From Stockbroker to Singer-songwriter

From Stockbroker to Singer-songwriter Success Story > From: Job To: Portfolio career From Stockbroker to Singer-songwriter “I found an old career questionnaire response I'd written. It said 'If I could do anything in the world, I'd be a popstar.' Suddenly, the truth was loud.” * From Stockbroker to Singer-songwriter Some careers seem like pipe dreams; so sought-after and exciting that it's almost not worth bothering to try to get there. But, as Danielle W. Carter shares, when you're finding joy in the journey, the destination gets closer of its own accord. Here's her amazing story. What work were you doing previously? Previously, I was a licensed stockbroker working for a private wealth management firm. At night, I was also taking courses to apply for the international financial planning designation. What are you doing now? I am now an independent performing artist and songwriter. Currently, I’m fundraising for The Dani W Project on Indiegogo.com to record my first album of original songs. It is exciting to be partnering with my supporters to create this first album. Also, it’s amazing to be working with talented U.S. producer Cori Jacobs, whose credits include Beyonce, Lauryn Hill, Sly Stone and The PussyCatDolls. Why did you change? Music has the power to shift moods and inspire action. I changed careers to align my life with helping others to create moments that relax like a hot bath, heal like laughter, encourage healthy relationships, and ignite passion among lovers. When was the moment you decided to make the change? A couple of years ago, I found an old career questionnaire response. I wrote, “If I could do anything in the world, I would be an Asian Popstar.” Suddenly, the truth was loud. At that very moment, I realized that my dream is huge and that my purpose is to connect with the world through singing and writing. I saved as much as I could, turned in my resignation letter, and hit the ground running. Are you happy with the change? Extremely happy and grateful. I am living my passion and helping others live theirs. Freedom is contagious. What do you miss and what don't you miss? I miss my previous coworkers and having set “office hours.” I don’t miss sitting in a cubicle. I love creating music and collaborating, so it’s a challenge to stop working. How did you go about making the shift? Outside of the office, I spent my free time singing in a choir and performing with a funk band to feed my passion for music. When I found The Roots class at The Songwriting School, I got hooked on the joy of writing songs and began developing a style. Taking classes, learning about the business of music and networking at industry events provided a basic foundation. All along, I was saving up and prepared to take a leap fully into songwriting and singing. During the shift, I rarely slept because I was so excited to take on every opportunity to grow! I volunteered to sing background vocals for talented local artists like Nina Storey and Roxie and the Ki and some weekends I had three or four shows. Because I spent so much time volunteering at The Songwriting School events and offered a useful skill set, I began working there part-time. Now I have the pleasure of helping other artists and musicians get the resources they need to create their music as well. I’m preparing my solo project and the most amazing feeling is knowing that I am a part of an extremely supportive and talented community, both in and outside of music. How did you handle your finances to make your change possible? I created a budget and dug deep into my savings to pay monthly expenses while developing my craft. I found ways to trade my financial and administrative skills in exchange for voice lessons, seminars, and songwriting lessons. We all have expertise to share. Now I understand that money is an exchange of energy. What was the most difficult thing about changing? The most difficult thing about changing is staying focused. I recommend building a positive support system around you and getting a part-time job in the industry whenever possible. There is usually a steep learning curve so being patient and persistent is critical. When you find a great community, it’s easier to remain calm and make the learning and overall transition a fun process. What help did you get? I sought out many mentors for specific areas of learning in the industry. I would find these mentors through conferences, classes at The Songwriting School, and through personal referrals. Also, if I like someone’s work, I start a conversation. Sometimes a conversation can lead to a new song, a new project, or even a partnership. What have you learnt in the process? I’ve learned there are no shortcuts. There is challenging and fun work that helps me access more layers of my craft and to connect with amazing colleagues. There are many paths within music. I’ve had to define what success looks like and break it down into milestones. Developing this career and fine tuning my instincts is an invigorating process. I’ve learned how to appreciate each step and find joy in the journey. I am not waiting to get somewhere or be someone else. I embrace the amazing people in my life and relish the joy of each day while living my dream. What do you wish you'd done differently? Looking back, all the dots connect. The business skills are helpful and I am grateful. However, I definitely wish I had discovered and pursued my passion earlier. After college, I was so focused on getting a “real job” and a lifestyle by societal norms, that I forgot to ask myself what I truly wanted from life. What would you advise others to do in the same situation? For anyone who’s searching for clarity, I would suggest that they “free write” every morning. We have most of the answers inside, but we often search outside ourselves for affirmation. Clear your mind and ask, “What do I already know that I am pretending not to know?” Another thing that helps me to stay focused is keeping my goal chart on the wall. I write out my main goal on a blank piece of paper and then chart out everything I need to reach