2013-05-26T01:53:48-04:00 Sharon Vinderine http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/author/index.php?author=sharon-vinderine Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Sharon Vinderine Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3165873 2013-04-29T00:00:14-04:00 2013-04-28T23:22:02-04:00

Sharon Vinderine http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-vinderine/
If you are reasonably tech savvy, you've heard the term Geotagging and you likely avoid Geo-tagging yourself on twitter and Facebook Places because you understand the dangers of letting the world know where you are at all times. You likely feel that because you have turned of those settings in twitter and facebook that you are now safe. BUT, did you know that the app that you are using to take your picture on your smart phone or tablet may in fact be Geotagging without your knowledge.

Did you even know this existed?

Let's start from the beginning and define Geotagging. Geotagging is the process of adding geographical identification metadata to various media such as photographs, videos, websites, SMS messages. This data usually consists of latitude and longitude coordinates though they can also include altitude and place names. (source: wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geotagging)

Now that its been defined, you understand how scary in fact Geotagging can be. Yes, its "cool" to check in on Four Square or Facebook's places to every single Coffee shop and airport that you visit but at the same time, you are sending a message to the entire world saying "I'm not home, so now's a good time to break in if you've been thinking about it." On a scarier note, let's talk about those adorable photographs of our children that we like to share online.

Things to consider with Geotagging:

If you take a photo with your smart phone that has location services enabled, you are very likely embedding your GPS coordinates unknowingly to that image. This is not obvious because the coordinates don't appear on the screen or anywhere on the image that you can see so it seems innocent enough. As we unfortunately know all too well, where there's a will there's a way. There are predators out there who can easily access software that allows them to decipher information from these photos that puts us and our loved ones at risk. With most phones, location services tend to be on and this is where the Geotagging gets its information.

We have locations services on because we want to know where the closest Starbucks is to where we are standing or how to get to our next meeting or where the closest parking lot is. That is a vital function of smart phones these days, but there are ways to still be able to access those features without revealing your every move to the world. (step by step instructions provided below)

Geotagging pictures and uploading them can help a criminal determine your day to day patterns. Are you uploading pictures every weekend of your family up at the cottage? Are you posting even non-location specific pictures quite regularly? These predators can be tracking those pictures, pulling the Geotagging information and establishing patterns for where to find you and when. You know all of those delicious dinner dishes you've been served that you often feel the need to instagram? Yup, it's easy to find out where you were or where you frequent.

Our regular cameras are pretty smart these days as well. Most new cameras capture geotagging information through their built in GPS unit which will include shutter speeds, flash and GPS coordinates as well. Many online sites where we store our photos and photo editing/storage software will often bring up a map showing you exactly where that photo was taken.

Ever wonder how it knows where the picture was taken? I never really gave it a second thought as to how iPhoto knew that the picture I had taken of my family on the beach was in Mexico. Now that I know, I will definitely be more cautious when I take it and share it. Don't get me wrong, Geotagging is a nice feature to have for your own recollection of where events took place, I'm simply cautioning you about how that information should be shared.

I understand that we all want to capture all of the memories that make up our lives, I'm just suggesting that we make sure we are only capturing the memories and not the entire diary of the event. Be safe.

Options:

1) You can turn off your location services completely (I highly recommend this) and it's important to note that in case of an emergency, emergency services are still able to locate you.

2) Leave location services on and specify which app has access to your location. For example you may want to grant permission to Google Maps but not to Twitter, Facebook or any photo apps that are installed on your phone.
How to turn off Geotagging on an iPhone

IOS 6

Settings>Privacy>Location Services
Here's a screenshot of what the location settings screen that allows you to give or revoke access to apps looks like on the iPhone:




Turn off Locations Services on Blackberry Z10

On the home screen, swipe down from the top of the screen.
Tap Settings > Location Services.
Tap the Location Services switch.

Screenshot for Blackberry Z10



Sorry Android users, you'll have to Google it because there are way too many ways of accomplishing this on the various android devices.

