[GIVEAWAY] Get Your Copy of the 1 Page Marketing Plan!

I’m excited to announce a giveaway contest for one of two copies of this awesome book!

I got the two copies of this book a little while ago and listened through the audiobook version recently to get a feel for what this is all about. I very much enjoyed its clear, distilled advice around marketing and building a business. I know this book can be relevant to anyone in higher education as well as those of us trying to grow up our side hustles.

If you’d like to enter in to win one of the two copies, then simply comment on this blog post and/or engage with any of my social media posts about the giveaway. Each share, like, or comment will count as an entry. Tell me what you hope to get out of the book, your favorite movie, or anything else. It all counts! I will announce a winner on this upcoming Friday (11/13).

Thanks for the support as always and best of luck to you all!

5 Things You Need to Know Before Starting Your Own Business

Who hasn't dreamed of getting away from the wage-earner's grind and working for themselves? Unfortunately, for every person who starts a successful business, there are at least ten who end up crawling meekly back to a 9-to-5 job after an unhappy experience with trying to go it alone.

People say some are born to be entrepreneurs, while others are more suited to the regularity of a steady job with a salary. This isn't the case. Anyone can succeed in business provided they have a marketable product and the right approach to working for themselves. Once you have people beating the proverbial path to your door for what you're selling, you've made it.

Here are five essential tips for anyone who intends to go into business.

Focus on the customer and fully understand the market

However wonderful your product is, it has no chance of success until you have a web marketing program that reaches out to potential customers. A company like SMR Digital can be the link between you and your market. Their expert staff will guide you through the process of choosing and utilizing SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Link Outreach, and PPC (Pay Per Click) to maximize customer awareness. Without expert guidance, no start-up can exploit the full potential of the Internet and social media.

Understand your own your own strengths, skills, and time available

Choose a field in which you excel, and one that doesn't demand more time than you can devote to it. Don't follow the example of others who have been successful, if they are of a different temperament from you.

Surround yourself with advisors and mentors

Talk to as many experts in your chosen field as you can. If possible, talk to people who have already made it in your line of business. See if you can find people who have been successful entrepreneurs. If you don't know any such people personally, look up interviews with them in business publications.

Write a business plan

No business can succeed without a coherent plan covering all aspects of the enterprise - time needed, costs, sources of funding, etc. There is no magic formula for success, but at the very minimum you need something that has been realistically planned with all foreseeable problems covered. Don't dive in with your eyes closed.

Have a passion for what you are doing. Pick something you could enjoy doing for the rest of your life. To be a true success in business you need to follow your own path, doing something that really interests and motivates you.

Protecting Yourself As A Geeky Gun For Hire

Paying for your education ain’t cheap, much less paying for a reasonable standard of living so that your studies aren’t impeded by thoughts of “What will I eat this week?” or “How likely am I to be homeless by the end of the week”. Although many undergraduates pursue low paid low skilled part time work in their down time, there are some who feel no need to wait until their graduation to fulfil their entrepreneurial ambitions, devising side hustles, building their own businesses and establishing themselves as freelancers. Your education imbues you with skills that are enormously valuable to individuals and businesses alike, and so it makes perfect sense to monetize your talents in order to ensure that your higher education isn’t impeded by money troubles.  

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Whether you’re writing content, producing videos, building apps or websites, providing tuition for your fellow students or providing technical or IT support to small businesses, it’s essential that while you’re earning your crust you place the infrastructure to protect yourself as a geeky gun for hire...

Protect yourself from plagiarism

If you’ll be making money with your prodigious writing talent you may think that all you need to do is start writing and the rest will take care of itself. And while this may well be the case, it behoves you to protect yourself from plagiarism. When you write content you are the legal owner of that content (unless it’s white label or ghostwritten content) and as such you need to protect yourself from others plagiarising your work. If someone else claims ownership of what you’ve written it may cast aspersions on your reputation that your budding freelance career could do without. That’s why you should use anti-plagiarism software like Copyscape and Grammarly.