it. No limitations. The resources keep presenting themselves and I add them on. Make sure the daily tasks and lifestyle truly align with your dream career. I shadowed people “on the job” to get a preview. Also, partner with others that compliment your strengths. When you lead with your passion to do “the work,” you will foster new relationships. That’s when the best opportunities present themselves. What resources would you recommend to others? For singer and songwriters, checking the Billboard music charts and blogs to study what people currently like is insightful. However, when you’re in the creative process, set what’s popular aside and create art from your heart, from the inside out. People will resonate with the naked truth. Children give unfiltered feedback. If they like and can sing back your song, that’s a great start! Feedback is great to help identify your strengths and areas that need growth. Above all, always trust your gut feeling. Seek community among your local musicians at live music venues, school music programs and online. Local and international resources like The Songwriting School of Los Angeles, Soundcloud plus business and music seminars are alive and well for networking and skill building. I keep a “Resource Center” on my website with access to conferences, organizations and communities that have helped me get started as a singer/songwriter. Overall, shifting careers is a roller coaster so the best resource to maintain is your health. Treat yourself to down time. Whether through meditation, hiking, yoga, bubble baths, or other activities, keep your mind free, relaxed and centered. Take inspired action. If you don’t love it, don’t do it. Life is too short. Please feel free to reach out to me, or view a list of resources here: http://www.daniellewcarter.com What lessons could you take from Danielle's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

7 Bad Manager Behaviors to Be Wary of

7 Bad Manager Behaviors to Be Wary of Managing a team of recruiters is a tough gig, especially when youre expected to make placements yourself. Youve  no doubt done really well to get you to the point of having your own team but managing people is a completely different ball game.  You cant just worry about yourself and your own performance anymore; youre now responsible for the  well-being and profitability  of others, too. Finding a management method that works for you takes time; no one gets it right immediately. Striking the correct balance  of  friendliness, seniority, delegation, praise and deserved discipline is extremely difficult. Whether you are a first time manager or a decorated  boss with years of experience, its important to continually check your habits. Failing to nurture potential and encourage success in the right way  will eventually result in higher employee turnover, dips in performance, unsatisfied team members and low morale.  In one way or another their consequences are costly and avoidable. How? By checking your leadership style against  these red flag bad manager behaviors: 1. Hypocrisy Watching someone delegate task after task, without practicing what they preach is extremely frustrating. Great managers lead by example and set the bar high. 2. Crushing comparisons Continually making comparisons between the work of some employees vs others is really patronizing and belittling.  Making examples out of people doing really well can be inspirational, but can also have negative effects if people start to feel theyre never going to be as good as you want them to be. 3. Favoritism Favoring certain people in the team might not be a conscious decision you make, but can happen without you realizing. Who do you consistently ask for extra assistance? Who do you spend the most time with? Who do you praise the most? Who do you feel has the most potential? If the same person keeps springing to mind, the other people in your team are probably noticing too. Each person will require a different level of management and support, but employees in the same team should feel  as valued as each other. 3.  Insufficient feedback Leaving people to their own devices encourages independence and the use of initiative, however, failing to provide proper constructive criticism or praise can leave employees feeling unsure as to how they are performing. Your employees shouldnt be kept guessing as to whether they are doing a good job or not. 4.  Being too friendly Trying to be too cool with your employees can make  them  feel they dont have a proper figure of authority to look up to.  If you try to be too friendly and connect with them on a super personal level, they might feel uncomfortable raising serious issues with you about their role, your actions or other serious issues concerning colleagues. There is a balance to be struck between being friendly and being too friendly. 5. Being a  dictator Further on from my previous point, its important not to be too stern, bossy and unapproachable. Yes, you are more senior than your team members, however, a team is supposed to work together and gel as one unit. If you only ever talk about work, targets, and performances, your colleagues wont feel they connect with you as a person. Theres no exact science about how to strike the perfect friend/manager balance, but its important to remain professional and open. 6.  Lack of comms  lines Great managers should advertise an  open door policy, where employees know they will have an avenue of speaking with you and raising any concerns. Setting up weekly meetings can be extremely helpful in making sure that workloads dont get in the way of frequent feedback sessions. By holding regular one-to-one, youll be able to spot a dissatisfied employee quicker and address the case before its too late. 7.  KPI inflexibility Having KPIs is great, especially in recruitment where your success is only as good as your output. However, all recruiters will have a different style of working, different clients and different strengths and weaknesses, so its important to create individual KPIs for different individuals. All employees cant be  painted with the same brush.