]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3165812 2013-04-29T00:00:11-04:00 2013-04-28T23:22:11-04:00

Sharon Vinderine http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-vinderine/
At PTPA, we are all about being a family friendly resource so we took to the streets (okay, we took it online) to over 400 moms and asked them some questions about their best/worst gifts and what their ideal mothers day would include in the hopes that the men out there will read this and heed our warnings and suggestions! Check out our fun infographic for the results! Any other ideas for things you would love to receive that we might have missed? Feel free to share them in the comments!

]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2516423 2013-01-20T12:49:56-05:00 2013-03-22T05:12:01-04:00

Sharon Vinderine http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-vinderine/ Photo credit: Shutterstock

According to Gartner research, in 2011 close to 66 million tablets were sold, and the estimate for 2012 is over 110 million tablets. That's a lot of tablets with a lot of security vulnerabilities for our children.

We monitor our children's social activities carefully; we always want to know where they are and who they are with. But with the online world, we often leave them to their own devices -- literally. This is a dangerous route to take. As busy as we are, we would never leave our toddlers alone in a park. We shouldn't leave our kids alone on the Internet either.

Luckily there are many ways to make our tablets, computers and online time safe for our children.

For the younger children in your life, there are a lot of great tablets in the market place that have built-in boundaries so you don't have to worry about where they might end up and what they might see online. These tablets include devices such as the Vtech Innotab, The Leapfrog LeapPad, the Kurio, The MEEP and the FUHU. With these devices, children only have access to specific apps that are safe and child friendly.

Older kids and teens need broader access. They want to interact with their friends, they want accounts on all of the social media sites and they don't want to ask for permission each time they try to surf a page. Here are some great ground-rules to review before allowing kids to go online:

Teach your children what information is and isn't safe to reveal online. They need to understand that they are putting themselves at risk if they reveal personal information about themselves online, even information related to your family. Ensure that they understand the dangers of arranging to meet in person with people they have encountered online.

Set time limits. Most of us understand how easy it is to get sucked into the online world, but it's a particular risk for our kids. They are still developing and need more off-screen activity in their lives in order to become the amazing people we want them to be. There are apps and software that can help you accomplish this. Mobicip, Norton family, E-Blaster and NetNanny are all tools that can help. (More on this shortly.)

See what types of parental restrictions are available from your Internet service provider. Very often they are able to block things for you before you even install software. Just keep in mind that the pitfall of this approach is that it can end up blocking harmless sites and will also restrict your access.

Teach your kids what signs to look for that something isn't right -- and teach them that they won't be judged for bringing these signs to your attention.

Consider what devices have Internet access. Kids can convince you that they need access to the Internet (e.g., to complete their work for school). But consider limiting Internet access to devices or computers that are in public spaces in your home, allowing you to easily scan what the kids are doing online, rather than letting them lock themselves up in their rooms and be online for hours.

Usernames and passwords. The Internet is a scary place, and as parents we need to do everything to protect our kids. Set up a policy with your children regarding social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and even personal blogs. Let them know that you will be monitoring their pages, and set guidelines about what they can post. They should understand that if they post anything inappropriate, you will be shutting down their accounts. This is why it is extremely important to get their usernames and passwords for all of their accounts. Even consider signing an agreement with them that outlines what accounts they can have and your expectations from them while online. They should know that if they break the contract, they lose their online privileges.

One Step Further, that much safer

There are many ways to restrict usage on individual tablets such as an iPad. An easy way is going into Settings> General > Restrictions. If this is your first time using this setting, it will ask you to create a password. (This password should not be the same as the password you use to log into the device.) You can then decide if your children can have access to Safari, or if they can purchase apps, and what movies and music are available to them based on the ratings you have set (e.g., 8+, PG, Restricted).

For your really little ones who love playing on your iPhone here is a great feature that my brother, an iEverything addict showed me that he uses to ensure his 2 year old doesn't inadvertently respond to a text message or make a call. When you go into the app your child will be using, you can click the round button on the iPhone 3 times and it will give you the option to lock the child into that screen no matter what they press. In order to exit it, they will need a password. Brilliant!

