Imagine This Scenario - Then Ask Yourself A Simple Question

Imagine this...

You're talking on your phone, pacing back and forth out on the front lawn. Enjoying a little afternoon sunshine. 

Minding your own business.

You look up and notice a silver sedan pull up to the curb.

A man wearing khakis and a dark blue polo gets out. He walks right up to you, asks your name and then gives you a stack of papers.

“Here, this is for you” he says. And just as quickly, he's gone.

You hang up the phone and start scanning the top page.

You've been sued.

You skim down to the section heading that says "Demand for Relief" and see you're being sued for over 2 million dollars.

How would such a scenario make you feel?

Would you be prepared?

Listen, we don't wish this on anyone, and our goal is not to scare you.

But the story is not fictitious. It really happened. And the guy who got sued is a true "nice guy" just like you.

Life is uncertain. Bad things can happen. But how you react depends upon how well prepared you are.

At Insurance Policy Centres we are insurance agents

And we’re committed to helping our clients protect and keep more of what they’ve earn so they can live the life they desire without the needless financial stress that would normally hold them back.

But let’s be clear.

This doesn’t mean we eliminate every financial stress out there. Things may still happen that make your heart jump. Like getting served a lawsuit while talking on the phone in your driveway.

But having a clear blueprint that mirrors your life values, and having a coordinated financial team watching your back DOES eliminate much of the financial stress and confusion people suffer.

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Too busy to think about small business insurance? Think again.‏

Without the right insurance coverage — even if your business is small — you are exposed to risks that could make it financially challenging should something unexpected occur.

Here are 5 things about small business insurance that may surprise you:

 

1.       It can cover more than you’d expect: accidental damage to the environment, product recalls, food damage from power outages, and more.

2.        Independent insurance agents are the key to getting the most for your money. They’ll customize your policy to fit your needs at a competitive price.

3.       Proof of insurance is often required for new leases, contracts, and vendor agreements.

4.       The type and cost of your policy depends on your location; number of employees; industry; experience in your profession, field, or business; and other factors.

5.       Certain types of insurance coverage, such as business liability and workers' compensation insurance, are required by law in some states.

Insurance Policy Centres is dedicated to helping you succeed by offering small business insurance.

Have you Developed your Best Contractual Risk Transfer Program?

Contractual risk transfer is a non-insurance contract/agreement between two parties whereby one agrees to indemnify and hold another party harmless for specified actions, inactions, injuries or damages. Risk transfer accomplishes objectives found in both risk financing (finding a source to pay the cost of a claim) and risk control (developing a means to avoid or lessen the cost of a loss).

The ideal use and true purpose of contractual risk transfer is to place the financial burden of a loss on the party best able to control or prevent the incident leading to injury or damage. Presumably, the entity(ies) directly and actively participating in the activity have the best opportunity to prevent or avoid the loss; thus they are contractually required to protect an "innocent" supervising or non-participating party from financial harm following injury or damage.

But how do you know you have the best contractual risk transfer program in place? Confirm with your trusted insurance advisor.

~ Uncle 'D'

Why Talent Isn't Enough

Today, talent is everywhere.  On the television, in sports, at the local ball field, and so on and so on.  Now, more than ever, there are tons of talented and bright people all around us. 

 

BUT…

 

Talent alone is NOT enough.

 

Understand that becoming great at anything requires experience, hard work, and time.   And, the sands of time can either wear down or polish.  It all depends on how you utilize your experience and what you do with your time, be it using it productively or letting it waste away. 

 

Why does talent fail?

 

Basically, because you can have all of the talent in the world, but unless you back your talent up with lessons learned from experiences, putting your goals into action, and using your time purposefully, then your talent won’t matter.

 

What is the most commonly overlooked factor of success?

 

Acquiring any skill requires constant and never ending improvement.  Progressing from “good” to “the best” requires hundreds of tiny improvements from day to day.  It doesn’t just happen by itself.  Never mistake anyone’s success or talent as luck or good fortune. 

 

Behind every GREAT talent, is a dedicated commitment to make

these tiny improvements every single day.

 

As Michael Jordan said, “Everyone has talent…But, ability takes hard work.”  Jordan didn’t even make his high school basketball team.  But, he didn’t give up.  He worked at relentlessly improving every day until he became one of the best in the history of basketball.

 

So, I’ll close with two questions to consider:

 

What key skill do you want to be great at?

 

What are you doing to make tiny improvements on it every day?

