10 Tips for Starting Up Your Disaster Restoration Business

The disaster restoration business is very challenging, and it's also very rewarding.

When I first opened ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba here in Chicago, my sights were naturally set on startup success. I also knew that I would be in a position to have a positive effect on the lives of my customers.

If you like the idea of owning your own company in an industry with great growth potential, I definitely recommend the fire and water damage restoration business. If you're genuinely drawn to helping others, that's one of the best reasons for entering this unique field.

Ten Points to Consider

I've been very successful with my company, and I strongly believe in sharing my knowledge and experience with others.

If you're thinking about becoming a part of this exciting business, I offer these 10 points for your consideration.

1. Do Your Homework. When I first started my company, I jumped in and figured things out. With a lot of determination and a little luck, my strategy worked. However, you can get ahead much more quickly by learning all that you can about the disaster restoration field before opening your doors. For example, are you thinking about starting your business from the ground up or purchasing a franchise? Once you've done your homework, you can make the big decisions with confidence.
2. Develop a Business Blueprint. Frame a solid business plan documenting what your company is about, how you plan on hiring and where you should concentrate marketing. Detail your projected investment and expected returns.I met my goals within five years of starting up, but I could've done it sooner with a good business blueprint.
3. Target Your Customers, Focus Your Reach. Identify your target customers and service area. In the beginning, you're hungry for business, but you have to factor in the time and personnel it takes to cover different locations. As a franchise, my company works within certain zip codes, and that lets me focus resources where they best serve my business and my customers.
4. Get to Know the Competition. Don't assume that other restoration company owners won't talk strategies with you. It's a tough market, but we all have the same goals: to make our companies successful and to help our customers through difficult situations. However, you'll do best by contacting businesses that operate outside of the areas that you plan on covering. Also, speak with owners who take care of customers in a market similar to yours. This assures that the insights you gain will be relevant to the plans you have for your company.
5. Start Certification Now. You can't become certified in this business with just one course. Water damage restoration requires training that's different from understanding the science behind fire damage cleanup. Get started now on the certification process, and make sure that at least one of your employees is also certified. This allows you both to monitor and field-train new hires as they go through their certification.
6. Resist the Temptation to Over-Equip. Handle your startup budget wisely by equipping your business with the basics. You need moisture meters, air movers, dehumidifiers and cleaning products, and you need fleet vans. You don't need six of everything right now, and you don't need bells and whistles. Invest in additional equipment as your company grows.
7. Know Where You Want to Start. This strategy helps you make those important decisions about start-up equipment. Are you going to concentrate on water and fire damage projects? Do you want to include mold remediation? In my experience, it's easier to offer basic services in the beginning. As your business grows, you can expand and add specialized areas like commercial and house cleaning services.
8. Trust Someone Else With Digital Marketing. When customers need fire or water damage restoration services, they usually start with a smartphone search. You need to be highly visible on that digital radar so that you're always available for quick connections. Even if you have the talent, you don't have the time it takes to handle marketing strategies. Outsource this critical business component to a reputable SEO agency or company that specializes in digital media, web design and social media management.
9. Hire the Right Qualities. The disaster restoration business requires hard physical work, long hours and real job dedication. My staff and techs form the backbone of my company, and we've become a strong working family. When you hire employees, experience counts, but you also want people who have qualities that you value both professionally and personally.
10. Keep Your Skill Set Sharp. You're ready to run your own company. That demonstrates leadership capabilities, so set your professional standards high because you serve as an example to your employees. Keep smart time management and flexibility in your skill set, and balance everything with sincere empathy. Customers need your professional abilities to recover from disasters, and they need your genuine compassion too.

Finding Your Place

Before you open any type of business, you need to have a strong sense of what you want for yourself and how you can serve other people. Whether you help budding entrepreneurs develop marketing plans or assist people after they've gone through a disaster, your rewards will always be more than monetary.

You have to achieve financial success to move forward, and that's easier to do when you take the best possible care of your customers and your employees too. I salute your interest in the water and fire damage cleanup business, and I hope my advice can help you find your place in this amazing industry.

This blogger graduated from Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Small Businesses program. Goldman Sachs is a partner of the What Is Working: Small Businesses section.