But I realize that not everyone owns an Apple product and in any case, the built in features, although helpful. are simply not enough.The next step is to consider monitoring and security programs. There are so many to choose from in the marketplace, but here is a summary of a few and their key features:

E-Blaster Mobile

This is a great tool for monitoring your children's online conversations. This tool sends you reports of their conversations whether online, or in messaging services like Blackberry messenger. It looks for key words that are dangerous and will notify you immediately if any of these words appear. It even has a GeoFencing feature which means if your child tells you they will be in a certain area and you set that area up on E-Blaster, it will send you an alert if the GPS detects that they have left that area. I love this feature, as knowing exactly where your kids are, although "Big Brother-ish," is priceless. E-Blaster does note on its webiste that it is illegal to install this on a device and not notify the person to whom the device belongs. It is marketed for use on a device that you own but may be giving to your children. My advice is have an open and frank conversation with your kids about what you are monitoring, because if they ever find out that you did it without their permission, you can consider a trust-based relationship with them over and done with.

NetNanny

Net Nanny allows parents and families flexibility in customizing settings for each family member and gives detailed reporting about Internet use and sites visited. You can set one set of limits for your 8 year old and another set for your teen. Parents can configure restricted sites, including YouTube (+18 videos), so family members are not presented these URLs. Net Nanny utilizes search engine "Safe Search" technology to enable these features. In addition, these settings and reports can be changed and viewed from anywhere in the world via a web based administration console. This means parents can protect their family regardless of their location.

Net Nanny can automatically alert parents when it detects inappropriate content. These alerts can be sent via an email, instantly notifying a parent of the site that was blocked and the reason for the block, including the exact time and web page. This technology keeps parents in the know regarding their families' Internet use and helps alert parents when kids gets a little too curious or mischievous with their Internet activities. Parents can review the graphical reports with their families and teach their kids why these sites where blocked and how to be safe in the future.

My personal favorite feature is time controls to enforce when and how much your family uses the Internet.

Norton Family

I've always been a Norton fan and since the release of their Norton Family, which is completely free, they have gained me as a life long supporter. They took some surveys and found that 32% of teens admitted to clearing their browsing history after each time online. Sixty-two percent of tweens admitted to knowing how to hide their "online life" from their parents. These are scary stats and we need to ensure we are on the ball in maintaining our kids' safety. Programs like Norton allow you to monitor what words and phrases they are searching for and how they are representing themselves online, including age and profile picture. Using this program, you will not only be keeping your kids safe but you'll learn more about your kids' online interests and you'll know if they're intentionally seeking out blocked or inappropriate content. You also receive an easy-to-read activity report which shows you at a glance all the web sites your kids visit, or attempt to visit. You can visit the sites your kids have been to and block specific sites or types of sites.

In summary, there are many ways to keep our children safe and it doesn't require a lot of set-up time. Do it right from the outset so your children can become responsible and safe surfers.

]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.2224170 2012-12-03T08:20:28-05:00 2013-02-02T05:12:01-05:00

Sharon Vinderine http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-vinderine/
Hyperactivity, well that was definitely me before children, a full time job and a travel schedule that sometimes rivals an Air Canada pilot. Impulsive behaviour -- that is me at the core. I go with my gut, inevitably, I make rash decisions in the interest of just getting it done and I can't say I thoroughly think through every decision. I think about it but I don't necessarily always think it through. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but that's the way I do it.

I am a case where ADD just works. It took years of practice, patience from those around me including teachers, parents and my awesome husband but I have found a way to make it work for me. Don't get me wrong, I am not here to argue that this is not a serious condition at times, with varying degrees of severity and depending on the stage of life can have a significant impact, I am simply here to tell you how I think ADD has possibly helped countless entrepreneurs get to where they are today, including myself.

I am in great company, from John F. Kennedy to Albert Einstein to John Lennon, each of these people suffered from varying degrees of ADD. I would say they did pretty damn well for themselves. Here is where I think some people get stuck in their ADD diagnosis. They see it as a negative and use it as a crutch. I've seen firsthand where someone was diagnosed formally with ADD and literally used that ADD diagnosis as their excuse for everything. Personally, I feel it is my drive. It is the thing that has let me become a driven entrepreneur with very few regrets.