 

To Your Success,

~ Uncle 'D' 

What’s your Top 5 for this Week?

What would have to happen for you to have a successful week? What would you have to accomplish that would allow you to celebrate a very worthwhile 7 day performance?

One of the biggest challenges in the Sales business today is to stay focused on the “big rocks”. The question isn’t whether you’re working hard enough… the question is whether you are working on the things that are going to result in a successful career?

Here’s a great technique for making sure that happens. Every Sunday night make a list of your top 5 for the week coming up. For example, it could look like this…

Week of April 11 – April 17

1. Get up every morning Monday to Friday at 5 AM 
2. Start my prospecting on time at 9 AM – 11 AM – absolutely no distractions! Include my lead follow-up in that time 
3. Go through ALL the questions on the Groovv Offer script with the Johnson brothers on Tuesday – be well prepared for my initial discovery appointment with them on Thursday 
4. Call Jamie Smith Wednesday and handle her objection about “I want to wait a couple more months” 
5. Take a full day off on Sunday with Kathy and the grand-kids – do something fun

Conclusion:

Create a form for yourself that you fill out every Sunday. Remember, they don’t all have to be business items. Make them the top 5 items that are going to contribute the most to your success overall. Here’s the acid test question when you look at your list…

“Are these 5 items more important than anything else as I continue to create a better life for myself and my family?

Now don’t hide this list in a drawer! Have it in front of you every day – all day. Periodically ask yourself this question – “Is what I’m doing right now a part of this list? Do my current activities support the big picture items that made sense on Sunday night?” NO Excuses.

~ Uncle 'D'

Plan to Be Open for Business After a Loss

What are your organization's most important business functions? Are there pieces of equipment your organization depends on day in and day out? Are there suppliers that provide crucial materials or services that you simply can’t be without? Are there employees who possess specialized knowledge or skills that are essential to your business operations?
Loss control professionals refer to these items as “critical elements” to your success, and you should have a business continuity plan in place to restore these elements quickly after a disaster.

Start by Identifying Critical Elements
What happens when these critical elements are compromised because of a man–made or natural disaster? Unless you have identified the components and documented ways to overcome their absence, you would be in panic mode and your business could suffer severe financial losses. Business interruption insurance, coupled with effective business continuity planning, is your best defense.

Consider what would happen to a donut shop in the event that its fryer was destroyed. How would they continue to serve their customers? A business continuity plan would identify the fryer as a critical component and document ways to compensate in the event of a loss. For example, one option might be to develop a relationship with a commercial bakery in the area who might let you use its fryers in the off hours or subcontract the donut making to another shop in the area. What if the owner/baker was injured in an accident and could not return to work for several weeks. Who would make the donuts? A business continuity plan identifies the need for cross–training employees long before such a catastrophe would happen.

Business Interruption Insurance
Added to your property/casualty policy, business interruption insurance provides business income lost as a result of an event that interrupts the operation of your business, such as a fire or natural disaster. However, insurance alone cannot ensure the viability of your business after such an event. Without a predetermined plan to resume critical operations, most organizations find it difficult to survive without their critical components.

It’s Well Worth Your Time
Whether you are a donut shop or a manufacturer, a service business or a contractor, EMC loss control professionals can help you identify your critical elements and recommend possible actions to take now or after a loss to resume operations as quickly as possible. Using the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety Open For Business planning tools, you can easily document your business continuity plan.
Identifying critical elements and determining appropriate action steps can be a complex and time-consuming process. However, the time invested can reduce the stress and confusion you’ll face after suffering a loss.

You’ll find the following business continuity planning tools and resources online:

• Supply Chain Management
• Disaster Planning App
• Open for Business Planning Tool

Five Surprising Landscaping Hazards

Last year, a landscape worker in Missouri suffered a traumatic brain injury when a tree collapsed on him. In Pennsylvania, firefighters had to save a landscaper whose leg was pinned between a running piece of equipment and a tree. Two Florida landscapers were electrocuted when their ladder touched a power line. Accidents like these are common in an industry that uses heavy machinery, sharp blades, ladders and boom trucks. But this coming season you can add five more hazards to the list: heat stress, overexertion, hearing loss, hand-arm vibration syndrome and chemical exposures.

