesses off the ground with innovative marketing. GTHI is a firm that specializes in marketing and empowering entrepreneurs with a series of workshops and networking events.
Until Next Month! Own
your power and have continued success,
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