Some attributes of ADD and their positive spin on your business:

Inability to focus very long: True, I will start talking to my husband about something and while he is trying to respond I have already remembered something I should have done five minutes prior and thinking about where to write it down so I won't forget. The plus side? If you're my husband, there isn't one but as a business person, when listening to people, I tend to listen but while they are talking, unbeknownst to them, they are triggering idea after idea. Picture rapid fire missiles, that is figuratively what is going on in my brain while someone is pitching me on why I should use them as my web developer.

Very little patience: git'er done. I don't want to wait for you to think it through, analyze it, develop spreadsheets and do a cost benefit analysis. Launch it, sell it and let's see how it goes. It sucks? OK, ditch it, you didn't spend that much time preparing for it so don't waste too much time regretting it. Worked like a charm? Fabulous, now spend the time fleshing it out and getting it to its next stage of success. This is not a certain formula for success and nor am I recommending that this is the way you should run your business, but what I am saying is that this tends to be an ADD trait and I'm trying to leverage it to the best of my ability.

Sleeps very little: Why? Because as soon as there is even a remote level of consciousness, most entrepreneurs are jarred awake by a new idea and need to tell Siri about it so they don't forget. People with ADD or self diagnosed ADD have very little brain rest. They are constantly exercising their brain by jumping from thought to thought, idea to idea which leads them very often to be able to look at a situation using "outside the box" thinking.

Easily bored: Yada Yada Yada, yes, that is very often what I'm thinking when someone is rambling on about something that doesn't interest me or doesn't have immediate benefit for me. But talk to me about something interesting, and boy oh boy, I'm focused like nobody's business. In fact, it is usually a topic that I know nothing about that gets me hyper focused. People with ADD need constant brain stimulation. They are NEVER satisfied with the status quo and need to be growing and evolving constantly. I am on a plane right now weighted down by my Popular Mechanics and Scientific American magazines and can hardly wait to get my hands on them. 

ADD while having its shortfalls, certainly has its benefits. It's like a nuclear core reactor; nuclear is not something you typically consider as something great but yet it serves a purpose and provides energy that allows us to heat our homes, microwave our food, and charge our devices. Looked at from the negative angle, its a nuclear reactor for goodness sake, who the heck wants one of those? Guess you could say I'm a glass half full kind of person.

]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.2008753 2012-10-24T12:12:28-04:00 2012-12-24T05:12:02-05:00

Sharon Vinderine http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-vinderine/
Wrong.

As CEO of a product testing company, I have encountered hundreds of entrepreneurs with unique ideas who are quite brilliant and determined and who have the guts to take a concept and turn it into a business. Most of them stumble with their pricing model. In too many cases, startups with no prior entrepreneurial experience overprice their product. They add the value of blood, sweat and tears into their calculations and factor in some arbitrary multipliers, and the end results are prices that far exceed the amount end users are willing to pay.

In my previous startup, I came up with an original idea, I was first to market, I invested a year of my time developing it and then I tried to retail it at a price point that reflected my effort instead of one the market could bear. Needless to say, the product line did not sell out.

When developing pricing strategies there are several things to consider:

• Determine your costs. Don't over-inflate them, be honest with yourself and base it on fact versus emotion. With services this can be trickier but make sure to factor in your fixed costs and to assign a rate to your time and that of your employees.



• Don't adjust your pricing regularly to compete with each new player in the marketplace. If your price is based on cost plus a reasonable profit margin then don't budge simply because a new competitor has come into play that is selling for a few dollars less. Don't ignore your competition but differentiate yourself through the value you offer rather than a price war.



• Stand out from your competition. Our awards program is a perfect example of this business strategy. There are likely hundreds of awards companies across North America, each offering a similar service at a similar rate. Our business is ranked as one of the most expensive awards companies because we don't do things the way others do. Our customer service exceeds all expectations, our media coverage far exceeds any other player in the market, and our brand has become one of the most highly recognized family awards programs in North America. Gaining this type of notoriety has a substantial cost associated with it and it allows us to stand out from our competition. This results in loyal clients who come back year after year.



