Edge Magazine | In Demand

s u m me r 2 0 1 3

ON TREND/IN DEMAND

HELENA/MONTANA

we’ll keep your technology working. together.

Call us for the best solutions for personal and small business productivity.

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VOLUME 2 / ISSUE 1

IN DEMAND

11 TECH PULSE 02 Welcome

Chances are you spend a healthy eight hours in the office, so we’re motivating you to step it up while there.

04 THE ART OF THE HANDSHAKE

Master the etiquette and basics of this most powerful tool of first impressions.

06 E? I? E? I? OH!

Explore the intricacies and differences of extroverts and introverts in the workplace.

08 YOUR WEBSITE DOMAIN

Keep your domain name from causing stress and lost business with these tips.

Learn which is the best choice for you: business class or consumer PCs.

12 NEED A NEW LOGO?

Navigate the handy flowchart, and find out if your business should be in the market for a new logo.

14 THE ULTIMATE GIVE BACK PAYBACK

Giving back with your unique talents is a surefire way to enrich your life, both at work and at home.

16 THE COOL TABLE

Add a little bit business boost to your everyday routine with these inspiring books and websites.

Center Spread Pinterest Bonus Feature Business-savvy words of wisdom to get you thinking.

SUMME R 2013 • E DG E/ I N DEMAN D

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summer 2013

ON TREND/IN DEMAND

stepping it up welcome to edge/in demand

$There is always room for

HELENA/MONTANA

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to advertise P: 406.996.1361 F: 406.996.1362 www.helenaedge.com 1131 Poplar Street Helena, Montana 59601

cover photography Wandering Albatross Photography www.wanderingalbatrossphotography.com

a product of

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E DG E/I N D E M A N D • S UM M ER 2 013

improvement. That never-ending desire to reach the unattainable goal of perfection is what drives creativity, innovation, confidence and success. In this issue, we focus on what we casually call in the office “stepping it up.” In itself, it’s a pretty vague concept of taking what you are doing now and doing it just a little bit better. But it can be applied to so many things in your day.

With the speed of today’s on-demand world, there is a clear trend of releasing even the smallest improvement as soon as it is available. The iPhone 5, Windows 8, CS6 ... in fact, the only thing I can think of currently that breaks this trend is the XBOX 360 that miraculously managed to stay relevant for eight years, and is soon to be replaced by the XBOX One. I love this trend because it keeps us in the newest and coolest all the time, and in the case of electronics, slightly more broke.

The big technology giants don’t wait to make a slight change. Why should you?

Start small: take the dog for a walk, toss out the red can of Folgers and brew a fresh, locallyroasted bean to start your morning

off right, throw on those peeptoe pumps that say, “Bring it on Monday, I went to the grocery store yesterday!” Feeling confident and prepared for the day will give you a solid foundation for the rest of your day to step up on.

Navigating your day with cool self-assurance will make you look and feel like a million bucks, from the first impression of your handshake to how you graciously interact with the varying personalities of your staff and clients. Get a few of those mundane tasks done – they only take a minute and then you won’t have to deal with that fear of forgetting that randomly creeps up on you when you are driving through construction.

Repurpose your talents to feed two birds with one scone. Breaking the monotony of the day with some work that is also fun can end your day on a high note.

The point is, stepping it up doesn’t mean making huge changes in your life or your business; it is about making a few little improvements that add up.

So slow down for just a moment, ask yourself how the thing you are looking at, at this very moment, could be a little better.

-deanna satre

we’re fans of feedback!

Let us know what you’re loving and what you’d like to see more of. Have an idea for story? Know of something unique, unusual, or cool that Helena needs to know about? We’re also always searching for talented writers and photographers, so drop us a line.

a

Enjoy the photography of Ginny Emery o f Wa n d e r i n g A l b a t r o s s P h o t o g r a p h y , f e a t u r e d throughout this issue of Edge Magazine.

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The Art of the

Hand shake first impression tips

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Your handshake is one of the most important components of your first impression. On conscious and subconscious levels, it sends a message about your personality and self-confidence. Whether meeting a new client or a new friend, make sure your handshake tells the person standing in front of you exactly what you want them to know.

the HISTORY

ladylike redefined

Evidence of the handshake dates back to the 5th century BC and is thought to have originated as a peaceful gesture, demonstrating the hands hold no weapons.