Know who to turn to when you need legal help

If you’re providing technical, IT or digital marketing support to small businesses you may be entrusted with potentially sensitive data. While there will be legally enforceable contracts protecting their interests, their contracts may well be less interested in your protection. While it’s unlikely, should something go awry with their sensitive data you may find yourself blames and facing legal charges for something you had no part in which is why it’s important to know what to look for in a white collar crime attorney. Even though it’s extremely unlikely doesn't mean that there’s no chance that it will happen to you, and so it’s in your best interests to ensure that you know how to protect yourself.

Guard your anonymity with a VPN

When you’re working in the digital realm, you may well find yourself producing content that while well constructed is contentious for those who consume it. You may garner vitriolic dislike for your work or on the other hand you may garner the unwelcome attentions of an internet superfan. It doesn’t take the technically savvy long to determine your IP address and from there work out where you live. Thus, it’s always a worthwhile precaution to use a Virtual Private Network or VPN when submitting work.

In entrepreneurship, as in all things, it always pays to be careful!

Why is the Gaming Industry Growing So Fast?

The gaming industry is an industry that is growing at an exponential rate. Last year, according to some UK stats, the gaming industry was worth over a record-breaking $5 billion, not to mention the impact that the gaming industry had on other industries like merchandising, entertainment, and film. So at the rate things are going, it is likely that the industry will be adding at least another billion dollars to that in the next few years. In fact, when you look at those kinds of stats, it is making the gaming industry the fifth largest in the world, and the biggest in places like Europe as a whole. Pretty astounding just how much of an influence it can have.

The rise of gaming has a lot to do with the advancements in technology, and the fact that you can press download, and in an instant you will have it on your phone or tablet. Not to mention the fact that you can easily watch gamers play online, as well as YouTube videos. So if you want to know how to do something for your game, you are likely to reach out to one of these sources.

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Because so many people are gaming, at least at some point in their week, it has meant that some previous and quite dull tasks, including things like fact-sharing, have been given a whole new lease of life. And this is a trend that quite rightly, companies are taking note of and using it to their advantage. Increased awareness around gaming and more of a positive look at gaming has impacted the whole industry of gaming in a positive way. For companies and gamers, it leads to more funding opportunities, and a chance to make a business out of gaming if they haven’t already. Take a game like RunScape, for example. There are several sites online that sell RS Gold for gamers to buy, so that they can carry on in their game and get bigger and better at it. This wouldn’t have even been considered an idea for a business even ten years ago.

When more people are wanting to work in the sector, then t shows the demand for it, and that in turn, will have influence over the gaming companies and how they decide to do things. And this rolls out to gaming in a professional sense too. You don’t just have to see gaming in the traditional or recreational sense, as educational establishments can use the industry to their advantage too. It is what the students will understand, so certain parts of it can be carried over.

The industry is on the rise and here to stay, because of the top talent that the industry recruits. It needs to attract the right skilled workers to the job roles, otherwise they will go elsewhere for work. So it is a competitive job industry. And when a company hires the brightest and the best, the jobs will be more competitive, and more people will want to work there, as their business growth will get better and better. In that vein, it can be easy to see why there are several Universities around the world now that are doing gaming-related degrees. It shows that it is an industry that is here to stay.

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Funding for the industry has to play a big part in the rise of the industry. For example, if there wasn’t the same funding, then would the same companies be able to do what they do and make the games and apps that they make? The support and funding needs to be staying at the same level, if not more, to help grow the industry. It would be interesting to see how the industry would do as a whole, if some of the funding were to be cut.

Not for profit groups like British-based Creative England, is an example of the kind of funding that has helped the industry to grow. Using things like ‘games labs’ they are able to train people up, and help people to learn the skills that they need to develop games or simply to get into it at a deeper level. And with the rise of VR gaming, it will be good to see how things like these ‘games labs’ can help people learn about a whole brand new element to gaming.

What are your thoughts on this? How far has the gaming industry got to go? It would be great to hear what you think.

4 Things Your Business Can Do To Support #MeToo

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It’s becoming increasingly harder to watch the news without hearing of new allegations of sexual assault. Hollywood is, quite rightly, in the spotlight at the minute and will be for years to come. However, normal, run-of-the-mill businesses aren’t immune to allegations either. What has been shocking about revelations is how prevalent sexual impropriety is in the workplace. Women from around the world, from all walks of life, have shared very similar stories. This means one thing – it may happen in your business. So, the question for bosses is: “what can I do to support the work of #MeToo?” Here are four pieces of advice that will help.