• Everyone needs cash flow and likely has a loss-leader product or service to maintain it, even if it is not the most profitable product or service offering. Don't drop this product because its margins might not be as strong as some of your other offerings. Consider it a first step in building customer confidence and an investment in future opportunity. Use this loss leader to wow your client and to exceed expectations.

My job is not to advise clients on their pricing strategies, but I read through hundreds of product evaluations every month. The overwhelming response from our testers when it comes to products that are made by startups is that they are overpriced.

Client acquisition and brand loyalty are hard to come by. If you scare off a customer with your pricing from the outset, you will likely brand yourself as "that expensive company." Remove emotion from the equation, remove the sweat equity, and make sure you deliver value.

Stand out from your competitors with a proposition that clients can't refuse, and you are sure to gain loyal brand ambassadors.

]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1928455 2012-10-01T12:56:59-04:00 2012-12-01T05:12:01-05:00

Sharon Vinderine http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-vinderine/
What may come as a surprise though, are the sources from which we learn the most. I tend to be inspired by topics and businesses that have absolutely nothing to do with my industry. I subscribe to science magazines because whenever a task seems too overwhelming, I read about the universe and its complex organisms and how long it took to sequence the human genome (yes, I'm a bit of a geek) and all of the sudden the marketing program I have to work on no longer seems insurmountable.

I love walking through stores and analyzing how they have thought through the customer experience even though my clients rarely require a visit to my offices. Business books are also a great source of information and for me, in fact, they are perhaps too effective. I often find that I can only get through one or two chapters before I have found an idea in the book that I want to immediately implement. I then leave the book to work on the idea and never end up finishing the book. It's a vicious circle, yet proof that inspiration can come from anywhere.

For me, the quintessential source of inspiration comes from where I start every morning, and that place is Starbucks. It has nothing to do with my business model and yet it is a business model that I love to emulate. If you are not a fancy coffee kind of person and don't know what I'm talking about, splurge on the $4 latte and write it off as market research.

From the moment you step through the doors, you know Starbucks has done it right. From the aroma of the coffee and desserts, to the sound of the coffee beans being ground, the experience hits you before the door has swung closed behind you. There are learning opportunities at every corner. Everything is designed to make you feel cozy, to make you want to visit often and to get you hooked. Yes, you can get addicted to a coffee house but caffeine addiction is not my topic here, it's Brand addiction.

I am a Starbucks Brand Addict because they have created an environment and a brand that has me hooked. From the cashier who has punched in my order before I've uttered a word to the app on my phone that tracks my rewards. It's the barista that knows I like my Americano Misto extra hot, and my Petite Vanilla Bean scones that are always ready and waiting for me. The couches that invite me to hang there every Friday morning at 7:15 with my kids for our Friday ritual, and the overall environment that provides me with a relaxing place to go finish work that I feel I can no longer accomplish in my office.

It's my go-to place to hang out with my girlfriends over coffee and it's my hang out joint while I'm waiting for my kids to finish karate and gymnastics. Yes, I do have a full time home, but Starbucks is like my summer home only without mortgage payments.

My point? Yes, I actually have one... Here are some ways that Starbucks is doing it right and how you can learn from their holistic approach to the customer experience:

Starbucks took me into consideration when designing their store experience. They designed it around my wants and needs.
Lesson Learned: Take your customer into consideration when creating your product or service experience, get their feedback, build it around giving them the best possible experience.

Starbucks considered that I likely have many choices when buying my coffee and that my experience with them would have to be unique in order to justify their price points.
Lesson Learned: You need to stand out from your competition, so offer something that no one else has or simply make sure you do everything better.

They considered that even though the coffee might take longer to make, watching the barista grind the beans and prepare your fresh coffee is part of the experience and is worth the wait.
Lesson Learned: Listen to your potential client and hear what they have to say! A well thought out and customized proposal that directly addresses their needs will help them understand that you care about their project and are in it with them for the long haul.

Starbucks knows that I might want to spend some time there relaxing so they have set up comfortable seating for me and provided me with free wi-fi.
Lesson Learned: Throw in some bells and whistles at no cost because your clients want to know that it's not just about the money but that you have a vested interest in seeing them succeed. It's your opportunity to really wow them and stand out from the crowd.

