Think Visually: Amplify the Impact of Your Ideas

Raleigh, NC — If a picture is worth a thousand words, why do so many of us insist on a thousand words alone?

Visuals transcend language barriers, push thinking in new directions, engage audiences, pinpoint the essence of lessons or conversations, and clarify misconceptions. Simply put: they make our thoughts visible.

Whether you’re in a school setting or place of business, visual thinking strategies can drive collective understanding and engagement. Plus, studies show that information is recalled exponentially more when paired with visuals than without them. So why wouldn’t you use visuals?

Wendi Pillars can’t stop thinking in pictures. She has been an educator for more than two decades in both military and civilian settings—overseas and stateside—with learners of all ages, from toddlers to adults. She uses visuals to explain, clarify, ease anxiety and add humor, finding that this inspires others to be creative, encourages new ways of thinking and fuels the leap from abstract thoughts to concrete action steps.

“Thinking visually can command a world of clarity that may not have previously existed among clients, students, colleagues and more,” Pillars says.

Her insightful, cleverly constructed new book, Visual Impact: Transform Communication in Your Boardroom, Classroom, or Living Room, is an A-Z reference guide full of original illustrations that complement and/or supplement the text on the facing pages. The idea is to help readers fully visualize ideas, see different styles and have a starting point to create their own visuals.

Designed so readers can dip in and out as needed for inspiration, Visual Impact provides clear examples that show readers what visual thinking looks like in reality.

“When you sketch more, you think more,” Pillars adds. “When you think more, you connect more dots. And when you connect more dots, you accomplish more. My markers are ready. Are yours?”

About the Author
As a curiositarian and lifeaholic, Wendi Pillars thrives on thinking creatively and communicating visually to get to the heart of any message. A consummate explorer of ideas, cultures and people, she enjoys crafting concepts that add a cognitive push and being able to share that with others. She is an award-winning lifelong educator with experience teaching, learning and living across the globe, as well as a love for languages, writing and our planet. She can always be found immersed in some sort of project or creative endeavor, ideally one that empowers others to create and think differently, or serves a community need. She currently lives in North Carolina with her 16-year-old son, rescue cat and dog, and beloved bees. Pillars is also the author of Visual Notetaking for Educators: A Teacher’s Guide to Student Creativity.

For more information, please visit www.sketchmorethinkmore.com, or follow the author on Instagram (sketchmore_thinkmore) or Twitter @wendi322).

Wednesday’s Quote

“A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes” merely attured to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.”

Ghandi

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Check back each Wednesday to see this week’s quote.

Previous Quotes:

Networking:

“Be genuine. Be remarkable. Be worth connecting with.”
Seth Godin

“Pulling a good network together takes effort, sincerity and time.”
Alan Collins

“My Golden Rule of Networking is simple: Don’t keep score.”
Harvey Mackay

“Networking is not about just connecting people. It’s about connecting people with people, people with ideas, and people with opportunities.”
Michele Jennae

The single greatest “people skill” is a highly developed & authentic interest in the *other* person.
Bob Burg, Speaker & Bestselling Co-Author

It’s great to spend time at a networking event with someone you know and like. But that’s not what you’re there for. Your goal is to expand your network by meeting new people.
Beth Ramsay

Branding

“Personal branding is about managing your name — even if you don’t own a business — in a world of misinformation, disinformation, and semi-permanent Google records. Going on a date? Chances are that your “blind” date has Googled your name. Going to a job interview? Ditto.”
Tim Ferriss

“Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
Jeff Bezos, Founder & CEO, Amazon

“It’s important to build a personal brand because it’s the only thing you’re going to have.Your reputation online, and in the new business world is pretty much the game, so you’ve got to be a good person. You can’t hide anything, and more importantly, you’ve got to be out there at some level.”
Gary Vaynerchuk

Marketing

“Even when you are marketing to your entire audience or customer base, you are still simply speaking to a single human at any given time.”
Ann Handley

“Content marketing is more than a buzzword. It is the hottest trend in marketing because it is the biggest gap between what buyers want and brands produce.”
Michael Brenner

“Give them quality. That is the best kind of advertising.”
Milton Hershey

Adversity

“It is easy to mistake motion for progress and movement for achievement. That is why activity must be deliberately planned, carefully refined and consistently executed.”
Jim Rohn

“It takes courage to stand up and speak and it takes courage to sit down and listen.”
Winston Churchill

“In this universe, all activities, events, and entities are related. Indians believe that everything in the universe has value and instructs us in some aspect of life. Everything is alive and is making choices that determine the future, so the world is constantly creating itself… With the wisdom and time for reflection that old age provides, we may discover unsuspected relationships.”
Vine Deloria, Jr, STANDING ROCK SIOUX

