Utah Woman Receives Assistance Dog to Help Restore Self-confidence, Increase Movement and Stability
“Yalinda’s support provides me with a renewed level of self-confidence.”
Plain City, UT – Plain City resident Glenna Foremaster has a new helper by her side, and she comes with a cold nose and a warm heart. Glenna recently graduated from two weeks of training and received her second service dog from Canine Companions for Independence, a non-profit organization that breeds, raises and trains assistance dogs for people with disabilities.
Glenna has Spina Bifida and is paralyzed from the knee down. She was matched with a service dog named Yalinda, a two-year-old black Labrador Retriever, who has been professionally trained in over 40 commands to make life a little bit easier for Glenna. Yalinda will assist Glenna by picking up dropped items, turning on and off lights, opening and closing doors and drawers and other tasks that will enable her to live a more independent life.
Glenna graduated with Service Dog Yalinda after completing an intense two-week Team Training course at Canine Companions’ Southwest Regional Center in Oceanside, CA. During Team Training, students are strategically matched with assistance dogs and learn how to work with them safely and effectively. Though costs to breed, raise, train an assistance dog and provide ongoing support to the team are estimated at $50,000, Canine Companions assistance dogs are provided free of charge to recipients.
Glenna says that her new partnership with Yalinda has given her renewed self-confidence. Yalinda will accompany Glenna to work daily, assisting her and also providing constant companionship and support. A photo of the new team is attached!
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About Canine Companions for Independence
Canine Companions for Independence provides expertly-trained assistance dogs to children and adults with disabilities. Established in 1975, Canine Companions has six training centers across the country, including two in California, one in Florida, Ohio, New York and Texas. Canine Companions is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its dogs, and the quality and longevity of the matches it makes between dogs and people. Although the price to raise, train and provide ongoing support for our dogs is estimated at $50,000, we provide our assistance dogs free of charge to recipients. For more information, call 1-800-572-BARK or visit www.cci.org.
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AMY BARNETT, CCO, THEGRIO AND EVP, DIGITAL OF PARENT COMPANY ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS PUBLISHED AN OP-ED TODAY ADDRESSING THE INJUSTICE OF THE ALABAMA ABORTIONS BAN AND ITS OVERALL RAMIFICATIONS ON AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN
Last week, Alabama and other states enacted a law that makes performing abortions, even in cases of rape or incest, a felony unless a pregnancy seriously risks a woman’s health. The most strict abortion bill in the nation criminalizes the procedure to the point licensed doctors who perform an abortion could face up to 99 years in prison.
As a growing number of Republicans are distancing themselves from new state laws banning the vast majority of abortions, Amy Barnett transparently addresses Alabama’s abortion ban with a human and political voice. "As horrific as the Alabama bill is, it’s just the beginning of control over us, our bodies and our decision-making rights. The women of this nation cannot be silent at this pivotal moment, and as a Black woman, it is my duty to speak up for us, because we will bear the brunt of this backwards march into our sexist history," Barnett states.
For full Op-Ed, click here.
About Amy Barnett
An award-winning content and branding expert, Amy DuBois Barnett has held senior leadership roles at ESPN, Ebony, Harper's Bazaar, Teen People, Essence and Honey magazine. She is currently the Chief Content Officer for TheGrio, a leading digital media brand that serves the African-American audience, and EVP, Digital for Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios, TheGrio’s parent company.
Barnett has appeared weekly as an on-air correspondent for CNN’s American Morning and has been featured on many national television shows including The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, The Early Show, The Katie Show, Nightline, and on various programs on MSNBC, VH1, MTV and BET.
Barnett has a B.A. from Brown University, an M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing from Columbia University and a certificate in Fashion Merchandising from Parson’s School of Design. In 2014, she served as an Adjunct Professor of Management & Organizations at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management where she taught a class on digital media and marketing. Barnett was on the board of the American Society of Magazine Editors for three terms, was a member of the Communications Coordinating Committee of the American Heart Association, and currently sits on the Brown University Media Relations Advisory Council.
