10 Ways to be a Smarter, More Productive Worker

I think this is quite something to be fond of, is to be smarter and more productive. People ask me how I am able to do so much work in one day, or do this type of stuff all the time. I tell them I get it from my mother's side of the family. It's not that we're workaholics, it's just that work comes naturally.

Maybe, you're one of those that work comes naturally, for others, they need to have the right tools. One of the best tools in working smart, or productive, is your brain. So, that's my aim today, is to empower your brain to work smarter, more independent, and more productive. This in turn will guide you along the track to make more money, get that promotion, have better family life, and have an all-around better outlook for life.

See the top ten...

Crowdfunding a good or bad move for your business?

It's time for a reality check on crowdfunding for business startups: only use when necessary, because - even though it has good short-term income, it does not provide enough long-term income. When we put it into perspective, crowdfunding is an excellent tool for individual projects, but it should not be a significant source of funding for businesses.

I really find that crowdfunding is best for those individuals who're doing private projects or their own freelancing motives. But, as for a business, I'm a bit skiddish for many reasons...

What The Wolverine can do for your Business Strategy

The Wolverine movie releases in July 2013, starring Hugh Jackman. That's some good news. But, what can The Wolverine do for your business strategy? That's the question. Let's explore...

This $100 million movie is a potentially prized movie. Therefore, it's obvious people believe in the character of The Wolverine. The character of The Wolverine in X-Men comics is an absolute powerhouse, having keen animal senses, accelerated self-healing, and a willingness to not mess around.

(Spoiler alert: skip this paragraph only, if you don't want any part of the plot, which is talked about in the official trailer) However, in the new movie, we see that he was now granted mortality, severely lowering his chance of healing at an accelerated rate. This makes things a lot more interesting for The Wolverine, because his life is flipped upside down. He's always been anti-authority, so when The Wolverine finds out that his identity crisis with mortality is now a problem, he must make amends with life. In other words, his aggression returns.

Top 3 Crucial Interview Questions

As we're looking toward the sky for the best possible candidate, we think "he (or she) may look good on paper, but what're they really like in person?" Do they have a good sense of direction? Well, these aren't what interviewers use, but they do seem to be stuck in interviewers head. But, what I'm talking about here is the top three interview questions to ask candidates. Let's roll right with the list:

1. How did you know about this particular job opening?
   
   By asking this question, you'll find out real quick how difficult their job search was, who they're connected with (because networking is important to landing a good job), and how possibly long they've been searching. At least you'll want to know this information in your head, so it's good to ask this open-ended question in the interview.

Free Mobile Apps to Supercharge your Business Lifestyle

Have you ever stepped back and checked how many useless apps are on your smartphone? What about recognizing the apps that you actually need? What about apps that can supercharge your business lifestyle? Today, I'll offer a closer look. These are a list of apps in no specific order. :)

• Brewster, your Rolodex made instant. This iOS-only app is made to help with pulling in contact info as well as other personable details from social network platforms, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The profiles that this app creates for those individual people is just stunning! Did I mention it's searchable? Check it out today!
• HootSuite, yes the famous HootSuite social media management platform is available on your smartphone. What's good about HootSuite on mobile platforms, is that it is available on Android, iOS, and BlackBerry! HootSuite Mobile is just like the web based management platform, except in the palm of your hand. So, you can have your dashboard on the go. From scheduling messages to attaching files, photos, and links - this is assured to be a favorite, if you're an avid HootSuite user! Get it now.
  

Become a MUCH better leader in 10 steps

Being a better leader in your business or personal life is highly important and attributable to success. Too often people lose sight of their leadership potential. However, it can be retained by following the best principles that leadership employs.

1. Be a good listener!  First a quote from a trusted author: "When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen." - Ernest HemingwayIn order to maintain any good relationship, listening is the greatest foundation. You need to listen to your customers, prospects, friends, workmates, etc. Listening more will help people realize that you don't bloat your importance, you don't be selfish, and that you are open to what they have to say.
2. Be a great storyteller. Let people hear some of your life's work, especially if you can successfully engage their attention. But make sure that you are telling the right stories, ones where people can act on. British author, Karen Armstrong said it well: "Storytelling is fine as long as you can encourage people to act on the stories."
   
   I think she's right on the money there. You don't want to tell stories that are foolish. But, rather, tell stories that reflect wisdom. It's a great way to put ideas to good work.
   

Working at Home? Structure your day well

Technology workforces all across the world are doing remote work opportunities for employees, which can help boost employees morale, and create better products. However, if not done right, working at home can become a major problem for some companies. For some companies, Yahoo! for example, have chosen not to do remote work for its potential risks on payroll, marketing, and company morale.

Now, let me stop right there. There's a difference between company morale and employee morale. Some companies want the morale of the business to be better than the morale of employees. Other companies have it the other way around. Many speak that if you treat your employees well, they'll create better products. However, others speak that if you successfully lead a company, then employee morale won't matter very much.

Back on topic...remote work is something almost every employee would love, however, it does have ways to make a person lazy, repeat project problems, and cause other issues. But, we want to focus on how to structure your day well, when working from home.

Being more flexible is the biggest benefit of working from home. So, rule #1, always be flexible!

How to implement better banter into your conversations

How many of you want to be a better conversationalist? Well, first, you should check out my previous article posted about being likable. Anyway, here are some tips for better banter to put into your conversations.