“We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.”
Barbara De Angelis

“Who would have thought that handshakes and wearing pants would be irrelevant”
Sumair Abro

Dare to Scale Offers Strategies for Growing a Business Gracefully and with Confidence

NYC, NY/Dubai, UAE – Start-ups start out with big dreams: The entrepreneur has a great product or service that can deliver something of value. Eager to share this vision with the world, he or she launches the business and quickly becomes consumed by the day-to-day stresses of putting out fires, overseeing tasks and managing people. The dream has become a nightmare. What went wrong?

“When founders start a business, it’s because they have a great product or a great service. Very rarely do people get into business because of running a business. Those are two very distinct skills,” said business mentor Warsha Joshi. “So how do you set up and found a strong business that is scalable and sustainable?”

Dare to Scale: How to Grow Your Business Gracefully, by Joshi and her business partner (and husband) Evan Le Clus, details an effective framework to help owners of small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs) break free from founder’s funk and pursue their dreams with renewed confidence — even amid today’s challenges in an ever-evolving global business climate.

Dare to Scale thoroughly explains the five elements that are critical to growing a business: strategy, business model, people, cashflow and operations, and the role each element plays in a business’s “Scalability Quotient.” The authors expertly simplify complex business concepts using relatable success stories, tips and easy-to-absorb information.

The result is a concise, actionable business handbook that walks readers through a holistic approach to growing a business, beginning with cultivating proven strategies and culminating in delivering great customer experiences. Dare to Scale can help readers reawaken their dreams, reinvent their businesses and reconnect with their chosen paths.

“SMEs are the life-blood of the economy,” Joshi said. “Your vision is achievable. Dare to Scale is a milestone book to enable business owners, entrepreneurs, founders — you — to dare to dream big and achieve those dreams.”

About the Authors
Authors Warsha Joshi and Evan Le Clus are also life and business partners who bring fresh perspectives to the business world through the global ecosystem they are building to help nurture entrepreneurship. Joshi is a business scaling up mentor specializing in strategy, people and leadership for the SME founder. Le Clus is a senior corporate executive turned entrepreneur and CFO mentor, helping CEOs run profitable and efficient businesses.

They are the creators of the popular Scalability Quotient for assessing the health of an SME, experienced business mastermind facilitators and business podcasters with their successful show, “Dare to Scale.”

For more information, please visit https://daretoscale.com, or follow the authors on Facebook (@DareToScale) or Instagram (daretoscale).

Dare to Scale: How to Grow Your Business Gracefully
Publisher: Panoma Press
ISBN-10: ‎1784529370
ISBN-13: ‎978-1784529376
Available from Amazon.com

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Nominations Sought for the 9th Annual MCE Palmer Gillis Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Maryland Capital Enterprises is proud to nurture and encourage entrepreneur growth on the Eastern Shore. MCE is now accepting nominations for the 9th Annual MCE Palmer Gillis Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The award will be presented to the winner and two runners up in person, however due to Covid 19 we will not be able to host our Awards Banquet this year. Nomination Deadline is 5:00 p.m. Friday, October 16th, 2020.

The winner will receive the MCE Palmer Gillis Entrepreneur of the Year Award and a check.
Award Eligibility Criteria:
• Must be a small business owner/majority partner involved in daily operation of the business
• The business must be located in the Wicomico, Worcester, Somerset, Kent, Queen Anne, Talbot, Caroline or Dorchester County
• The company must employ 100 employees or less
• The business must have been established locally for two years
• It must be a “for profit” business
• The business must be good standing with the State of Maryland

https://www.marylandcapital.org/about/entrepreneur-of-the-year-nomination
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Re-negotiating Leases, Contracts, and Deliverables in the Wake of the Pandemic

Maryland Capital Enterprises and the Women’s Business Center is pleased to announce this free, online small business workshop in conjunction with M&T Bank.

The COVID -19 pandemic has resulted in fewer sales and reduced foot traffic for most small businesses. Financially, this means depressed revenue and reduced cash flow, making it very difficult for a small business to meet financial obligations to suppliers, lenders, and other third parties.

In this free online training, you will learn tips and “how-to’s” for re-negotiating your contracts, leases, and other financial agreements so that your small business can survive and thrive during the pandemic.

Presenters:
• Rosa Scharf, M&T Vice President and Business Banker for the Greater Baltimore Market
• Jim Peterson, M&T Vice President and Business Banking Relationship Manager for the
Greater Baltimore Market.
• Advance registration is strongly encouraged to ensure there are enough signups to have a workshop.

