Month: April 2020

6 Things: Being Productive at Home During Covid-19

For over a month now many of us have been working at home due to Covid-19. How are you adjusting? Here are 6 tips that may help get you to the point that you can comfortably work at home. I’m sure most of you are there, especially those who regularity work from home.

1) Keep your Schedule/Create a Schedule.
You had a pretty regular schedule before, why aren’t you keeping it now? Of course things may be different, you may be working at home with your spouse, or have kids that are home doing school work.. You schedule may have been forced to change. Find or create a schedule that works and keep to it, just as you would have been doing.

2) Create a Workspace
Are you now working at home all of the time, instead of a few hours per week? Before you may have been working at your kitchen table. Now you may have to share it. Create a space for you. It may only be in a corner in the spare room, one that you may have to share with your spouse and kids. Hopefully it can be yours, but if not create a work schedule (see Tip 1).

3) Learn New Things
Do you no longer have a commute? Now forced to do video calls? Take that time to catch up on some training that you’ve put off or some new ones.

4)Take Care of Yourself
It’s way too easy to walk to the fridge to get a snack. Now is not the time to develop bad habits. Continue your daily routines and get some exercise.

5) Be Creative
The old saying is when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. That’s one way of being creative in the ways you do things. Working from home is not the same as working in an office, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do the same things. Just find new and creative ways to do them.

6) Don’t be Alone
We are in a time of Self-isolation with limited physical contact with people. But that doesn’t mean no contact. Have a question you would usually ask a co-worker. Now you can’t go to their work area, but you can pick up the phone. They actually may be glad to hear your voice. The same for clients. Those that you are actively working with and those that you have worked with in the past. Have a conversation with a former client and see how you may be able to help.

Have you been going to networking events, Rotary, Lions, BNI or other Business type Networking events, etc. and are missing them. Contact the leaders and see if it’s possible to do remote video calls.

I know that these are logical tips, but maybe you just needed to see them to change the way you are currently working to one where you can work better.

——-
Note:
There is an Eastern Shore Connect Networking Video Call each Thursday at noon. Our link can be found on the Facebook Page or email for the link

6 Things to Consider: Google My Business

These tips are for those if you are already on Google my Business. If you aren’t the first tip would be GET ON.

1) Be Certain your business is Verified.
Google says, “Verification helps ensure the accuracy of your business information across Google. Verified businesses are twice as likely to be considered reputable by users. Verification also protects you from anyone who might otherwise pose as a representative of your business.”

2) Be Consistent
It is best to have your business name, address and phone number the same that is on your business Web site and other places where it is available to be seen on the Internet. Unfortunately Google My Business doesn’t allow for non-physical addresses, such as PO Boxes.

3) Choose the Correct Category

4) Be certain you have the correct Business Description

5) Is Eveverthing completed?
These would include: Your Business Hours, Product and Services and proper URL since as an Appointment URL, if you have one.

6) Add Photos
Actually you need to think about using photos everywhere, but often one doesn’t think about adding photos to their Google My Business.

Update: Maryland Business Tax Deadlines Extended to July 15, 2020

New due dates align with income tax payment, filing deadlines

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – In recognition of the deep toll that the COVID-19 pandemic is taking on businesses, Comptroller Peter Franchot today announced he is extending business-related tax filing deadlines for a second time. The new extension to July 15th applies to certain business returns with due dates during the months of February, March, April, and May 2020 for businesses filing sales and use tax, withholding tax, and admissions & amusement tax, as well as alcohol, tobacco and motor fuel excise taxes, tire recycling fee and bay restoration fee returns.

The deadline for June payments of the alcohol tax and admissions & amusement tax, which are due on the 10th day of the month, have also been extended to July 15.

Business taxpayers who file and pay by the extended due date will receive a waiver of interest and penalties.

“The coronavirus pandemic has become a public health disaster and an economic catastrophe,” said Comptroller Franchot. “Small businesses, which are the lifeblood of our economy, are hurting. Any measure of relief we can provide to help them keep the lights on will be welcome news.”

The agency will continue to assess the pandemic’s effect on business operations and will determine if further changes are necessary.

The agency has set up a dedicated email address — taxpayerrelief@marylandtaxes.gov — to assist businesses with extension-related questions. Business owners can also contact the Comptroller’s Ombudsman at ombudsman@marylandtaxes.gov.

Comptroller Franchot previously announced the extension of filing and paying individual and corporate income taxes to July 15th.

6 Things to Consider: How to be Successful During Challenging Times

6 Things to Consider
How to be Successful During Challenging Times

In the course of the life of a business, and one in business, there are good times and times that are more challenging. Some come naturally and others are forced upon us, such as now during the time of Covid-19.

Listening to many business leaders around me I have come up with these 6 items to help you through those challenging times.

#1 – Be a Leader
Many will look at a challenging time as a time to reflect. But what you really want to be is be a leader and help yourself and others get through those times. Look of it as an opportunity and not a challenge.

#2 – Not a Time to Stop Spending Completely
A first reaction is to find ways to conserve your finances. And the quickest and easiest is to stop spending. Of course you’re going to pay those essential expenses such as rent, electric etc. But it’s not the right time to cut back on Advertising. Especially if your competition is still spending and even more important if they are not.

#3 – Reach Out to Others
Reach out to your clients. Your present ones and ones that you’ve done business with in the past. Ask them how you can help them. Also reach out to those who you have meet while Networking. This is true during any time since even those can be a referrer.

#4 – Look to Social Media
This is especially true during the current times since more people are spending more time on social media. But which one? Facebook and Instagram are the two biggest today, but you’d only want to use whichever social media platforms that your potential clients will be using. For me it’s these two, but there are others and they may be better suited for you. Some of those are Pinterest, Snap Chat, and Tik-Top, just to ahem a few. If you are on Facebook, it loves it when you Like, Share and Comment on post.

#5 – Don’t Reinvent, Be Innovated
Look at what is working and keep doing it. If it’s not working, maybe it has never really been working. Try new things.

#6 – Don’t Be Afraid to Go Virtual
Even before being forced to go Virtual there was a fear of going Virtual and not meeting in person. Either as part of an Networking Events, or having a 1 on 1. I know since I was one. With Covid-19 we have been forced to do it. However, some of us are still afraid. Don’t be. It’s like everything, the more you do it, the more natural it becomes.

—–
In the coming days I will be working to expand this with more information under each of the 6 Items. Sign up to received the completed piece.

Coming Soon

For the past 15 years I have spent a lot of my time as a journalist. I suppose you could say a reporter. Many of those years as a photojournalist.

In 2006 I began a blog that I called “6 Things to Consider”. It was began with an idea of communicating information such as “6 Things to Consider When Starting a Blog”, which was the first post. However it turned into a site that I simply wrote 6 paragraphs on a random subject, six times a week.

During the past few weeks I have gathered a lot of information on ways businesses can work in the present environments. Actually it was really before that since I started putting together business marketing and personal branding tips at the closing weeks of 2019.

Why do I bring this up?

It hit me this morning to share the information I am gathering as “6 Things to Consider”
I am working on the first, “6 Things to Consider on How to be successful in Challenging times.” I’m working to have it ready on Tuesday.