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Malik Laffoon

Working From Home with Kids: How’s it Going?

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Working From Home with Kids: How’s it Going?

Working from home has become somewhat of a norm over the past couple of months. Depending on your age that means different things. For some, it means not having to dress for work every day and being able to enjoy the comfort of their peaceful home. For others, it involves juggling a household filled with children and still having to get work done.

I was very curious about what it would be like to do the same job that people have been doing for years but, with an added factor or their little trouble makers around. So, I interviewed a couple of our employees on how they are handling this change and how they manage to stay productive without neglecting their parental duties!

Esther

First, we interviewed Esther Bryant. She is a relationship manager and she has two kids, one newborn, and still expecting! She has become an expert in time management over the last couple of months and is rocking her work-life balance!

What is your current situation working from home with your kids?

Currently, my husband takes Lincoln on Mondays because that is his day off. My mom comes twice a week so that I can get some time to focus on work specifically. Then I have to do both mom duty and work duty 2 days a week.

What are some tips you have on how to balance your work and life?

I would say have a plan ahead of time.  My days go smoother if I know exactly what projects I’m going to work on the next day, and have specific things for Lincoln to do to stay distracted.

Have you been able to stay productive? If so, how?

For the most part yes. Some days are better than others!

What is your favorite part about working at home with your kids?

The best part is definitely seeing him grow up. I feel so connected with him and he is so attached to me which I adore. I got to see him crawl for the first time like at the moment, and that is something I would have missed if we were in the office. The second best part is how much we’re saving on daycare!

Adam

Next, we interviewed Adam Hoeksema. He is our executive director. He has three boys and is continuing to find ways to stay focused and maintain a healthy balance.

What is your current situation working from home with your kids?  

Working from home with 3 little boys yelling and playing downstairs every day.

What are some tips you have on how to balance your work and life?

I try to keep a pretty regularly scheduled workday and try not to blur the lines of work and play too much because then I could easily end up working all day if I am never completely taking a break.  It is nice to be able to be on or off.

Have you been able to stay productive? If so, how? 

Yes, but all of the credit goes to my wife who is staying home with our 3 boys which allows me to stay pretty focused on work each day.

What is your favorite part about working at home with your kids? 

I love being able to go downstairs to join the family for lunch.  I also love that my 1-year-old likes to run in and give me a hug before he takes a nap each day.  It is nice to have a quick commute down the stairs so I can go from working to wrestling with my 3 boys in 30 seconds.

Even though our work situations are different it is important to take a step back and appreciate the time you get to spend at home with your families even if it isn’t ideal. Remember to stay safe and stay positive!

Personal Branding: Can it Help Your Business?

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          When a customer leaves your store what do you think they will remember? Is it a vast amount of products? Is it an overwhelming amount of space and employees? Probably not. They probably remember the one or two people in there and how they treated them.

          When starting a small business it is especially important to understand that your own personal brand will shine through. Reputation is everything when trying to grow a brand and you build a reputation by developing trust between your customers and yourself. But, the question is how do you develop that trust which in turn forms a reputation. 

3 Reasons why a Great Personal Brand can Help Grow your Business 

Trustworthiness and authenticity are becoming increasingly important

          Especially as time goes on, as a small business this should be the idea that you put a lot of emphasis on. Understanding that trust is important is essential because it increases loyalty within a consumer base and solidifies the reputation of the business. Think about it this way, If you walk into a store and you’re greeted by a staff member and they ask you what you need then proceed to recommend a product based on their own guarantee, that holds weight. Now their reputation is on the line because if the product works you’re more likely to come back and that trust is being built. But, if the product doesn’t work that trust is severed and there is a risk they lose business. 

          This is risky but necessary for a small business. When competing with endless stores in an area it is important to find ways to make your business stand apart. But, it is also important to remember that once a reputation is built, whether good or bad, is hard to get away from. 