They have set up rewards that don't take me a lifetime to accumulate but that give me what I want for free without stipulations. Large latte, muffins, scones etc. Whatever I want is free with my rewards. They even take the time to remember me on my birthday and send me a free drink certificate.
Lesson Learned: Create a Loyalty program with tangible, attainable rewards for your best customers. Discounts and referral programs are the simplest forms of loyalty programs but there are many creative ways to design something the works for your business. Loyal customers help grow your business, they are VIPs and deserve to be rewarded as VIPs.

The number one lesson learned, and what Starbucks has done rather ingeniously, is create a Brand Ambassador out of me without me even knowing it. I tweet about my favourite drinks, I post on my Facebook wall about my mornings at Starbucks with the kids and I make plans to meet up with friends there whenever I can.

They have subtly created the most effective form of advertising out of me, a walking billboard. The most clever part of this? Instead of paying me for that, I'm paying them every morning! Ingenious? I'm pretty sure they have the market cornered on that word.

]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1857298 2012-09-07T16:56:50-04:00 2012-11-07T05:12:01-05:00

Sharon Vinderine http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-vinderine/
It's not an insignificant jump, it's no longer just your schedule to consider but that of your team, your clients, your need to cover the costs on a monthly basis and hopefully walk away with a salary.

As a business owner that spends a majority of my time looking at new products and services, I understand your commitment to the cause, your passion for the idea. I also understand the leap necessary to take the idea from a coffee time chat over an idea with friends to a formal business plan.

One of the biggest things to consider is commitment and balance. As women, household responsibilities fall very much on us. From groceries, to doctors appointments to carpool to after school activities. If you want to debate this, just meet me in the school parking lot tomorrow at 7:45 a.m. and I dare you to find more than one man amongst the 25 women dropping off their kids in order to get to work on time.

We take on a lot but that is not news. What is news is how much more difficult all of these tasks become once you take that step to entrepreneur. A perfect example was this past week where I had to fly in to New York in the morning for a one hour meeting, fly home an hour later and still make it in time to take the kids to karate class and then entertain guests for dinner. It's a balancing act.

The two core differences between a mompreneur and entrepreneur very often are defined in the following ways:

• Office space outside the home
• Employees with dedicated office hours

It's only two items so how big a leap can it really be? Consider that with a home office you likely write off a lot of your expenses such a home phone, fax, Internet etc., as part of your in-home office so you aren't actually incurring new expenses but rather now sharing the load of those expenses between your business and your household.

With offices outside of the home, you now have a gas expense (that you can't write off) for your commute, you now have rent, utilities, business insurance etc. All significant, all risky until you really have a dependable and steady cash flow.

The scariest undertaking is full time employees. When working from home, very often we take on part time help to help us launch or grow a company. With a full time operation, you have full time staff. They will get paid whether your business does well or not, you will have to remit government taxes on those employees whether or not they performed the way you would have hoped and whether their sales hit your monthly target or not. Your salary on the other hand is most commonly referred to as a shareholder investment. It's precarious, it depends on monthly sales targets and it keeps you up at night.

Those are some of the more intimidating factors to take into account when taking the leap. Now on to the benefits.

There is no more rewarding feeling than when you see your dream, your baby, turn into what you imagined. We as humans are capable of so much. More than we can imagine and we usually don't know what we are capable of until faced with the challenge.

I still have the notebook where I jotted down my original notes for my business idea behind PTPA Media. It was while watching my 15-month-old play in a gym class. It was my vision and my aspiration, and now it is my reality. That has been worth the endless hours of commitment, the endless sleepless nights wondering what the month ahead would bring, the hires that I worried would overwhelm me.

I now have a team that I am proud to say I know will take our company to the next level. A team that is as dedicated to taking my dream to fruition. My marketing director who was my first employee and a perfect example of a kijiji ad gone right was my first risk and first best decision. Within five minutes of interviewing her, I knew she could be as excited about the business as I was and four years later she proves that daily when she emails me at midnight or 5 a.m. to tell me about her newest idea for PTPA's growth.