Accept It

It’s a massive cliché, but the first step on the path to recovery is to admit there is a problem. Don’t get sucked into the attitude that it’s only the top movie execs that are to blame. Sexual assault in the workplace takes many forms and your employees may see it on a daily basis. By understanding it happens, it will make the company more aware. Also, and this is essential, it encourages the management to take a stand. Accepting that it can be a problem anywhere in the world means you have to make the office aware of the company’s policies and what is and is not acceptable.

Delegate Power

Let’s not dilute your role because the boss always has the final say. However, you can’t deal with potentially hundreds of people o a daily basis. There is a reason for managers – they’re the firm’s eyes and ears. They should also be the police officers in the office regarding sexual harassment. Managers are the first port of call. For example, a worker will go to them to report the issue because they have a connection. But, if the line managers aren’t empowered, then the workforce won’t feel as if they can communicate. Ensure they know how to listen and help, but, most importantly, make sure they make coming forward easier.

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And Outsource Expertise

The company needs detailed and exhaustive policies to safeguard its employees. There’s one hitch – you’re not an expert. Everyone understands the basics because they are not complicated. But, once you get into the nitty-gritty, then it becomes harder to police. Winer, McKenna & Burritt is a law firm that deals with sexual harassment cases. With a law firm such as this on your side, it is far easier to create solid, unshakeable policies. Please don’t let ego get in the way. Where there is a gap in knowledge, you should outsource to a third-party.

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Make Training Mandatory

Training seminars are a good idea even if the office is squeaky clean. Firstly, some people may not know what constitutes harassment and assault. As shocking as it sounds, it’s true. Secondly, training reinforces the business’s rules and regulations. Sending out an email blast is a start but it only raises awareness of the issue. To change behaviors, the firm has to teach its employees how to act professionally.

How do you plan on helping the women and men who have been brave enough to speak out?

Putting Some Fun Into Your Business

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Most entrepreneurs don’t work hard at their ventures simply because they want to make money out of them. Instead, you work hard because you feel passionate about what you do, and you want to enjoy the career you build for yourself. Of course, though, along the line, it can be easy to forget about this important part of business. With all of the serious work you have to do, the lighter side of things will often slip by. It doesn’t have to be this way, though, and this post is going to be showing you what can be done to turn things around. Anyone should be able to make their business more exciting with an effort like this.

Before you start working on making your business fun, it’s worth putting in some time to figure out why this is important to you. On a personal level, this will give you a much higher chance to finding job satisfaction, as you will be happy with what you’re doing each day. Along with this, though, you also have to think about anyone who might be working for you. People will always work harder when they enjoy their job, and will often stay with your company long into the future if you can give them something enjoyable everyday.

Achieving a goal like this takes some very specific work. Your company is going to need to go through some changes, with protocols and other routines being adapted to make sure that they fit into your new needs. There are a lot of approaches you can take to add some fun to your business, though, and this makes it a little easier when it comes to choosing one. Below, you can find a long list of a range of the different changes which can be made to most workplaces to enhance the time everyone has in your business.

Light Targets

There are few things in the world which can motivate people like a bit of competition. Of course, when you’re at work, you don’t want this to be stressful, but you still have the chance to keep everyone on their toes. Light performance targets which employees can compare with one another will always be a powerful way to improve office morale. This can be easily achieved using a TV which posts people’s latest results, along with the targets which they should be meeting. While this will make people feel uncomfortable at first, it could make their working life a lot more productive.

The benefits of this sort of arrangement come in many different forms. For one, your employees will be happier with their work, as they will be able to see direct results in the form of targets being met. Along with this, you will be able to start using these numbers as a way to weed out the weak links within your team. Of course, along with these benefits, though, you have to be careful; being too intense with these goals will make people feel miserable. Striking a balance which makes this fund will be a challenge, and it will be worth listening to your employees to make sure they are happy.

Social Time

For a lot of people, one of the best parts of going to work at the start of the day will be the people they interact with. Likewise, you will probably be fond of the people working for you, or they wouldn’t be at your company. Social time while working is one of the best ways to make a job more enjoyable. People will have the chance to catch up, share ideas, and get help regarding their work, all without having to break any rules. This sort of system works best in places where people working around each other. Of course, though, it has to be handled correctly if you want it to work.