At America's Largest Companies, Just 7 Percent Of CEOs Are Women

The visibility of CEOs like IBM’s Ginni Rometty, General Motors’ Mary Barra and Hewlett Packard’s Meg Whitman may give the impression that America’s largest companies are finally embracing female leadership.

But as a recent Fortune report reveals, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Women comprise less than 7 percent of chief executives at Fortune 1000 companies ― America’s largest corporations based on revenue ― according to a recent survey conducted by sales analytics software company DiscoverOrg. “That means that for every [Rometty, Whitman, or Barra], there are a dozen male chief executives,” said Fortune.

Of the almost 10,000 C-level executives DiscoverOrg surveyed, just 18 percent were women. Only 6.7 percent of all chairs of the board, 7.2 percent of chief operating officers and 8.8 percent of chief financial officers were women.

Women are well-represented in two C-level positions, however: They make up almost half of chief marketing officers and more than 60 percent of chief human resources officers, according to the survey.

“You sort of wonder if women are being pigeonholed,” DiscoverOrg’s co-founder, Henry Schuck, told Fortune.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Nancy Pelosi, center right, was the first female Speaker of the House. She served in the role from 2007 to 2011. 

The gender leadership gap is not limited to Fortune 1000 companies. According to a recent American Association of University Women study, women remain “underrepresented at all levels of leadership” in the U.S., from the realms of politics to education. 

Women make up only 1 in 5 members of the U.S. Congress, the study said. As of 2012, only 26 percent of colleges and universities were headed by women. 

Women of color hold even fewer leadership positions. Last year, less than 3 percent of board directors at Fortune 500 companies were Asian, black or Hispanic women.

“To achieve gender parity, we need women willing and able to take up leadership positions. We need men willing and able to take on more domestic responsibilities so that more women have the opportunity to pursue demanding fields,” the AAUW wrote in its report. “We need employers to embrace a more flexible workplace, allowing women and men to move in and out of the workforce as they balance careers, family, and personal goals. In essence, we all need to intentionally engage in making diversity and inclusion work on a daily basis.” 

How To Get the Most Out of Social Media Marketing for Your Business

By Marty McDonald

A successful social media marketing strategy takes into account your business's challenges and goals. It clearly outlines the steps needed to overcome these challenges and reach your objectives. At my company, we have helped clients create engagement and sales by leveraging their social media presence for over five years.

This may seem simple enough, but developing a realistic and effective social media strategy is the No. 1 challenge for enterprise companies in the United States, according to a survey on the state of social media marketing in 2016 (which my company participated in).

This phenomenon can be attributed to a number of possible factors:

• Your company does not dedicate enough resources to social media.
• Your marketing team does not understand which social media channels to use and what content to share.
• You don't know which metrics to track to prove your return on investment (ROI).

With 75 percent of small businesses planning to implement a social media marketing plan by 2017 or later, it's becoming more important to develop more efficient and useful social media habits.

Below, I'll explore ways you can address your businesses' three pain points when it comes to crafting a social media marketing strategy.

1. Social media requires both human and financial resources.

First, your social media team must consistently share relevant content and communicate with customers. This requires hiring and training people who are familiar with your company's image and can speak your brand's voice.

Social media is a way for businesses to interact with customers on a personal level. If a customer can't find a direct phone number, email address, or contact form, they look to social media for help.

Interacting with customers on social media humanizes your brand. For example, Simple Mills, a company that sells baking mixes, shares and comments on recipes that Instagram users post featuring their ingredients. This habit not only raises awareness about Simple Mills's products, but it establishes customer trust and loyalty.

Second, although organic social media is an option for businesses with small marketing budgets, investing in paid social advertising ensures a more targeted result. For example, Facebook's Business Manager allows you to choose who sees an ad based on demographics and how a user interacts with your page.

2. Channel placement depends on audience and content. 

How do you determine which social media channels are best for your business? Some industry leaders argue that B2B companies should prioritize LinkedIn, and that B2C companies could get better results from Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat.

However, social media channel placement depends on where your audience is, which platforms have the most users, and the type of content you have to share.

