In business, do you believe that your skills, intelligence and abilities can be developed over time? Or do you believe that your talents are mostly fixed, meaning that if you’re not really good at something now, you probably won’t ever be great at it? These are critical questions to ask yourself. That’s because your mindset — how you view, interpret and act on decisions, problems and challenges in your life — can play a significant role in your success and happiness. Or it can hold you back from being the person — and business leader — you want to be.

American psychologist Carol Dweck is credited for identifying two main types of mindsets. A growth (also called learning) mindset is a belief that with hard work, desire and perseverance, most people can develop and improve their talents, abilities, and intelligence. On the other hand, those with a fixed mindset believe that a person’s talent and intelligence are more or less innate — you either have certain characteristics or you don’t. In other words, there are ‘gifted’ people and there’s everyone else. Those with fixed mindsets do not believe they (or anyone else for that matter) can significantly improve their innate qualities.

There’s no shortage of examples of the great things that can be accomplished with a growth mindset. For example, at Microsoft, Satya Nadella made it his mission to revamp the leadership and the culture at Microsoft with a growth mindset after taking over in 2014. In his book, Hit Refresh, Nadella explains that mindsets– specifically helping employees at the company develop growth mindsets– were his tool for taking Microsoft to the next level. After more than a decade of static market capitalization and share price, Nadella helped usher in a new era for Microsoft, one in which the company’s market capitalization and stock price more than tripled. Pfizer, too, credits a growth mindset for the company’s success and growth.

One of the keys in developing a growth mindset is to help yourself and your organization’s leaders view failure as an opportunity to reflect, learn and improve your skills. In many organizations, failure is not tolerated or viewed negatively, which makes employees fearful of making mistakes and as a result less likely to take risks and think innovatively. To adopt a growth mindset, business leaders and employees must embrace risk and imperfection and push themselves out of established comfort zones.

Henry Ford once said, “Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.” He couldn’t have been more right.

Is your company growing? That’s great news. Just make sure your insurance policies keep up! Here are some tips for making sure you don’t end up underinsured: CEO owner leader company staff member portrait, possibly finance, accountant, manager

Revisit your Business Owner’s Policy. If you have a fast-growing company, your Business Owner’s Policy, or BOP, can get outdated quickly. Have you added new employees or equipment? Have you changed the nature of your business or expanded into different types of products or services? Did you purchase your own building? It’s time to review your BOP, which is your first line of defense against a number of business risks.

Keep up with Liability Insurance. As your business expands, you’ll want to make sure you have enough liability coverage. This type of insurance takes many forms. There’s employment practices liability, which covers claims arising from your employees and professional liability insurance, designed to protect you against claims made by clients or customers. Review all potential sources of liability, such as when your employees are driving on company business.

Don’t forget Property Insurance. This type of policy covers damage to your business premises, equipment and inventory due to events like fire, theft or vandalism. It can also provide coverage for lost income if your business is forced to close temporarily due to property damage.

You might need Product Liability Insurance. If you manufacture or sell products, this type of insurance can protect you from claims related to injuries or damages caused by those products. Even if you take all the necessary precautions, there’s always a risk that something could go wrong with one of your products. Product liability insurance can help protect your business in the event such an incident occurs.

And, of course, there’s workers’ compensation insurance. As a small business, one of the most important insurance policies you can have is workers’ compensation. This type of insurance will help to protect your business in the event that an employee is injured while on the job. Workers’ compensation can help to cover medical expenses and lost wages, as well as provide death benefits in some cases. If you do not have workers’ compensation insurance, you may be held liable for any injuries or accidents that occur at your business, which could end up costing you a lot of money.

Running a business is no small feat. If you ask the U.S. Small Business Administration, they’ll tell you that one-third of all new businesses fail in the first two years. Half of all new businesses make it four years, and only 40 percent survive for six years or more. So how do businesses survive? And more importantly, how do they thrive? A recent study by Gallup found that a business’s ability to make it over the hump has much to do with leadership. Although there are numerous factors that influence success, Gallup found that the quality of the company’s founder and management team has more to do with company longevity than any other factor. In its research over time, Gallup has found that companies that survive over the long term have executives that share the following key characteristics:

A clear vision: The leaders of successful companies are more likely to clearly articulate company goals and competitive advantage(s) of their companies to their clients and employees. They create an inspiring narrative that unifies internal teams and clearly directs external growth efforts.

