Corb7 International December 8th, 2021 Newsletter

International Business

Manage Your Online Reputation for 2022

As 2021 comes to an end it is an excellent time to check on your online reputation.

Today's small business owners face unique challenges that business-people of yesteryear never had to confront. While the internet has made it possible for even the smallest businesses to have a global footprint, it's also forced business owners to devote substantial time to managing their online reputations.

A company's online reputation can have a major impact on its ability to survive and thrive. In its recent "Local Consumer Review Survey," BrightLocal, a United Kingdom-based company that focuses on the needs of digital marketing agencies and local businesses, found that 91 percent of consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. In addition, the survey found that 57 percent of consumers won't use a business that has a star rating of fewer than four stars.

The BrightLocal survey underscores the effort small business owners must put into managing their companies' online reputations. Whether business owners feel their online reputations are warranted or not, ignoring them can greatly affect their bottom lines. The following are a handful of simple ways business owners can manage their companies' online reputations in the hopes of benefiting their businesses and expanding their customer base.

· Don't ignore negative reviews. Small Biz Ahead, a service from the insurance provider The Hartford that aims to help business owners manage and grow their businesses, advises business owners to acknowledge negative reviews. Respond privately to customers, apologizing for their unsatisfactory experience and thanking them for their feedback. When communicating with customers, always keep these communications friendly and constructive. Dismissive, confrontational and/or rude interactions with customers will only further damage your online reputation.

· Actively monitor your reputation. Websites such as Yelp and Google, via its Google Reviews capability, give customers plenty of places to go to share their comments about your business. Stay up-to-date on these, making a concerted effort to monitor your reputation. If you're open for business seven days a week, chances are customers will be reviewing your business seven days a week. Reach out to customers who had negative experiences as soon as possible, and report any comments you feel violate websites' standards the moment you see them.

· Don't hesitate to ask customers to edit their reviews. When you successfully reach out to customers who left negative reviews, don't hesitate to ask them to consider editing their reviews. Many customers are happy to update their reviews if issues were promptly and successfully addressed.

Online reputation management is important for today's business owners. Though managing online reputations can seem like a full-time job, a positive reputation can greatly benefit your bottom line. Many businesses have a some down time at yearend which makes this a wonderful time to review some basics like online reputation.

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International Business

Retaining Talent

by Toni Delos Santos
90% Mental
90percentmental.com

Dale Carnegie — "People work for money but go the extra mile for praise, recognition, and rewards."

It all starts with the saying, “good employees are hard to find.” There are so many factors that go into finding the right fit for a company. Much like in sports, talent alone does not make a good team player. As the hiring manager, you have done all the interviewing and proper vetting. As it turns out, you have made a great hire and your new employee is really fitting in with the rest of the team and has a lot of potential within the company. What is the best way to build loyalty and not let this person get lured away to a competitor?

It all starts with building a solid relationship based on trust. The person you hired is in the position because they are intelligent and very capable of bringing new energy and experience to the company. It is very important to give the employee the freedom to create their own style. When you put someone on a project or assign them to manage one of the company’s top accounts, there are several steps you can take to help them to succeed without micro-managing them.

• Provide clear direction and guidance as to what you want to accomplish.
• Ask questions as to how they think is the best way to approach the task.
• Share some examples of what has worked in the past.

The benefit of being part of a team is to have the ability to learn from everyone’s strengths and that you are open to their ideas. We know that relationships are a 2-way street and the best way for an employee to gain the trust of his manager and the manager gain the trust that the employee is to ask questions and go above and beyond what is asked of them and complete the project within the time frame that was given. When you show that you care about their success and the potential they have for upward mobility within the company, you are building a good working relationship.

Holding all the employees accountable when a mistake is made is also a vital part of the learning process. When employees know that they are getting authentic feedback, they can appreciate that they are all treated fairly and will be better knowing what adjustments need to be made in the future. The most common reasons management loses good employees are due to feeling undervalued, not challenged, and lack of upward mobility.

Leaders must keep employees engaged in the goals of the company and the value and piece they play in ensuring their success as well as the company’s.

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International Business

Cross-Border Business

The Cook Islands

Located in the South Pacific, the Cook Islands is a nation of 15 islands which are scattered over a vast area, with political links to New Zealand. In 1901, the Cook Islands became a New Zealand colony but after a push for self-government in the 1960's, it developed an autonomous free association with New Zealand in 1965. As a result, it administers its own affairs, nevertheless, Cook Islanders are also New Zealand citizens. As a point of geographical reference, the Cook Islands are an approximate 10-hour direct flight from Los Angeles on Air New Zealand.

Regarding cross-border business planning, this jurisdiction is best known for its Asset Protection Trust construct. In review, an Asset Protection Trust is a legal structure that splits the beneficial enjoyment of trust assets from their legal ownership. A Trust is simply a contract between the people who wish to protect assets (the Grantor) and the person who will manage the assets (the Trustee) for the benefit of all Beneficiaries.