In today’s business world, women need to remember that they are equals, and then have a handshake to match. While there’s no need for a bone-crushing display of macho, it is essential to commit to the shake and convey confidence with both male and female recipients.

THE GRIP=CONFIDENCE Don’t offer the “fish hand.” A limp handshake says that you lack confidence. It isn’t a strength competition; too firm of a handshake says either you are arrogant or overcompensating for your lack of confidence. Your approach should be similar to the grip you use when opening a door.

don’t overstay Business handshakes should be quite quick.

Remember to only pump your hand two or three times before releasing your grip. Holding on for more than a few seconds has a tendency to make others just a little bit uncomfortable.

a germy business?

With today’s more health-centered society, many are choosing to eschew the handshake altogether.

How much should we fear germs? Experts (and non-experts) will continue to debate, so just be respectful of others, watch for non-verbal cues and, of course, keep washing your hands.

in Culture Handshake etiquette is pretty universal in traditional American culture. When traveling or interacting with other cultures, just remember to do your research.

one hand will do A two-handed shake is known as the “politician’s shake” for this reason: it feels artificial when used on an acquaintance or someone you just met. Yes, it appears strong, but in a more self-serving way that will likely be off-putting.

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E? i?

E? i

oh!

Extroverts and Introverts in the Workplace W ritt e n B Y P A T c a l l b e c k H A R P E R / P h o t o by G inny E m e ry, wand e ring a l batr o ss P h o t o graphy

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i?

!

We are all different animals when it comes to how we learn, how we relate to others, and how we do our most creative thinking. Old McDonald and his varied animals had it easy compared to managers with a team of employees these days.

Let’s look at one way we differ – whether we tend to be extroverts or introverts, or “E”s and “I”s in the shorthand of the Myers-Briggs personality type language. For being so familiar, it is amazing how little we actually make use of that knowledge in the workplace.

Extroverts tend to get energy from interacting with others; introverts are often drained by excessive interaction. Introverts tend to be invigorated by having time to themselves; extroverts may have other ways to recharge their batteries than hours of meditation. Extroverts tend to process and think out in the public sphere by talking it through with others, while introverts process their information internally, polishing their answer before being ready to participate in the public sphere.

Yes, these are gross oversimplifications, but stick with me.

If you are in a management position, chances are you are an extrovert, because we tend to wind up in leadership positions. We speak up, and we

dominate conversations. This is often seen as leadership, accurate or not.

My husband is an introvert who has had a successful management career. He says, “I’m not an extrovert, but I play one at work.”

Let’s engage in a stereotype here. You are a typical extrovert manager. You type up an agenda 15 minutes before the staff meeting with 10 different topics and hand them to people as they sit down at the meeting. You race through the agenda because you scheduled back-to-back meetings. On each agenda item, the same four people talk until you finally cut them off and go on to the next item. Sometimes you question one of the silent ones, “Dave, what do you think about this?” Dave says he thinks the others have covered it pretty well. You don’t ask him again. You only get through half the items on the agenda, with no decisions made. Everyone but you leaves thinking the meeting was a waste of time, as usual.

There are lots of dysfunctions at play here, starting with your lack of knowledge. How might a manager improve decision-making just by thinking about the E and I divide?

If you have an important issue and you really need everyone’s best thinking before you make a decision (or before you lead the team to make a decision), here are some options.

1

Talk to each of your staff individually about it. Get their first thoughts, so you have some idea of what the group conversation will be. Your staff will get an early start to focus their own problem solving processes.

2

Send out an agenda well ahead of time with a clearly stated issue or problem, questions to be discussed, and a decision to be reached. Make it clear that everyone will be expected to have an opinion. Make the agenda short, with a realistic time frame. This allows the introverts to come prepared, and may help extroverts focus.

3

At the meeting, make sure that everyone gets to talk. Use your facilitator skills to keep the extroverts from completely dominating the conversation. Draw out quieter ones with probing questions – questions that you phrase sensitively already knowing what that individual staff member and you talked about in your pre-meeting conversation.