A plan for growth: They spend time planning for growth and aligning employee responsibilities with company goals. This requires an ability to step back from the day-to-day battles of business and articulate a quality plan for moving forward.

A close connection with customers: They are more likely to make smart decisions about pricing, products and services with their customers’ needs in mind. They don’t neglect important matters such as profit margins, but they maintain a close relationship with customers and work toward improvements that will benefit the business over the long term. Gallup also found that business people who share these characteristics are three times more likely to build large businesses and to grow them significantly. They are four times more likely to create jobs, four times more likely to exceed profit goals and five times more likely to exceed sales goals.

In addition to strong leadership, an effective risk management and insurance plan can help your business not only survive but thrive. Isn’t it time your P&C broker offered you more? From compliance to communication, we can provide a full spectrum of solutions and tools for you and your company.

We all want to be more efficient with our time at the office, right? Yet research shows that many of us are going about it the wrong way. Here are some ways that research suggests can help us get more quality and creative work done at the office.

Focus on one thing at a time. You may think that multitasking will make you more productive, but it rarely does. The research is clear on the topic of multitasking: Our brains simply weren’t designed for effectively doing more than one task at a time. Focusing on one task — giving it your full attention — can produce better and more creative results than trying to get more than one thing done at a time.

Studies also show that you can be more productive by minimizing distractions while you’re focusing on one task. If you can, schedule blocks of time for concentrated work at a time of the day when you’re most productive. If it’s feasible, limit or turn off phone, e-mail and other online alerts. Limit interruptions by people to only what’s absolutely necessary.

Ask for help. You don’t have to personally do so much — and you shouldn’t. If you can delegate at work and home, do so. Delegating can be a powerful way to relieve stress and get more done each day, to focus on what matters most and to empower those around you. For many people, though, delegating doesn’t come naturally. You have to work at accepting that someone else may not do the job the same way you do, but it still gets done, leaving you time to focus on more important tasks.

Communicate clearly. Make sure your texts, emails and documents are clear. Before you hit send, print or copy, reread what you wrote to make sure it is clear in directions and sets the right tone. Think of any unanswered questions that you can proactively answer as well. Also, make sure that others feel comfortable letting you know when they don’t understand something.

Develop routines. Routines are powerful tools for everyone from babies and children to business owners and CEOs. Scientific studies show that following a general routine each day can help people be happier, healthier and more efficient and productive.

Take breaks. You can’t be on the go continually. You need downtime to allow yourself to enjoy something else, and you need mental and physical breaks, including real vacations. In other words, you need something to look forward to other than work. Research shows that more Americans are skipping vacations or doing some work during vacation time — but that this can lead to burnout, less focus and productivity. Take a vacation — even if it’s at home — and resist the urge to check e-mails and do work tasks. Take time to unplug — and encourage your employees to do the same.

Cyber attacks are becoming increasingly common. They can affect both small and large businesses. And many times, criminals gain access to a company’s computer network by the careless action of an employee. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your company’s workers understand their responsibilities to help keep your computer system safe and secure. Start the process by:

Helping them understand the risk. It’s estimated that 60 percent of small businesses fail within six months of a cyber attack. Studies also show that nearly 90 percent of all cyber attacks could have been easily prevented. For many companies, the problem is malware. That’s malicious software designed to gain access to a network, find sensitive data and possibly steal that data. There are various types of malware, including spyware, viruses, worms and other types of malicious code that infiltrate a computer. Once malware is installed, it can allow hackers to extract private and sensitive data from your customers.

Providing training. Talk to your employees about the risk and train them to not click on links or open attachments to e-mails they are not expecting. This is one of the most common ways hackers gain access to a company’s computers. Employees also should always allow work devices to automatically install updates, which often contain important safety updates. They should also know other important ways to protect their employer’s computer systems. Well-trained employees are the first line of defense against a cyber attack.

Using strong passwords. Long and strong passwords with a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols are ideal. Set a specific timeline — such as every three months — for changing company passwords. Here are some tips for creating strong passwords.

