Charley Polachi, CEO of Polachi Access Executive Search, dictates his to-do lists.

Charley PolachiPolachi has co-founded three different executive firms.His current businessstarted in 2002.His secret weapon is remarkably low-tech and helps keep him focused:"When I drive to work or walk around Boston, you'll often see me speaking aloud," Polachi said. "And while many may look at it as if I'm speaking to myself, I'm actually using a dictating machine to create my 'to-do' items. Once in the office, I'll transcribe the list into a spiral notebook and prioritize the list."He breaks the list into groups:A. Must do, top priorityB. Hope to do, medium priorityC. If not done, no big deal, low priority"This is a weapon I've been using for years," he says."With the prevalence of smartphones, it's as easy as ever for someone to dictate notes and thoughts whenever necessary, but is still often overlooked. Being able to organize and prioritize the day is a skill most successful entrepreneurs exhibit."

Read more:http://www.businessinsider.com/business-owners-share-secret-weapons-for-success-2013-11?op=1#ixzz3Kbg65vbt

David Rodnitzky, CEO of 3Q Digital, treats everyone he deals with like a customer.

David RodnitzkyRodnitzky's3Q is a San Mateo-based digital marketing agencyfounded in 2008.Rodnitzky's secret weapon is treating every person and company he deals with in the same courteous manner that he would a client."Thinking about everyone as your customer has been our secret weapon," Rodnitzky says. "Clients, vendors, employees we treat them all like customers and make them feel like they matter (because they do!). As a result, we didn't hire our first sales person until Year Five of the business but have grown 95% year over year through referrals and word of mouth."That means even prospects get the sort of treatment that customers get, which has supercharged client acquisition."We were introduced to a company that was having trouble with some YouTube advertising," Rodnitzky says. "Although we had not signed them up as a client, we went ahead and sent our YouTube expert over to their office and helped them with their problem. We were successful in getting them up on YouTube. Since then, not only have they become a large client, but they've also referred us to five other clients."

Read more:http://www.businessinsider.com/business-owners-share-secret-weapons-for-success-2013-11?op=1#ixzz3KbgbiaEB

17 Small Business Owners Share Their Secret Weapons

MAX NISEN NOV. 18, 2013, 2:39 PM 169,780 1 FACEBOOK LINKEDIN TWITTER GOOGLE+ PRINT EMAILSara FellRunning a small business can be exceptionally rewarding, providing the opportunity to be your own boss and create jobs. But it's also incredibly difficult, and success or failure is yours to bear alone.For a little insight and inspiration, we talked to several successful, highly motivated small business owners to find out how they make it work every day.Founders and business owners from around the U.S. shared their "secret weapon" that's helped them succeed. For some, it's a must-have technology. For others, it's a key management technique or a personal productivity hack. In all, it's the thing that sets them apart and gives them an edge.

Jordan Schau, CEO of Pure Fix Cycles, uses analytics tool SumAll.

Jordan SchauPure Fixisa Burbank, California-based producer of customizable bicycles. Schau says his secret weapon for business success is SumAll, a tool for small-business analytics.It helps provide data on the impact of social networks like Facebook and Instagram, as well as analyzing the profit spread between wholesale and retail credit card purchases to see if customers were affected at all by a website relaunch."SumAll for us is simply a tool that helps us to quickly spot issues and make sure we are on the right track," said Schau. "It gives us immediate insights, which we can use to adjust our marketing tactics or implement other changes that help us serve our customers and grow our sales."Charley Polachi, CEO of Polachi Access Executive Search, dictates his to-do lists.