In fact, according to Clutch's survey, both B2B and B2C companies prioritize Facebook and Twitter. But B2Cs rank YouTube third (higher than LinkedIn) while B2Bs rank it fourth (just behind LinkedIn).

Additionally, the content you share should complement the platform on which you share it. For example, since 2013, Facebook has been improving its video streaming capabilities by launching Facebook Live then prioritizing these videos in the News Feed. Therefore, it makes sense to set aside resources to make short videos and share them on Facebook.

3.) You should be tracking metrics that prove ROI. 

The key to tracking ROI is focusing on how your social media efforts correspond to the goals you outlined in your strategy.

Instead of counting the number of posts you share or likes you receive, hone in on the outcomes that directly contribute to your objectives. If your goal is to improve your brand image, track engagement. If you want to build your email subscriber list, keep count of how many people subscribe through a Facebook form.

Social media marketing is an important part of digital marketing. Tangible benefits include increased traffic to your website, a stronger brand image, and improved audience engagement. But taking full advantage of these benefits requires effort. As a business owner, you should consider investing in paid social advertising, hiring and training staff to manage customer engagement on your social platforms, and learning how to direct content to your audience.

Marty McDonald is the co-founder and Chief Strategy Rhino at Bad Rhino Inc., a full-service social media marketing agency based in West Chester, PA.

11 Surprising Habits Of Powerful People

Power gets a bad rap, but only because people pursue it for the wrong reasons. When power is pursued for the right reasons, it can be a tremendous force for good.

Niccolo Machiavelli spread the belief that people can only become powerful by exploiting the worst aspects of human nature. One of this teachings was, "A wise ruler ought never to keep faith when by doing so it would be against his interests." Machiavelli was essentially saying that you're an idiot if you keep your promises or stick to your values when you'd benefit more by breaking them.

Not only did we hear it from Machiavelli, but also from plenty of voices in our own time, such as Robert Greene, who said, "The key to power is the ability to judge who is best able to further your interests in all situations." It's no wonder so many people think that the only way to get power is to be a jerk.

Fortunately, Machiavelli and Greene had something in common: They were both wrong. Recent research from UC Berkeley shows that when it comes to power, nice guys finish first. The researchers found that the most powerful people (according to ratings from their peers) were those who were the most considerate and outgoing. They also found that those who were the most Machiavellian -- using things like gossip and manipulation to gain power -- were quickly identified and isolated and ended up with no power at all.

Studies like these are rehabilitating power's bad rap. Power isn't inherently evil, and it isn't inherently bad to seek power. Without power, you can't accomplish anything, good or evil. Even those who want nothing more than to make the world a better place, can't do so without exerting the influence of personal power. It's the abuse of power and the underhanded things people do to achieve it that cause problems.

People who earn and use power wisely have a profound impact on everyone they encounter. Yet, they achieve this power only because they exert so much influence inside, on themselves. We see only their outside; we see them innovate, speak their mind, and propel themselves forward toward bigger and better things. Yet, we're missing the best part. The confidence and wherewithal that make their influence possible are earned.

And while what people are influenced by changes with the season, the unique habits of powerful people remain constant. Their focused pursuit of excellence is driven by eleven habits, which you can emulate and absorb until your power and influence expand:

1. They don't wait for a title to lead. It's important not to confuse power with authority. The right title can give you authority, but it can't give you power. On the other hand, you don't need a title to be powerful. You can lead without being a boss and you can have a powerful influence upon your workplace and community without a title.

2. They're graciously disruptive. Powerful people are never satisfied with the status quo. They're the ones who constantly ask, "What if?" and "Why not?" They're not afraid to challenge conventional wisdom, and they don't disrupt things for the sake of being disruptive; they do so to make things better.

3. They think for themselves. Powerful people aren't buffeted by the latest trend or by public opinion. They form their opinions carefully, based on the facts. They're more than willing to change their mind when the facts support it, but they aren't influenced by what other people think, only by what they know.

4. They focus only on what really matters. Powerful people aren't distracted by trivialities. They're able to cut through the static and clutter, focus on what matters, and point it out to everyone else. They speak only when they have something important to say, and they never bore people with idle banter.