Avoiding personal use of company computers. Consider requiring employees to refrain from checking their personal e-mail accounts, using social media channels and surfing the Internet using company computers and devices.

Prohibiting the installation of outside programs on work computers. If a computer contains company information, you’ll want employees to avoid downloading any programs or apps on it.

Being vigilant. When outside the office, never leave work devices unattended and make sure your employees aren’t, either. Password-protect your phone or tablet and log off or lock your screen every time you step away. Use two-factor authentication. Verifying your identity twice before accessing an account can dramatically reduce the odds a hacker can gain access to sensitive information.

Backing up files and data regularly. It doesn’t matter whether you use cloud storage or external hard drives. It’s important to have a backup in the event of a ransomware attack.

In many companies, marketing ideas usually originate in departments or outside companies dedicated to that purpose. It’s a business model that’s worked for decades. But it doesn’t always have to be that way. Some of the most intriguing and innovative ideas for marketing your company can also come from employees who don’t work in marketing.

Yet how do you gather those types of ideas? Forbes magazine’s Communications Council offers up a number of ways a company’s leadership can encourage employees to contribute great ideas that can help a business grow and succeed.

Use the right tools

From Slack to Microsoft Teams and beyond, there are ways to use technology that’s part of everyday business to leverage ideas as much as managing tasks. Alexi Lambert Leimbach from the company Xcellimark considers how technology can be an avenue for sharing: “People can easily submit ideas and comment on each other’s input, feeding off of the different concepts submitted to help generate even more ideas. They’re able to participate and collaborate without being physically located together.”

Gamify your ideas processes

Be sure to keep it light, but having contests relating to the gathering of ideas, for example, could be a fun way to get creative juices flowing. Patrick Ward of Rootstrap explains that “creating some friendly rivalry … (with rewards) is a great way to get the creative juices flowing.”

Don’t forget to give thanks
It’s important to have a way to give credit where it’s due — and to never skip that step — when a person or team comes up with an idea that’s going to be used. “Even if you had to make major revisions, acknowledgment is critical,” Ellen Sluder of RingBoost told Forbes. “It not only makes the contributor feel good, but also demonstrates the behavior you want from the larger team, while also motivating others to contribute for their moment of glory.”

Provide an avenue
Several of the council’s ideas for outside input on marketing are focused on the fact that it’s important to be open to ideas from anyone and to provide a way for those ideas to be found. Corey Morris from Voltage gives this guidance: “While there are definite roles and lanes to stay in, giving everyone a voice and freedom to research, brainstorm and ideate is critical. Don’t lose that great strategy because it wasn’t their role.”

Dealing with stress is no easy task. Whether you’re facing an important deadline, having trouble getting your kids to do their homework or struggling with a to-do list that seems to grow longer each minute, stress is an inevitable part of the lives of most Americans. Add a global pandemic to the mix and you’ve got a recipe for feeling overwhelmed! Even though it’s difficult to avoid stress, there are smart ways to manage it. Here’s how to make stress, well, less stressful.

Take one thing at a time. Oftentimes we get stressed out when we have a lot on our to-do list. So we try doing multiple things at one time. Here’s the problem: Research shows that multitasking makes most people more stressed, not less! Studies also suggest that multitasking doesn’t help most people increase their productivity. Focusing on one important task at a time can help you get more accomplished, which in turn can help relieve stress.

Establish boundaries. In today’s world, it’s easy to feel pressure to be available 24 hours a day, especially when you’re managing a team of people. But all that connectivity can cause a great deal of stress. Establish some work-life boundaries so that you get a rest from work. You could, for example, have a no-phone policy while you’re having meals with your family or block off time each evening to not answer texts or e-mails. Take vacations. And make sure you commit to unplugging from work and technology at regular intervals. Take some time off from all of that coronavirus news sometimes.

Keep your to-do list as small as possible. It’s been shown that people who make to-do lists tend to get more done. However, if your to-do list is too long, it can be counterproductive. Try to keep your to-do list realistic and manageable.