What You Can Learn From Obamas Victory In Your Job Search

What You Can Learn From Obamas Victory In Your Job Search So, the US Elections have passed. Finally, the mud-slinging over two years has finally come to an end. President Obama got re-elected and Mitt Romney lost the election. What can this teach you in your job search? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. His victory has nothing to do with your job search. But you know what this is? This is a post telling you that any careers adviser or blog that begins with What you can learn from insert famous name in your job search? should be ignored! And if anything, should be made fun of. Seriously. Elections happened and boom, there was an influx of blogs on what graduates can learn from Obama. What can you learn? The only thing I can learn is, if I dont have round about billion dollars, I might as well never run for the Presidents office. Thats not job search. Job search is all about hard work, humility, humbleness, about being sharp, about sacrificing going out to do an urgent job application. In-fact, Mitt Romney has only faced rejection to the office twice, whereas you, me and other graduates weve been rejected on daily basis. Every morning when graduates wake up for a cup of coffee and some bread open the emails and the first thing is sorry, youve been rejected. See, the trouble is, there are far too many self-styled and self-declared careers experts on the internet and quite a lot of people read them. but I dont do that, I write to help graduates and students in their careers. OK, once in a while I do write about how a University ad was placed on a porn site, or at times be honest how careers service can improve for their students, but otherwise, I dont find any point in  stupid headlines and posts  on the back of a careers blog! So, NO, Obama will not teach you anything about your graduate job search. Mitt Romney will not teach you anything about your graduate job search. Neither will any self-styled careers expert will tell you that behind these stupid headlines there is garbage selling some product! Next time you see a headline  What you can learn from insert famous name in your job search? you can take my word and ignore it. If you still read that article thinking this could be helpful, then 10 mins after that, you will be doing the same thing as the image below! Oh, by the way, just so you know, we are working on producing a guide to help you in your job search strategy for 2013. So you are saved reading these articles altogether. For now, I will leave you with what I think is my top article to date, which is on beating applicant tracking system robots! P.S.: If President Obama or Mitt Romney are reading this blog post, sorry to have had some fun on your behalf. For good cause you know. Image Credit:  eddiedeguzman.wordpress.com 7

5 Ways To Increase Team Productivity

5 Ways To Increase Team Productivity In any business or company, there are different teams for different departments. It is these teams that need to work together towards achieving the company’s common goal. It is the responsibility of the top management and the individual managers of each team, to get all the team members to work together and work better. Work productivity refers to the quality and quantity of work produced in a given time. Companies take measures and make many efforts to increase the work productivity of their employees. Small and big efforts, both go a long way in increasing work productivity in a company. A team’s work productivity is measured by how well a team can work together, complete a task, overcome challenges and come up with new ideas. Teamwork is very essential for any company or business to thrive and grow. One individual cannot do everything and a team needs to come together and achieve goals. There are many ways to ensure and increase team productivity in a company. Some of the effective ways to increase team productivity are: Breaks A break from work or a mini vacation is very effective in refreshing and rejuvenating employees before they get back to work. Top management of companies must encourage more breaks and vacations for their employees and also take them for outdoor team building activities. Outdoor activities with the entire team can be very effective in getting the team members to bond together, get to know each other better and this will reflect in the work in the form of increased team work. The better a team is able to work together, the quicker they can overcome challenges and deliver goals, increasing the team’s productivity. Recognising and Sharing Achievements Get the team together and applaud their achievements in front of everybody. Share the challenges that the team managed to overcome successfully and motivate them to keep up the great performance. Recognising the entire team’s efforts and appreciating their work, will instill a positive feeling towards their work and they will want to work harder to achieve similar results. The entire team will feel proud and will keep up similar performances in the future. Regular Feedback Recognising achievements is very important to encourage and motivate team members to keep up the good work, but feedback on something that could’ve been done better is also extremely important. Negative feedback and appreciation go hand in hand. There needs to be a fine balance of both. The entire team together will be able to take the brunt of a bad feedback, better. It will also encourage the team members to sit together and contemplate over where they went wrong and what could they have done differently. This will also make the team members feel a sense of responsibility towards each other and help each other out, when faced with a challenge. Office Traditions To get the team spirit of the employees uplifted and get them working closely.   