All of us have had these things happen at one time or another: A zipper that is down. Mustard on your cheek. A label sticking out of your shirt. While minor, these little things are distracting and take away from your image and message. And fortunately, even perfect strangers, let alone friends and colleagues, will let us know we need to “fix” them. Beyond spinach in your teeth, there are four things that may also be taking away from your presence and message. These things are also blindingly obvious to other people, but you may not be aware of them at all. And, it’s not really socially acceptable to bring them up, even among close friends. Giving closer attention to these things will … [Read more...]
About Stacy French Reynolds
Helping a Youth Organization Mature through Strategic Planning | Not-for-Profit Strategic Planning Case Study
The DeKalb County Youth Service Bureau (YSB) is a nonprofit 501 c3 organization that has provided counseling, groups, and other supportive services to adolescents and their families for more than 40 years. Its clientele have been identified as at-risk and typically are from low-income households. Challenge YSB's story was typical of so many nonprofits out there - they were trying to fulfill a great need for service with limited funding. For 42 years, the organization managed to keep up with a growing number of clients (a 325 percent increase during a 10-year period) until the economy crashed in 2008. Jason Nicol, Executive Director, explained, "At that point, we lost 25 percent of … [Read more...]
Establishing a Reusable Sales Process | Sales Process Case Study
Recycling Services (RSI) develops, implements and services office paper recycling programs in the greater Chicago metropolitan area. Capitalized with $10,000 in 1984, David Levinson and Michael Finn formed the company to respond to the growing solid waste problem in Illinois by making recycling services available to businesses and the general public. Now in its 25th year, Recycling Services operates a 40,000 square-foot recycling plant located on the southwest side of Chicago, where it processes over 9,000 tons of secondary fiber per month. The company employs 50 people. Challenge Since opening RSI in 1984, Levinson and Finn grew their company organically and through strategic … [Read more...]
Business: It’s a trip!
When I go on a trip, I start off with a plan. Where am I going to stay? How am I going to get there? What’s the trip going to cost? I look at the plan each step of the way, maybe making a few modifications as we go along. But for the most part, if I follow my plan, I end up with the trip I envisioned. Now, there are other people who don’t like to travel this way; they like to be more spontaneous. They just take off and drive, and let the road guide them. I’m sure they often have a wonderful time, but since they didn’t have a destination in mind, or a plan to get there, the outcome of their trip is more uncertain. Maybe the hotels are all booked, or the road doesn’t go where they … [Read more...]
Plan Provides ‘Safe Haven’ For Organization
RefugeeOne (formerly Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Ministries, or IRIM) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization that provides a full range of services to refugees and immigrants resettling in the Chicago metropolitan area. Every year, RefugeeOne assists more than 3,000 refugees (approximately 600 are new each year) and immigrants from around the world to find housing, learn English, acclimate to American culture, develop computer and other employable skills, find jobs, obtain medical and other care, access the public school system for their children, apply for citizenship, and obtain care for elderly family members. RefugeeOne's programs are made possible through the dedicated efforts … [Read more...]
Treat Your Team Like Staff, Not Family
Many small-business owners take pride in saying that "we're like family" when talking about their business. When they say this, they are referring to the fact that people who work for their company care for one another, are willing to pitch in and help with whatever needs doing, and feel like they belong or have a connection. What better way to describe it than to say, "We're like family"? But families, as many of us know, sometimes have their drawbacks, which is why you should reconsider drawing the comparison. When you are a member of a family, your history with one another and your unconditional love can cause you to ignore problems (Oh no, Connie doesn't have a drinking problem.), … [Read more...]
Confidence Fuels Success
Most business owners start their businesses with a good amount of confidence. They think they have something special to offer the world, and believe people should pay top dollar for it. And then reality hits. They're not seeing the profit they had hoped for, the staff isn't productive as they should be, and new business is trickling in - not pouring in the way they once envisioned it. The confidence is gone ... and this is when things can go haywire. For example, a business owner, looking for a quick fix, decides to offer discounted fees as a way to bring in new business quickly. Success. He gets the new business and things are really moving. And when he has a free moment (because … [Read more...]
Breeding A Healthy Business
AnimalSense is a Chicago-based dog training and behavior company. The company offers group classes, private lessons, behavioral consultations, an academy to teach dog training, as well as a host of special educational and dog-centered programs to enhance the lives of people and their pets. Challenge As the owner of a dog-training and behavior company, Jamie Damato was doing what she loved to do - work with animals and with fellow dog-lovers. But, her job wasn't all fun and games. There was the not-so-fun part - the business side - that was dragging her down. Her entrepreneurial mind was always going, making her venture into new territory without first thinking it through thoroughly. "I … [Read more...]