Fortunately, there are ways for you to make any crisis situation work to your advantage. You can also practice it to perfection. To get you started, here are some points to consider:

1. Take a pause and do nothing. Do not panic either. While it is noble to immediately act and rectify the problem, some womenpreneurs tend to be taken by their emotions in a roller coaster ride leading to horrendous results. So before you jump into the situation, try to take a step back, compose yourself, and see the problem from the outside looking in. This will help give you a better perspective and respond in a more effective and productive manner.

2. Consider consulting a reliable crisis management team for tough situations. This is even more so in situations that directly impact community or environmental standards. These firms know precisely what buttons to push and when to do it.

3. Confer with your own team particularly on internal issues or crisis situations involving product, service or brand. Do acknowledge that you cannot do everything in your lonesome. At this point, you will need everyone’s cooperation and ideas. As a rule of thumb, playing the blame-game will get your efforts nowhere. So, seek out your team’s help and find solutions instead of adding more to the problem.

4.  After weighing everything, it is time to pursue your planned course of action. Be proactive when managing a game-plan though. Always have contingencies in place. Make sure also to create identifiable measures to help monitor if the executed plan is effective or not.

5. Assess carefully the root cause of the problem, how it got blown out of proportion, and how it was being handled. Look at possible gaps in the measures being done. Through careful evaluation, you can prevent such crisis situation from recurring or device certain policies that could mitigate matters before they get worst.

6. Always maintain a positive mindset. Most womenpreneurs tend to consider a “worst case scenario” which is a good thing but not during a crisis situation. See mistakes and fiasco’s as avenues for improvement. Always believe that in every mistake lies the learning of how to do it right the next time around.

Indeed, there will always come a time for a crisis to crop up in a business. No matter how big or small, it is imperative to craft a robust crisis management system. In doing so, you can simply expect the unexpected and formulate solution to mitigate, if not eliminate, the issue at hand.

How many women in business have continued working even while being wheeled into labor rooms? Or have jumped back right to answering business queries a few hours after delivery? While maternity leave may sound next-to-impossible to womenpreneurs, there are actually some options in place to ensure that you do not sacrifice health and well-being while keeping the business afloat. To give you an idea, here are some key points shared by womenpreneurs across industries on how they survived the ordeal of pre- and post- partum challenges while running a business.

Maternity leave to womenpreneurs is a challenging process. Even with all the help a new mom gets, she will always find a way to exercise her entrepreneurial rights. A business is her baby, after all. But every once in a while, it is highly recommended to rest and to think of nothing but your own self. This will not only keep your health in check, it will also help keep your sanity.

1. Go into the specifics by breaking down your meal plan. Try focusing on a full dinner at least 3 nights a week. A healthy and complete diet usually includes a protein (meat or poultry), vegetable, and carbs while low-fat or Paleo requires you to skip the carbs. Try to cook in excess to have leftover nights every other day. On other nights, try simple meals like omelet, bacon and hot dogs, pre-seasoned chicken or meat for deep-frying, and so on. Or you may head to a local diner or a local farmers market.

2. Keep things fresh, simple yet delicious. There are vast resources for recipes online. Feel free to download apps like Big Oven, Yummly, AllRecipes, CookPad, Epicurious, and much more. Many of these apps list down ingredients, where to source them out, calorie count, and cooking hacks presented in video tutorial form.

3. Invest in a good stove or oven to maintain freshness and taste. Nuking food in a microwave may seem the easiest thing to do but it also carries a lot of risks. Note: Frozen leftovers must be thawed before re-heated to ensure safety, too.

4. Make plans for the week and do it ahead of time. Last minute cooking should be minimized at all cost. Consider planning on a Saturday then, do grocery and prepping for meals in pre-packed Ziplocs on Sundays. Feel free to cook the night before while the kids are already in bed. Re-heat them at least 30 minutes before dinner time.

5. When cooking, do it in big batches. Cook at least twice the usual in preparation for leftover nights or simply freeze them for another day. Make a broth out of your chicken bones and store in airtight containers then, freeze.  Preserve pickles and sauerkraut. Make your own mayo and ketchup. Have a slab of cheese handy. Those Jamon Iberico or Serrano also makes good kitchen investment.

6. When eating, we mean sitting down as a family, talking about each others’ day, exchanging ideas about the recently concluded elections, of the Supermoon, and all things some people may think as mundane. Part of the breakdown of families with both partners working or doing business is that communication seems to be focused on phone calls, emails, SMS, and perfunctory hi’s and hellos. Talking, laughing together, and exchanging ideas as well as sharing challenges when done in person always make it easier to handle.

