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Are you tapped into the Asian market?

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This invitation comes courtesy of SOB community member Mitch Arnowitz. You can’t build a successful business without expanding your horizons beyond your front door. Consider the huge market opportunity presented in Asia:

Think Asia, Think Hong Kong – “the largest Hong Kong promotional event in North America“ is being held in Chicago on June 10th, 2015.

Produced by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, this free symposium is connecting businesses in the US and Canada with Asia’s markets. Programming includes a visiting technology mission, business-matching meetings and a panel of industry experts who will explore the developments and opportunities in using RMB for payment, investment and Financing.

Mission topics include new materials for industrial/manufacturing applications and start-ups for tech acquisition.

Interesting sessions are planned that include company execs revealing how they’re using technological advancement in manufacturing to foster long-term economic development.

Speakers include Mr. James Thompson, GBS (Chairman and Founder, Crown Worldwide Group), Mr. Gebhard Rainer (President and Chief Operating Officer, Coach, Inc.) and Mr. Howard Tullman (Chief Executive Officer, 1871).

At Think Asia, Think Hong Kong, Successful Blog readers will learn:

  • How to collaborate with Mainland China on technology and R&D
  • How to sell to China and Asia through Hong Kong
  • How to ride the Chinese outbound investment wave

Find out more and register at: Think Asia, Think Hong Kong

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Think Asia, Think Hong Kong promotes Hong Kong as Asia’s central business district, the first stop for overseas companies entering the Asian market, and the global gateway to China. Follow us on Twitter @TATHK_USA, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Time for a Move to Boost Your Career?

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As the U.S. economy continues to gain momentum, rising employer confidence has led to stronger employment gains.

The job market performed exceedingly well in 2014, and it is not expected to let up this year.

Some cities are projected to experience faster job growth than others, and they are becoming increasingly popular destinations among job seekers.

If you are looking for a job, it is recommended that you give these cities a try:

U.S. Employment Outlook for 2015

According to data released by the U.S. Department of Labor, more than 2.95 million jobs were created last year, making 2014 the strongest year for job growth since 1999.

Unemployment rate slipped to 5.6 percent in December, which was significantly lower than the 6.7-percent rate recorded a year before.

This year, economists are expecting employers to become more bullish on employment, resulting in average monthly job gains of 250,000 to 300,000.

Some of the industries that will be seeing significant job growth in 2015 include the restaurant, retail, healthcare, finance and construction industries.

As mentioned in an article entitled “$800 Million Springfield Resort Casino to Create 2,000 Temporary Jobs“, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that the U.S. construction industry will add about 30,000 jobs this spring.

Top 5 Cities for Job Seekers

In a recent survey, Manpower Group asked 18,000 employers from 100 metropolitan statistical areas about their hiring plans for the first quarter of 2015.

Below are the top five cities for jobs in 2015, according to the survey.

Cape Coral, Florida

About 32 percent of employers in Cape Coral, Florida said that they will be stepping up their recruitment efforts. The city is known as one of the top cities for startup businesses, and it is experiencing rapid job growth because of its booming tourism and hospitality industries.

McAllen, Texas

Located at the U.S.-Mexico border, McAllen is home to major facilities belonging to big corporations such as General Electric and Nokia, thanks to the U.S.-Mexico tariff-free trade agreements. These corporations and other employers are fueling job growth in the city, with 29 percent of them projecting an increase in employment.

Deltona, Florida

Deltona ranked joint-third on the list with Grand Rapids, Michigan, with 26 percent of employers planning to hire. This city is producing many new jobs in the hospitality and professional services industries.

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids, Michigan is a hub for auto and aviation manufacturers, as well as office-furniture manufacturers such as Herman Miller. About 26 percent of employers in the city are expecting to hire more workers.

Oxnard, California

Oxnard, California is home to a major port between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and therefore, it is a city that is driven by international trade. 24 percent of employers from this city indicated that they will increase hiring.