For her work as a journalist and creative writer, Barnett has received the Trailblazer Award from the New York Association of Black Journalists, an Aldo award for fashion journalism from the Fashion Association, and a Hurston/Wright award for creative writing.
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Monday, May 20th Stories:
Surviving That Tough First Year: 15 Smart Habits for New Consultants
Elaine Biech shares best practices for staying successful (and sane!) as you get your consulting practice off the ground. Adopt these smart habits today—you'll thank yourself a year from now.
Hoboken, NJ (May 2019)—So you finally took the leap and started a new career as a consultant (or maybe you're still standing on the precipice). Either way, congratulations! You're in for the adventure of a lifetime. But don't underestimate the challenges: The work is hard, the hours are grueling, and if you don't stay focused and organized, you could fail. In fact, according to Elaine Biech, how you handle that tough first year may set the course for your entire career.
"Getting started is the hardest part," says Elaine Biech, author of The New Business of Consulting: The Basics and Beyond (Wiley, May 2019, ISBN: 978-1-119-55690-9, $30.00) and its companion workbook, The New Consultant's Quick Start Guide: An Action Plan for Your First Year in Business (Wiley, April 2019, ISBN: 978-1-119-55693-0, $28.00). "Surviving your first year isn't as much about the work you do as it is about the way you run your business and the way you take care of yourself."
Biech says working for yourself is a dream come true, but the demands it places on you can be overwhelming if you're not prepared. You need to start forming good, sustainable habits right off the bat. In fact, it's your habits that will make or break your new business. They ensure that your enterprise runs smoothly and help you make the best use of your time.
While both of her books are invaluable for new consultants, Biech says her workbook—with its checklists, assessments, templates, financial forms, and thought-provoking exercises—can be especially useful as a blueprint for your start-up. Here are a few of its tips to help you get started on the right foot.
Manage Your Health—Both Physical and Mental
Get a healthy lifestyle established now. It's not easy to eat well and exercise when you're working 60 to 80 hours a week. If you don't make it a priority right now, you'll find yourself grabbing fast food and living at your desk. The first step is to get mindful: Do your eating habits need improvement? Schedule regular exercise (even if it means adding a 20-minute walk to the end of your lunch break). Also get plenty of sleep both at home and on the road, with the help of an eye mask, cozy pajamas, and earplugs if necessary.
Find ways to manage stress. Take note of what causes you stress and be sure to mitigate those factors as much as possible. For example, if you feel under siege from being on several conference calls back to back, spread them out over the course of a week. It's also wise to have a game plan for dealing with stress when it does strike. Create some sort of routine to help you relax and wind down, whether it's practicing yoga, going for a long walk, or meditating.
Manage Your Time
Prioritize big jobs. Work on several large projects rather than dozens of small projects. You use a great deal of time traveling from one client to another, remembering names, and getting up to speed on a project. Biech advises focusing on large organizations (think Fortune 500 companies). They have more available work, greater ability to pay, and more chances for repeat work.
Do the hardest tasks first. Do some tasks challenge you more than others? Do you sometimes feel uncomfortable? Do you feel unqualified to complete an action? Well, get used to it. You will be expected to do many things that are not easy. Suck it up. Just do it. Do the hardest thing first. Imagine how good you will feel when the hardest one is over for the day.
Manage cash flow with timely invoicing. "Timely invoicing is the only solution to cash flow dilemmas," says Biech. "To be paid, you must invoice your clients in a timely manner. The same day isn't too soon. In the beginning, it is likely that you will not have staff to invoice your clients; it will be your job. Keep an invoice template on your computer for clients who will incur repeat billings. Keep a generic template for all the rest. It saves the time of starting a new one each time."