Over the last few years, there have been loads of studies into the impact of short breaks on people’s ability to work. Most have found that having breaks every twenty to thirty minutes can drastically improve someone’s productivity, while also giving them the chance to relax. These breaks don’t need to be very long at all. As a business, this will reward you with more work being completed, all the while keeping the people working for you happy, and making the business a lot more fun.

Games And Play

It’s hard to talk about having fun at work without thinking about games. Even when people are busy at their job, there is always a little bit of room for this sort of fun, and there are loads of different ways to add it to your company. Small sports tables are some of the best for this, with examples like football being very popular. While these activities are fun, they don’t make a big mess, and this makes them much easier to deal with. A lot of modern companies are also employing the power of games consoles to perform this role. Of course, though, this will be expensive, and it may not work well for your employees.

Having the chance to perform an activity which will occupy their minds without having to think about work will always make employees happier. As long as play time is kept separate from work time, this sort of idea can be great for your business. People will respond very well to the chance to have some fun like this, making it a great way to build your team, while also giving people something to do on the breaks. TV is very popular as a substitute for this, but will often make people feel sleepy and ready to go home.

Time Away

While embezzlement isn’t on your mind, there are a lot of ways in which a business owner can benefit from their work. Companies can buy their own property, land, and other large items, giving them a lot of power to make your life better. An executive condo Singapore, for example, would give you the chance to travel throughout the year, and it could be entirely owned by the business. Whether this is for simple fun or for actual business trips, being able to afford this sort of option will be a great boon, and will be worth working towards if you have the means.

Of course, if something like this is owned by the business, you’re not the only one who can use it, and this gives you a good chance to make your employees a lot happier with their roles. Having company vacations as a benefit on their job description will make a job much more desirable. Along with this, you will also get the chance to reward hard work, promoting it in the future. Most of all, though, as the biggest benefit you will receive, this will make everyone in the company a lot happier. There isn’t any reason to keep this to yourself, as you will only need it a couple of times each year, and this gives you a great way to make people happy.

Varying Work

Finally, as the last idea to consider, it’s time to think about the boredom which repetition can bring with it, and why you should be working to escape it. Doing the same work everyday will quickly become very tiring. Most people will feel bad about their career, slowly wearing on them until it doesn’t work anymore. Of course, though, when you run your own company, you have the chance to vary your work as little or as much as you want. One day, you could be working on your biggest project, completing work which is essential to the business. On the next, though, you could be doing some accounting, giving yourself the chance to enjoy a varied work week.

Like the other areas on this list, this sort of approach can also be passed down to the people working for you. Varying the work of your employees will always make them happier, as long as the work they are doing is worthwhile. Of course, though, it isn't just about happiness, as this can also impact the quality of their work. Even if they don’t realise it, your employees will get sloppy over time if they are doing the same work. Taking an approach which gives them unique tasks each day, you will keep them on their toes, and bad habits will struggle to form. Along with this, everyone will have a lot more fun.

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There are a lot guides around the web which are dedicated to teaching you how to better use your employees. From ideas which involve strict monitoring to ones which are much more free, there are loads of different areas which can impact this for an employee. Of course, as a big part of this, it’s critical that you consider yourself in the equation. Your business is there to serve you above all else, and this means that you should always be working to find new ways to make it work for you.

Bye Bye College, Hello... Business?

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The aim for every young person as they work through college is to reach the other side and then be ready to face the world doing what they have worked so hard to achieve throughout their school years. But what happens to you if you decide that starting up a business is your calling?

Coming straight from college to entrepreneurship is a huge lifestyle change. You may not realize exactly how hard this aspect of your working life will be until you get out of the education system and start up your empire. Before you do get started on your business venture, here are some of the things you will want to think about...

Is your idea good enough?

It is crucial when you are planning to start a business that your idea is actionable and will work. It might be worth doing some market research to find out where there is a gap in the market for what to want to create, and also whether someone else has already thought up the idea before you.

Are You ready to start?

