Q: What are some good ideas for promoting a non-profit organization?

A: If you intend to be in the public eye, Positive Public Perception will do wonders for a fledgling mission. Getting involved with the community will help to build good public relations. Study the community to learn where you can be of assistance. Always present yourself in the context of your mission so that an association is made between the good works that you are doing and the name and identity of your mission.

Like a business, your mission will need constant promoting if you are seeking private funding for your activities. Like a business, your mission will need money to build and expand into its intended role. Fund raising activities, either solo or cooperative efforts with others, can be explored and are beneficial for raising public awareness to the good works you wish to accomplish.

Contacting local newspapers and presenting the story of your non-profit mission to the Human Interest Editor can result in free publicity that can also help to launch a new mission. You can also seek out other periodicals that publish human interest stories and explore what free promotion may exist.

If you find that you need to advertise, be sure to ask if there are any rate discounts available for non-profits.

Q: What is the biggest hurdle in running a non-profit organization?

A: In my opinion that would depend upon what you are doing within the context of being a non-profit. Generally speaking, though, there is so much misinformation regarding non-profits, and because of recent abuses of the public’s trust, certain non-profit activities are viewed with suspicion. Educating others regarding the legitimacy of our mission is the hurdle. They assume that only a “business” structure can be legitimate. This is where establishing good PR can be essential to the success of your mission. Developing a positive public image can help establish your credibility and can make your path much smoother.

Q: Do you find more esoteric benefits running a non-profit as compared to running a for-profit business?

A: Again, that would depend upon the nature of one’s mission. Generally speaking, there are means of organizing one’s mission that provide certain benefits that can, for example, include the ease and simplicity of bookkeeping and managing its operations. When compared to the complexities of keeping books for the typical corporation, that feature alone is worth the price of admission, as they say. Because as a church we are also tax exempt, the ease of keeping books and records for our own benefit and not for the IRS is one of the most important “esoteric” benefits that we enjoy.

For some people, especially celebrities and the wealthy, privacy is also an important issue and that, too, can be a benefit when your mission is properly established.

Q: What is your favorite part of running a non-profit organization?

A: To me, personally, one of the most rewarding aspects of working in the non-profit arena is meeting a greater percentage of like-minded people. Because we assist others who are seeking to answer their calling to greater service, we have the first-hand opportunity to watch them develop from a beginning of uncertainty and blossom into their greatest potential. That is very satisfying to know that you have helped someone make that quantum shift from the rat-race servitude to the corporate system to one of peace and personal fulfillment within their service to humanity.

Q: What are some of the types of structures that are used by non-profits?

A: There are several methods of organizing your mission as a non-profit. Some are stand-alone structures while others can be combined with others formats to achieve certain unique benefits. Foundations, trusts, unincorporated associations, and corporations sole have all been successfully utilized for centuries for the operation and management of non-profit missions.

Q: Do you have any other advice for someone that is thinking of starting a non-profit organization?

A: Study, study, study. There is so much erroneous, conflicting misinformation surrounding the non-profit subject. Some of the confusion comes from the various bodies of law, or jurisdictions that may govern the formation of a non-profit. Luckily in this country we still enjoy the separation of church and state mandates which provide certain freedoms and leeway in forming and operating certain non-profit ministries within an ecclesiastical venue.

However, one can easily be led to erroneously mingling elements of business with a non-profit – like mixing apples and oranges – that can become very confusing. I believe that is the source of much of the misinformation that is confusing to the newbie.

And our Bonus Question: Mac or PC?

A: While I have been a PC fan for over 20 years, I am beginning to tire of the MS game and am seriously considering a move to Mac. Many of our former PC associates have made the move and are very happy with the Mac system.

The Arcadian Society Mission Statement and Contact Information:

The Arcadian Society is a global, benevolent society of visionary people – each an Emissary of Peace. We are working independently, yet in unison, sharing and empowering a vision of a New Paradigm that will provide workable solutions to the challenges that face humankind at this time in our history.

For more information about The Arcadian Society, its mission, and the benefits of private membership, please visit the website of The Arcadian Society.

I recently ordered some shoes for my four kids online from Zappos, the shoe store.

If you wear many hats in your business like I do, you might find yourself short on time when it comes to things like shoe shopping.

You might be a bit nervous about ordering shoes online without being able to try them on, make sure they fit, make sure they’re comfortable, and so forth. I really was.

What I found when I visited the Zappos website surprised me. It’s an incredible company with some really creative ideas and solutions.

Zappos must have realized that ordering shoes without trying them on first can pose some challenges to shoe shoppers. So to compete with retail locations, Zappos has made the shopping experience easy and even pleasant.

My Zappos Experience

My parents bought a set of super cute pink, white, and black Heely’s for one of my daughters and had them shipped to us. The shoes arrived for her birthday and were a bit too small.

I called up the Zappos toll-free number, and the lady that I talked with was extremely friendly. She sounded like she was having a great day at a great job.