Adopt some time management "best practices." Set your priorities first thing in the morning; identify your best time for writing, best time to make telephone calls, and so forth; use waiting and travel time to make lists, listen to podcasts, balance your checkbook; handle each piece of paper only once; set deadlines; take short breaks often; minimize interruptions; set deadlines.
Establish Good Business Habits
Charge what you are worth. Know what you are worth and make that amount your rate. If you are not currently charging what you are worth, make adjustments sooner rather than putting it off. (Just give your current clients a six-month advance notice before changing your fee structure.)
Track your spending. Track expenses carefully either with an app or begin with a simple filing system for paper receipts. (No, your pockets do not qualify as a good filing system.) This ensures that you will always know where the receipts are located when you are ready to prepare an invoice.
Market all the time. Marketing ensures that you maintain an adequate flow of clients to keep you in business. In the beginning, you may need to market yourself tirelessly. The great news is that there are plenty of marketing tactics that are simple to execute and either free or very close to it. (See attached tipsheet for some budget-friendly marketing tactics.)
"Remember that marketing is a 24/7 thing," adds Biech. "Every experience with every client, every conversation with a colleague, every visit to a professional meeting, every comment to a friend is a marketing event. As a consultant, you are always selling yourself."
Delight your clients. Always provide more than you promise. Build trust by being transparent, accurate, and dependable. Send them books or articles you think they will enjoy. Mail them greeting cards for no particular occasion. These are all ways to let your clients know that you value them and their business. Your projects will end, but the relationships will continue.
Add copyrights to all original documents. "There may come a time when you will find your original work floating around in an organization or being used by another consultant," says Biech. "If your integrity is ever questioned, a dated copyright on your material protects you and your work."
Take Advantage of Being Your Own Boss
Create balance in your life. Once you become your own boss, figure out what's most important to you and make time for those things. Maybe it's family, or spirituality, your social life, or even elements of the work itself. The key is to arrange your life so that no important part of your life is overlooked in the name of work.
Make up your own rules. This helps you maintain the balance you strike between work and the rest of your life. Create rules that hep you keep your business in perspective. Tell yourself, If it's not done by 6:00 p.m., it can wait until tomorrow. Or make it a rule that you always spend Saturday morning with your children.
Find ways to enjoy working from home. Take a walk in the late afternoon; eat lunch on your picnic table in the backyard; work from your deck while you enjoy a glass of iced tea; go for a midday gym workout.
Identify other interests besides work. Don't let work consume your entire life. Make time to take up a new hobby or learn a new skill. Go hiking. Take a gourmet cooking class. Write poetry. Refurbish a classic car. Study your heritage and develop your family tree.
"Your first year of consulting will be a time of tremendous change and growth," concludes Biech. "Help yourself along by forming habits early on that will help you succeed. The more initial effort you put into setting up a thriving business now, the more you can enjoy your work life in the years to come."
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30 Budget-Friendly Marketing Tactics for Consultants Just Getting Started
Excerpted from The New Business of Consulting: The Basics and Beyond
(Wiley, May 2019, ISBN: 978-1-119-55690-9, $30.00) by Elaine Biech
When you're just starting out as a new consultant, your number-one priority should be marketing. You want to make a name for yourself, enhance your image, and build your reputation. But you have little money! What can you do to find clients and persuade them to choose you? Don't worry, says Elaine Biech. There are lots of marketing tactics that are simple to execute...and either free or very close to it.
Keep reading for 30 tips to help you get your foot in the door of the consulting industry (and get a leg up on the competition too!).
1. Attend professional conferences to network. Take a bundle of business cards. Give everyone two cards: one to keep and one to give away.
2. Join your professional organizations.
3. Plan to meet three new people in every networking situation.
4. Contact your college roommate and ask for an introduction to an organization.
5. Submit press releases to the media regarding your major consulting engagements, awards, published articles or books, or appointments.