Another indicator that I've found good people is in a favorite email from another director on our team who emailed me early on in his employment with our company to say that he had drank the "PTPA Koolaid" and was behind our growth 100 per cent. This is the type of team you should aspire to have because there is no better investment than the investment in a good people. That's what makes a great business.

I am still a mom first and foremost. I do occasionally get called out of meetings because a child is sick and needs to be picked up from school. Every Friday morning at 7:15 it's Starbucks time for me and the kids before I drop them off at school. My family will always be my priority, it's just a bit more of a balancing act now but I wouldn't change a thing.

There is no doubt that it's a scary leap from mompreneur to entrepreneur but if you are passionate about your business and have a solid plan behind it for growth then it deserves your wholehearted effort to make it a reality.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1316909 2012-03-02T14:43:58-05:00 2012-05-02T05:12:01-04:00

Sharon Vinderine http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-vinderine/
As most start ups can tell you, introducing a new business to the market place requires factoring in many components. The most vital of which is credibility. A new business needs to figure out how to convince its target audience that they are a worthy supplier. The dilemma is that it's hard to prove how great you are when you haven't gotten the chance to do so. Regardless of your business model and your target audience, trust is something that needs to be garnered in order to gain customers and brand loyalty.

Business owners learn quickly that credibility can be quickly generated by word of mouth. With the onslaught of social media, it has never been easier, or faster to spread the word about a good service.

But at the same time, it has never been easier or quicker to permanently tarnish a reputation.

There are several strategies, regardless of your industry, that you can be put into practice with the goal of gaining brand building momentum and credibility.

1) Are you an expert at something? If so, tell the media. Reach out to the key media influencers in your sector, and introduce yourself and your expertise. Make yourself accessible to them so that they know that they have a reliable resource available to them on an as-needed basis. A simple mention in a byline or television appearance is the first great step in building trust with your audience.

2) Do you have a few happy customers? Let the world know about them! Incorporate written and video testimonials from these clients wherever possible. Include these in all proposals and e-marketing materials. Every positive reinforcement helps turn a potential client into a paying client.

3) Does your industry have a certification or awards program? Nothing sounds better than hearing about an "award winning" product or service. Endorsements from credible third party organizations go a long way in establishing trust.

4) Build a network of "Brand Ambassadors." This is a very natural way to help build brand credibility. Offer users an incentive to start talking about you, through sampling programs, freebies, great promotions etc. These are great first steps towards building some credibility. What the "Brand Ambassadors" are saying about you will have more value than what you have to say about your yourself.

5) Excel at customer service. As a business owner you've heard this many a time, but these are truly words to live by. Nothing will impress a potential client more than impeccable and immediate customer service. Wow them right from the outset so that they don't even need to consider getting another quote from a competitor.

6) Implement a social media strategy. If you are of the opinion that social media is a passing craze then perhaps you need to ask Twitter's 225 million plus users and Facebook's 750 million plus users what they think of that. Social media has made it incredibly easy to build a following and offer free promotional opportunities. If this is not your strength, outsource it to someone who knows what they are doing. The last thing you want is to have a conversation about your company happening on Twitter, and not be a part of it.

7) Align yourself with strategic partners. Perhaps there is someone in your industry that offers complimentary services to your own. Try to leverage these in order to make your company more of a full service organization. The more services you can offer the client, the less chance they will go elsewhere. A one stop shop is your ideal goal.

8) Exceed your clients' expectations, even if it means making a little less money at first. Customers will appreciate the extra effort, and will most likely be happy to recommend you to colleagues and continue doing business with you.

9) Focus on your core competencies. Don't try to be everything to everyone. Establish your niche and own it by being better than everyone else.

10) Ensure that you are constantly talking to your customers, and getting their feedback on their experience with you. As a result, you will be ensuring that you are meeting their needs, but at the same time, you will be getting free market research on just how well you are doing as a business.

Implement these strategies no matter where you are in the lifecycle of your business, and you will quickly see your credibility and brand awareness dramatically increase. Ignore these, and be faced with the reality that your credibility might grow at too slow a pace to keep up with your competitors. ]]>