1. Heat Stress
The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration identified heat as the No. 1 weather-related killer countrywide, claiming more lives each year than floods, lightning, tornadoes and hurricanes combined. Although you can’t control the temperature, you can control how much exposure workers have to hazardous heat conditions. OSHA’s Campaign to Prevent Heat Illness in Outdoor Workers recommends establishing a complete heat illness prevention program that includes:

• Providing workers with water, rest and shade
• Gradually increasing workloads and allowing more frequent breaks to build a tolerance for working in the heat
• Modifying work schedules as necessary
• Planning for emergencies
• Educating workers about appropriate clothing when working in the heat
• Training workers about the symptoms of heat-related illnesses and how to prevent them
• Monitoring workers for signs of illness

OSHA’s Heat Safety App and NIOSH Fast Facts: Protecting Yourself from Heat Stress provide even more valuable information and tools to prevent heat-related illness in outdoor workers. 

2. Overexertion Injuries
With constant lifting, digging, twisting, turning and carrying, landscape workers are prone to overexertion injuries. EMC loss control professionals recommend the following measures to successfully reduce the incidence and severity of these types of injuries:

• Optimize storage practices by storing heavier equipment and materials in the lifting “power zone” between the knees and the shoulders.
• Invest in tools and equipment designed to minimize or eliminate manual handling.
• Instead of focusing on safe lifting techniques, train your employees to think before every lift by asking, “What would have to change so I didn’t have to lift this at all?” Then, have them submit their ideas.
• Rather than telling employees to be more careful the next time they lift heavy objects, take time to investigate the root cause of each injury. Finding a permanent corrective action is much more effective than simply telling employees to be careful.

3. Hazardous Noise Exposure
A Colorado professor recently found 95 percent of urban tree service workers worked in conditions that exceed the OSHA or the NIOSH limits for on-the-job noise exposure. EMC recommends the following tips for good hearing health:

• Have the appropriate hearing protection on hand.
• Require an annual hearing test for workers exposed to over 85 dB over an 8-hour shift.
• Make sure protective equipment fits and maintain it properly.
• Train employees to alert supervisors if they experience humming or buzzing in their ears.

4. Vibration Injuries
Many tools used in landscaping present vibration hazards. Repeated exposure to vibration over time can cause damage to muscular, nervous and vascular systems. OSHA offers the following strategies to reduce the impact of vibrations on landscape workers:

• Replace high-vibration tools with low-vibration tools when possible.
• Maintain machines in proper working order. Unbalanced rotating parts or unsharpened cutting tools can give off excessive vibration.
• Arrange tasks so workers can alternate between vibrating and non-vibrating tools.
• Restrict the number of hours a worker uses vibrating tools during the workday. Allow employees to take 10- to 15-minute breaks from the source of the vibration every hour.
• Train workers about the hazards of working with vibrating tools. Instruction should include the sources of vibration exposure, early signs and symptoms of hand-arm vibration syndrome and work practices for minimizing vibration exposure.
• Instruct workers to keep their hands warm and dry, and to not grip a vibrating tool too tightly.

5. Hazardous Chemicals
Lawn care chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides can be safe when handled and applied correctly. However, improper handling and application present risks to landscape workers and to those who live and work near the chemical-exposed property. Immediate injuries from caustic or acidic chemicals include irritation and burns as well as damage to internal organs. Over time, unsafe exposures may create long-term illnesses. Before handling any chemical, always read the label and the SDS. The label includes information about proper mixing, PPE, application instructions and warnings. It also usually contains first aid information in case of accidental exposure. Remember to take precautions when storing chemicals as well. Every chemical is different, so it’s important to read all labels. OSHA has two resources to assist organizations with keeping their workers safe from exposure to hazardous chemicals:

• Transitioning to Safer Chemicals: A Toolkit for Employers and Workers
• Annotated Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs)

The Best Way to Lead

Today, I want to share some secrets with you:

• People don’t go as fast as they can.
• They don’t work as hard as they can either.
• They aren’t as disciplined as possible.
• They aren’t as positive-minded or enthusiastic as they can be.
• They’re only as fast and disciplined and positive as you are.

As the leader, you set the pace.

 

You create the standards.

 

The speed, quality, and culture of the pack are determined by the leader.

 

That means the most important, but also the most underused and violated principle of leadership, is leading by example.

 

If you really want to have leadership influence, you have no choice but, to be the change you want to see in others.

 

Leadership is less about the words that come out of you and more about what exists within you.

 

Is there a behavior that is rotting the teeth of your business and ruining its health?  If so, what can you do to change it?

 

“The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example.”

—John Wooden

To Your Success, 

~ Uncle "D"