Have some non-work related traditions in place and get the entire team to follow them. This could be a monthly team lunch, corporate away days, karaoke nights or just a potluck, anything that gets the team to do something other than work. These small traditions will ensure that the team members bond well outside of work,.   That will eventually reflect at the workplace in the form of increased involvement of all team members in any projects. Conclusion Increasing team productivity or team work will not happen overnight. There is immense work and different efforts that go into putting together a hardworking team. Just working together in a professional workplace will give the team a push only to a certain level. For further team togetherness, efforts outside of the workplace are also important.

An Expat Pivots to Selling Health Insurance Solutions in Ajijic [Podcast] - Career Pivot

An Expat Pivots to Selling Health Insurance Solutions in Ajijic [Podcast] - Career Pivot Episode #115 â€" Marc interviews his health insurance agent, Valerie Friesen. Description: In this episode, Marc interviews Valerie Friesen from Blue Angel Solutions. Valerie is an early-stage Baby Boomer who moved with her husband to Mexico from Canada during the Great Recession with intentions to teach English, on the side. She now has a very successful business providing health insurance solutions to expats in Mexico. Marc hopes you enjoy this fascinating episode. Key Takeaways: [1:33] Marc welcomes you to Episode 115 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. CareerPivot.com brings you this podcast; it is one of the very few websites dedicated to those of us in the second half of life and our careers. Please take a moment to check out the blog and the other resources delivered to you free of charge. [2:01] If you are enjoying this podcast, please share it with other like-minded souls. Subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, or any of the other apps that supply podcasts. Share it on social media or just tell your neighbors, and colleagues. The more people Marc can reach, the more he can help. [2:23] Marc is not completely sure at this time what next week’s episode will be. He is scheduled to record a Question and Answer episode with Susan Joyce of Job-Hunt.org fame, but Marc also has appointments with Chris Farrell, author of Purpose and a Paycheck, and previous podcast guest, John Tarnoff. You’ll see which one, next week. [3:03] This week, Marc interviews Valerie Friesen from Blue Angel Solutions. Marc reads her bio by way of introduction. [3:32] Marc welcomes you to the podcast and presents Valerie Friesen. Marc bought his health insurance from Valerie after three recommendations from other clients. Now on to the podcast… Download Link | iTunes|Stitcher Radio|Google Podcast| Podbean | TuneIn | Overcast [3:54] Valerie is a first-stage Baby Boomer. Blue Angel Solutions is a boutique health insurance brokerage with relationships with several insurance companies. That gives an opportunity for new and returning customers. She tells how she chose the name. [5:08] Valerie and her husband moved to Ajijic from Canada in late 2009. They came partly for the climate, at the tail end of the 2008 economic meltdown. Their careers were impacted in Canada and on the advice of a relative who had been to Mexico, they decided to move. [6:34] They checked out the possibilities and within six months they had divested themselves from their careers, home, and investment properties. Then they moved. Listen to the most recent episode [6:52] Valerie had worked at two banks and through the banks, she had offered disability and health insurance to her banking clients. She had also taught English as a Second Language much earlier in her career and she had liked it, so she planned to teach again in Ajijic, Mexico. She enrolled in a fast-track program for accreditation in Guadalajara. [7:40] Valerie passed the accreditation class, but then her husband saw a newspaper ad for insurance sales and he asked her to check it out. She started at a full-service insurance agency. That’s how she got started in health insurance in Mexico. [9:00] Unfortunately, the founder of the agency passed away and things changed. Her husband encouraged her to move on. In five months, she launched Blue Angel Solutions, in November 2012. [9:40] Valerie’s vision for Blue Angel Solutions was not to be the largest agency but to be the best in