Website URL:
http://www.CompleteErrand.com

Year Founded:
1999

What does your company do?
We provide personal assistant, concierge and errand services to busy people, assisting families, individuals and employees of both not-for-profits and corporations.

Was there a specific turning point when you realized your business was moving to the next level?

I’ve remained small, mainly because I provide very personal services and I am entrusted with house and office keys, financial information, purchasing decisions, access to mail and personal information, etc. I have one part-time assistant.

I never doubted that this would fly! It took about a year-and-a-half to become a full-time job for me. Once I achieved that, I’ve known that The Complete Errand can be whatever I am interested in having it be.

What processes or procedures have you implemented that have helped grow your company?
I have learned to be clear up front with people about what services we offer and also what we won’t do. I’m direct about my pricing. I use Quickbooks to track my expenses. I offer credit transactions, including PayPal, to expand and streamline payment options. I’m currently processing credit cards with Square.

What is most rewarding about running your business?
I love solving problems and organizing my day to accomplish as much as possible for my clients. When I accomplish a particularly knotty task and my client thinks I’m their fairy godmother, I’m a happy business owner!

The variety to my day is great. I love being in and out of people’s homes, their offices and my car. I can set my own schedule and I have a great deal of latitude in decision-making on behalf of my clients. They’re creative in thinking of things for me to do and then they leave me on my own to accomplish the challenge. What more could I ask for?!?

What challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them?
The greatest marketing challenge I face is to educate people about how and why they should use a service such as mine. Many people in our area are “old-style Yankees” who are fiscal conservatives; they think they shouldn’t admit to paying someone to perform tasks they could do.

When someone sees the value of their own time, they recognize how helpful my service can be. I need the opportunity to tell stories of how a client felt more free to use their time as they chose; that clinches it! We all get easily hung up on the “shoulds” and the obligations we have, sometimes self-created.

I’ve had a few people I’ve not enjoyed working with over the years. They have either been of a personality I didn’t enjoy or they didn’t value the service I performed. I’ve cut ties with them, trying to discuss how someone else might better meet their need.

I had one client who paid me with bum checks. To this day, I don’t know if she was confused or knew what she was doing, but I was able to get my money.

If you were starting over today, what would you do differently?
I think I would consider being more formal about some aspects of my business, particularly in asking for contracts.

My approach and marketing would probably be the same. I started by introducing myself and my service to other business owners, companies I felt had clientele that would be similar to mine. There was not ~ really, still isn’t ~ competition of anyone offering the full breadth of services I offer; explaining to these fellow business owners how one of their clients might use The Complete Errand was one way of developing referral sources.

What advice do you have for other business owners?
1. Don’t give up. I sometimes get phone calls from people who say they’ve had my business card or brochure for two years before they called! This means you have to plan for the financial considerations of waiting for the business to grow.
2. Always remain professional.
3. Don’t feel defensive about your fees.
4. Encourage competition. (I’ve even subcontracted work to competitors when I’ve been overwhelmed and someone was trying to get started in their business.)
5. Be interested in people; you’ll nurture referrals and clients.
6. Find succinct ways to describe what you do in a solutions-focused way. I find stories of successes work really well.
7. Accept that you won’t be the right answer for everyone. Conversely, you may choose not to work with everyone who contacts you.

Please list any favorite books, tools or resources (software, website, etc.) you would recommend for others:
I’ve read Inc and Entrepreneur magazine for many, many years ~ longer than I’ve been out on my own. I find both of them immensely encouraging and helpful. Both magazines also have online sites that are useful.

I enjoy The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur (book and website.)

I subscribe to HARO to get my name and company name out.

I do read business books on occasion, but most of my reading is for pleasure so that my focus is not entirely on business!

What is something that people might be surprised to learn about you?
I’m an introvert. You don’t have to be a natural extrovert to network and market your business.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
When I started The Complete Errand, it was because (a) I had this business idea I thought was great, and (b) I had been downsized out of my third human resources job and didn’t want to go through that again. Now I feel that I am ruined from ever again being an employee! I absolutely love being self-employed, even the expense of it, the occasional loneliness, the nerve-wrackingly inconsistent income, etc. Can’t go back… ever!

