Standing Out

Standing out from your coworkers can seem like a daunting task. It is, however, very simple if you put your mind to working hard.

Hard work never goes unrewarded. When you make an effort, others will notice. And when others notice, that will make you stand out.

Here are some tips on standing out of the crowd:

• Be that person you wish everyone else was – It may sound strange, but consider this: If you spend time wishing someone else would do some task, you yourself would not be doing that task. If you take the initiative to do what you wish others would do, you will be putting yourself in the position of making a good impression in your employer’s eyes.
• Do the work no one else wants to do – This will make you stand out tremendously.
• Do your work cheerfully – When you take on the extra tasks, don’t complain. You took on the work; do it cheerfully. This will make you an even more valuable employee.
• Don't get overwhelmed with bad news – I love it when workers are not overwhelmed with small problems. Those that answer, "That's not a problem - we can work around this" are most likely going to make a good, if not great, impression.

Brad Harmon is the President at a leading financing company, First Star Capital (www.firststarcapital.com). Brad is a frequent contributor to online publications and newsletters, and is the author of this blog on commercial financing topics.

Top 10 Effective PowerPoint Tips

PowerPoint can be an effective business tool. It can also give everybody in the conference room a headache. How you affect the people viewing your slideshow is up to you.

Here are our top 10 tips on building an effective, memorable PowerPoint presentation:

1. Make an emergency PDF version – This is just in case the presentation computer does not have the same version as the computer you were working on. Nothing is more embarrassing than getting up in front of a hundred people and not getting your PowerPoint to work. Expect for the worse, and you will be prepared. Call ahead to learn what version the host computer has installed. If you can, test your PowerPoint presentation beforehand.
2. Have all your files in one folder – This is to prevent breaking movie links.
3. Stay with a simple theme – Don’t go overboard on an extravagant layout. Remember, less is more.
4. Give a sense of place for the viewer – Make sure that titles – both the Presentation’s title and the page’s title – are easily read. A person coming in in the middle of the meeting should be able to immediately know what the presentation is about.
5. No more than 8 lines of text per slide – PowerPoint is a visual tool. If it has too much text, your viewers are more likely to not read any of it.
6. Don’t use too much animation – As cool as the sound effects and slide-changing animations may be, try to restrict the overuse of them. Having too much animation in your presentation distracts from content. On top of that, it borders on becoming unprofessional.
7. Be consistent with graphs – All of your graphs should have a similar look and feel. Keep the titles clear and the content simple.
8. Use consistent fonts and font sizes – Make sure fonts are big enough and easy to read. If you are using a unique font, make sure your host computer also has that font. If it doesn’t, the spacing could change, ruining the slide.
9. Use simple, professional colors – Stay with neutral tones, like browns, tans, grays, and faded blues, to maintain a professional look. You can also try using your company’s colors.
10. Use photos and clip art wisely – Again, PowerPoint is a visual tool. People like pictures. Photos and clip art can add a lot to your presentation. Just be sure not to take away from the overall message or to make it too distracting.

Brad Harmon is the President at a leading financing company, First Star Capital (www.firststarcapital.com). Brad is a frequent contributor to online publications and newsletters, and is the author of this blog on commercial financing topics.

Be Willing to Serve

Service is a quality that applies to more than the hospitality industry. Good service makes every customer happy. Good service makes sales and keeps you in business longer.

Train your employees how to properly take care of a customer. Here are some tips that might assist you:

• Don't have $$ in your eyes – Customers know when they are feeling used. When you treat them like they are nothing more than a sale, they will notice.
• Try to help customer with their needs – If it seems simple, that’s because it is. Customers are coming to your business with questions. Don’t throw your marketing jargon at them. Help them with their problems. Sometimes it won’t immediately end in a sale, but good word-of-mouth can lead to a sale.
• Go out of the way to assist your customer – Show that you care about them by taking time to go out of the way to find solutions for their questions. When I went to PetSmart, one of their greeters literally tracked me down to see if I needed help with anything. Although I did not need help, it stuck in my mind. I will most certainly recommend PetSmart more now because of it.

Although assisting your customer may take more of your time, it is a great benefit to you, your company, and your profits.

Brad Harmon is the President at a leading financing company, First Star Capital (www.firststarcapital.com). Brad is a frequent contributor to online publications and newsletters, and is the author of this blog on commercial financing topics.