4

Allow the introverts and extroverts to process at their own speed. Perhaps ask an important question and then have each person take three minutes to write down their responses. Then hear them verbally. If it’s not threatening, ask them to share their written thoughts with you later.

5

If it is an especially important problem, discuss it thoroughly, and then announce that you will finish the conversation and make a decision after a twenty-minute break. During that time, extroverts will discuss it over the coffee pot or water cooler, and introverts will go outside or to their desks to think about it. Everyone will be better prepared when they come back for the final part of the session.

6

After the decision is reached, try to affirm everyone there, individually, for their contributions.

“I like what Beth said about…” “Dave raised an important objection…” As children and adults our own sense of worth at school or work is greatly influenced by the attention we get there.

Warning: Learning group dynamics is not rocket science. It is much harder than that, because no two people and no two groups are exactly alike. But after we master the ABCs, it is productive to pay attention to our E’s and I’s.

SUMME R 2013 • E DGE/ I N DEMAN D

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yo u r w e b s i t e d o m a i n Top Tips to Keep it Running Smoothly

So you have a domain name. You made sure it is an easy to remember, keyword-rich domain with dot com extension. Now what?

W ritt e n B Y d e anna satr e , e dg e w e b m ast e r

DON’T lose the login to your domain registrar.

Your website host and your domain host can be two different places. Often, people register their domain name for many years, and in that time frame sometimes the login gets misplaced. The process for retrieving a domain login is about as entertaining as a root canal.

though the domain is under their name, you reserve the right to take back the domain and transfer it anywhere you want, at any time. As domain names age, their value increases and you don’t want to lose yours because the “reliable” webmaster you trusted your domain to turned out to be a licentious basement-dweller.

DO maintain ownership of your domain. Often when you have a company or freelance webmaster start or take over your web presence, they will either purchase or transfer your domain ownership to their own account. Make sure that even

DO remember to renew your domain. When you register a domain, make sure you give them a permanent email address and keep it updated if it changes. If your domain expires, your site and domain email will go down,

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and if you wait too long, will be auctioned off to the highest bidder who will charge you an arm and/or leg to get it back.

DO market your new domain name. Yes, having a domain name and website makes your business available to the world, but that doesn’t mean the world knows you are there.

When you purchase a domain name, it goes into the Google sandbox and will not even rank until Google deems it worthy to leave. Make sure your web developer is familiar with search engine optimization techniques.

Good keyword-rich content helps, but even then it can take

six to eight months until your site ranks at all. Once your site is up, update all your marketing materials and email to include your domain name. Search engine and social media ads will also help get your ranking up.

DO tell your friends.

Tell your friends, contractors, vendors, etc. about your new site and ask them to link to it from their sites. The more sites that link to you the higher you will rank; the higher the rank of the linking sites the better. Offer discounts, free gifts, car washing, kid watching, anything but a link to their site. Reciprocal links will just cancel each other out.

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COMPANY: ALLWAYS ON I.T.

WHY BUY BUSINESS CLASS COMPUTERS? You know better than anyone what the value of every dollar is in your budget, and it gets more valuable every day. You also know that prices for computers have fallen as technology becomes cheaper and the marketplace becomes more competitive. The evidence is all around us: newspapers, TV, email spam, and popular online stores such as Amazon.com. Cheap technology is everywhere. So what represents a responsible investment in technology for your business? Let’s focus on the distinctions between businessclass computers and consumerclass computers.

Consumer-class systems are typically much more economical to purchase. They are marketed everywhere from popular retail chains to the Sunday paper to the manufacturers’ online stores. They typically have product names that distinguish themselves from more costly business-class systems from the same manufacturer, but the underlying differences in technology should have a significant bearing on what you purchase.

Consumer PCs

When you purchase a computer from Costco or Walmart or even Staples, you are getting a consumer PC, even if that PC is a Dell, HP, Toshiba, or IBM. Purchasing a computer

$

directly from one of those vendors’ websites will also get you a consumer PC.

getting it to perform a specific set of tasks, so flexibility in configuration is necessary.

Consumer PCs are built to be priced specifically for home use. These computers are built using off-brand components that were bought in bulk with the express purpose of making a computer affordable for home use. In general the cases are of a flimsier build and the internal components not as robust as those you will find in a businessclass PC.