Your ability to land a good job depends mainly on your work experience, academic qualifications and skills.

However, you can increase your chances of success by targeting potential employers that are located in a city with a high job-growth rate.

About the Author: John McMalcolm is a freelance writer who writes on a wide range of subjects, from social media marketing to careers.

Check your leadership with this one simple question

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By Lindsey Tolino

Have you seen Simon Sinek’s TED talk “Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe?” If you haven’t, go watch it now. If you’re short on time, I’d rather you watch it than read the rest of this post (but if you have time – come back!).

In Simon’s talk, he eloquently articulates great leadership. He states that leadership is a choice and not a rank. He asserts that followers sacrifice for their leader because they say their leader would do it for them.

Serving should be the hallmark of every area in your business. Serving doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game. In fact, we’re even more innovative and successful when we’re motivated to help others.

Great leadership is characterized by great service. And so, here’s the one simple question to check your leadership:

Who I am serving?

As a leader, every decision you make should serve others. But that doesn’t mean you should run your business into the ground because you’re sacrificing its health for the sake of those it serves. In fact, the opposite is true. Serving well means that you seek to run a healthy business so that you can sustainably serve people for the long run.

Similar to a mom who needs to take time to be healthy herself so she can better serve her children in the long run, you need to make decisions to ensure your business is healthy as well. This may mean closing your business for a week to remodel in order to better serve customers. Or it may mean closing down over the holidays to serve your employees. Or it may mean you taking a week of vacation to rest and recharge so you can better serve when you return.

Ultimately though, your leadership should be characterized by serving others. This should be evident in how you manage every aspect of your business:

  • Marketing shouldn’t be motivated by a desire to gain sales – it should be motivated by a desire to serve the customers who are looking for your products.
  • QA/QC procedures shouldn’t be motivated by a fear of being sued – they should be motivated by a desire to provide the best product possible.
  • Clean finances shouldn’t be motivated by fear of an audit or desire to get ahead – they should be motivated by a desire to have clean numbers so that the best decisions can be made to serve people well in the long-run.

These seem like small distinctions, but they are huge. They can be the difference between having a good company and having an revolutionary one.

It seems that few business leaders are motivated to serve people through every aspect of their business. You can be revolutionarily different by using your business as a tool to serve others.

Great leadership isn’t easy, but it’s simple – serve others well in every aspect of your business.

Author’s Bio: Lindsey Tolino comes alongside artisans, craftsman and people monetizing their passions to help them create healthy, structured businesses. She shares business musings and tips at ToBusinessOwners.com. Follow her on Twitter @LindseyTolino or connect with her on Google+.

Give your customers the same TLC as your prospects

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Have you ever tried this trick?

Next time you need phone help from a big, faceless corporation, when you hit the dreaded voicemail tree, dial sales instead of customer support.

See how fast they pick up? Yep. If you are a prospect, you are treated like a king, while current customers are shunted into the Beetlejuice waiting room.

Make sure you aren’t perpetrating this injustice within your own business.

It can manifest in a thousand little ways:

  • When you check your email, do you respond to the sales inquiry before the customer question?
  • If you work in retail, do you pick up the phone while you’re waiting on a customer in person?
  • At a conference, are you staring over your customer’s shoulder, looking for a new sale?

If you are consistent with the way you approach your business relationships, prospects and customers will know exactly what to expect, at every point in the process.

Look them in the eye, find out what they need, and serve it to them with respect.

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Engineer a Better Company Culture

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Company culture has a big impact on how your company runs, who works for you and even who stays with you.

Your company culture should reflect your company’s beliefs, its mission and even its employees.

Think about it, those who work for you, represent you and your company. You want the company culture to do the same.

So when you are hiring, do you try to match your employees to your culture? Do you consistently try to improve the culture of your business, to make it more efficient, more magnanimous, and more financially successful?

