Educational

By Dawn Candy, Strategic Marketing Consultant (I Promote You)

We all miss the days when we could attend a networking event in person, shake hands and hug our friends and colleagues. So how do we take advantage of today’s networking in the virtual space?

Here are a few tips to help you get the most from your virtual networking experience.

Mindset - get in the right head space to attend the event. Meaning, dress professionally, have the event blocked in your calendar and treat it as a face-to-face event. Focus on the meeting and avoid multi-tasking.

Online appearance - make sure your device has a working camera and use it. Keep your video on during the entire meeting and look into the camera when speaking and listening. Make certain your face is well lit. Having a shadow on your face does not help you build rapport or make a connection with others.

Tracie Garcia, ElderStage – 832.732.4610 – www.elderstage.com

When our elders, that we love, reach those stages in life where they need more attention medically and with their daily activities, where do you turn?

A normal first instinct is to call or visit the large, resort looking facilities, we see from our roads. A good majority of us are in "sticker shock" after one or two visits. We start to feel trapped while wondering, "what are we going to do or how will I take care of mom/dad".

No, bigger is not always better. Although, the larger facilities look grand and often offer personal rooms, your loved one might end up being left alone more. Feeling isolated, lonely, abandoned or depressed is not what any senior needs. Sure, these grand facilities look like there are lots of activities and interaction it is usually more with the seniors that are still at a level of independent living rather than an assisted living need. The further the decline in mental, social or medical health, the more attention the caregivers need to give independently. This becomes more challenging in larger places where the caregivers are responsible for too many residents during their shifts.

By Carol A. Gooch, M.S., LPC, LCDC, LMFT

Here's a question I often get: Where should I network to get the most leads? That is the wrong question.

Networking is not about getting. It's about meeting, engaging, establishing rapport, finding common ground and giving. Networking works if you make a strategic plan, target people and places, allocate the time, prepare before you go, and do it consistently.

5 types of networking

1. Attending and participating in events.
2. Being in charge of an event and bringing people together.
3. Being in charge of a group or association.
4. Speaking at a local or national event, and being the star of the show.
5. Volunteering in your community.

Submitted by Jamie Meche MS CCC-SLP, Comforts of Home

Choosing a home care company to take care of your senior parents’ needs might be a tough decision to make. You may also find it increasingly difficult to make them agree to help at home. Nevertheless, home care for your parents is essential when you can’t look after them 24/7 and it has its benefits. Let us see what:

Personalized Care

In-home caregivers are trained to provide personalized care at home to elders. They are experienced and professional in their services and the company ensures that the individual needs of the elder are matched with the caregiver that is sent to the house.

By Leigh K. Freeman, Small Business Attorney

“An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure” – Benjamin Franklin

Small business owners face many of the same legal issues as big corporations, but have a fraction of the resources to devote to them. Many times, a lawsuit could have been avoided, or substantially diminished, had the business employed a sound legal strategy at the outset. There are three main steps that small business owners can employ which provide the most bang for your buck in terms of mitigating risk. They are:

Submitted by Sylvia Hepler

Create a positive mindset toward management. Understand that what you believe deep inside lays the foundation for everything that happens next. This includes your ideas about management and managers in general, your current position, your ability to succeed, and your attitude toward ongoing learning. Know that you have what it takes to do the job. Decide to grow your skills, model exemplary behaviors, and take appropriate action.

Invest your time wisely. Time is a perishable resource that cannot be replaced. Get clear about your core personal values and priorities as well as the company’s values and priorities. This information sets the foundation for creating your calendar. Identify your biggest distractions, and look for ways to eliminate or manage them. Learn to focus – and avoid multi-tasking whenever possible.

Submitted by Ally M. Grounds, Client Services Coordinator, Global Financial Partners

People form a unique relationship with their finances. Having a healthy relationship with your finances is more than the dollars and cents in your account. It’s about educating yourself and understanding the goals you want to accomplish in the future. It’s also about being able to adapt and react with control when your life changes course. Women face distinctive challenges as they build future wealth.

Challenges women commonly face include earning less, living longer, investing later, burdens of caring for loved ones, and divorce.

Women make less than their male counterparts. This can affect how much a portfolio is worth in retirement, because women are saving less. Betterment states, “2018, white women make 77 cents for every dollar that men make. African American women make 61 cents on the dollar, and Hispanic women earn just 53 cents on the dollar.”

Submitted by Carol A. Gooch, M.S., LPC, LCDC, LMFT

New Year’s Resolutions are made and broken every year. Usually this is because people set themselves up to fail by compiling a list of resolutions they probably will never keep. Surveys by the American Psychological Association say will power was the top reason people failed to keep their resolutions. Most people need more than will power to keep their resolutions. Keeping resolutions requires detailed plans and strategies when there are setbacks.