responsiveness to clients â€" current and prospective. Everyone shows up on time, answers the phone, answers emails and is respectful. She holds her insurance providers to the same standard of service. [11:03] Valerie’s initial clients were fellow expats from the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Primarily from Canada and the U.S. Their ages generally ranged from 62 to 67. That was the age of people retiring at that time. [11:53] The bell curve has widened now. Her current prospects and clients range from age 38 to age 80. Some have children in college in the U.S. and teens at International Schools in Mexico. [13:40] One of the reasons people are moving to Mexico is that technology allows them to do business around the world from home. In Ajijic, the cost of living is less and the community is great, and the environment is attractive. [14:33] Marc has worked around the world, in 40 different countries. He can adapt to any culture. Mrs. Miller has not. When Marc first looked at moving, he asked a Chapala area Facebook group for recommendations for endocrinologists for his wife. He got 28 responses in 48 hours. [15:18] Valerie compares the area to a college town. Everyone is new. Everyone is helpful. The norm is to pay it forward. [15:55] How did it turn out differently for Valerie than she expected? She had expected to teach English as a Second Language. She got a contract to teach for one year in the a.m. in Jocotepec, while she worked at the insurance agency in the p.m. After a year, she knew it would burn her out so she continued in the insurance area. [16:45] Valerie’s typical day is to rise early, do some reading, make some supplier phone calls, and look at the day’s schedule. She and her husband walk the dogs. She comes to the office at 10:00 when it opens. She has a receptionist who opens if she is not yet there. [18:01] Valerie’s workday is a number of appointments, her primary method of doing business. On Monday mornings, she deals with the inevitable Monday walk-ins. That way, everybody is happy. Valerie compares business to the three parts of a golf swing â€" the setup, the swing itself, and the follow-through. [20:22] Valerie runs her business like a consulting business. She always provides a personal orientation to the product for her customers. [21:01] Marc comments on the personal orientation he and his wife received when they bought a policy. [21:25] Valerie works to 5:30 of 6:00 to do “cleanup” although the official hours are 10:00 to 4:00. [21:50] Valerie had no expectations about how much she would earn in insurance. With her good listening skills, good initiative, and commitment to excellence, she believed she would be successful. [22:28] Valerie continues to work because she wants to work. [22:40] Marc shares a story of meeting two elderly women at Tacos Frida in Ajijic who were thrilled with all the activities in the area. Marc told them he does not want activities; he wants purpose. Valerie agrees. Neither have any plans to retire. [23:23] Valerie will mentor someone to take over her business. She separates herself as an entity from the business. She wishes to leave a legacy of her business. [24:06] Valerie will never sell 100% of her business. She will find someone to run it for her. She will work fewer hours and be more mobile. In her business, she has the opportunity to experience and evaluate the aging process better than most people. She says it is sad that people used to retire and then pass within two years. [26:09] On January 1, 1960, the visionary Del Webb opened up Sun City Arizona with five model homes and a strip mall. He had 10,000 cars lined up to visit. At that time, most of them were smokers and would not live long. [26:46] Today, for a married couple, age 65, the odds of one of you living to 100 are enormous. Valerie’s receptionist has two aunties â€" 104 and 102 â€" who take care of themselves. [27:20] People are living longer than they expected. There are a lot of economic refugees in Ajijic. They can live a good life on their Social Security. [27:50] Marc thanks Valerie for sharing her story and asks her for some final words of advice for the listeners. [28:04] Valerie knew when she arrived that she would live it and she would be successful in any endeavor. At age 21 after University, she had served overseas in the Canadian equivalent of Peace Corps. She had learned to be self-reliant in a third-world country. She had learned flexibility, respect for cultures, and a sense of humor. [29:24] Valerie knew she had those qualities. She advises you to chill out and have a great time. This is no dress rehearsal; this is it. [29:48] From 200 to 2004 Marc spent a lot of time in mainland China, where he learned the more he ‘understood’ the Chinese people, the less he understood them. It’s similar in Mexico. The U.S. perception of Mexico is not correct. In Austin, in the last two years, there was a SWAT team set up within 100 yards of his house. In Ajijic, he is safe. [31:02] Valerie says, “Que sera, sera!” Marc thanks Valerie for the interview. [31:14] Marc hopes you enjoyed this episode. Marc has several more interviews like