The fact is that it does take time to write blog posts and share on social media and implement the many other internet marketing tactics that can help you build a bigger audience for your business. It takes time, persistence, and dedication. But these efforts can pay big dividends.

There are tasks that we all tackle daily in our businesses. We check email, return phone calls, meet acquaintances for coffee or lunch, talk to prospects, attend business events, file paperwork, develop marketing materials, create new products and services, and the list goes on. It only makes sense that we couldn’t possibly fathom adding another responsibility to the list.

But what if I told you that these tasks you don’t have time for—blogging, social media, etc.—are actually more important than many of the things you’re currently doing on a daily basis?

I believe it’s a matter of priorities and if you could see the rewards that these efforts can bring, you would reconsider what tasks are really important. Over the past few years, I’ve taken charge of my schedule. I cut out many of the networking events I used to attend. I rarely accept invitations for coffee or lunch. I check email just a few times each day. These tasks that I once thought were so important to my business actually turned out to be major time suckers. And when I looked at the return I was getting for the time spent, it didn’t add up.

For me, blogging and social media are two huge priorities in my business and this commitment has paid off big time. My website traffic has more than doubled in the last year alone. About 75% of my business revenues come to me as a direct result of marketing online—the things that I once thought I didn’t have time for.

I’m betting that if you really wanted to, you could carve out an extra 45 minutes per day to start ramping up your online marketing efforts. And if you did that for 60 days, you’d begin to see results and your perspective would change.

Then you’d realize that these are tasks that are worth making time for and that perhaps your priorities need to be reevaluated. Business is changing. Blogging and social media are no longer optional—they are essential. Give it a try consistently for the next 60 days. I think you’ll be glad you did.

By the way, if you’re frustrated, overwhelmed, or confused by online marketing strategies, I bet you’d love my new book! Grab a copy of Own Your Niche: Hype-Free Internet Marketing Tactics to Establish Authority in Your Field and Promote Your Service-Based Business.

When starting a business, having SEO in mind from conception to launch could put you ahead of the crowd and I think it is important to consider whether to outsource or use an in house professional or dedicated team.

SEO agencies can be an invaluable source of information and assistance; from advice on how to manage your website to the creation of content, these companies can be a welcome addition to your SEO campaign and be extremely helpful in boosting your search engine rankings. However, as the title of this post suggests, I am not wholly convinced that outsourcing your SEO to another company is always the most beneficial option. I believe, if possible, an in house SEO specialist or SEO team could be the best option for a lot of businesses. My reasoning for this view is as follows:

Complete Control
When outsourcing your company’s SEO, you do not have full control over the ideas and implementation of the SEO strategies you use. When you’re paying a company to do SEO for you then you are inclined to leave everything up to them; with in-house SEO you can really get your teeth into a campaign and see the effects as they happen.

More Complete Assets
When link-prospecting, an outsourced SEO company will retain contact information; if you move from one SEO company to another  you may lose any contacts that have linked to your site that have been created by this company. With a dedicated in-house team any contacts found will remain with you company.

Speed
When you have an idea for some content, go for it! When working with an outsourced company, you can be restricted in the stages of coming up with an idea, waiting for it to be produced, doing the outreach… all time consuming practices and with a dedicated in house SEO team you can travel from idea to implementation much faster.

Focus
Not that an outsourced company will not be dedicated improving your SEO, they will also no doubt have other clients they are working for at the same time. A dedicated in house team will be focused purely on your site and therefore all their effort will go on your site.

Cost!
Probably the most obvious benefit, you can save a lot of money by having a dedicated in house team.

I personally believe that, if feasible, an in house SEO team is a brilliant way to boost your Search Engine rankings. Not to diminish the work of SEO agencies that do a brilliant job of providing expertise, innovation and ideas for your site, the benefits to having an in house SEO team are numerous and should definitely be something to take into consideration when deciding on the best SEO strategy for you.