For questions please contact Marvin Jenkins at mjenkins@marylandcapital.org
or at 410-546-1900 x104.

To register visit https://www.marylandcapital.org/services/business- education. A ZOOM link will be sent to registrants.

SBA’s participation is not an endorsement of the views, opinions, products or services of any cosponsor or other person or entity. All SBA programs or cosponsored programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable arrangements for persons with disabilities will be made, if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact Lisa Twilley. Grant #SBAHQ20W0003

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State of Delaware, New Castle County Launch $100M Grant Program for Small Businesses and Nonprofits Statewide

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney, New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer and the Delaware Division of Small Business on Wednesday announced grant program of at least $100 million to assist Delaware small businesses and nonprofit organizations affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

The DE Relief Grants program announced on Wednesday is a joint initiative of the State of Delaware and New Castle County, and is funded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The program is expected to reach more than 3,000 small businesses and nonprofit organizations with grants of up to $100,000. The Division of Small Business is administering the program and will begin accepting applications in early September at delbiz.com/relief.

“Delaware small businesses are the backbone of our economy and they have made considerable sacrifices during the COVID-19 crisis. We owe them our gratitude and support,” said Governor Carney. “These relief grants will help Delaware small businesses begin the process of recovering and will help make investments necessary to create safer spaces for their customers and staff.”

“Small businesses and nonprofits are facing expensive costs as they retrofit their workplaces,” said New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer. “We’re pleased to be able to join with the State of Delaware in supporting this important program.”

DE Relief Grants can be used for:

  • Purchasing equipment to make a workplace suitable for COVID-19 safety (such as PPE, plexiglass, air purifiers, etc.)
  • Refinancing of debt incurred due to COVID-19 (including State of Delaware HELP loans)
  • Advertising efforts undertaken as a result of COVID-19
  • Fixed expenses the applicant accrued during COVID-19

“I’ve seen small businesses across Delaware do some amazing things to adapt and stay afloat under the extraordinary circumstances of the last six months, but so many are hanging by a thread as the pandemic drags on,” said Representative Bill Bush, who chairs the House Economic Development, Banking and Insurance Committee. “This grant funding represents a lifeline that will help our small business community overcome the next phase of this crisis.”

“This is about much more than making up for lost revenue,” said Senator Trey Paradee, chair of the Senate Banking, Business and Insurance Committee. “It’s about helping keep the doors open at the small businesses in Kent County and across the state that provide Delawareans with the paychecks and health care their families are relying on now more than ever. It’s about making our businesses safe.”

“Delaware small businesses and nonprofits have been remarkably resilient in dealing with this pandemic,” said Secretary of State Jeff Bullock. “They are the backbone of Delaware’s economy, and we feel it is imperative that the state continues to support them.”

“Multiple programs are necessary to address the challenges Delaware’s small businesses face,” said Damian DeStefano, Director of the Division of Small Business. “We believe this assistance, coupled with other efforts, including the Hospitality Emergency Loan Program (HELP) and the COVID-19 Customer Protection Standards, help make the difference for some of our small businesses.”

The Division of Small Business will begin accepting applications in early September and will follow with funding rounds in early October and November.

“DE Relief Grants are a welcome commitment by the state to help support our small business community and the valuable jobs they offer to so many Delawareans,” said Carrie Leishman, President & CEO of the Delaware Restaurant Association. “The effects of the pandemic have and continue to hit the food services industry particularly hard. While no single effort is a panacea, this program will certainly help restaurants as they work to stabilize revenues while protecting the health and safety of customers and employees.”

“Enhanced financial support for small businesses was a key recommendation of the business subcommittee of Governor Carney’s Pandemic Resurgence Advisory Committee, and has been advocated for by the state chamber,” said Katie Wilkinson, chair of the PRAC Business Subcommittee and Chair of the Board of Directors for the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce. “These grants can make the difference for the survival of some of our small businesses over the next few months.”

The Division of Small Business’ team of Regional Business Managers is available to help companies prepare their applications. Small businesses can connect with the manager for their part of the state at delbiz.com/contact. For more information on DE Relief Grants, visit delbiz.com/relief.

The size of the relief grant will be based on the business or nonprofit’s 2019 revenue:

  • $0-$500,000: Up to $30,000
  • $500,000-$1 million: Up to $50,000
  • $1 million-$2.5 million: Up to $72,500
  • $2.5+ million: Up to $100,000

Anyone with a question about COVID-19, whether related to medical or social service needs, should call Delaware 2-1-1. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing can text their ZIP code to 898-211. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 

Questions can also be submitted by email at DPHCall@delaware.gov. 