5. They master conflict. People tend to err on one of two extremes when it comes to conflict: some are passive and avoid conflict altogether, while others seek out conflict aggressively, thinking that this will make them powerful. People who master conflict know how to approach it directly and assertively, yet constructively. In essence, they practice emotional intelligence. Truly powerful people do not react emotionally and defensively to dissenting opinions -- they welcome them. They're humble enough to know that they don't know everything and that someone else might see something they missed. And if that person is right, they embrace the idea wholeheartedly, because they care more about the end result than being right.

6. They inspire conversation. When powerful people speak, their words spread like ripples in a pond. Influencers inspire everyone around them to explore new ideas and to think differently about their work.

7. They know their strengths and weaknesses. People who get seduced by power and, therefore, start abusing it are often blind to their own weaknesses. To become truly powerful, you have to see yourself as you really are and to position yourself to use your strengths for the greater good. That means taking a clear-eyed look at your strengths and your weaknesses and owning them both completely.

8. They grow and leverage their networks. Those who grow power the Machiavellian way don't bother with people who aren't useful to them. People see this coming a mile away, and it doesn't win any friends. Truly powerful people know how to make lasting connections. Not only do they know a lot of people, they get to know their connections' connections. More importantly, they add value to everyone in their network. They share advice and know how, and they make connections between people who should get to know each other.

9. They ask for help when they need it. It's easy to mistakenly assume that powerful people never ask for help from anybody. Asking for help when you don't know the answer or can't do it all by yourself is not a sign of weakness; it's a sign of strength. It sends the message that you're not so insecure as to put your ego above the mission. It takes a tremendous amount of confidence and humility to admit that you need assistance, and asking for assistance is critical, because there's nothing worse than trucking down the wrong path when you're too embarrassed or proud to admit that you don't know what you're doing.

10. They believe. Powerful people always expect the best. They believe in their own power to achieve their dreams, and they believe that others share that same power. They believe that nothing is out of reach and that belief inspires those around them to stretch for their own goals. They firmly believe that one person can change the world.

11. They do it now. Way back in 1894, Orison Swett Marden made an important point: "Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seek common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities. Strong men make them." If you put off growing your power until the right opportunity comes along, it's never going to happen. Powerful people know that developing power is a lot like lifting weights or running a 5K. The only way to strengthen those muscles is by using them, so stop making excuses and just start. You know what you believe in, you know who you are, and you know what you want to become, so act like it. Yes, it will be uncomfortable at times, and yes, some people will tell you you're doing it wrong, but the only way to achieve power and use it for good is to get out there and do it.

Bringing It All Together

Boris Yeltsin once said, "You can make a throne of bayonets, but you can't sit on it for very long." Forget everything you've heard about power, because, in the end, the nice guys really do win. Whether you call it power or influence, it's okay to want it and it's okay to have it. You just have to pursue it and use it with integrity.

Have you seen people abuse power? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below, as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.

Some Career Advice For President Obama

Dear Mr. President:

In just a few months, your career will undergo a dramatic transformation. You will leave the office of chief executive of the free world and once again become a civilian — at an age when the average American still has a decade or more left in his or her working life. Like millions of baby boomers, you will have to navigate the final big chapter of your career.

I know you’re quite busy, but as you plan for this next phase, here are five pieces of unsolicited, but heart-felt, career advice:

1. You don’t need a two-year plan, you need a 20-year plan

Most people underestimate how long a career journey is in total and how many miles are still ahead. If you work well into your 70s, as many Americans do, you could easily have more than 30,000 hours of work life still in your future. How will you shape a post-presidential career that is rewarding, purposeful and sustainable?

You have already written three bestselling books, and a number of retired presidents have successfully turned their attention to speaking, writing and philanthropic work. While those who have come before can serve as models, you will have to chart your own course. How many speeches and books do you really want to write? Will that be sufficient to sustain you over another two decades?

As you ponder your options, ask yourself how each one stacks up on the four big career questions:

Will I learn?
Will I have impact?
Will I have fun?
Will I be fairly rewarded?