this one lined up to introduce you to the many possibilities of working outside the U.S. [31:24] Susan Lahey and Marc are working on the next edition of Repurpose Your Career, and Marc is looking for your help. Marc has formed a release team of readers who will get access to pre-release chapters of the book to provide feedback. Marc has already released the opening chapter to the release team. [31:41] You can be part of this team by going to CareerPivot.com/RYCTeam where you can sign up. [31:50] When you sign up, you’ll receive the pre-release version of the chapters when they become available. What Marc asks in return is for you to provide feedback and be prepared to write a review on Amazon.com when the book is released. [32:03] Marc and Susan are adding about eight new chapters to the book and re-writing several others. Marc will release a new pre-release chapter on this podcast and to the team every four to six weeks in the coming months. Marc has been delayed by his move to Mexico. Susan has been delayed by moving to Portugal. [32:32] The CareerPivot.com/Community website has become a valuable resource for almost 50 members who are participating in the Beta phase of this project. Marc is currently soliciting members for the next cohort. [32:42] If you are interested in the endeavor and would like to be put on the waiting list, please go to CareerPivot.com/Community. When you sign up you’ll receive information about the community as it evolves. [32:58] Those in the initial cohorts will get to set the direction for this endeavor. This is a paid membership community with group coaching and special content. More importantly, it will be a community where you can seek help. Go to CareerPivot.com/Community to learn more. [33:21] Marc invites you to connect with him on LinkedIn.com/in/mrmiller. Just include in the connection request that you heard Marc on this podcast. You can look for Career Pivot on Facebook, LinkedIn, or @CareerPivot on Twitter. [33:41] Please come back next week, when Marc will likely be answering questions with Susan Joyce â€" subject to change. [33:48] Marc thanks you for listening to the Repurpose Your Career podcast. [33:52] You will find the show notes for this episode at CareerPivot.com/episode-115. [34:06] Please hop over to CareerPivot.com and subscribe to get updates on this podcast and all the other happenings at Career Pivot. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, the Overcast app, or the Spotify app. Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

10 Brilliant Reasons Why Top Companies Are Choosing IT Outsourcing

10 Brilliant Reasons Why Top Companies Are Choosing IT Outsourcing Why are more companies outsourcing IT than ever before? Discover the ten reasons why IT outsourcing could be advantageous for your company too. In 2017, the percentage of organizations total IT budgets spent on outsourcing rose to 11.9%. As the technology needs of businesses have become more complex, not every business has the means or the staff to stay competitive. IT outsourcing gives even the smallest businesses a strategic advantage. IT can even help them compete on a global scale. If your business isnt meeting its IT needs, find out more about IT outsourcing below. Outsourcing could be the choice that finally spurs your business growth. What is IT Outsourcing? IT outsourcing, sometimes referred to as Managed Services, is when a company hires another business to take responsibility for internal IT resources. Outsourced IT companies are often referred to as Managed Services Providers, or MSPs. There are other forms of IT outsourcing that dont fall under the Managed Services category. Companies like Be Structured Technology Group in Los Angeles offer managed IT services. They provide services such as the following: Cloud services Email solutions Server monitoring Server virtualization Backup and disaster recovery services Cybersecurity services Virus Malware protection Voice over IP (VoIP) solutions You can incorporate outsourcing into your existing IT strategy. First, you should do an internal assessment to determine which functions you need to outsource. Once you do, youll be able to provide your company with the best available technology at the lowest possible cost. 10 Reasons to Outsource IT The business landscape is more competitive and interconnected than ever. Many of the solutions listed above are now essential for businesses to survive. However, most businesses dont have the means to hire new employees to staff an IT department. This is due to several factors. For one, hiring an internal IT staff is expensive. IT comes with a great deal of overhead. Theres also training to consider. Finding the right candidates can take months. Secondly, there is a growing shortage of IT professionals. By one estimate, there were 263,586 unfilled IT positions in 2017. Companies outsource IT for a variety of reasons. Some companies do have an IT department but need external services to augment it. Here are ten reasons companies are choosing IT outsourcing. 