DPH will continue to update the public as more information becomes available. For the latest on Delaware’s response, go to de.gov/coronavirus.

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Maryland Retailers Association offers Scholarships to Students Who Have Helped Small Businesses Keep the Lights On

The Maryland Retailers Association (MRA) is once again offering scholarships to two students attending a Maryland university, college or trade school ($1,000 for first place and $500 for second place) by explaining how they helped a Maryland business keep the lights on during the COVID-19 pandemic. Examples might include building or redesigning a company website, creating unique social media content, helping to locate personal protective equipment or working long hours to fulfill online orders.

Entries may be submitted via email to shopmdtaxfree@marylandtaxes.gov or they can be posted on the tax-free week’s social media pages: Shop Maryland Tax Free on Facebook and @shopmdtaxfree on Twitter and Instagram. Business owners, parents, colleagues and friends are encouraged to submit a nomination. Students may also self-nominate.

“Small businesses depend on their community to survive unexpected and long-lasting economic downturns,” said Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Association. “We want to hear about the young people who have stepped up during this global pandemic to support their local retailers. They deserve our appreciation and we’re happy to provide these scholarships to two worthy recipients.”

The University System of Maryland has agreed to match the $1,000 scholarship award if a student attending one of their universities is selected as the first place winner. Administrators at Stevenson University, Hood College and the Maryland Institute for College Art (MICA) have also agreed to match the $1,000 first place prize if one of their students is selected.

MRA, which is providing the scholarship money, will select the two entries that best exhibit a young Marylander supporting a small business during these challenging times.

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~ Part of a New Release from MD Comptroller.

4th Annual Millennial Summit – A Success

Wilmington, DE – T​he 4th Annual Millennial Summit (#MILLSUMMIT) took on a new feature this past week by going 100% virtual and expanding to a three day conference!

The theme for this year’s conference was ​Your 20/20 Vision​. Even though the “vision” of the 2020 #MILLSUMMIT adjusted due to the pandemic, the determination of the Planning Committee to pull together its annual one-of-a-kind, interdisciplinary conference for young professionals, rising stars, innovators, and industry leaders to connect and grow was still there. Keynote and CEO of REACH Riverside, Logan Herring, Sr. said it best, “We don’t make excuses. We make things happen.”

The #MILLSUMMIT took place online over August 3 – 5, 2020, and featured more than 75 local, regional, and national experts who provided more than 30 hours of content to attendees to watch in real-time or on demand. The 700+ unique attendees at this year’s event zoomed in from 30 different states and abroad, including the United Kingdom and Greece. Thanks to the #MILLSUMMIT app, attendees could connect with each other and the many mentors, speakers, and business coaches who participated this year. Attendees maintain access to the recorded sessions until August 14, 2020.

The user experience was exceptional and created opportunities for networking digitally thanks from the speakers and the dynamically focused panel discussions. Attendee Joshua Fournier, who participated from Massachusetts, agreed: “For doing [#MILLSUMMIT] virtually, it was awesome!”
“In May, our Planning Committee announced the difficult but necessary decision to move this year’s #MILLSUMMIT to a 100% virtual experience” commented Charlie Vincent, Executive Director of Spur Impact, the nonprofit which manages and organizes the #MILLSUMMIT. “We learned a lot over the past few weeks, and in the end provided a meaningful and unique opportunity for hundreds of young and seasoned professionals from around the country to connect over a variety of unfiltered and timely discussions about entrepreneurship, leadership, nonprofits, and other critical economic development topics, including many related to COVID, Black Lives Matter, homelessness, and food insecurity. Most importantly, the attendees learned what steps they can do to take meaningful action, and make a bigger local impact in their career and community.”

Glenn Jackson, Senior VP of M&T Bank spoke about how, ‘If you’re comfortable, you’re not growing.’ in one of the sessions on Tuesday. Sarah Fulton, Development Director at Spur Impact added, “Being forced to move virtually has positioned the Millennial Summit team and Spur Impact to make even more of an impact among the local young professional community in the coming months. Our team is full of Zoom experts, and we effectively eliminated travel barriers to our conference – which we think is especially important given the upcoming I-95 renovations that we’ve been dreading for next year. With our redesigned digital infrastructure, we have an amazing opportunity to continue to connect with young professionals and industry leaders both here in Delaware and across the country.”