Construction in California

California has had some tight times. But the news is good for the construction industry. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has given about hundreds of millions to construction projects in California alone. This will create about 11,000 construction jobs.

CalTrans reported that they will spend the first wave of funds, $625 million, on 57 highway projects. Merced County will spend $46.7 million to replace bridges, which will create over 800 jobs.

For more information on what industries, including the construction industry, will receive, visit www.EconomicStimulusInfo.com/about.html.

Brad Harmon is the President at a leading financing company, First Star Capital (www.firststarcapital.com). Brad is a frequent contributor to online publications and newsletters, and is the author of this blog on commercial financing topics.

Having a Positive Attitude in a Negative Environment

It is amazing at how an attitude can change everything. Being in a negative environment can really make people be angry, short-tempered, or sad. The bad vibe rubs off on everyone that comes in contact with it. It can make the even cheery person upset.

Consider the results if there was a positive environment. Those in a bad mood would be affected by the positive surroundings. It would build a good workplace for those working or visiting.

Now consider how one person can affect the environment they are in. Being the positive person in the negative workplace can really help change the mood. Your joyfulness can spread to others. You can change the environment for unhappy to happy if you don’t let the negative feelings affect you.

Brad Harmon is the President at a leading financing company, First Star Capital (www.firststarcapital.com). Brad is a frequent contributor to online publications and newsletters, and is the author of this blog on commercial financing topics.

Can You Receive Work for the Stimulus Package?

Since the signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, there have been great opportunities to expand your business. The government infusing the market will affect many types of businesses – from construction firms to green equipment manufacturers to software companies. Whatever touches the sectors targeted by the ARRA, namely, hospitals, software companies, manufacturers, construction companies, green energy, education centers, local/state governments, and more, will have a new unique way to grow.

Re-evaluate your business to see how you can key in on some of the promoted industries. Can you play a part in green technologies? Can you help to install electronic medical record software?

For more information on the topic, visit www.EconomicStimulusInfo.com. In the About section, there is even more information about what industries will be affected by the new economic stimulus package.

Brad Harmon is the President at a leading financing company, First Star Capital (www.firststarcapital.com). Brad is a frequent contributor to online publications and newsletters, and is the author of this blog on commercial financing topics.

Clean Forms

Forms can put a damper on the day – especially when they are poorly organized and confusing. Yet businesses daily, even hourly, have to fill out some sort of a form. It may be a purchase order form, an invoice, or an application for a lease. Although filling out forms can be tedious, your forms don’t have to be.

Make sure that the forms you make for your business are organized and straightforward. This will always help the user to complete the form without headaches. Some ways to keep your form organized are:

1. Have your logo, address, phone number, e-mail, and/or website in a clear and readable place. Usually the top is the best.
2. Make it very clear as to what they are filling out. Make sure all titles are not to lengthy in words. Also make them stand out from the rest of the text by making it larger, bolder, or underlined.
3. Have all your fields line up in one place. If you are making it have more than one column, then make sure that the form field is clear and does not get lost.
4. Give the user a sense of where they are – especially with an online form. If the form is more than one page, you can have “You are here” cues. They usually consist of steps in the form process. This is most used when signing up on a web site or completing a purchase on an e-commerce site.

Doing these few tips can really help your forms, business, and your customers.

Brad Harmon is the President at a leading financing company, First Star Capital (www.firststarcapital.com). Brad is a frequent contributor to online publications and newsletters, and is the author of this blog on commercial financing topics.

How Leasing can be Beneficial in a Weak Economy

Just when your business was beginning to take shape in a prosperous nation, a recession hits. Unstable times cause uncertainty. But that does not have to be true when leasing equipment. Leasing your equipment may be the solution your company needs to pull out strong in the economy.

Leasing equipment helps conserve your working capital. This means that you will preserve your capital for other day-to-day expenses like inventory and marketing. Working capital is vital to businesses and conversing it while expanding may be a great solution for you.

Leasing also builds company value. Because a lease is not considered a long-term debt or liability, it does not appear in your debt in your financial statements.

Leasing equipment allows you to keep up with new equipment. Leasing is fast and flexible, allowing you to keep up with industry standards.

First Star Capital is always eager to help with any questions you may have about leasing. Feel free to contact us whenever you need guidance.

Brad Harmon is the President at a leading financing company, First Star Capital (www.firststarcapital.com). Brad is a frequent contributor to online publications and newsletters, and is the author of this blog on commercial financing topics.