Author Bio:
Lianne Froggatt is the Digital Communications Manager at IdeasByNet (www.ideasbynet.com) Online marketing and especially social media are her specialities, she would love any feedback or comments, find her on Twitter @Lianne_Froggatt or lianne.froggatt@ideasbynet.com

Business Name:

Website URL:
www.TerriLevine.com

Year Founded:
1998

Number of Employees:
2

What does your company do?
Business consulting, mentoring and training.

Was there a specific turning point when you realized your business was moving to the next level?

About 5 years into the business we realized we were moving into consulting and mentoring vs. coaching.

What processes or procedures have you implemented that have helped grow your company?
Systems and implementations and policies and procedures for everything.

What is most rewarding about running your business?
Enjoying what I do every single day; watching clients have success and doing what I love and loving what I do.

What challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them?
The ups and downs in the economy.  Overcome them by being creative with programs and allowing for financing.

If you were starting over today, what would you do differently?
Create programs and group service to serve masses of people vs individuals.

What advice do you have for other business owners?
Start big.  No use playing a small game.  Learn to be a Guerilla Marketer.  Get an experienced mentor.  Do low and no cost proven marketing only.

Please list any favorite books, tools or resources (software, website, etc.) you would recommend for others:
WordPress, Think and  Grow Rich, The E-Myth, Google Documents, Gmail

What is something that people might be surprised to learn about you?
I am a professional Formula Dodge Race Car Driver and I do Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
I love writing books and mentoring other business owners and would do it even if I didn’t get paid to.

Business Name:

Website URL:
www.DarrenLaCroix.com

Year Founded:
1998

Number of Employees:
2

What does your company do?
We help others to improve their presentations skills, add more humor to their presentations and start their own speaking business. Also I am a keynote Speaker. I speak to associations and corporations of all levels on the topics of humor and business including marketing with YouTube.

Was there a specific turning point when you realized your business was moving to the next level?

When I won the World Championship of Public Speaking in 2001.  It added to my credibility and gave me international recognition.

What processes or procedures have you implemented that have helped grow your company?
I committed to marketing myself on YouTube. I now have over 440 videos that bring me qualified traffic everyday and it adds to my bottom line.

What is most rewarding about running your business?
When I see the ah-has in the eyes of my audience. Also, I get to determine my own income.

What challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them?
I have had countless business challenges. I overcame each one by seeking advice from mentors. and being smart enough to do what they told me even when it was uncomfortable.

If you were starting over today, what would you do differently?
I would invest more in my own business education.

What advice do you have for other business owners?
Don’t try to do it yourself, invest in experts it will save you money.  Never think you know it all.  Always serve your clients/customers, Crave feedback from your clients/customers.  Constantly increase your influence.  Position yourself as the expert because if you do that successfully, marketing becomes easy.

Please list any favorite books, tools or resources (software, website, etc.) you would recommend for others:
Alan Weiss- Anything he has written!  Practice Pay Solutions Shopping Cart:  https://www.practicepaysolutions.com/our-solutions/ecommerce.html
My YouTube it!- DVD: http://darrenlacroix.com/online-store/video-dvds/profit-from-free-web-video/

What is something that people might be surprised to learn about you?
I am an open book.

Here Are 4 Check and Correct Situations

1. Remember that both quality and quantity count to increase your credibility as the go-to-person in your niche.

Do you wonder if they will ever come? Don’t quit too soon. I did 5 years ago. Then, I created a new blog marketing plan. I replaced my article marketing at ezinearticles.com and other sites with a new business. I wrote to educate and entertain my book writing and business marketing audience so they could make money from their craft. Why? Because of three payoffs.

Payoff One. Blog pages have a higher potential to rank in Google searches, and my already good traffic soared and over doubled the last two years. I check these numbers each month with Google Analytics. You can too.

Payoff Two. By sharing new blog posts with other professionals in the book and business fields, I reached new audiences who appreciate my how to’s and visit my site. Now, I am a guest blogger for 10 leaders in the field. Just this month I posted one blog article on LinkedIn with John Kremer that brought a good amount of new traffic. Over 130 a month become subscribers to my site. That’s important. Because…

Payoff Three. You have a leg up on staying in touch every week or so with your audience, enjoying their blog comments, and continuing to convert sales to much bigger numbers.