2. Build on your sweet spot

You will find your sweet spot at the intersection of three things: what you love, what you’re good at, and what the world values. Again, you can look to the paths that other leaders have taken once they’ve passed the peak of their careers. Al Gore built his later stage as a champion for combatting climate change. Mike Bloomberg is backing gun control, and Bill Gates has become a leading philanthropist, with a particular focus on infectious diseases. Judging by the moments where you have shown the most resolve and passion, it feels like your sweet spot can be found somewhere in the vicinity of healthcare and education.

3. It’s time to prune and cultivate your career ecosystem

One of the great things about being president is that you have almost unlimited access to resources and contacts. Everyone takes your calls. As a private citizen, you will need to edit down your contacts. Ask yourself which colleagues, experts and mentors will be important to your next chapter, not just your last one. Which are the relationships that bring you energy and joy, and amplify your expertise and impact? A career ecosystem is a powerful fuel that propels us forward to do even greater things. Which exciting new skills and connections will you need post-POTUS?

4. Keep playing basketball every week

In our work lives, it is often the non-work activities that act as vitamin shots to keep us fresh and energized. Your weekly hoop games have become legendary in Washington and they have probably helped keep you sane during the White House years. Find a way to keep up the tradition. Golf is okay, but basketball seems to hold a special place in your heart. It brings out your trash-talking competitive streak. It lets you bump into people and push them around. So find a way to keep up the ritual of Sunday basketball at Barack’s place. Just don’t be surprised if the competition seems to beat you a lot more now that you’re not president.

5. Stay healthy. If you have the urge to smoke again, take up the harmonica instead

You’ll get to enjoy these next decades and thousands of working hours in top health. By all accounts, you’ve done a great job cutting out the smoking. And you are certainly someone who understands the benefits of moderation — the seven-almond nightly snack makes good sense. But as a former 60- cigarette-a-day smoker, I know that the tobacco demon is an immensely powerful and seductive force. You cannot just wish it away or ignore it. You need to channel it. If the urge comes back, take up the harmonica. It is cheap, highly portable and remarkably satisfying for the orally fixated among us. Keep resisting the Marlboros and get your Mojo Working. Stevie Wonder and I will come over to give you lessons. 

Your career to date has been remarkable and unusual, but the stage you’re moving into now is one that all of us will navigate in our working lives. Build on your strengths, invest your time wisely and with purpose, and you will thrive for years to come.

Brian Fetherstonhaugh is author of the new book, The Long View: Career Strategies to Start Strong, Reach High, and Go Far, and Chairman and CEO of OgilvyOne Worldwide.

Does Size Matter?

Growing up, I fondly remember picking and eating wild blueberries growing in our backyard. As a kid, it was a delicious treat that added fun to our summer traditions. As an adult, I still enjoy eating blueberries especially once I learned about the disease-fighting antioxidants contained in this wonderful little blue berry.

In 2009, I was approached to carry a bill to create a California Blueberry Commission and I thought "who doesn't love blueberries?" Well, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger thought my AB606 was a "dumb" idea, saying "I remember when I went into politics, the legislature wanted to create a blueberry commission. Who's gonna say no to a blueberry commission? Well, I said no. I thought they should fix the budget before they do the f*ing blueberry commission. "

What I don't think he realized at that time is that California produces more than 60 million pounds of blueberries every year and it is one of the more than 400 commodities we harvest here. More than one-third of our country's vegetables and two-thirds of our country's fruits and nuts are grown in California.

Other states are aggressively marketing their agricultural commodities. Washington State's Blueberry Commission was established in 1969 and is among the 23 commodity commissions in that state. Georgia has 12 commodity commissions, with their Blueberry Commission established in 2008. And Maine's Blueberry Commission was established in 1971. With these and other states promoting their commodity, it was clear California's farmers needed their own agricultural commission (which, by the way paid is for by farmers) to promote the value of our blueberries.

Well, Governor Schwarzenegger must have learned these facts over the ensuing months because he ended up signing my bill that November and the California Blueberry Commission was established in March 2010.

As we celebrate National Blueberry Popsicle Day on September 2, go out, stay cool, enjoy, and post on social media with #NationalBlueberryPopsicleDay.

