Recently in Training Category

I have professionally fallen in love with a few businesses and businesspeople in my time. I'm not talking about the romantic, touchy feely, lovey dovey kind of love, but more of an overarching admiration and respect for the totality of another business person or business.

You know the person or business I am talking about; the business or person representing a business who loves what they do, cares about their clients or customers and is extremely passionate in their belief in their products and their belief in you.

Have you professionally fallen in love with anyone?

Here are signs that you are professionally in love

1. You wouldn't think about buying or working with anyone else.
2. You go out of your way to talk to others about how great they are.
3. You actually believe your life has been changed because of your experience.

Sounds a lot like romantic love, doesn't it?

Get people to fall professionally in love with you and your business, and you will never be short of customers, business, or momentum.

I remember the fun I had working at a gas station growing up and the people who would come in and treat me as if I didn't have a brain. Apparently, to many of the customers, it wasn't logical that a college kid with a high IQ could possibly want to work behind the counter of a gas station on weekends to pay for college.

I learned a lot about Human Resources and motivation in my time at the gas station. It was funny to see the interactions between people who were getting their car worked on and the mechanics and service manager. It was also rewarding to be able to manage kids my age in terms of writing their schedule and training them.

Next time you are in a gas station, convenience store, or other "service" establishment, engage the person working there in a conversation; you'd be pleasantly surprised with what you may find out about them in the discussion.

Likewise, if you work in a position at one of these establishments, look beyond the stereotypes of the role and find ways to make the work interesting, as well as opportunities to engage your customers in friendly dialogue (in fact, many of the people I talked to in my time at the gas station are clients or friends today, some 20 years later!)

This free hour-long interactive presentation and Q+A session will show you how to create your profile, optimize it, and use LinkedIn as a networking tool in order to improve your job or internship search. Presented by Robert Braathe, founder of Braathe Enterprises, and Kelsey Weiss, Skidmore College '12 and intern for Braathe Enterprises

Skidmore College - Palamountain 202 - Wednesday December 14th

To RSVP, visit the link below or email robertjbraathe@gmail.com
LinkedIn Presentation by Braathe Enterprises - December 10th in Saratoga Springs

We have already awarded two 12 week online interactive business classes to two Capital Region residents seeking to take the next step in their career, whether it be start a business, find a new job or career, or learn something new to help them in their existing situation.

We are delighted to be offering these free courses for 12 lucky recipients this holiday season in the spirit of workforce development, business startup incubation, and career training for those who have been let go or downsized.

To enter for a spot in the 12 Classes of Christmas contest, send an email to info@saratogacollege.com with your request for a free course, why you want to take the course, and what you hope to learn as a result of it. The courses included Modern Marketing Methods, Exceptional Human Resources and Entrepreneurship, among others.

The first 12 submissions will very likely also be the 12 recipients (the first two were inspiring people so we selected them right away), so get in your email request today!

Does your staff know what Small Business Saturday? Founded in 2011 by American Express, Small Business Saturday has become one of the new shopping phenomenons along with Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Small Business Saturday is designed to encourage people to shop small businesses for holiday gifts on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. On November 26th, Braathe Enterprises will be offering discounts on Apple computer training, business courses through Saratoga College and more. Stop by anytime from 8am-4pm at our office on 12 Circular ST in Saratoga Springs, NY.

If you are a small business, make your staff aware of the importance of this day to the health of your business. Take advantage of all the free tools at the American Express Small Business Saturday website. Use Small Business Saturday as a way to really push your business to the next level and create customers who will return time and time again. By encouraging your customers to shop small, you can create great relationships with your customers, fellow small businesses, and perhaps even larger businesses looking for that personal touch.

A family owned business has a policy of not speaking about the competition. Many companies I have worked with have a policy of respecting partners and competition. When it comes to doing business, I prefer doing business with those who speak fondly of their competition or say nothing at all.

A big turnoff in business is when you hear someone or some company badmouthing their competition. To me, whether it is a potential business partner, client, or vendor, the minute I hear something said about how poorly someone else does something, I turn off my listening head and decide that its time to consider someone else for the work.

Do you have a policy in place about your competition and how you speak about them? If not, it is probably time to put one in place.