2. To stay in the high traffic zone, increase your blog postings to at least 2 a week.

If you are only blogging once or less a week, and are not submitting your blogs to Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn groups, you will miss out on building your community and eventually getting sales. This information came from a Social Media report with graphs showing the difference in results, but it also just makes good sense.

3. Increasing your quantity will keep your name in internet lights.

Use a professional writer or book coach to check and correct obvious errors and find out what will engage and hook your audience to read the whole article. If your audience turns away from boredom, you will lose them for sure. From my own experience, 10 points in a blog is plenty. If you are going for under 600-700 words per blog, divide and conquer! My own example–Using my 1800 word “Book Marketing 10 Mistakes and Solutions.” I produced three shorter and easier-to-read blogs with specific keyword rich titles that Google loves. Writing 3 related same category blog posts increases your chances to show you as the trusted authority and please Google at the same time.

Stimulate your Sleepy Muse. To produce new, juicy articles, just copy and paste old or borrowed ones into your writing program such as Word. Use only some of the former blog, and add your own hook and how to’s and end it by repeating a few benefits. When you add your own wisdom and specific examples, you make it irresistible for new eyes to notice and finish. Remember, you want them to comment and subscribe to your blog.

4. Get professional feedback on your first five blogs.

Make your audience so happy they’ll never leave you or ask for a divorce. You don’t know what you don’t know, so incorporate a coach’s instructions on a best beginning, middle and end of your blog, because you don’t want to ramble and repeat yourself. The one writing sin we all relate to is “redundancy.” We don’t like it and take it as “talking down” to us. My own rule of thumb–write one blog in one hour. Finish the draft the next day when you have a fresh mind. Follow that by sharing it with a savvy writing person who knows your game and will give you appropriate editing. The third day, you can be proud and sure that your blog will win the hearts and minds of your audience.

Brainstorm your first five blogs with a writing coach, and in just one session, like my client Jeanne, generate 7-10 Blog titles and get one blog developed enough to get final editing on. This takes about 40 minutes.

When you follow these tips you’ll generate fame and fortune because you will stand out from the crowd. When you don’t follow them, you’ll generate results you may not be happy with. Working alone will not produce a quality blog, even for professional writers. Now you know that blog feedback will make you more confident in your writing, and take you to new heights in your visibility and credibility.

What skills and actions you hadn’t thought of did you get from this blog? What will you incorporate in your future blogging? When you want more fresh how to blog writing and marketing tips, join Judy Cullins, 25 year writing and book coach, publisher of 14 related books, at http://bookcoaching.com/help-writing-a-book.php

Author Bio:
Book and Blog Coach Judy Cullins helps you transform your blog into an income stream for life. Author of 14 books for business people and authors includes “LinkedIn Marketing: 8 Best Tactics to Build Book and Business Sales,” and “Write your eBook or Other Short Book Fast!” Judy offers free, weekly publications on writing and online marketing.

Sacramento, CA, February 15, 2012 – Best-selling technology author Karl Palachuk announced today that he will be holding a 3-day online conference for computer consultants in June. The conference will focus on building successful business processes and will feature some of the best business and technology speakers in the U.S.

The online conference – Managing for Success 2012 – is the first event of its kind targeting technology providers and computer consultants. The conference registration and information site is at www.smbonlineconference.com.
“We have a great line-up of speakers,” said Palachuk, “Including several international super stars from the worlds of marketing and technical innovation.”

Two of the keynote speakers are Stephanie Chandler and Patrick Schwerdtfeger. Chandler is the author of seven books, including Own Your Niche on the Internet and Beyond (Authority Publishing, 2012). Her Business Info Guide web site – www.BusinessInfoGuide.com – is an extremely popular destination for small business owners. Patrick Schwerdtfeger is an internally recognized authority on social media marketing and the author of several books, including Marketing Shortcuts for the Self-Employed (2011, Wiley).

Other speakers include some of the most influential pioneers and opinion leaders in the world of technical consulting. But this is not a technology conference, says Palachuk. “This is a business focused conference for I.T. Professionals. We want to help computer consultants to be better business people, with a vision for the future and strategies for success.”