She emailed me a return shipping label while we were on the phone together. Then she told me that she would upgrade me to a VIP customer (understand here, that I myself had never ordered from Zappos at that point — mom had done the ordering). She sent the correct size of shoes overnight to me so that my young and disappointed daughter would have them right away.

And she did that before I even sent back the shoes that were the wrong size!

All I had to do on my end was put the shoes back in the box that they came in, print out the shipping label from my email, and drop the whole thing off at the UPS store. Zappos even paid for the return shipping!

The Heely’s arrived the next day, my girl was thrilled, and I decided to buy some shoes myself for the kids.

The Power of Being a Zappos VIP Customer

When I went online to order, I still had my VIP status. That means that when I purchase anything, it’s shipped to me overnight. Free of charge. Anything that I have to return is shipped back on the Zappos nickel, and whatever exchange I need is also shipped to me overnight free of charge.

Zappos solves a problem with the free overnight shipping policy. Retail shoppers are often have an “instant gratification” mentality, meaning that shoppers want to buy something and take it home right now. Shopping online usually means that a shopper has to wait for the order. But the Zappos overnight shipping gets the product to the shopper as fast as possible.

Choosing Shoes

I picked out the shoes for the kids using the awesome selector tools on the Zappos site. You can input choices like color, size, style, heel height, etc.

They’ve really simplified the process of looking through pages and pages of so many types of shoes. I always like tools to save my time and my eyesight!

The shoes were shipped out overnight as promised, and the kids were thrilled. The only setback was that I ordered the wrong size for my littlest one.

Another Call to Zappos

I called the toll-free number for the company, and as I listened to the computerized menu choices to get to the right department for my needs, I heard the last choice, number 5. You push number 5 to hear the joke of the day! I did actually choose 5 on the first go-round, and indeed it was the joke of the day! (I did call back the next day to see whether or not they had a new joke of the day, and they did).

While chatting with the very nice and very enthusiastic customer loyalty gal, she emailed me the return shipping label and info for the pair of shoes in the wrong size. She had the correct-sized pair sent to me overnight once again, and she suggested that I wait for that pair to get to me so that I could use the box to return the wrong pair (the box the original order came in was a big box with several pairs of shoes).

I am Now a Loyal Zappos Customer

I am now a firm believer in Zappos. They have a great selection with competitive prices, an easy-to-use website, and a really great customer loyalty team (that’s their title for that department).

What’s the Real Point?

Here’s the real point of this little story: Zappos has adopted an original business approach, finding ways to create excitement and loyalty from their customers, even though they are in a market traditionally cornered by brick and mortar retail locations.

They didn’t focus on all of the reasons that an online shoe store won’t succeed; instead they have found creative solutions for those things that looked like limitations and turned them into ways to win the customer’s loyalty.

Take a Look at Zappos Core Values:

As we grow as a company, it has become more and more important to explicitly define the Zappos core values from which we develop our culture, our brand, and our business strategies. These are the ten core values that we live by:

1. Deliver WOW Through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth and Learning
6. Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8. Do More With Less
9. Be Passionate and Determined
10. Be Humble

How’s that for a set of company core values?

Have you been listening to you clients? Do you listen to your front line staff, or do you ignore them? Do your employees have to leave their morals outside the office doors every morning? Do you care about what kind of word of mouth advertising is being spread about your organization? Do you want to separate yourself from your competition? If you want to shed the “bad customer service” stigma of your company and lead in the customer service revolution, you MUST pick up a copy of Raving Fans. It’s a quick, easy-to-read book, even with the hectic lives so many of us have. Then read it again. And then again.

This book is about how to create a vision for your organization that is so focused and so clearly defined that your whole organization is able to work towards the common goal of making that vision a reality.

If you have been aiming for “satisfied customers”, then read this book and re-define your aim. We need more than “satisfied customers”; we all need Raving Fans. The difference between a customer that is simply satisfied and a Raving Fan is that a satisfied customer will leave you. He is satisfied because he doesn’t know that he has any better options. When he is offered another option, he will take it. A Raving Fan will be your customer always. The Raving Fan is your loyal customer because you have shown him a better way of doing business. He is your loyal customer because you outshine all of the competition; in fact, you eliminate the competition by offering something unique to your customer. The Raving Fan wouldn’t dream of leaving you because he cannot find anywhere else that which he finds with your organization.

Raving Fans shows you first that you have a choice on how to take care of your customers. It will show you how to define a vision and how to implement that vision. It will show you clear examples of how creating Raving Fans has worked in business. It will show you that your organization can be better than the others in your industry and that will create Raving Fans and not just satisfied customers.

To get a copy of raving fans click here!

Since you have found us I will guess that you’ve probably been doing a lot of research about incorporating, estate planning, and business credit. I am sure that you have found plenty of websites, and read lots of expert information.

What makes NexStep Innovations different from all the other companies out there?