1. To Reduce IT Costs Ask any CFO and theyll tell you that the IT department can be a cost center. The average small business spends about 6.9% of their revenue on IT costs. Midsized companies spend 4.1% and larger companies spend 3.2%. These may seem like paltry amounts, but they add up to a large portion of spending, especially for small businesses. Its true that many businesses waste money on IT spending, but technology is also crucial to your business operations. Outsourcing is a means of reducing IT costs without sacrificing quality. 2. To Save On Labor Costs The average base pay of an information technology specialist is just about $67,000 per year according to Glassdoor. Overhead costs compound this salary, though. If you wanted to hire an entire IT department, youre looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. Many businesses outsource IT to get access to a team of professionals without paying the overhead costs of an in-house staff. One of the biggest concerns that companies have, however, is the issue of control. Youre giving an outside group of people access to your network. They may be responsible for your data security. They may also implement your backup and recovery plan. The good news is that outsourced IT companies have years of experience with these arrangements. Not only are you saving money on your IT costs, but youre also working with experts who have more experience than many of the job candidates you can find on the market. 3. To Maintain Uptime and Service Continuity Hardware and software maintenance is becoming more challenging. For example, a marketing department at an enterprise company uses an average of 65 different applications. That means large businesses are using hundreds of applications, all of which require updates and configuration. For your company to maintain service, you need end-to-end, uninterrupted functionality. An outsourced IT team can help you choose and manage your software and hardware resources to ensure service continuity. 4. To Reduce Risk Every business, no matter how small, encounters risk. It may come from volatile economic conditions, external cyber threats, or a surge in competition. When risk rears its ugly head, you dont want to be on your own. Outsourcing IT functions lets you share some of your risk with your IT company. Theyll maintain an immense base of information technology knowledge. They can help you address cyber threats and outflank your competitors. 5. To Stay Focused on Core Objectives Having to spend time dealing with IT issues takes you and your team away from other essential tasks. One of the simplest reasons to outsource IT is to free up time. Instead of chasing down a network issue, you can focus on delivering value to your customers. Outsourcing also helps put your mind at ease. Youll play a role in your IT environment, but not as direct a role as you would with your own staff. 6. To Access New Resources and Technologies Outsourced IT companies have expertise with the latest software and hardware. They can help you choose the best technologies and provide you access to new ones. Outsourcing to gain new technology is a strategic way to avoid obsolescence. You can future-proof your business and stay competitive. You may not have time to keep tabs on emerging technologies. But you can guarantee your managed service provider does. Outsourcing can also give you access to other technology services. For example, if your company is going green, some managed service providers can help you in your initiative. They may even be able to provide you with technology recycling. 7. To Create a Backup and Recovery Plan Nothing is more crucial to your business data than a backup and recovery plan. If your company has immense amounts of data, this may be a difficult task to do on your own. An outsourced IT team will either act as a broker between you and a cloud storage provider. They may also help you install an internal backup and recovery plan. Theyll typically advise you to back up your data in several locations. For example, you may have a physical server backing up data on-site, but your IT provider may tell you to back up your data on a virtual server as well. Once you establish your backup plan, your outsourced team will help you create a recovery plan. They should give you an estimated time to recovery, should the unthinkable happen. 8. To Ensure Compliance with Regulations If you followed the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, youre aware of how burdensome regulations can be to businesses. No business can go without data in todays economy, but not all businesses have the means to comply with data regulations. Currently, U.S. data regulations arent as strict as Europes. But lawmakers are eyeing GDPR as a possible model for future regulations. The regulatory landscape changes year by year, so it pays to prepare yourself. An outsourced IT team will have extensive knowledge of all the regulations that will apply to you. They can help you address risk at a global scale and meet compliance standards wherever you do business. 