1. Don't change the subject, unless it's necessary to do so. When talking with somebody, it's good to maintain the same subject, until it gets dry. Don't change the subject in conversations that are currently open-ended.
   
   For example, if someone says "People say that I'm a good worker" - then don't say "Yeah, I work all the time". Instead of changing the subject (which will imply bad listening), say something about it... "What makes you a good worker?" By doing this, you're implementing a conversation tactic on which they can talk about themselves. Therefore, people will like you a lot more in the end.
2. Be positive, be encouraging. If someone says "my boss doesn't like me", then say uplifting things such as "well, I don't know why...you're smart, neat, and cool!" When you offer up these uplifting words, for example, you'll get a friend real quick, or even maintain your friendship to new heights.
   

Are you using irresponsible passwords?

 Easy-to-recall codes, passwords, etc. are way too easy for other people to guess. The most popular passwords are ones like "123456" or "password" or "admin". But, these are some of the first things people will guess when trying to gain access.

Approximately 10% of pin numbers are just "1234". Wow, that's easy, isn't it?

What do you do? Go big and go r4nd0m.

Longer passwords that are more unique:

• At least one capital letter
• At least one lower-case letter
• At least one symbol
• At least one number

Running a startup can be fun, no matter what

Some people realize that running a startup can be highly stressful. It's complicated to try and complete many of the tasks that are needed to be done in a startup. However, many people, even if failed, can say that startups can be fun.

So, what's the real risk behind starting a company? Money is the main one. Stress is another one. But, what if you reverse your thinking into realizing that it can be fun. Admit it, you enjoy business. If not, then why're you even bothering to run a business. If you don't enjoy business, and are just doing it out of necessity - where will your success be.

I'll admit, it's rare to see founders not enjoying what they do. Only because the founders I'm talking about run successful companies. Most founders of successful companies don't want to leave a company, because - a. they were the one who founded it, so they get all the royalties, and b. they enjoy the work.

Yes, the odds of scoring a really big IPO payoff are against you. But, what if you enjoy the work so much, that you made the right risk at the right time, and the IPO got the victory for your company?

Be likable: top habits of likable people

When you meet someone new, do they like you at first, you think? What if you realize that a lot of people don't like you? What if you suck at the small talk?

It's best to realize that the first five minutes of meeting someone is the most important, you'd want to tweak yourself a bit to become much more likable.

Here are some tips:

• Always talk about something genuine. Don't make every conversation about business. Be yourself, but in a business-like way. You don't want to reveal personal details too much in a conversation that might involve a potential business clientele.
• Also, realize that everyone is probably better than you at something. Don't be insecure, but rather let them be better than you.
• Humble yourself, and allow people to talk about themselves as well. Let them be better, and avoid the ego.
• Don't be afraid to show some vulnerability, kind of like being humble. When people realize you have soft spots too, they won't mind warming up to you!
  

Making your business dream come to life

If you've ever been down the path of wanting to start a new business, which a lot of us have had, then you know the feeling of trying to make the business dream a reality. How to make it come to life without risking it all, or how to hire people and make decisions. These are factors that people suddenly flood their minds with.

There are many ways to turn your business dream in to a reality, and make it come to life. Here is the list:

1. Change your vocabulary first of all! Taking action is a key to getting unstuck, and very necessary to produce growth. What you need to do is the start speaking to other people in terms of positive vocabulary. Which means, instead of saying "we have slow growth right now", say "our growth is catching up, and will improve soon". By switching that up in our first example, you're making it a point that no matter the bad circumstance, you'll still be optimistic about the future.
   
   Another issue that can be tweaked in vocabulary, would be to realize that if you're not careful with what you say, people will try to run with bad facts, false statements, etc. These bad things that occur in vocabulary can cost a company a lot of money.
   

Five Steps to realizing innovation

Innovation...what you need to make a difference in the business world...right? People want innovative products as long as they come with a sense of consistency, a need, or a problem solved.

Here are five steps to realizing innovation:

1. Most people deny that innovation is required. This is why people don't succeed to their maximum. How can you succeed to your maximum? Don't go with the flow...instead of imitating someone else, do your own thing! Give it your own approach. If everyone is creating social networks like Facebook, go and create your own type of social network. Don't be afraid to step outside the box!
2. Many people seem to deny that innovation, in general, is effective. However, innovation is the key component to developing an awesome business plan, solving a problem, and making a difference. It's not only effective, but one of the key things someone must do to make their business much more successful in the long run. Apple didn't get far by copying others...they got far by putting in the time, innovating, and pleasing customers. Do the same, and the word effective will always be in your vocabulary.
   

Budding entrepreneur? START NOW!

What do you tell yourself all the time when you're thinking about being an entrepreneur? What is the real story behind your dream? Why skip following your dream?

Now think, is your future going to be about the lifestyle you want to have, or the one you will have?


You qualify your first step to being an entrepreneur  by dreaming, thinking of the problem you want to focus on, and planning out a map of your future. Is it that simple? The beginning may seem like a simple process, but it may not be. It is the most important part of the work.

Great companies have been built by innovators who saw a problem (an opportunity!), where they could put together a qualified solution. They marketed it to the right customers, and succeeded. How do you reach the right customers? That's the challenge!