7. Be flexible and best of all, stay positive. Though challenging, being both a mom and an entrepreneur is a privilege and must be dealt with joy and openness. Yes, you will grill a too-well- or not-so- done steak. You may even burn a few omelets and pancakes. Yes, you will lose some form of Nirvana but you will love it! Real food is love—especially when shared with family.

Economic experts have fearlessly forecasted 2017 to be swelling with new ideas and opportunities. Various sectors on the global landscape will be enjoying a more “mature” entrepreneurial environment partly due to the growing population leading to more demands for goods and services from housing to food, clothes, technology, support, research, and much more. Add to that the global clout of the Internet made even more available by smart gadgets—and voila!

So, what businesses are showing huge promise in the upcoming year? Noting positive market trends, the following businesses will definitely rock in 2017:

From the Americas to the Far East, the shift in shopping behavior to online has become more prominent over the years. It is said to blow-up in 2017 as more and more countries open their firewalls for free trade. This will be the perfect time for your unique local goodies to be showcased to the world and get the standing ovation they so deserved.

With a robust market, businesses will be expanding at a steady pace in 2017—and this means a swell in employment. While having its own HR team to do just that, companies will be keener in finding the best candidates. What better way to do that than by tapping a third party headhunting firm. These specialized units will tap on the right candidates capable to handle the tasks enumerated by the hiring company. If you have human resource management skills, starting an online consultancy firm will definitely be promising next year.

Correlating to the robustness of the economy and the aggressiveness of real-time reporting due to social media’s growing presence, companies will be padding its customer relations department, too. This will give rise to the number of home-based BPOs. While this may seem a boon to third world nations, local representatives will be at the helm of this outsourcing initiatives. Start by creating a team of experts and see how fast your venture will grow in a year’s time.

With the e-commerce business in full swing, logistic services will also come handy. Both inbound and outbound services will be needed to keep up with the growing demand of an equally growing market. So, why not turn this into a good business opportunity for you?

With the rise of online shopping, mobile gadget development, and growing Internet dependency by consumers, most brick-and-mortar companies will be required to have an online presence to handle real-time management and marketing needs. This will drive them to look for reliable web design and development experts to handle such huge online requirements. Such will also open huge opportunities for you to make good use of your coding and programming skills. Build a team of experts to cohesively handle all the business needs for best results.

Indeed, 2017 is going to be a promising year for everyone. It is high time to rethink about your business portfolio and to come up with new strategies. One can never go wrong with such an exciting year ahead!

The marketing concept— emotional branding—refers to the practice of brand-building which directly appeals to consumer’s emotions, ego, needs, and/or aspirations. Marketers and advertisers create an unseen bond between consumers and a certain product by provoking a particular emotion. The very foundation of this concept lies in the emotion-based ego-gratification centered at consumer needs. It is a fulfillment of one’s needs by way of delivering answers or solutions to problems while appealing to the emotion subconsciously.

Many brand bigwigs have mastered emotional branding resulting to cult following. It is important to note that such practice borders on the profound. Methods being used are often meant to trigger a powerful reaction from consumers. It is not a one-time deal though. Emotional branding requires consistency and constancy to build a lasting connection with consumers.

When it comes to leveraging consumer emotions, building a loyal and lasting following requires careful identification of your brand’s promise and personality. Of course, it must also highlight the perks and distinctive features of the products or services your brand carries—and how such features and benefits connect to the emotions of consumers.

Like telling heart-rending tales, emotional branding uses archetypal and universal feelings of guilt, fear, trust, security, competitiveness, love, sense of belonging, control, desires and passion, instant gratification, freedom, sense of relaxation, being stylish or trendy, and so on. Some brands, for instance, make use of consumers’ fear of being left behind or of not being able to spend time with a loved one as a central theme of a Christmas ad featuring their product. Other brands inject the “happy” appeal to their brands to celebrate the yuletide season. Whether appealing to negative or positive emotions, both concepts drive at getting an emotional response from their end-users in an effort to make a sale and to capture their loyalty in the long run.

Emotional branding is definitely putting consumers on a pedestal. To be able to show your consumers that such is the case, it is essential to decide carefully which emotion to target. In all emotional branding strategies, it is crucial to carefully identify and define your target market’s core emotional needs. Communicate this cohesively and make sure that you add a sense of encouragement on their part.