9. To Increase Data Security Increasing data security might be the most compelling reason to outsource IT. Its becoming difficult for small-to-mid-sized businesses to keep up with the growing list of cyber threats. Whether its phishing scams, malware, or DDoS attacks, it takes an entire team of professionals to protect a business. An outsourced It team can help defend your business with the following services: Risk and vulnerability assessments Intrusion detection and prevention Managed network access control Managed next-gen firewall Advanced Security Incident Event Management (SIEM) Network, systems, and applications security assessments Development of security policies and procedures Security architecture assessments Security engineering Small businesses face the same cybersecurity threats as the biggest businesses in the world. Outsourcing your cybersecurity needs can provide you the same defenses they have as well. 10. To Become More Competitive Outsourcing your IT needs can boost workflow in your business. Youll get access to technology that makes you operate more efficiently. The IT company you work with can even help you save time and resources. Companies that implement IT themselves must do research, then develop and install their IT infrastructures. If you dont have the staff to do this on your own, you likely cant afford the costs, either. Outsourcing prevents you from having to pass on costs to your customers. Youll be able to bring products to market faster and provide your customers with state-of-the-art service. IT Outsourcing Can Help You Meet Your Tech Requirements In a survey by Indeed.com, 86% of hiring managers said they find it challenging to find and hire tech talent. As the technology skills gap continues to grow, more and more companies will need to rely on IT outsourcing to fill their needs. Is your business looking for branding and communications guidance? Do you need help with your IT outsourcing strategy or another tech project? Contact Mike McRitchie to get business help right now. Mike is a small business strategist with over 20 years of experience as a project manager, program manager, and director-level leader.

Putting the Right Social Media Face First

Putting the Right Social Media Face First Face-to-face networking is incredibly important, and if you know your way around, then you have a distinct advantage over much of your competition. Youre making a serious mistake if you do not have a social media presence or if you skip social media sites all together. If youve neglected to create a social media presence, especially on LinkedIn, then you are missing out on an incredible opportunity to find open positions. Targeted, extensive networking is still the number one way to find a job, to achieve this you need to have a complete and up to date profile on several social media sites. The reason social media is so important is because 83% of employers look to LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter when looking for new hires. 89% rely exclusively on LinkedIn to fill their empty positions. So if youre not using social media, then your chances of getting a job are seriously diminished. Without a solid social media presence on LinkedIn, you make it much harder for HR managers who are looking for you specific skill set to actually find you. Employers will also review your social media sites to examine more information after they have received your resume. So you have to take the necessary steps to stand out and never put a bad face forward. Here are some tips for putting the right social media face first: 1. Think of your online profile as your brand. Identify your abilities that set you apart from other applicants. You should define the areas where you excel, and always make a solid case for the value that you bring to a prospective employer. 2. Use your online profile to showcase your skill set. On Facebook and LinkedIn, there is a headline below where you put your name. This is an incredible important part of your branding, you need to put something with keywords HR mangers will instantly gravitate to. Your headline should show a range of what you are capable of doing. 3. Position yourself as the expert in your field. Include searchable keywords in your social media profile so that HR mangers can see your in depth experience and talents. Employers will often look through social media sites in search of a fit for a specific problem, if you have your expertise highlighted, then you may be the one theyre looking for. This makes it much easier for them to find you. 4. Clear up any discrepancies between your resume and your social media profiles. Make sure your dates of employment, job titles and other extended details match your resume. HR managers will not contact prospects who have inconsistencies on their resume and social media profile. 5. Join Facebook or LinkedIn groups that are associated with your field. Who knows, by commenting on a group post or by offering your advanced knowledge, you could attract someone looking for your particular talents. Answering questions in these groups is an excellent way to attract attention to yourself, just make sure you approach groups with the correct mindset, youre trying to garner the right attention. So make sure you know what youre talking about.