Cook Islands
Location: 1850 miles NE of New Zealand
Capital City: Avarua
Population: 17,459
Language Spoken: English
International Time: EST + 16 1/2 hours
Airline Service: Air New Zealand, Virgin Australia
Currency: New Zealand dollar
Type of Government: Self-governing under Constitution, in free association with New Zealand
Main industries: Agriculture and manufacturing
Tax Treaty: Yes
OECD: Approved

Additional Notes: Passed legislation in the early 1980s that allows for a high degree of flexibility, simplicity and administrative ease for offshore sector.

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International Business

Business Tools

The American Express Rose Gold Card!

Back by popular demand, the Rose Gold American Express Card - once issued as limited edition - is now available . Here's more details in the video above.

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International Business

Business Etiquette

Greeting People Whether You Like Them or Not

by Candace Smith
The Etiquette Blog
Etiquette for the Business of Life

Whether in public or at a social occasion, your manner of greeting people carries many messages. And anyone listening or watching will immediately read them.

Your greeting, as an initial approach to engaging with someone, not only speaks of your relationship with that person, but can reveal your level of confidence or comfort with the situation.

What sort of impression do you want to give? How enthusiastic are you about seeing someone? Are you comfortable in various social situations? These questions and others are answered each time you greet someone.

Hello Dear Person
Greeting people, you like or love comes most naturally. You already have a connection with that person, so approaching them is effortless. The manner in which you greet them automatically tells those in your vicinity that you are happy to see them.

The only downside with greeting someone you are close with would be a case of overexuberance. You may create an “all eyes on you” situation, possibly leaving a questionable impression on those around you. Or you could simply be disruptive to the people in conversation or conducting business who are nearby.

There is nothing wrong with joyfully greeting someone you are happy to see. Just make sure you read the room to gauge how joyfully you should greet them.

Greeting People You Don’t Like
Particularly in social situations, the importance of greetings rings loud and clear. These common courtesies always create an impression, especially if absent. Without eye contact, a welcome or hello may be sensed as disingenuous.

Well and good to know! But seriously, what if you feel disdain for someone you have to see or may happen to come across? What’s to lose with simply ignoring the greeting?

• Your personal power will be compromised.
• You are at risk of portraying yourself as someone adding awkwardness to the situation.
• Others will be uncomfortable in your silence, especially if they don’t know the backstory.

A neutral, “Hello, John” with direct eye contact will suffice in these situations. And if a person who does not like you greets you first in such a manner, absent your name, it’s fitting to greet neutrally, but to include the person’s name. You have claimed the high ground. Moving away from small talk engagement won’t be hard.

Of significant importance, refrain from using a sarcastic tone or a “Hello Newman” attitude. You will lose credibility with others and yourself should you engage these displays.

Greeting Guidelines
Regardless of relationship, there are standard guidelines for greeting people that you can default to. Especially if you find yourself in a situation that leaves you unsure of what to do.

• If handshakes are on hold for you, your vocal and focused facial greeting are important, even if masks are worn. Nods are nice! And eye contact is imperative.
• Standing and facing the person or persons you are greeting is a show of respect.
• Stating someone’s name when saying hello or introducing them to another person will add to the conversational ease.

As philosopher Adam Smith, pointed out years ago, “We not only desire to be loved, but to be lovely, or that which is the natural and proper object of love." These longings are central to friendship and friendly living. Greetings are foundational to building and maintaining good relationships. Cheerful and positive greetings are the best, and most of the time you will receive in-kind.

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Lifestyle

Executive Fitness

Create True Change

by Nancy Hovde
Life Empowerment Coach
UberEmpowerment.com


We have the freedom to choose which choices to make each day. We can choose the lifestyle choices that lead to feeling our best, thinking our best and being our best. Or we can choose those choices that lead to feeling unfulfilled and discouraged.

Being in optimal balance, mind/body/soul, provides us with an increase in physical energy and can help us mentally by turning thoughts that are confusing into clarity. When we feel our best physically and mentally, we tend to think our best and perform at our best; so whatever intentions we make, we have a better chance at moving forward with a positive attitude and success!

Commit to setting some intentions for self-improvement everyday. These are your personal intentions in the areas you would like to see self-improvement and progress in. Perhaps you want to improve your wellness goals by choosing more nourishing foods or include an additional workout each week.