The Incorporating & Estate Planning Industry has become a lot like the fast food industry in many ways. You have McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, Carl’s Jr., and Jack in the Box, each one claiming that they are #1 because of their fast service and great food. However, more often than not they fall way short of their claims. Well, the same is true with the Incorporating Industry; hundreds of companies out there are all claiming to be the “Best Incorporating Company” or the “Best Estate Planning Company”. By what standards do these companies determine that they are the “best”? Is it the number of clients? Is it the number of years in operation? Maybe it’s the number of entities they represent (some in bad standing with the States).

Remember customer service?

I grew up in upstate New York, and my Dad ran a Full Service Gas Station when I was child. I know a Full Service Gas Station is an oddity today; however, back then they could be found in most towns. They existed when customer service mattered. Or should I say when customer service existed. For those of you who have never seen or experienced a Full Service Gas Station, you would pull in to the clean gas station, up to the shining gas pump, and immediately a guy would run out to your car with a genuine smile to greet you politely. He’d ask you if wished to have the tank filled all the way up and what grade of gasoline; after beginning to pump the gas, he’d ask you to pop the hood so he could check all the fluids, filling up any that were low. He’d then check the air in all your tires, and he would even wash all the windows. When he was done, he’d come back to tell you the total for the gas. You would give him the money for the gas; he would charge your card or get your change; then he’d thank you for stopping by and send you on your way.

Where am I going with all of this?

My Father created relationships with his customers, they knew all about him and he knew all about them. His customers would travel many miles to have their cars serviced at his Station. I can to this day remember being with my father on his days off and people coming up to pinch my checks, and to tell him how much cuter I was than in his pictures. His customers would invite him to family weddings; if a customer passed away he would attend their funeral. The guys who worked for my father and his station didn’t complain about their lives. They wouldn’t discuss hating their jobs with co-workers while serving you. They didn’t greet you with a scowl. They weren’t poorly groomed. They didn’t look or act like they were stoned. They didn’t flip you off for not tipping. The soda machines inside were always filled, and all the soda was wiped down before being put into the machines so no one got sticky goo on their hands. These were things that were intended to be taken for granted. In those days, a business wouldn’t last a week if it were run the way we see things today.

NexStep Innovations brings something to the industry that is long overdue; we’re bringing back good old-fashioned Customer Service. Our clients aren’t treated as just some random number in the punch bowl of clients. Each client is a priority. We are the benchmark for this industry. Soon others will follow suit and there will be competition, but, for now, NexStep Innovations is unique in this field.

Your service does not end at the close of the sale. Indeed, that’s when it begins. In fact, we do not have a sales force. No leathery hacks here trying to squeeze out your last dollar. We don’t measure success in the number of one call closes, the turn and burn sales deals, the number of dollars on a sales board. We don’t even measure success by the amount of dollars in our bank account.

Our long term business relationship with our clients is what determines our success.

Innovative and Evolved Business

Potential clients love to ask us about our name, NexStep Innovations, and our tag line, Business Evolved.

Just what does that mean?

It means that we are in the business of helping business owners attain the next step towards their particular goals through innovative strategies, designed especially for the individual business owner’s goals.

And just what is Business Evolved? The answer is different for each individual business. The answer is as varied as the multitude of businesses out there.

The business environment is always in flux; it usually changes every couple of years. In order for a business to survive, it has to be able to adapt as quickly as the business environment changes. That’s evolution, or the process of adaptation.

Politicians in congress will always put provisions in the law to suit their own business, and (though they won’t tell you), those provisions work for anybody. The changes in the tax code and the changes in asset protection laws cannot discriminate; they will work for any of us. NexStep Innovations’ business is to keep up with these provisions and to help you exploit them.

Each business, including NexStep Innovations, has a vision, a purpose. And each business, including NexStep Innovations, has a set of goals. Those goals are defined by you, the business owner. When you work to reach those goals, you follow a plan, or a strategy. As you attain your goals, or if you see that your goals are not getting the results you want, you set new goals. All of that is part of your business maturing, adapting, and becoming successful. That is all part of your business evolution. We’ve all had goals that we thought were important but that turned out to be what we wanted and not what our customers wanted. So we work our plan and modify our plan as the business grows. It doesn’t matter if we’ve been in business for only a short time or for years and years – we build the business by following a plan and being flexible when needed. We continue to evolve.

So the idea of NexStep Innovations is to help your business, no matter what point you’re at, to continue building and following a plan. We design strategies that help you attain your particular goals, and as each business is sitting at a different step on the ladder of growth, we help you take your next step.

And Business Evolved means that we take a very individualized approach to building those strategies.  Business Evolved means that we develop an individual solution for you and aren’t stuck with the idea that everyone should be following the same path in their business. The answers were not the same yesterday as they are today, and tomorrow they may change again. Evolution is the idea that we build and adapt according to the environment and the changes in the environment. Innovation makes the evolution happen.

That’s NexStep Innovations, LLC, Business Evolved.