If you missed Popsicle Day, don't worry, there are many other days during the year to celebrate the mighty blueberry:

• National Blueberry Pancake Day (Jan 28)
• National Blueberry Popover Day (March 10)
• National Blueberry Pie Day (April 28)
• National Blueberry Cheesecake Day (May 26)
• National Blueberry Muffin Day (July 11)

And finally, to answer the question "does size matter?" Well, when it comes to blueberries...our Blueberry Commodity Commission believes that "naturally sized berries are always best!" Good answer!👍

Here's the Real Reason Why Offices Are Becoming More Casual

By almost every measure, America's workplaces are becoming more informal.

Office dress codes are falling out of fashion as every day becomes casual Friday. Management is becoming flatter, with fewer levels of hierarchy and more openness between junior staffers and the top bosses. Formal business communication, once crafted and formatted to meticulous standards, have been replaced by emails or even text messages, which cut straight to the point.

Even office furniture has become more casual, with managers eschewing fancy corner offices to join the rest of the company in an open-office environment. Companies are creating more communal spaces allowing employees to perform their job duties in a more collaborative setting. But as we move into an even more relaxed workplace, it's worth stopping for a moment and trying to understand what's driving these changes.

One of the biggest factors centers on technology. When bosses relied on secretarial pools to type letters needing to be sent across town by bicycle messenger, it was natural they would end up writing in a more formal language. But as managers started getting their own desktop computers in the 1980s, then their own email accounts in the 1990s, business communication started to become more direct and less formal.

Today, as we all tap out messages on smartphones waiting in line at Starbucks, the idea of writing "to whom it may concern" or "with warmest regards" seems trite. Employees now use direct messages and large group chats to get work done efficiently, sharing ideas easily and transparently. New workplace tools like Slack™ are effectively erasing the line between idle chatter and serious business dialect, a trend which will only accelerate as more of these tools find mainstream use within the office.

The physical layout of the office itself has also been affected by technology. Laptops, tablets and smartphones have made it easier for people to work away from their desks, leading to more casual collaboration in conference rooms, at cafeteria tables, or in common areas outfitted with comfy sofas and overstuffed chairs. These everyday pieces of furniture are now being designed with built-in electrical panels featuring USB ports and AC outlets for plugging in and working wherever you choose.

Another factor is changes to the American economy. The more formal workplaces of the past were driven by traditional jobs like manufacturing. With more workers in today's businesses doing creative jobs, such as designing software, it's natural that their office environments would be more casual and even fun to help spark creativity. It's no coincidence that more traditional workplaces, such as banks, are still among the most formal office designs around. The trend is clear, too. Whether they're based in Silicon Valley- or North Carolina's Research Triangle Park - these new creative-class businesses are shaping tomorrow's economy. Even companies not focused on this kind of work are taking notice and evolving their workspaces in hopes of attracting the brightest applicants.

The final major factor is demographics. Millennials are the most racially diverse generation in American history, with higher levels of skepticism toward traditional hierarchies and institutions than the generations before them. With millennials becoming the largest share of the workforce, these trends will only accelerate, as this new generation has little patience for unnecessary formality. They have grown up using social media, smart phones, email and chat programs which encourage the informality already taking root in workplaces globally. Their numbers in the job market will continue to increase, further affecting evolutionary changes within our business environments.

The truth is, it's Millennials who readily adapt to and employ the use of technology. They don't want to spend 30+ years working in the same stuffy cubicle. And they are drawn to a higher purpose during their working years. This generation has been able to chip away at the mold of corporate America, while still finding and defining their place within it.

The American workplace has already become more casual than it used to be. But it's going to become even more informal in the years to come. Will you be ready?

Blake Zalcberg is president of OFM, a family-run office and school furniture manufacturer and distributor headquartered in North Carolina with distribution centers there and in Arizona, California, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Washington state. For more than twenty years, it has provided affordable and quality furniture through a nationwide dealer network, offering the latest concepts and designs to businesses, and government, health care and educational facilities. Working with manufacturers in Mexico, Taiwan and China, OFM designs furniture to meet the highest industry standards which are sold through a variety of retailers, mail-order catalogs, and online dealers including Staples, Wayfair, Overstock, and National Business Furniture. To learn more about OFM, visit: http://www.ofminc.com