With the Internet and social media, consistent and timely communications must also be done accordingly to reinforce the said move. A cognitive element must also be added to the mix to boost appeal on emotional intelligence. Be reminded that you can easily lose consumers to strong emotional appeal without a cognitive element. This will allow a pinch of practicality which many consumers are so keen of these days.

Indeed, the concept of emotional branding has always proven to be an effective strategy. While old practices are still alive and kicking, new rules are being injected to the concept these days by virtue of online platforms and social media. Continue relearning the ropes of the trade by updating your branding strategy. Best of all, be consistent and constant to develop a deep sense of touch with your target market and convert them into avid followers in the long run.

Yes, being environmentally-friendly is good business. Aside from giving back to the environment, operating via eco-friendly means generate a culture of responsibility and selflessness proven to be endearing to conscious consumers. Apart from the benefits enjoyed, there are also important lessons to learn from becoming a “green business.”

1. Being environmentally friendly develops a sense of frugality to a business. Using LED lighting, for instance, drastically cut electricity bills and maintenance costs to a half. Other efforts like turning off the light or heating units when not in use or decreasing the number of air-conditioned units to utilize do not only cut carbon footprints but help the business save a lot of operation cost, too. Using emails and cloud platforms are also eco-friendly ways of saving paper, storage, and maintenance cost. Definitely, the effort of making one’s business “green” helps eliminate wasteful spending.

2. Your health and that of the rest of the planet is of utmost significance. In the drive to instill an eco-friendly culture for a business, you are actually supporting good health of the planet, everyone in your company, and the future generation. Cutting down on your carbon footprint will ultimately create a domino effect to your own life. You and your employees—and your families—will find your own selves engaging in such actions even in your daily lives. From eating healthy to recycling your waste to cutting on fuel dependency and using the equally eco-friendly stuff at home, you are indirectly promoting a healthier way of living.

3. Engaging in a green business allows you to be more open-minded and compassionate. It will change your outlook on life. You will begin to see the beauty of sourcing out supplies from local producers and, in effect, create a positive domino effect in the community where the business thrives. Such efforts also open opportunities for you to join a cause or an advocacy relevant to the business.

4. Crafting a green objective for your business will allow you to collaborate with others leading to productive efforts in keeping Earth a much better place to live. For instance, you can donate recycled cans and bottles from your restaurant to a group that builds homes using such materials.  Such change in mindset will allow you to put more value in everything about your business.

5. Being an environmentally friendly business allows you to realize that there is more to business than just earning the big bucks. Without a doubt using LED lights or recycling will lower your operational cost buffing-up your profit margin but beyond that, you begin to realize how your actions or inaction will greatly impact wildlife and the rest of humanity. Environmental conservation does not have any limitations or saturation points. No matter what positivity you give back to the environment and the living things thriving therein, the more remarkable things will also happen.

Without a doubt, the thought of engaging in green business by consuming less and recycling more allow you the biggest opportunities to learn. It will create a domino effect creating a huge impact not just on how you operate your business and influence buying decisions of your consumers but also ongoing through your personal day to day living as well as that of your employees. In doing so, this will also be passed down to your family, your employee’s family, your friends, business partners, the community where you thrive—raising a certain level of consciousness to make this world a little better.

Truth be told, this strategy has no place in today’s business arena.  This flawed leadership style does not only put employees in a state of anxiety and malcontent, it also hinders creativity, respect, and productivity. If you happen to be getting a lot of bad rap from employee feedback sheets, it is high time to have that paradigm shift via these tips.

1. Practice humility by fostering mutual respect with your employees. While you may still have full authority, it is imperative that you treat employees with respect. You need to understand that bosses do not have the monopoly to excellent ideas. Good leaders easily relate to their employees by being approachable.

2. Be constructive and compassionate. Yes, be ready to criticize but offer proactive solutions. It is easy to put the blame on employees but to humiliate or make them suffer is definitely out of the lead frame. When an employee makes an error, correct in private, encourage to do better, and to offer a solution to prevent recurrence. Brainstorm with everyone when mistakes happen and focus on key learnings as well as solutions.

3. Be appreciative. One of the biggest management problems today is the lack of appreciation to employees. Why is it so hard to say “thank you” or “good job”? Shout it out in your company’s social media pages if you may. Recognize them during weekly or monthly meet-ups. Incentivize such by offering free lunch or anything that will make them feel appreciated. This will help raise their spirits and encourage more productivity.

4. Be a role model by walking the talk. Character and value formation is often mirrored by employees. If you want them to be productive, work alongside them practicing what you preach. The values you pursue will eventually trickle down to your employees. Engagement as always starts with you on top.