Often, those finding their spot in the corporate world consider corporate culture during the job hunt.

Remember, the people you are interviewing are interviewing you as well. They want to work somewhere that reflects them, their values, and their goals.

Are You Employees Truly Happy?

The happier someone can be at work, the more successful they can be as well.

Whether you are hiring engineers, writers, attorneys, you name it – they are all looking for a positive work environment and for many, corporate culture can be a deciding factor.

As the following article looks at, let’s stick with our engineer example and think about why many top engineers choose company culture over big names.

And remember, it’s not just engineers, but many potential hires who have a lot to offer.

Look at factors like:

  • Pride – You want to create a company culture where your employees take pride in what they do. The more pride and value they have in their work, they harder they’ll work. As an employer, show they are valued.
  • Trust – It’s important for your employees to be in a trusting environment. Here they can feel free to share ideas without feeling threatened. The more ideas consistently flowing, the more successful ones you’ll have out there. Engineers, like any other employees, need a trusting place to work and have their best foot forward at all times.
  • A place to be themselves – Perhaps your engineers don’t want to have to wear the business attire that your sales people wear. Maybe their hours could be a little more flexible. If your culture allows them to be themselves and not try to emulate everyone else there, they can be more successful.
  • Build on what works, let go of what doesn’t – Some things you do are going to be great and your employees will thrive. Others won’t. If you find your culture is more successful and employees happier with less mandatory meetings, let some of the meetings go. If it works for you to have team-building events and you see more success and productivity flowing afterwards, go for it.

You will find that what your company stands for will be reflected in your culture.

It should come naturally because you can’t turn something into what it’s not. If your company’s culture does reflect its values and mission, great hires who fit right in will be drawn to you.

Think about the saying, “If you build it they will come.”

That applies not only to baseball fields, but company culture, too.

In fact, sometimes company culture can even trump those big name guys.

About the Author: Heather Legg is an independent writer who covers topics related to small business, social media and working from home.

How to allow new leaders to thrive

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By Roz Bahrami

The goal for any growing company is to allow core employees to take on leadership roles. Ensuring that these new leaders thrive in their positions and motivate and help other employees is not always the easiest task.

Here are some tips that can help newly advanced employees thrive in their leadership roles.

Promote more than one

Promoting more than one person is a great way to support a rising leader. Allowing peers to go through the process together allows the new leaders to feel more comfortable without being alienated. Learning and supporting one another are key criteria for leadership.

Training

Providing leadership training is a great way to make a recently promoted leader feel more comfortable and confident. Having leadership skills is not an inherent skill for everyone, but providing training allows the employee to not only improve their own skills but also become a more valuable member of your organization.

Constant communication

Communicate the goals and values that your organization strives to achieve, and your new leader’s task will be easier. It is easier to know where you are taking an organization in the long run when the map is already handed to you.

Check-ins

Receiving constant and frequent check-ins allows the newly promoted leader to feel supported without feeling too pressured. An employee who feels they are valued by an organization, because so much time is being spent on them, will work harder.

Feedback

Constructive criticism is the best way to allow an employee to grow, and develop on his or her own.

Allow for failure

Doing a specific task without guidance and failing allows you to learn the skills moving forward. Allowing employees to try methods that fit their needs without being worried about failure and recrimination will help them to flourish.

Show their value

Allowing your newly promoted leader to find their value by voicing their opinion and providing input creates great confidence. Focus on getting them to contribute to a strong and supportive company culture, and you will ensure more initiative is taken.

Give work

By assigning work to your newly delegated leader, you will not only learn how your employee does work but will also give them the confidence that their contribution is valued.

Share your experiences with us regarding a new position you’ve had to deal with in your organization. Do you believe these tips will benefit a new leader?

Author’s Bio: Roz Bahrami is a blogger for SkyPrep.com, an online training software for companies to train employees and measure results. Roz is a regular contributor to blog posts related to corporate training, L&D and HR technology.