Is there anything you are doing regularly that does not support your highest good? How could this be tweaked to better support your well-being? While we can only reflect on our actions in the past; we can choose our actions for the present. Here are some action steps you can begin:

• Create a strong reason to remind yourself why you want to make a change. Ask yourself what you want more of in your life? Then ask yourself, what is it you are trying to avoid having in your life? Reminding yourself what you don't want can be a strong motivator in keeping you in alignment with your commitment. Then focus on what you do want to see in your life and how you will feel with having this new change in your life.
• Visualizing and using positive affirmations can inspire you and keep you motivated especially during any weak moments. It helps if you can allow yourself to actually feel the emotion of how you will feel when you’ve accomplished your goal. Instead of just reading the words of a positive quote, visualize with all of your senses and emotions you will feel when you’ve reached your goal. Take that further, and begin to feel those emotions now, as much as possible, along the way to reaching your desired results.
• If you experience your motivation going up and down, (research shows it does for many people) the best method for this is to keep your change easy. The simpler, the better. For example, you may be familiar with the concept of preparing for your workout or exercise the night before, such as packing your gym bag and setting it next to your car keys, all ready to go in the morning, on your way to the office.
• Rewarding yourself along the way can inspire you to do more and go that extra mile to achieve the main goal. Choosing to reward yourself throughout the goal process will help keep you on track and stick to your positive habits, core values and goals. Celebrating along the way can help you recognize that you actually did go from "there" to "here." Celebrate even the smallest steps!

True change happens when we spend time and resources towards developing our minds & spirits, examining our core values & letting go of issues that may be holding us back from being our best in life. We have the freedom to be who we want to be. Keep believing in yourself and keep telling yourself all the reasons why you can succeed.

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Lifestyle

Spirits & Cuisine

Slow Cooking Quick Holiday Meals

Kitchen gadgets come and go, but one mainstay continues to deliver tasty meals with ease.

The Crock-Pot®, dubbed the original slow cooker, was invented in 1940 by Irving Nachumsohn. This slow cooker was created to cook a traditional stew eaten on the Jewish sabbath. Because faithful Jews are forbidden from cooking on the sabbath, Nachumsohn found the stew could easily be prepared prior and allowed to cook unattended, then carried to dinner, meeting the sabbath requirements. It was another 30 years before the slow cooker garnered widespread acclaim. That newfound popularity developed when more women entered the workforce and needed convenient ways to prepare meals at home without affecting their work schedules.

While slow cookers can make for successful meals, knowing how to use them to their fullest potential can increase the propensity for delicious, easy dishes. Here are some tips and tricks.

· Prepare ingredients the night before. By handling the items for recipes the evening prior, you'll have everything you need ready to put in the slow cooker and set to cook for the day.

· Preheat the cooker. Add ingredients to a slow cooker that is already warmed up for best results.

· Arrange for easy cleanup. Specially designed slow cooker liners can cut washing time dramatically and help prolong the surface of the internal crock.

· Don't add dairy until the meal is almost finished cooking. Cooking dairy products for long periods of time can cause them to curdle. Save them for the last steps when using a slow cooker.

· Exercise caution with tender veggies. The same wait-until-later approach should also apply to vegetables, beans and pastas, which can lose their integrity and become mushy if cooked for hours. Leave them for last.

· Inexpensive cuts of meat are fine. Inexpensive cuts are often high in fat or connective tissue, which will break down during long, moist cooking. Consider browning meat before putting it in the cooker for even more flavor.

· Layer ingredients appropriately. Place hard ingredients like potatoes, carrots and other root vegetables at the bottom of the cooker where they will cook more readily.

· Stick to the low setting. As much as possible, cook using the low setting to allow for slow, gentle heat to bring out the flavors. Ginny Thomas, a training manager for Crock-Pot®, says she has been sticking with this advice for over a decade as a key tip.

Many traditionally prepared meals can be converted to slow cooker recipes. Utilize cookbooks and online resources to make delicious, slow-cooked meals.

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Lifestyle

Leisure

Prolong the Life of Your Poinsettias

With proper care poinsettia plants can continue to thrive and bring warmth and beauty to a home long after the holiday decorations have been tucked away.

Poinsettias and their rich red, white or variegated color schemes are the ideal backdrop for Christmas celebrations. In fact, poinsettias are among the most popular decorative flowers during the holiday season.

According to a recent USDA Floriculture Statistics report, poinsettias accounted for about one-quarter (23 percent) of all flowering potted plant sales that year. Roughly 34 million poinsettia plants are sold in a given season. Indigenous to Central America, the plant was introduced to North America in the 1820s when Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Minister to Mexico, brought the red-and-green plant back with him from a trip abroad.

While millions of poinsettias will be purchased for the holiday season, many mistakenly think their utility ends once New Year's Day has come and gone. But with proper care poinsettia plants can continue to thrive and bring warmth and beauty to a home long after the holiday decorations have been tucked away.

· Choose a hearty plant. Experts with the University of Vermont Extension Department of Plant and Soil Science say that many people mistake the plant's leaves for its flowers. The red, white or pink bracts are actually modified leaves. The flowers of the plant are the yellow clustered buds in the center called "cyathia." Choose poinsettia plants that have buds which are, ideally, not yet open.