Charley PolachiPolachi has co-founded three different executive firms.His current businessstarted in 2002.His secret weapon is remarkably low-tech and helps keep him focused:"When I drive to work or walk around Boston, you'll often see me speaking aloud," Polachi said. "And while many may look at it as if I'm speaking to myself, I'm actually using a dictating machine to create my 'to-do' items. Once in the office, I'll transcribe the list into a spiral notebook and prioritize the list."He breaks the list into groups:A. Must do, top priorityB. Hope to do, medium priorityC. If not done, no big deal, low priority"This is a weapon I've been using for years," he says."With the prevalence of smartphones, it's as easy as ever for someone to dictate notes and thoughts whenever necessary, but is still often overlooked. Being able to organize and prioritize the day is a skill most successful entrepreneurs exhibit."Bobby Harris, CEO of BlueGrace Logistics, gives all employees access to the Twitter account.

Blue GraceBlueGrace, a Riverview, Fla.-based logistics franchise, has grown a whopping 394% since its founding in 2009.Harris, the founder and CEO,says his secret weapon is a culture that puts a premium on trust. He won't hire anyone he doesn't trust to access the company's files or social media accounts.The active Twitter account is used by all employees and isn't monitored by leadership.Everyone in the office, includingHarris, switch offices and cubicles with one another and leaves company information unlocked. At BlueGrace, Harris says employees are trusted to act like adults.Cinda Boomershine, founder and CEO of cinda b, uses the Kaizen Method.

Cinda BoomershineBoomershine foundedcinda b, a handbag, tote, and accessories company, in 2004.Her secret weapon is the Kaizen Method, the famous manufacturing system developed by Toyota, which focuses on continuous improvement and eliminating waste. It's completely changed her business, she says."We began implementing the Kaizen Method (Japanese for change for the better) several months ago," Boomershine says, "and it has dramatically improved every aspect of the business, from manufacturing the bags to developing sales collateral. It has also helped streamline our systems and processes, giving us a more predictable work flow and improved efficiency across the board.""Implementing this method wasnt easy change never is but in this case, it was well worth the effort," she says.Zack Silverman, co-founder of Kelvin Natural Slush, uses Square to process payments on the road.

Kelvin Natural SlushKelvin Natural Slush, a 4-year-old food truck and wholesale businessstarted by ex-lawyersZack Silverman and Alex Rein, has grown from one truck to selling their slushiesaround the country.For their core mobile business, Square has been absolutely essential.Our favorite app, one were huge fans of, on the retail side, is Square. I think Square is amazing," Silverman told us.For small businesses on the go, it's a better bet than traditional point-of-sales systems, he says."I think were a great example of how technology makes it easier for small businesses to compete," Silverman says. "Two years ago, we were looking at $2,000 touch-screen computers, and $2,000 sales software. Frankly, the touch-screen computers werent very good. Square came up with Square Register, which is free except for credit card fees, and now instead of $4,000 worth of software hardware, we buy $400 iPads. We put Square on it, take credit cards, and we can download reports. Its a big money saver."Sara Sutton Fell, CEO of FlexJobs, has no physical office.

Sara FellFlexJobs is an online jobs resource that focuses on jobs that offer a high degree of flexibility.Befitting a site that helps people find jobs that fit their personal schedule, she says her secret weapon is operating a virtual business without an office."A huge part of our success and a great secret weapon is going virtual as a business," Fell said. "Being a virtual company enables us (a) to focus on hiring the best people, regardless of location, and (b) empower them to work where (through telecommuting) and when (with flexible schedules) they are most productive."

David Rodnitzky, CEO of 3Q Digital, treats everyone he deals with like a customer.

David RodnitzkyRodnitzky's3Q is a San Mateo-based digital marketing agencyfounded in 2008.Rodnitzky's secret weapon is treating every person and company he deals with in the same courteous manner that he would a client."Thinking about everyone as your customer has been our secret weapon," Rodnitzky says. "Clients, vendors, employees we treat them all like customers and make them feel like they matter (because they do!). As a result, we didn't hire our first sales person until Year Five of the business but have grown 95% year over year through referrals and word of mouth."That means even prospects get the sort of treatment that customers get, which has supercharged client acquisition."We were introduced to a company that was having trouble with some YouTube advertising," Rodnitzky says. "Although we had not signed them up as a client, we went ahead and sent our YouTube expert over to their office and helped them with their problem. We were successful in getting them up on YouTube. Since then, not only have they become a large client, but they've also referred us to five other clients."Ali Pea, CEO of Forums Event Design and Production, fosters peer-to-peer recognition with a kudos board.