The next question you must ask yourself is whether or not you are ready to jump in and start up your business right away. Think about whether you have the funding and resources to create your product or service, and think about premises. Is this something you can work on from home or will you need to build a workshop out of Armstrong Steel to complete the work?

Are you prepared for hurdles?

Starting up a business isn’t just as simple as making your product and selling it on, you will likely face many challenges along the way. There will be people who will doubt your ability to succeed, and you may find it hard to reach out to your target audience to begin with. To run a business you must develop a thick skin and be able to deal with everything that comes your way.
 

Alone or with a team?

Think about the type of business you want to set up and whether it is something you need help for, or if you can set it up yourself. You might possess the skills and resources to start up the business alone, but it can be greatly beneficial to have someone there helping you along the way and giving their ideas to the project too. Decide if there is anyone you know who you could go into business with.
 

Can you afford it?

Running a business is an incredibly expensive business when you take into account the taxes, materials, shipping, employee wages and office rent. Decide whether or not you can possibly afford to run the business in the first place before you just dive in blindly. You could find that you need the help of an investor or even a loan from your bank to get you up and running before you are stable enough to go it alone.

Surviving A Company Take Over

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When a company exchanges hands, it makes sense for the new owners to keep on the existing staff. The team will be a great asset to the owners as they already know what they are doing and will be able to keep the place running smoothly as the changes take root. Because there will be changes. But what does it all mean for the employees? A take over doesn’t have to be a cutthroat as it sounds. But it can cause a host of issues. Look at Jozef Opdeweegh who said that ‘Unless the ownership transition is undertaken with great care, it can undermine the continued success of the company and its value.’ Yet a lot of takeovers happen with speed for one reason or another, and speed doesn’t always allow time for care. So how do you survive?

Time

Give things time to settle down. Everything will be a bit confusing. If you work in the lower ranks, there shouldn’t be too much upheaval for you, but there will be for management. If you are part of management, remember that the people under you will be looking to you for stability and answers. The new owners will want to go through all of the company paperwork with a fine tooth comb. The original owners will have sold for some reason, and the new owners will want to see where the mistakes have been made. Where the financial leaks are. Entrepreneur states three reasons that businesses might be sold as ‘Business value...Tired of risk...Change.’ And hopefully, the company you work for will be changing hands for one of these reasons instead. Regardless, they will still be looking through everything to see where they can make changes to make things more efficient. So be patient. Things will settle down again. Once the dust clears there might be a few changes, but don’t tear your hair out and quit during the transitional period.

Changes

Changes are going to happen, and there is no point in fighting them. If you’re high up in the pecking order, you can voice your concerns, but don’t expect them to listen without evidence to back up what you’re saying. They might make changes and then come to realise that you were better off before and be changed back. And they might make some that work out better for everyone, and they might change some things that work just the same as the old system. But you can’t fight it if you want to keep your job. It’s possible that changes will be small and not affect you; rebranding a company looks huge, but it doesn’t have much to do with how it operates. And they might bring in new software and systems that will take some getting used to. You just need to keep your head down and learn what you need to and teach those under you how to do the same.

Ear to the floor

Keep an ear out for news throughout the whole transition. If there will be new software, the sooner you can prepare for the change the better. You will also be able to keep an ear out for if there are going to be changes to staff. Don’t spread gossip, particularly bad things, this will just create panic within the ranks, but it’s worth knowing for yourself. Plus bad mouthing the new boss is a sure way to get fired - a lot of new owners look to make their authoritative mark on the company, and a simple way of doing that is to making staffing changes. It might not happen, but in a just in case scenario, you should keep your mouth shut.

Work hard

Just because you have new bosses does not mean that you should work less. During the turbulence of the transfer, it can be tricky to keep things running as smoothly as before, and it’s your job to see that your work is on the same level as it was prior to the business being sold. If you didn’t get the opportunity to rise through the ranks under the old management, now could be that chance to show you can deal with change and pressure. See the new ownership as a new opportunity; hopefully the business will grow, nad there will be people who decide to move on because they don't like the changes being made. And it is always better to promote in house than to hire externally - which is what most companies aim to do.