· Keep the temperature consistent. Poinsettias prefer a room temperature between 60 and 68 F during the day and 10 degrees cooler at night. Humidity levels between 20 and 50 percent are ideal. Group plants on water-filled trays full of pebbles to help increase humidity levels.

· Place near sunlight. The United Kingdom-based Perrywood floral company advises placing poinsettia plants near a bright windowsill but not in direct sunlight. Do not let a poinsettia touch cold window panes.

· Avoid drafts. The plants are sensitive to drafts and changes in temperature. So it's best to keep poinsettias away from drafty doors, windows, radiators, or fireplaces.

· Don't drown the roots. Wait until the surface of the compost dries out before watering the plant anew. Also, the decorative foil wrapper that covers pots can trap water and lead to root rot. Remove it or poke holes in the bottom to allow for drainage.

· Cut back plants. Come mid-March, cut back the plant by half to encourage new shoots, suggests the University of Illinois Extension. The plants also can be placed outside in the spring after the risk of frost has passed. Bring poinsettias back in around mid-September to early October to force them to bloom again.

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Lifestyle

Lifestyle & Travel

Benefits of Using a Travel Agent for 2022

Thanks to the bevy of online booking sites just a few keystrokes away, many would-be vacationers have taken to planning their own vacations. But travel agents still provide valuable services that savvy travelers know can make the difference between an ordinary getaway and one travelers remember for the rest of their lives.

As tempted as travelers may be to book their own vacations, the following are a few of the many benefits of working with a travel agent when planning your next getaway.

· Experience: Many travelers want to explore foreign countries or cities they have never visited when going on vacation, and planning such excursions can be a daunting if not intimidating task. Many travel agents specialize in certain countries or regions of the world, and their experience can remove the stress and intimidation from planning an overseas adventure. Even travelers who are not leaving the country can benefit from the services of a travel agent who can share information gleaned from past clients about places to visit and places to avoid within a given city.

· Support: Travelers who book their own trips via online booking sites or other faceless agencies may have no one to look to for help should something go awry on their trip. But travel agents can be a go-to source should something go wrong with a reservation. Travel agents routinely work with hotel chains and touring groups, and they no doubt have already handled every type of problem travelers may encounter on their trips. That sense of support and security can help travelers rest easier should anything go wrong.

· Perks: Booking a trip yourself may seem like a great way to plan the most memorable vacation possible, but travel agents often have access to perks that travelers who go it alone are not privy to. Travel agents may be able to arrange for room or car rental upgrades at no additional cost or get their clients reservations at exclusive restaurants where travelers who go it alone will be shut out of. These perks can turn an ordinary trip into the best vacation of your life.

· Time: Planning your own vacation is a time-consuming process that can seem like a second job. If you want to go that route and still have a memorable vacation, you should expect to spend hours on end looking for the best deals and the must-see places to visit while simultaneously figuring out a plan to get from point A to point B to point C and so on. Travel agents plan such trips for a living and can speak to you about what you want out of a given trip before they spend the time necessary to tailor a getaway to suit your every need.

· Trends: Even if you do all of your own exhaustive research, travel agents will still likely know more about your potential destination than you will. That's because travel agents are plugged into the industry in ways that few, if any, outside the travel business can ever be plugged in. If you want a truly unique trip that's unlike any your friends or family members have ever taken, then lean on a travel agent who's in the know about the latest trendy hotels or luxury offerings at destinations across the globe.

Many people are tempted to plan and book their own vacations without ever consulting a travel agent. But travel agents are an invaluable resource for travelers who hope their next trip proves to be the vacation of a lifetime.

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Business Services

Business Acquisitions 

The Complete Guide to
Swiss Trust Company Ownership

by
Jeffrey H. Corbett

About the Author:
It is our mission to save you both time and money when it comes to implementing a successful cross-border strategy as well as make a Swiss Trust Company acquisition possible for you within the shortest possible period of time. Offering more than 25 years of hands-on personal experience, the management of Corb7 International has guided more clients to successful endeavors with Swiss Trust Companies than any other alternative source.

This operational and management experience has allowed Jeffrey Corbett to develop a keen understanding for how international businesses can get bloated with redundancies or inefficient networks resulting in the loss of both time and money. To that end, the Corb7 Strategic Development Solution was created by him. This in-depth approach allows an entrepreneur to retool achieving a sleeker, smoother and more strategically focused organization. An advocate for bringing critical functions in-house, his clients range from small to mid-cap international concerns that can appreciate the additional control and cost reductions.

Corb7 International, Inc.
a Business Advisory & Publishing Firm
www.Corb7.com

For more content regarding international business, motivation &  lifestyle,  
please see my new site:  JeffCorbett.com