When you buy a businessclass PC you are (again, in general) getting well-built, sturdy, name brand components. You’ll get an ATI or NVidia Video Card, a Seagate Hard Drive, and Crucial or Kingston Memory. These are manufactures that are trusted for reliable components and they’re components are built to last.

$

This is confirmed by the warranties available for consumer PCs. For the most part the best possible warranty available for a consumer PC is about one year. That warranty will generally cover parts and labor but will not guarantee any response time or level of customer service. The reason that the warranties are limited to one year is because the parts used to build the computer aren’t expected to last much longer than that under constant use.

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business class PCs

In general a business-class PC is built to order. The big vendors will have a few pre- built models that utilize the most common configurations, but usually when you purchase a business computer you are

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must-have app

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You only have to look at the available warranty options.

For a Dell business-class workstation, you can get a warranty as long as five years!

They aren’t going to use components that will fail in three years and then take a loss; they wouldn’t stay in business long doing that.

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security concerns

With the proliferation of technology has come rising concerns regarding security.

Increasingly, manufacturers are providing enhancements to business-class systems that focus on safeguarding both their operation and the data contained on those systems. Independent of what security software applications might provide, manufacturers are building into the systems the ability to manage and secure the systems in a fashion required

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of many of their business clients.

Features such as storage encryption and chip-based tracking services and identity management are becoming increasingly present in businessclass systems. The same isn’t true for consumer-class systems which have far fewer regulatory and management considerations to guide their design. which should you buy?

If your computer is going to be used for home use or in a rarely-for-work-use home office, then a consumer PC will meet your needs perfectly. You really do get a good price for sufficient computing power. Home computers aren’t normally put through the same strains as a business computer; the workload is much lighter and the usage time is shorter, so the shorter component life-spans don’t play into it as much.

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If your computer is going to be used eight to ten hours a day and the intent is to use that computer to make money for your business, then you need to get a business-class PC. A businessclass machine with comparable specs will only cost you about $200 more but will last you about five times as long and save you frustration, money for repairs and lost work time.

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Lastpass: The Last Password You’ll Have to Remember

LastPass is a password manager and form filler that makes your web browsing easier and more secure. Set up multiple ‘profiles’ and automatically fill your personal information into web forms accurately and safely. Stop typing in passwords and easily log into your websites seamlessly with a single click of your mouse button. Your sensitive data is encrypted on your PC. Only your LastPass password can unlock your data and only YOU have it. In addition, your data is securely synchronized across all devices giving you access to it anywhere at anytime. Plus, your LastPass vault isn’t limited to only securely storing usernames and passwords - ANY confidential text data can be placed in your vault for safe keeping.

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n e e d a n e w lo g o ?

Follow the Chart to Find Out yes

let’s get started

no

kinda

Compare your logo to your competitors.

Would you hire yourself?

did you hire someone to design your existing logo?

You’re right. I need a new logo.

are they a professional designer?

kinda

Was it a friend or family member?

be honest.

does your logo contain clipart?

Did you pay for the work in food?

Yes, my logo is completely eclipsing the mediocrity found in my field. well done.

Wait, clipart is a bad thing?

Are you now, or have you ever been, a professional designer?

Do you think a more professional logo, website, and advertising would increase business?

Have you considered hiring a professional designer?

Designers are too expensive.

Are there reasons you haven’t hired one before?

Designers have no concept of reality and i might scream if they try to tell me that art is important to business.

A designer might be able to design a logo and a business card, but then I’ll need to find someone else to design my website and my ads and another to design a brochure.

If you could go to one design firm to get all this and more, would you?

Are you an international spy trying to keep a low profile?

You probably need a new line of work.

are you just saying that?

ok, we get it. “wink” carry on.

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E DG E /I N D E M A N D • S U M MER 2 013

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Small communities like Helena tend to become more like family every day you are in them. As such, we are motivated to help each other to better the community as a whole. Helping your community, even in what appears to be the smallest way, can have an exponential impact over time. It’s not always about having money or something physical to give. Using a little creativity, your unique talents and connections to others, giving back transforms quickly from being something that you should do to something that you want to do.