Book Review: Winning With Data

“Without data you’re just another person with an opinion” - W. Edwards Deming

I finished Winning with Data recently but I have to admit; it was hard for me to get through this book. It's difficult enough for me to read in general, but I don't usually seek out books about topics like managing data. I'm also not sure exactly who the audience is for this book. Is it a young person venturing into the workforce? A more senior executive trying to learn more about this evolution? Not sure, and I felt like that was also a problem. Nevertheless, I enjoyed what I read well enough since it confirmed how I feel about data accessibility and transparency. I can also see the influence of the author on my workplace (he works with a major investor in our company). It felt like when I took courses in school that I didn't like but I got a lot out of. If it didn't have to take them, I wouldn't have, but I'm glad I did since it exposed me to some new ideas.

The book outlines why data is important, how to manage it, and how to foster a culture that uses it in the right ways. It encourages readers to collect the right data, in the right amounts, and make timely informed decisions at every level of your organization. I feel like this is something higher ed needs to make better use of for strategic student interventions, but I can get why they'd be hesitant. Student data is sensitive, but we owe it to our students to provide the best service we can. I know some institutions are moving in this direction.

Using data really can transform every decision we make in an organization. It's not just sales or marketing. It can come into recruitment which I think is a huge epiphany for higher ed specifically since in my experience, it is something we struggle with greatly. The book provides a specific example from Google and how they run their processes to help continuously improve it over time:

“Google takes metrics one step further than most companies. It collects data at every step of the interviewing process to provide interviewers feedback on their candidate judgement.

“‘Every interviewer sees a record of the interview scores they gave given i the past and whether those people were hired or not. This lets the interviewer know if they are correctly assessing potential Googlers, nudging them to look back at their prior notes and learn from what they spotted or missed.’"

We could all use this sort of thinking to make sure we're bringing in the right people and helping our recruiters and hiring teams do their best with what we are putting upon them. Overall, it is a way of thinking that we need to implement and move on from making decisions based on anecdotal evidence and gut reactions. This quote is what I'd like to end on that captures this feeling: 

“…data encourages experimentation and surprises. Surprises foster new ways of thinking. They challenge the establishment. When dogged with opinions or knee-jerk answers of ‘that’s the way we’ve always done it,’ we all can feel disenfranchised. Data pushes us to experiment.”

Thanks for stopping by!

Ol’ Reliable: Correctly Directed Trust In Business

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Businesses have a lot riding on the success of their products and services. You will need to be making money if you want to survive, and making money can be hard enough as it is. Throwing something like trust into the mix adds yet another layer of confusion to this job. So, to help you out, this post will be going through one of the easiest ways to build trust; time.

Regardless of whether you’ve known a person or a business for a long time, their age and time in the field will be a good indication of their success. It should be easy to find out this information when you’re first getting started. But, to help you out, you can find some of the reasoning for it below.

• Proven Success: If someone has been working for a very long time without any success, they probably aren’t the best option for you. But, if they have had loads of customers, they might be a winner, and you should be looking to work with them. Of course, you will probably have your own measure of success.

• Well-Known: Being around for a long time will usually make a company very well-known. Mcdonald's stock, for example, is very recognisable, and people will feel comfortable buying it from you. This sort of principle is especially important when you’re selling something, as it gives you an additional reputation to use.

• Long Record: Finally, when you’re thinking about the time someone has been working for, it’s best to be able to see a good record of their employment or business history. The more information you get here the better. Companies which have been around for a while will have more to share than anyone else.

Of course, building trust isn’t a simple matter of time, and there will be a lot more at play than you might think. Using the above as your foundations, you can use the areas below to craft strong relationships with those working with you. This sort of effort will almost always have some strong benefits.

• Education/Credentials: In the field of business, there are loads of rewards which companies will receive for good work. Along with this, education can be telling in someone’s ability to do good work and is an important factor to consider. This all ties into their past, though it’s an area a lot of people will ignore.

• Expedited Proof: Sometimes, a company or individual will rise from nothing over the course of nearly no time at all. In cases like this, these people are often very trustworthy. In fact, their name alone could be enough to do some good, and you just have to make sure that their success isn’t a fluke.

Hopefully, this post will inspire you to start working harder on the time you put into the trust you build in business. Knowing when you should trust someone or not can be an impossible challenge. Of course, though, with the right effort, you should be able to make it a lot easier for yourself.