“That’s why we named the conference Managing for Success 2012,” he says. “Conference sessions will cover managing a business, marketing a business, creating standard operating procedures, building a strong team, and even buying up your competition.”

The conference is online only and will run 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on June 26-28, 2012. Attendees can choose to listen live or also have access to the recorded sessions. In all, the conference will broadcast eighteen hours of programming in three days.

The online format is new for this kind of conference, says Palachuk. “We’re well into the fourth year of a recession and the large national I.T. conferences just haven’t had the turnout they used to. People have smaller budgets. Consulting companies are stretched thin. So an online conference saves time, travel, and money. It also means we don’t have to charge as much since we’re not paying for hotel meeting rooms and catering.”

Palachuk will start each conference day with a presentation of the “theme of the day” and then provide a discussion of some standard operating procedures related to the theme of the day. Palachuk is a prolific blogger and is well known for his SOP Friday series at smallbizthoughts.com. The SOP Friday series picks one topic each week and explores the standard operating procedures that technology consultants might adopt.
To learn more about Managing for Success 2012, visit www.smbonlineconference.com.

About Karl Palachuk
Karl is an author, speaker, and trainer who focuses on helping computer consultants and I.T. Professionals improve their business practices. He is widely regarded as someone who provides click-by-click instructions on how to be a successful technology consultant.

Karl is the author of nine books (available at SMBBooks.com). His blog – SmallBizThoughts.com – has more than 40,000 visitors a month and is considered a training resource for many I.T. consultants. The blog has experienced an audience growth rate of almost 600% over the last year.

Karl has been named SBSer of the Year by SMB Nation; he has been on the MSPmentor 250 list every year since it was started; and was named to the SMB 150 list by SMB Technology Network (SMBTN) and SMB PC magazine.

About Small Biz Thoughts
Small Biz Thoughts is the training and content division of Great Little Book Publishing Co., Inc. Their programs are geared specifically for the Managed Service Provider and SMB Consultant communities. Their focus on future trends has helped them to build a reputation as a trusted advisor to fans and friends around the world.
Media Contact:
Karl W. Palachuk
916-248-4301
sales@smallbizthoughts.com

Business Name: 

Website URL:
www.unityfs.com

Social Media Links:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UnityFS

Year Founded
2008

Business Partners:
Edward Jones Investments
Matthews Insurance and Financial Solutions
The Law Office of Kristin Marshall
Carrazco and Associates CPAs
Greg Lang, CPA

What does your company do?
A free debt and financial counseling firm for consumers, homeowners, and businesses.

We work with one of the nation’s best law firms to specialize in debt negotiations and settlements, helping clients become debt free in a short time and save tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

We also have great money-saving resources for businesses, like enterprise zone tax credits and energy utility savings programs.

Was there a specific turning point when you realized your business was moving to the next level?
When I saw a tsunami of client need but literally almost zero firms that were providing the necessary education, information, and trustworthy services to fill that need.

What processes or procedures have you implemented that have helped grow your company grow?
Not growing.  It may sound counter-productive, but we’ve always managed to base our ethics, goals, and game plan based on filling clients’ needs and providing outstanding service above growth.  We designed our company so our reputation and having a positive client experience was the lifeline to our sustainability.

What are some of the best marketing strategies that have worked for your business?
Word of mouth and building relationships.  Providing free information and education to trusted financial professionals, like CPAs, Realtors, and Financial Planners, who then could provide our resources for their clients.  Know your business (and niche) like no one else, educate better than anyone else, serve your clients better than anyone else, and CARE more than anyone else – but don’t forget to share all of those things with a big audience so you’re not invisible.

Are there any ways that you have leveraged the Internet to grow your business?
Facebook has been great.

YouTube is a fantastic method of sharing information AND letting people see who you are and get a sense of you as a human being at the same time.

What is most rewarding about running your business?
Pulling someone off the wrong path, putting them on the right path, then in a very short time see them in a MUCH better financial position.  Its nice not only to see the numbers profoundly better in their favor, but to see the stress, the fear, and the damage it caused to their health and families, disappear once we’ve helped them.

What challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them?
Wow – there are a million.  In my business there is a lot of client fear, stress, lack of accountability, distrust, and a pattern of bad decisions.  No matter how much you help someone, they may be going through one of the darkest times of their lives and so its important that gratification is just helping and the job itself.  You have to love it.  We’ve countered skepticism in the industry with education.  Aligned ourselves with only the best professionals for credibility. Marketing and bringing clients in is always a challenge since we’re word of mouth, so we work twice as hard and make half as much to make sure the client is happy to overcome it.

If you were starting over today, what would you do differently?
Blast out my education on a much bigger platform, go national from day one, and do lots and lots of mass marketing and advertising!

What advice do you have for other business owners?
Be smart.  Don’t open a business just because you love it – open a business bc the CLIENT loves it, needs it, and wants to buy it from you.  Get LOTS of outside feedback. Have a smart, tangible business plan with specific goals and numbers.  Keep your overhead LOW as possible in the beginning.  Renegotiate EVERY single debt or contract you have.  And last one – if you’re consistently not making net profit then you’re not in business, so reevaluate and do something differently instead of waiting for a miracle.  I know STephanie is a big believer in this and has a new book about it – know your niche and your clients and make sure you’re far and away the BEST in that niche!

What is something that people might be surprised to learn about you?
EVERYTHING is negotiable.  The credit card companies, banks, investors have secrets and strategies that make sure that they ALWAYS win and that you, the consumer, small business owner, etc will ALWAYS struggle.  You have to know the rules of the game you’re playing before you can even have a chance of winning it, otherwise you’re throwing darts without a board.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
As a consumer, don’t be afraid to gather information.  Remember to think of things clinically – remove emotion from financial decisions.  Look at things big picture.

Keep in mind that one of the things they will and must do in order to pull off their crime(s) is to threaten you. Like with child molesters, your silence is imperative to their continuing activities.

They will inevitably tell you some version of, “If you don’t…(whatever)… you’ll lose your job” (or “never work in this industry again,” etc.).

To quote politician/actress Sheila James Kuehl from Screen Actor (Fall 1992):
“I often hear from men, ‘We don’t mean anything by it. It’s good-natured. It’s meant as a compliment.’ And many men believe that women receive it as complimentary behavior. But women think that men know this is creepy behavior and do it on purpose…if you don’t complain, they say, ‘See, it really doesn’t bother them.’ Of course, there is enormous pressure not to bother, to be a ‘good sport,’ to go along and get along.” Apparently, if you don’t tell, you are perceived to be endorsing such behavior. If you DO tell, you face a whole different set of circumstances.”

The implied (or voiced) threat, “If you tell, you’ll lose your job” or “never work in this industry again” is one that keeps many a scared sexual harassment victim quiet.

The reality is very different – if you tell, THEY will never work in that industry again. They know it, that’s why they make their threats big and frightening. To keep their victims quiet. Our silence is their priority. It is also our undoing.

As an employee (AKA underling, one of the little people, etc), you have no power. You have your job, some “financial security” (if any job can be said to be secure nowadays), your insurance (if you’ve got any), but no leverage. No control. You do, however, have one more thing – rights.

Every person has the right to dignity, respect, and the right to keep whatever self-esteem they can muster (not always easy if you are, for instance, working in the mailroom – the bottom rung on all corporate ladders), waiting tables, working as a sales person behind a department store counter, or as an extra on a soundstage, etc.

We are sometimes asked to pay a high price for our careers. The “dues” are tough. They can go on for a long time and, sometimes, we get no payoff, in spite of how much we’ve paid.

But no one, NO ONE, has the right to ask you to compromise yourself the way harassers routinely do. You owe NOBODY your skin.

No one, no matter what they have or don’t have the power to do for you, has the right to ask you to perform like a porno star before they will help your career. Professionals won’t ask you to do that. Those who ARE interested in your career will ask you to do your job well…and only that.

Reciting your rights won’t impress harassers. It might make them smile, however. They’ll think they have you scared.