Eat healthy and get enough sleep. Getting too little sleep and snacking all day on processed foods with little nutritional value and/or relying on caffeine to get through the afternoon can make you feel more stressed. New research shows that simple things like getting enough sleep, eating healthy and taking short walks throughout the day can be powerful de-stressors. Try to make small changes each week, such as bringing a healthy snack to the office or going to sleep a half hour earlier. Remember that it takes about a month for most people to form a new healthy habit.

When was the last time your team or company had a successful brainstorming session? By “successful,” we don’t mean you were able to get side work done while everyone else tossed out a few ideas in hopes that they wouldn’t be loaded down with extra work. Did everyone leave the meeting encouraged and recharged or did they leave feeling like they wasted the last hour or two? Effective brainstorming sessions can help companies innovate. Ineffective brainstorming meetings can be time-wasters and drag down morale.

What’s the secret to brainstorming done right? For starters, don’t keep the brainstorming topic a secret before the meeting. If you want people to contribute ideas, give them time to prepare. Some people are great at coming up with ideas on the spot. But many people need time to process and think through options.

It’s vital to make sure your employees feel safe in the brainstorming sessions. How do other employees or even managers respond to the ideas presented? What happens to those who go against conventional thinking or who question the aspects that have “always been done that way?” Are they made to feel unhelpful or, worse, chastised?The reaction to ideas can have a huge impact on further employee suggestions.

And you might want to reconsider any rewards for those “best” ideas. A reward system may cause others to not even make suggestions if they know their ideas aren’t worthy of such high regard. Each idea contributes in some way to the session.

An idea is only an idea until it is implemented into your business’ practices. Don’t just ask for ideas but ask how they can be implemented and who will handle them. Don’t end the brainstorming session until employees are empowered and ready to implement a plan for further action.

When you hear the words “business plan,” you probably immediately think about mission statements, corporate goals, sales quotas and marketing KPIs. While these are all invaluable in terms of pieces of the business to plan for to ensure success and continuity, there are businesses that fail to plan in crucial areas. Namely, emergency and contingency planning.

No matter the size or age of your business, here are some of the most important questions to ask to ensure that there are no gaps in your planning.

  1. Do you know what your insurance covers? Many businesses will hire a firm to ensure that they have the minimum insurance in place to legally do business or instruct them to find a plan that will keep them under budget. Insurance is one area you don’t want to scale back your budget for. While it may seem like a lot to spend on a service you hope to never need, if you need it and don’t have it, could your business survive it? Assess your coverage amounts regularly and make sure they still match the size of your staff and the size of your sales growth.
  2. Do you have an emergency plan in place? Hopefully you have all the appropriate liability insurance and property insurance, as well as worker’s compensation plans, but do you conduct regular safety meetings? Cybersecurity procedures and training? Fire drills? CPR training? These aren’t traditionally thought of as part of the business plan, but they are a crucial part of having a well-prepared business. Understanding how these areas can affect your business can help you organize and plan for a more secure future.

Our services can help you plan for and even potentially prevent just about any threat. We can protect your assets and your business, plus help you and your employees understand the importance of planning beyond quarterly goals for the health and success of your business long-term.

As the owner of a business, it’s required by law that you have adequate insurance coverage for your assets and employees. Complying with all local, state and federal guidelines helps provide peace of mind and will ensure you avoid an audit or investigation should questions about your operation arise. Confident businessman posing at desk

That being said, every business has different insurance needs, budgetary restrictions and more. This is especially true for businesses that are in unique spaces where finding insurance coverage is difficult.

At Accurate Protection, we’ve built our business around assisting business owners with unique insurance needs in a variety of industries. We aren’t your run-of-the-mill insurance company that offers a one-size-fits-all solution either. We know that insurance coverage isn’t always that cut-and-dry. That’s why we insist that all of our brokers understand our clients’ unique needs inside and out.

From your first meeting, and throughout all your interactions with us, you will see that we strive to go beyond the expected standard routine and deliver results that consistently exceed your expectations. Take action now and call us today. (404) 907-2121 x701

In addition to offering a variety of insurance options, we also:

  • Provide customized employee communications
  • Can help you implement a safety program
  • Offer you industry-specific safety manuals
  • Online OSHA reporting
  • And more!

Take the first step toward a safer, more protected business by getting in touch. We look forward to serving you!