Ali PenaPea's company, which was founded in 2000 andruns events for tech giants like SAP and CISCO, recently landed on the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing companies.Her secret weapon is the way the company treats its employees, focusing on teamwork and ownership. One example is the company's "kudos board," where employees publicly congratulate each other when they've done well."The kudos should not go to the owners of the company but to the team members," Peasays. "Employees don't just want to be recognized by their managers, they want to be recognized by their peers as well."Employees are also encouraged to send out an email, recapping their events and highlighting how team members have helped and what they've done well."The most powerful tool for motivating employees is saying thank you," Peasays. "Most employees will value the recognition more than a raise or a bonus."

Read more:http://www.businessinsider.com/business-owners-share-secret-weapons-for-success-2013-11?op=1#ixzz3Kbgs10MK

Marc Brownstein, CEO of The Brownstein Group, operates by the philosophy 'evolve before you have to.'

Marc BrownsteinThe Brownstein Groupis the longest-running, independent, brand-communications agency in Philadelphia, entering its 50th year. Brownsteintook over 16 years ago from his father, who still serves as chief creative officer and chairman.Here's what Brownsteinhad to say about his secret weapon, passed down from his dad:"A simple notion that my father instilled in me is to 'evolve before you have to,'"Brownstein says."In our business especially, you can't wait around to adapt to new technologies and practices, you have to forecast, to move one step ahead of times and trends."It's one of the things that's helped the company stick around so long."The best example of this notion put into action was when we took a leap and founded Fingerprint Interactive in 1999," Brownstein said. "At a time when businesses were just discovering the need for these things called 'websites,' we launched the first digital agency in Philadelphia for building and marketing websites. Without a playbook, we created a digital practice that took off like wildfire and immediately set us apart from the pack. Microsoft was our very first client, and eventually Fingerprint Interactive grew large enough that we folded it back into Brownstein Group and became the fully integrated agency we are today."

Read more:http://www.businessinsider.com/business-owners-share-secret-weapons-for-success-2013-11?op=1#ixzz3KbhDOXSp

Fran Tarkenton, founder of smallbizclub.com

Fran TarkentonIn addition to being a former NFL superstar and Hall of Famer, Tarkenton is a serial entrepreneur, having launched 20 companies over the last 30 years. Most recently, he launchedsmallbizclub.comwith Office Depot, which serves as a resource and community for small businesses.Tarkenton'ssecret weapon is a focus on people, which includes asking them questions, listening to their responses, learning from those responses and applying them. He shared with us where he picked up this idea:The person I learned the most about business from was, in my opinion, the greatest entrepreneur thats ever lived: Sam Walton. We became great friends, and I ended up regularly riding in his pickup truck as he drove from store to store.I asked him question after question and just let him talk, absorbing his wisdom and thinking from decades in business."And when we were at the stores, I watched closely as he interacted with his employees he called them associates. He asked them what was selling and what wasnt selling. He asked them what they thought the company was doing well and what they would change. And he listened carefully and kept track of everything they said, so that when he met with the leadership, he presented them with specific, actionable ideas of what they might do next."No matter how big the company got, it was important to him to genuinely engage with and listen to every single employee. I try to run my businesses like that and thats just one of the many lessons I learned from talking to and watching Mr. Sam. It was a unique opportunity for me, and one that inspired both the way I approach business as well as the businesses Ive created."

Read more:http://www.businessinsider.com/business-owners-share-secret-weapons-for-success-2013-11?op=1#ixzz3KbhlYyj6