Here are a couple of ways to start building a good reputation: 

  1. Recommend products that you would use yourself 

  2. If you don’t carry a product tell your customer where else they can find it  

  3. Make sure employees are well trained because they are an extension of not only the business but the owner as well

  4. Find ways to give back to the community 

It is a very low-cost form of marketing 

Having a personal brand often exceeds your business’s overall brand. You ultimately want people to visit your business because of what you offer as a business owner. Whether that be knowledge, the ability to build meaningful relationships, or the experience that a customer has when they visit the business ect.
           Having a great social media presence as a business is important. But, what is becoming more important is how an individual social media account separate from your business account can help grow a brand. Take Elon Musk, for example, he is most famous for the creation and development of the Tesla automobiles but, he has a presence outside of that brand that is valuable to consumers which allows his business and credibility to grow that much more. The question is how do you do it? 

  1. Connect with customers on a personal level 

  2. Prove your expertise to increase credibility (blogs, instructional videos)  

  3. Interact with other businesses in your market 

  4. Provide a face for your brand

It enhances your mission and story

          People need to know your business’ story. They want to know how you got started and why you continue to stay open. Your mission and story are a great way to give a customer a look into how you think, what you value, and how committed you are to your craft. These reasons alone are sometimes the deciding factor on if consumers take a chance on new businesses, especially in this day in age where transparency has become essential to business development. 

The last thing to remember is that patience is key. Growth doesn’t happen overnight and as a business owner, you shouldn’t want it to. The reason you started in the first place is to challenge yourself and to do what you love. Personal Branding has to be a part of that challenge now and it is becoming more and more important as time goes on so educate yourself, Implement new ideas, and be patient!

Other Sources

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/354437#

https://neilpatel.com/blog/build-personal-brand-blogging/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/goldiechan/2018/11/08/10-golden-rules-personal-branding/#5d13e1cb58a7

4 Easy Steps to Improve your Kiva Loan Application

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My name is Geoffrey Jones and I have the honor of being a Capital Access Manager with Kiva through our Hub at Bankable.“Kiva is a 501(c)3 U.S. nonprofit fueled by passionate people. Kiva was founded in 2005, and based in San Francisco, with offices in Bangkok, Nairobi, Portland, and staff around the globe. Bankable works in partnership with Kiva by Bankable being a Kiva-Hub. Borrowers that apply through Bankable that might be a better fit for Kiva have instant access through having a Capital Access Manager contact like Geoffrey. Then it can be handed right back off to Bankable if that borrower chooses to apply for additional funding.

More than 1.7 billion people around the world are unbanked and can’t access the financial services they need. Kiva helps these individuals by crowdfunding loans and unlocking capital for the underserved by improving the quality and cost of financial services, and addressing the underlying barriers to financial access around the world. Through Kiva’s work, students can pay for tuition, women can start businesses, farmers are able to invest in equipment, and families can afford needed emergency care.

As Capital Access Manager I see a lot of applications. There are four common mistakes I usually see. So, here are some easy fixes to give you an even better chance to be accepted!

4 Kiva Application Mistakes

1. Profile Photo

 Kiva has a pretty simple application process but one of the most controversial issues is the profile photo. While it is much easier to take a selfie or just upload a photo of your business/product, Kiva would rather see the individual (the borrower only) smiling and representing their business in some way.

2. Business Description & Story

This is where the underwriters, including myself, have the opportunity to get to know the borrower. Kiva looks for really well-thought and clean applications with grammatically correct descriptions of the business and the borrower’s story. Kiva is here to serve underserved individuals and wants to know what challenges they have been facing so that Kiva can share that they can help out those who truly face the hardships in today’s world.

3. Reasons for funding

 There must be a  good reason that these funds are going to go towards. With hundreds of thousands of lenders all over the globe, they want to know that their donation is going to a meaningful purpose. Too many times people request money just to have it, and that takes away from individuals who truly need the funds to continue on thriving. Kiva has certain eligibility requirements you can find on their site when applying for funding.

4. Document Business Proof

Make sure your business is registered! Kiva takes lending very seriously and will only lend out to validated and documented businesses that can show they are a legal business. Again, with lenders all over the world, they need to know what they are donating to is a legal cause and a business that is following the laws. Depending on where a business is located, there are many resources within their city that they can register for legal documentation to practice their business lawfully.

It’s truthfully an easy process and we want to help you as much as we can! If you just take your time and advocate for yourself and your business. You started this for a reason, you believed in yourself, now make lenders and customers around the world believe in you the same way!