The featured keynotes for the 2020 #MILLSUMMIT were:

● John Henry​, an Entrepreneur, Investor,
Co-Founder, Partner Harlem Capital,
Former Host, VICE TV’s ‘Hustle’, and Forbes 30 under 30

● Kimmi Wernli​, Owner and President of Crazy Richard’s Peanut Butter

● Logan Herring​, CEO of REACH Riverside

The 2020 #MILLSUMMIT was supported in part by:
● Capital One, Title Sponsor
● M&T Bank
● Wilmington Trust
● JPMorgan Chase & Co.
● New Castle County Government
● AARP Delaware
● Barclays Bank
● Cooperative Credit Union Association
● ChristianaCare
● Delaware Prosperity Partnership

Stay tuned for expanded coverage of #MILLSUMMIT to be announced in the coming weeks at millsummit.com​ or follow @MillSummit on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

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#MILLSUMMIT is the region’s one of a kind event that gathers hundreds of professionals of all ages and backgrounds; connecting professionals, difference makers, rising stars, and other leaders who want to make an impact in their community.

#MILLSUMMIT aims to inspire everyone who attends to speak up and get involved, grow professionally, meet visionaries and innovators trying to move the needle, and to take a seat at the table and start making a difference.

#MILLSUMMIT offers opportunities to learn about leadership, professional development, nonprofit and community service, government and public service, the arts, personal development and wellness, entrepreneurship, finance, and more.

Is your Instagram Optimized for Search?

By making a few changes within your Instagram Account and posts will assist in people finding you and attract new followers. Ones that are looking for you, your services and branding.

1) Have a Searchable User Name
Let your user name tell people what you are about. What you do. I have an Instagram account for my photography and I have photographer as part of my user name.

Are you working in a Wellness Industry and are a Yoga Instructor? Wellness and Yoga are two of your keywords and either would be great to use as part of your User Name.

Regardless have your username as one that is searchable. Don’t use irrelevant symbols or made-up words.

2) Have a primary keyword in your display name
You have 30 letters in your display name, add a keyword.

3) Have Keywords in your Bio.
You do want your Bio to read well, but don’t be afraid to let people know what you do.

4) Think of your hashtags as keywords
Hashtags are one of the ways that non-followers will find your content. Don’t feel overwhelmed when you create hashtags. You don’t want to create one hashtag set and always use it. It’s better to create different sets for each different topic.

5) Use Image Alt Text
Did you even know you could add these in Instagram? This is part of an Accessibilty feature of Instagram.

How to edit your alt text
• Before you share your photo, click on the advanced settings tab at the bottom.
• Scroll to the bottom and tap on “write your alt text.”
• Add your image description, save it and share your image.

Other options in the Advance Settings include:
• Turn Off Commenting
• Share Posts to Facebook
• Branded Content

6) Your Image Captions are also Title Tags
When you post, Instagram creates a unique URL. They use the photo’s caption as the title tag. Google will only use the first 60 character so you’ll want to use any relevant keywords at the beginning of the caption.

By making a few changes to the way you use Instagram you can increase your chances of having your target follower/Audience to find your account and posts.

Follow me on Instagram at:
SGAtkinson_Photographer or ShoreToBeFun

Scheduling Your Time To Get Tasks Completed

Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I’m a procrastinator. If I don’t push myself I will often wait until the last minute to do a project. And my To Do list will often grow with things I want to do, but always seem to find a reason to put it off.

We all know that it seems as if the amount of time that we allocate to a project is the amount of time that it takes to finish it.

Have you ever set a deadline to complete a project, one that may only takes a few hours, a month away only to wait until the last minute to start? I have. I’m sure that we all have at one time.

When I schedule an allotment of time to finish a task, it usually gets done in that allotment.

Here’s one tip I have heard a couple of different times to help time manage your projects.

1) When you begin your work week look at your To-Do, add anything that’s not one it. This could also be each morning.

2) From that list pick the three most important things.

3) Decide which of these either the one you have to get done, or the one that would give you the greatest pleasure when it’s done. It could be the the one that impacts your business the most.

4) Block the time you think it’ll take to finish. You don’t need for it to be a continuous block. You’ll want to take breaks as needed. And there may be other items on your schedule that you’ll want to work around such as checking emails, attending a scheduled meeting, and lunch.

5) During that time you have allocated you’ll want to eliminate all distractions. Turn off the notifications on your phone. Close your email. Concentrate on finishing that task.

6) When you are done, do the second most important, then that last one. After these three are done, go back to your To-Do list and begin the process again.

Steve Atkinson
Personal Brand Photographer & Consultant
SteveAtkinson.com