(Kelsey Weiss is a Skidmore College student participating in the Braathe Enterprises Virtual Internship Program)

First, let's go back to the basics:

1. Companies are made up of people.
2. Employees must work together in different situations in order to accomplish whatever task they have been assigned.
3. If a team can't work together, the task will either not be completed or the team will have a very frustrating and difficult experience in order to come up with a solution.

No matter what company you work for or what industry you're in, teamwork and collaboration are essential to dealing with any problem, idea, or suggestion. Whether you are deciding what to have for lunch or how to develop a new product, teamwork is indispensable if trying to find the best resolution possible.

In his talk entitled: "Build a tower, build a team," Tom Wujec addresses how different teams work together when given the seemingly simple task of designing a tower made of spaghetti and placing a marshmallow on top. Wujec describes the teams' beginning creative process, which typically falls into two succinct steps: orienting to the task, which includes fighting for power, and the second as planning and organizing.

When team members don't have to fight for power, assuming that there is already a hierarchy of some kind previously established in the workplace, the team members work together more effectively. Without a power complex, teams can easily create prototypes and refine them to ultimately come up with the best plan to solve their prompt.

In order to build a strong team, the members must speak a "common language" in terms of what they want to accomplish and how they plan to work together. The inherent challenge present in team building concerns the underlying factors, most importantly, varying skill sets. If the secret to finding the paramount solution is collaboration, then each member's skill set needs to facilitate the project in some way.

No matter what stakes are put in place, if a team is not able to capitalize and utilize their team members' attributes, then it is impossible for them to create prototypes that lead them to their end goal. In essence, teamwork is imperative to a company's success, but only if the team can effectively identify their assets and collaborate to come up with the most effective result.


Tom Wujec: Build a tower, build a team
http://www.ted.com/talks/tom_wujec_build_a_tower.html

"Change is the end result of all true learning"
-- Leo Buscaglia

Online education and online colleges are as common as eating bagels for breakfast. But how do you determine if online education is right for you? Do you have the skills and drive to be a successful online student? Ask yourself the following questions:

I. What type of learner are you? Do you prefer hands-on involvement when we are learning or do you prefer listening to someone explain how to do something?

II. Are you an outgoing, social person who enjoys being around people, or are you more introverted, preferring instead to work alone? Do you need contact with other students beyond Facebook chats and Skype chats?

III. Are you technically savvy and have the proper equipment? In order to be successful perusing an online education you must have basic computer skills and high speed internet access preferably at home.

IV. What's you personality type? Do you prefer being in a classroom setting with other students? Do you prefer being in the comfort of your personal space while studying? Online learning settings can provide opportunities for students to communicate within the course itself by holding online discussions and blogs, you must determine if social media forums is enough interaction for you to be successful.

V. Does anyone have any questions? Ask lots of questions about all facets of online programs from your career counselor, academic advisor, or any social media outlet. These mediums will allow you to understand all the benefits and potential drawbacks for you as an individual.

VI. Test drive? If given the opportunity take a class for free or sit in on an online session to get the experience which will help you answer the question listed above. It will help you appreciate the dynamics of online education. Finally make a pros/cons list of similarities and differences of online verse more traditional education and make a decision!!

A good place to start your research is saratogacollege.com and elearners.com

Good luck in your quest for higher education!

In a world based on "who you know", LinkedIn is a perfect place to start generating an impressive list of who you know and more importantly, who you want to know.

LinkedIn is the hub for business networking with 100 million users in over 200 countries with an additional 1 million users joining weekly. Those are impressive stats for anyone looking to interact and make business connects. Let's explore the four important "Find's" LinkedIn has to offer subscribers....FREE!!

- Find Business Contacts- Connect with people. Find business associates, current and former colleagues, customers, alumni, etc. to invite to your LinkedIn network.

- Find a Job - Linkedin provides subscribers the ability to search for jobs by using random criteria, looking through one's connects, allowing employers to seek out candidates, and by expanding your network organically.

- Find potential clients- It's important to make sure you have a fully completed profile with clear content, since potential clients will want to know about you professionally, and join or start groups based on your interests.

-Find and create Groups - a LinkedIn group is the ideal place to manage a professional community. It helps to build contacts, provides a platform for building business goals and generating interest in your business. Be sure to invite key business figures and make them contacts to further and develop professionally.

Now you have a better understanding about how LinkedIn works and what it can do for you, give it a try and transform the list of people you want to know into a list of people you do know.