References 

https://pages.kiva.org/blog/kiva-101-life-of-a-loan

https://www.kiva.org/blog/support-local-businesses-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic

“My Pleasure” Why Businesses Should Emphasize Customer Service

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Customer service is an essential part of any business. In order to understand what customer service can do for a business, it is easiest to split it up into two categories: brand association and customer satisfaction. 

Brand Association

 What do people say when they think about your business? You must determine what you want people to think of when they hear about your business and align that with your brand strategy.  For example, everyone knows Chick-fil-A is known for going above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to customer service.  From saying “my pleasure” after every exchange to chasing a person down the street just because they forgot their sauce.  Chick-fil-A has branded themselves as the pinnacle of customer service and it has paid off tremendously. 

One of the most important ideals that goes unnoticed in great customer service is brand loyalty. If you think we are wrong, ask yourself when was the last time you saw a commercial for Chick-Fil-A. That is because they have been able to use their customer base to get the word out.  They use user-generated-content to their advantage, which is the best content because it acts as both a customer review and brand focused content. 

User-generated content is social media content that is posted by a consumer that highlights a company’s positive or negative behaviors. Whether that be their product or service. It acts as its own unique form of marketing that could be good or bad for a business.  Taking time to incorporate high level customer service can influence your business and can easily be the difference between your business being successful or sub-par. 

Now you’re probably thinking to yourself, “That’s great but I’m not Chick-fil-a.” That’s the beauty of being a smaller business. Small businesses have more of an opportunity to create community and brand loyalty through amazing customer service and experience. Make sure you are taking advantage of the chances that are presented. Be bold and ask your customers the question, “what can we do to keep you coming back?” Some answers will be good and some won’t be, but the information that you gather and implement will not only help your business. It will prove to your customers your listening. That is what keeps them coming back for more!

Customer Satisfaction 

How happy your customers are does not solely depend on customer service. 

It has a lot to do with the: 

  1. Product you offer
  2. Convenience of location 
  3. And, how your prices compare to other competitors.

 Above all else, being educated on what makes your customers keep coming back is important.


Customer satisfaction comes in all different forms. Some customers like that Chick-fil-A has the attitude of, “we will be the nicest people on planet earth as long as we are wearing this uniform attitude and that works for their brand.”  On the other hand, there are establishments like Dicks Last Resort that thrive off of insulting and treating their customers terribly. This unorthodox form of “customer service” works for them and provides a unique dining experience that continues to bring customers back as well.  

How customers receive your brand and product is important. Customer service should not only exist in our restaurant industries. Some effort should be made to keep consumers coming back again and again. 

Bankable always strives to treat their clients and their partners with the utmost respect and customer service. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us via email at marketingadmin@bankable.org.

A few more resources:

2Toms Embraces New Normal

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2Toms Embraces New Normal

2Toms_glass_overlooking_lakeTo say that Tom Carpenter and 2Toms Brewing Company have adapted to the new normal is an understatement. During the pandemic, they have been recreating and redesigning their business model which has been attracting all new customers. 2Toms was recently featured on Mo Head Y’all’s podcast where he explained what effect the pandemic has had on their business and what they are doing in terms of supporting their community during the protests. 

In terms of staying relevant during the pandemic, 2Toms decided to shift their business to a full To-Go model. Although their food sales weren’t up to their standard, their beer sales exceeded their expectations. Some types even sold out in less than 24 hours!Sold_out_beer  They were also able to keep their staff thanks to receiving a PPP loan. Since the start of the pandemic, they have gained a lot of new interest within their community. They are now opening at 50% capacity and they still have a To-Go option. They have even implemented a feature on their app to start a tab when you are within 10 miles of the restaurant! 

Since the protests have started they have also been very active in their support of the Black Lives Matter movement. They are currently collaborating with the Weathered Souls Black Is Beautiful campaign.Black_is_beautiful_post They were challenged to put their personal touch on the Weathered Souls version of the beer to support the movement while giving the proceeds to their community. 2Toms believes that it’s their business’s responsibility to respond when their community is in trouble. They want everyone who picks up their beer to ask the question of  “what can I do more?” or “how can I be involved?” At the end of the day, they want to start a conversation and they want their beer to be a vehicle for that conversation.