Standing up for your rights, on the other hand, will impress them. It will prove to them that you are strong, a person not to be toyed with. It might also engender some respect, which they didn’t have for you when they harassed you. Think about it…

Keep in mind, also, that many harassers don’t have the power they would lead you to believe they have. It’s in their best interest (if they’re going to brutalize you) to make sure you believe that they have power. And lots of it.

It’s a game, never doubt it. Play the
game, if you can get good at it.

Your best play is to be strong, be ready to fight for your dignity and, if you can pull it off, you’ve got to convince them that what they (claim to) have isn’t so important to you that you’re willing to compromise yourself for it. They can’t buy you, bribe you, or scare you. When they really believe that, they’ll look for another victim who’s more easily scared.

Quoting, again, from the DGA’s sheet of Sexual Harassment guidelines (circa 1993 – old but still true):
“Sexual harassment is never justified. When faced with unwanted sexual attention, one has the right to refuse such attention and the responsibility to state clearly what is acceptable. Sexual harassment is not the victim’s fault, it is the fault of the harasser …The fact that a person responded when harassed does not preclude the fact that harassment existed and he/she is still protected by the law. This is most easily proven if the other person is in a hiring/firing position in relationship to the victim’s job, but the law supports the victim regardless of what positions each person holds…It is against the law to fire someone who has made charges of sexual harassment.”

Or withhold employment to them in the future – although that is what happened to me, and others I’ve known – the law notwithstanding.

Here are some actor’s rights, compliments of SAG’s Women’s Conference Committee, from the same era.
“On the set, if you need a body microphone (or other types of equipment on or near your body) – you are always allowed to ask for the assistance of someone you feel comfortable with to perform the task of “miking you.” (Such as your same sex wardrobe person)

Performers must receive PRIOR NOTIFICATION of any interview or audition requiring nudity and shall have the absolute right to have a person of the performer’s choice present at that audition.

When you see or become a victim of sexual harassment, DON’T IGNORE IT, DON’T PRETEND IT DIDN’T HAPPEN. Every action you take against this behavior means it is less likely to be repeated (against you or anyone else).

You have a responsibility to yourself to see that you are treated with respect in the job search and the workplace.

One more thing, if you’re an actor with an agent, go to them for help. Many small agents will be reluctant to give you that kind of time or effort (“I’m not your mother!”).

I’ve worked at Wm Morris, ICM, and many others. You can bet if one of their clients calls for help, they help. Why shouldn’t you have an agent who will aid you in fending off the vultures (AKA harassers)? Aren’t you of some value to your agency? (When harassment begins to interfere with your work, that SHOULD BE their business, too)

If you discover they will not be there to steer you through the minefield, get another agent. It is not asking too much for an agent to intercede when you are being attacked in a casting office or on a set. Anyone who thinks it IS asking too much, isn’t doing his/her job in taking care of you and fighting for their client’s rights.

To quote Nina Blanchard:
“The casting couch has been around for 1,000 years and actors have to be able to come to the agent to discuss incidents of it…it’s important that agents are willing to pick up the phone to make a complaint.”

One of your rights is the right to have an agent who cares about your welfare.

And, for those readers not in the show biz industry – arencha glad you’re not?

Author Bio:
Nance H. Parry is a writer, editor, photographer, graphic designer and more. Her new ebook How to Avoid/Handle/Litigate over Sexual Harassment can be found at http://www.booklocker.com/books/4397.html

The fact is that if you want to play a bigger game in your business, you’ve got to get on the court with better players.

Finding better players means that you surround yourself with people who know more than you do or, perhaps more importantly, people who are doing things differently than you are. For me, building friendships and alliances with other business owners who are driven to win has been essential. There is nothing I love more than brainstorming business ideas with smart people over a sushi lunch or getting together with my mastermind group and getting new perspectives on something that hadn’t occurred to me before.

I don’t want to surround myself with people whose businesses are stalled or who aren’t driven to improve their game. I want to surround myself with people who challenge me to play a better game.

Take a look at your networks and who you’re spending your time with. If you don’t have at least three business owners in your world who inspire you, go out and find them. Invite them to lunch or form a mastermind group and watch how much your game improves as a result.