The Pigs of Helena

using your unique talents

Organizations don’t just need money and things; they need people to staff events, carpenters, marketing specialists, accountants, caterers, technology professionals, medical professionals, artists – ­ the list can go on infinitely because every profession can be tied in to benefit someone, somehow.

It’s easy to give back if you are enjoying the act of giving. Like most of the PIGS, breaking out and doing something other than what you do for a career puts a little sprinkle of variety in your life. If variety is the spice of life, then the good feeling you get when you know you are also helping someone is the cherry on top.

If you own a business, spread that good feeling around and get the whole company involved. You will find that breaking the day-to-day work routine will add some extra pep to office morale.

win win win

A perfect example of this is with the PIGS of Helena, a group of friends, who put themselves on the auction block at local charity events to cook fabulous gourmet meals for the highest bidder and their friends. While only one of the PIGS has professional cooking experience and their “real jobs” vary from a prosecutor to bartender and everywhere in between, they all share the love of fanciful fare, perfectly paired wines and entertaining guests.

The idea to pair their kitchen savvy with charity auctions was created as a group, says Duane Johnson: “We just liked to show each other new things in the kitchen.”

John MacDonald explains what it means to be a PIG like this, “It’s about having fun, first and foremost. It really started as an excuse for a group of friends to get together, make some good food, good drink and hang out with entertaining company. But it’s certainly morphed into something more. While our goal still is to always have fun, the idea that we can do that, meet new people and give back to the community in a unique way really has made being a PIG even more fun.”

The idea stuck and now the PIGS have become the item to win and have been known to even start a few bidding wars, sometimes being put back on the block for another round of pig wrangling.

What can you expect at a PIGS dinner? Nothing short of a great night. The PIGS come in take over your kitchen, entertain you with their banter while they prepare you one of the finest meals you have ever tasted while serving appetizers paired with their signature drinks. Following a decadent desert, as you digest with your guests, they transform the culinary tornado that was your kitchen back into the exact same state it was when they arrived.

“We are clean pigs,” says Duane.

what goes around, comes around

The saying “what goes around, comes around” is never more true than when applied to volunteering in your community.

It is safe to say that it is actually one of the best forms of marketing.

Consider this: every non-profit organization has a board of directors. A board of directors is typically made up of key players and decision makers in area businesses. So by volunteering, you are offering a real world demo of your product or services to a group of people that have decisionmaking power at work, as well as a higher income level at home. Now let’s say this charity has an event with which you are able to help. Now you have a room full of hundreds of people that not only need your product or service, but now share a connection with you because you care about the same cause they do.

Think this is a self-serving way to look at it? Maybe.

But because of that one self-serving decision, you helped that non-profit, who in turn was able to help someone in need. Meanwhile, another volunteer noticed your talent and contacts you for one of their projects. Let’s break this down. You win once, because you feel good for helping, then the non-profit wins, then someone in need wins, then you win again for getting a potential customer, then that person wins because, let’s face it, your product/ service is awesome. Add it all up and it is a win-win-win double win-win.

double

win win

The PIGS, clockwise from top left: Duane Johnson, Hud Bannon, Jay Listoe, John MacDonald, and Jeff Sealey.

SUMME R 2013 • E DGE / I N DEMAN D

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in demand

the cool table books to boost your business life

The E-Myth Revisited

The POWER OF HABIT Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

Why Today’s Consumers Demand More and How Leaders Can Deliver

The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

Michael E. Gerber

Charles Duhigg

Dave Kerpen

Susan Cain

Heart, Smarts, Guts, and Luck

Extreme productivity

the zen of social media marketing

Renegades write the rules

Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It

likeable business

Quiet

What It Takes to Be an Entrepreneur and Build a Great Business

Boost Your Results, Reduce Your Hours

An Easier Way to Build Credibility, Generate Buzz, and Increase Revenue

How the Digital Royalty Use Social Media to Innovate

Anthony K. Tjan, Richard J. Harrington, Tsun-Yan Hsieh

Robert C. Pozen

Shama Hyder Kabani

Amy Jo Martin

websites for the business savvy

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SUMME R 2013 • E DGE/ I N DEMAN D

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