6. Agree to be interviewed on a podcast. Share it with potential clients.
7. Write articles for your professional journal. Contact the editor to obtain a calendar of topics for the year.
8. Ask your clients for referrals.
9. Create a mailing list and an email list. They should include everyone you meet in the line of business every day.
10. Blog regularly.
11. Invite potential clients to a mini-presentation to get an idea of your expertise and services. Sometimes called showcases, these are often held in local hotels where food and beverages are served to encourage a more social atmosphere.
12. Host a summer picnic. Buy T-shirts for your employees, colleagues, or even clients to wear at the picnic.
13. Create a list of success stories you have had with past clients, such as an effort that resulted in a savings of $3 million each year and shortened the time from concept to catalog by 11 months. Perhaps they could be used as case studies on your website.
14. Find a reason to call special clients.
15. Every time you meet a potential client, even a remotely potential client, follow up with a personal note.
16. Speak at civic and professional organizations' meetings and conferences.
17. Collect testimonials from customers, experts, or celebrities and use them to spice up your marketing.
18. Use your email signature line to promote a new service or a book you've just published.
19. When you are not given a project, send a thank-you note saying you appreciated being considered. Compliment them on their choice—your competition.
20. Send articles that will interest your present and potential clients.
21. Send a card for atypical holidays: Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Groundhog Day, or Independence Day.
22. Tie a client message to a holiday—for example, "We're thankful to have you as a client" (Thanksgiving Day), "We're lucky to have you as a client" (St. Patrick's Day).
23. Send a lumpy envelope for a holiday: a gourd for Thanksgiving, candy hearts for Valentine's Day, a four-leaf clover for St. Patrick's Day, a sparkler for Independence Day.
24. Send birthday cards for both people and companies.
25. Send "congratulations" cards for promotions.
26. Send personal, handwritten thank-you notes.
27. Pass your extra work on to a trusted colleague. It will come back to you.
28. Help your client locate other consultants who can do work you are not qualified to do.
29. Enter your projects in industry award competitions.
30. Use Google Hangouts, Zoom, Facebook Live, or YouTube Live to create and deliver free how-to-do-something videos.
You'll be surprised how quickly marketing your services becomes second nature. Some of these tactics might not seem simple or even doable at first, but great consultants are able to seamlessly blend many of them into their daily work. Before long, you'll feel like a seasoned marketing pro—and you'll have the business to show for it!
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About the Author:
Elaine Biech is the author of The New Business of Consulting: The Basics and Beyond. She is a dedicated lifelong learner who believes that excellence isn't optional. As a consultant, trainer, and president of ebb associates for more than 35 years, she helps global organizations to work through large-scale change and leaders to maximize their effectiveness. She has published 85 books, including the Washington Post #1 bestseller The Art and Science of Training. She is the recipient of numerous professional awards and accolades, including ATD's inaugural CPLP Fellow Honoree, ISA's Broomfield Award, and Wisconsin's Women Entrepreneur's Mentor Award. Elaine, a consummate professional, has been instrumental in leading the talent development profession during most of her career and has served on several boards, including ASTD, CCL, ISA, and others. She is a designer and facilitator for the online course "How to Build Your Successful Training Consulting Business" and has been featured in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Management Update, Investor's Business Daily, and Fortune.
Customizing all of her work for individual clients, she conducts strategic planning sessions and is particularly adept at turning dysfunctional teams into productive ones. As a management consultant, trainer, and designer, she provides services globally to public- and private-sector organizations to prepare them for the challenges of the future.
For more information, please visit www.elainebiech.com.
About the Books:
The New Business of Consulting: The Basics and Beyond (Wiley, May 2019, ISBN: 978-1-119-55690-9, $30.00) and its companion workbook, The New Consultant's Quick Start Guide: An Action Plan for Your First Year in Business (Wiley, April 2019, ISBN: 978-1-119-55693-0, $28.00), are available at bookstores nationwide, from major online booksellers, and direct from the publisher by calling 800-225-5945. In Canada, call 800-567-4797. For more information, please visit the book's page and the workbook's page on www.wiley.com.