5. Learn to have fun every now and then. All work and no play stunts creativity which, in turns, negatively impacts productivity. Infusing merriment like going on a fun team-building or group training will allow employees to develop camaraderie with their co-workers, loyalty to the company they work for, and more push to deliver excellent results.

6. Engage employees in the virtue of volunteerism. Crafting a culture of “giving back” to society will help open their eyes that there is more to the company than mere profit-making. Such sensitivity to other people or another marginalized sector will open employee consciousness to become better individuals and, in return, as better workers.

7. Learn how to practice the virtues of compassion, trust, respect, humility, and cooperation. Leadership is all about “giving” (or channeling) pieces of such virtues to others. Be reminded that you can only give what you have.

Fostering a healthy work environment, indeed, is no rocket science. To generate high performing employees, you need to strike them where it matters the most: their inner needs. Look after their happiness and tap on their inner strengths. In doing so, they will care more about their work and perhaps, even about you as their boss.

Studies have revealed that recycling has proven time and again to be an excellent practice that needs to be embraced by small-scale enterprises. Apart from the cost saved from recycling, these efforts also help improve public image thereby, attracting a huge following from equally environmentally conscious consumers and advocates. Additionally, such efforts also help to boost employee morale creating a positive domino effect within and outside the organization.

1. Create a checklist to identify the recyclable materials in your office or store. All businesses, big or small, have an enormous basket for recyclable waste like paper, computer ink cartridges, electronics, packaging stuffs, plastic, Styrofoam materials, and many more. This checklist will be your guide in preparing appropriate collection units for storage prior to selling or delivering them to recycling plants.

2. Carefully craft an initial collection strategy. Here, you will need to set-up waste bins and storage in a manner that’s easy and convenient for employees to utilize. Depending on your organizational setup or size, areas of disposal must be carefully designated with waste bins or storage carefully labeled.

3. A disposal method must also be established. You can have it collected or picked by a waste management company or perhaps, sell them to a recycle plant. There are many ways of doing so however, costs must considered when choosing the right one for your own recycling initiatives. You may want to consult a local waste management service or get in touch with a nearby recycling plant, whichever case may apply for your business.

4. Consider collaborating with other local businesses in the area. Your bakery’s margarine or butter container can be another business’ storage solution. Those shredded paper materials can be made paper mache masks or building insulation. The list could go on. What could be your trash is some other business’ treasure.

5. To ensure sustainable success of your recycling initiative, it is also important to raise awareness and educate your employees. You cannot enjoy the fruits of your company’s recycling initiatives without the cooperation of everyone. Train them on the salient points of garbage disposal. Let them commit to the initiative.

Does your company have any unique recycling efforts you wish to share to the rest? Drop us a line HERE. It is high time to do our share in ensuring that environmentally conscious capitalism thrives.

When planning to improve customer experience, it is high time to consider these ways:

Indeed, these ways are known for their effectiveness in developing positive customer experience. The key however, lies with proper timing and the right attitude of doing things. Be reminded that customer experience is still about forging a meaningful bond between your brand and its user-followers. Commit to make your product deliver positive impacts to its users and the society as a whole—and make sure to actively seek out opportunities to optimize such benefits.

If you try to search the net for a clear definition of a Customer Experience Officer, you will most likely end up befuddled. It’s an entirely new concept in such a way that it is closely related to the concept of User Experience. According to Wikipedia, it is the job of the “chief experience officer” (aptly labeled CxO) to take hold of the “overall user experience” of a business. On the CxO’s shoulders will depend the strategizing of user interface design of products and services as well as taking responsibility of other aspects like marketing, internal and external relations, community engagement, and communication as well as some aspects of HR relations particularly in training customer service reps.

Yes, it is going to be a tough call. Even when not a CxO but just part of the team as a Customer Experience Officer, this job is going to place you right in the eye of the storm. This is even more so nowadays when consumers are more active online allowing them to gain access on seemingly infinite sources of information. With consumers gaining traction by the minute with a simple tap on their mobile gadgets, this job is going to rock your world.

When thinking of building a career around Customer Experience, the following habits and skills will set you off in the right direction:

Tech-Savvy. As this job will most likely entail monitoring online customer experience, being tech-savvy is a must. One needs to be fully equipped with the right training and skills on digital media and subsequent quirkiness, from social media to everything that the Internet has to offer.

Now, do you have what it takes to be a Customer Experience Officer? If there’s a reason to believe that you are not, it is high time to reassess your options. Train to be one by learning new skills. Develop your inner savvy. By opening to the possibilities, you may end up where you truly wanted to be.