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SEPTEMBER 2015
Issue: 83
        SMALL BUSINESS

             SUCCESS  


Welcome to Vantage Business Support & Insurance Services

 

We all know how important small business is to the U.S. economy. Some statistics that you may not know are:

(1) they represent 99.7% of all employer firms, (2) they employ just over half of all private sector employees,  (3) they pay 44% of total U.S. private payroll (4) have generated 64% of net new jobs in the past 15 yrs.

 

VANTAGE has been servicing the small business community for over 35 years. Over the years we have accumulated much knowledge, contacts and experience in helping to protecting small businesses and help them become successful and grow. As such, we will be publishing a semimonthly newsletter geared toward providing small businesses with the latest news, products, and guidelines to assist in their success and growth. Please feel free to comment and/or request topics that are important to you for us to research.
Please view our products list in the right sidebar

This is just a sampling of what we feel would be important to you. We have much more to offer. If you have any questions or need more information please contact us at 877-886-8277 or click the link below.

  

CONTACT A VANTAGE PROFESSIONAL
 
9 Ways to Become a More Interesting Person

Even the briefest lull in a conversation can prompt some people to wonder: "Am I boring?"
The honest answer is that you're probably perfectly fascinating - but you can always become more so. It's a question of collecting new skills, knowledge, and experiences and learning how to share them with others.

To find out how to do that, we checked out the Quora thread, "How do I become a more interesting person?" and pinpointed the most practical advice. Read on for ways to capture people's interest and win their admiration.

1. Develop new skills. 
One way to ensure that other people find you interesting is to make yourself helpful in any situation. That's why Quora user Anthony N. Lee suggests learning as many useful skills as you can, from web design to sewing.

That way, you'll always be the go-to person, whether a friend needs to create a website for her new business or a blanket for her baby niece.

2. Be curious. 
One way to ensure that you're not interesting is by closing yourself off to differing opinions and viewpoints. Instead, you should actively seek out new ideas and experiences that will change the way you think and feel.

Sudhir Desai advocates being a "lifelong learner." He writes: "Keep an open mind, be curious. Allow for a complex world with multiple interpretations. Learn things to deepen and broaden your perspectives."

3. Learn how to tell a good story. 
Maybe you've amassed a ton of information and experiences - but if you can't communicate them to other people, you're sunk.

That's why Marcus Geduld says you should learn how to be a storyteller: "You don't just dump whatever is on your mind into the conversation; you purposefully shape it to make it interesting. ... Start thinking of your life as a gift you can give to others. Wrap it in the finest paper you can find."

Geduld says that means you need to learn how to read your audience to see how long they'll be able to pay attention and tease your listeners with clues to the end of the story.
 
4. Listen and show compassion. 
A striking number of Quora users mentioned that one way to seem interesting is to be interested in others.

Writes Quentin Hardy: "Listen carefully to others, and try with some compassion to understand their motives and actions. Few of us are really good at this. Everyone becomes nearly infinite in their experience of life, if we listen to them with enough imagination. Working that out grows ourselves. Wondering if you're wrong helps, too."

5. Ask good questions. 
At a party, you don't need to say much about yourself for people to believe you're interesting. Instead, engage them in deep conversation about their lifestyle.

"Ask thoughtful (not prying) questions, as needed, about them and their interests and priorities," says Stephanie Vardavas. "Really listen to the answers. Follow up with more thoughtful discussion and necessary questions (again, not prying). By the end of the evening they will remember you as one of the most interesting people they ever met."

6. Say what you think. 
Kat Li says people who don't opine on or disagree with anything can be boring.

"You feel like you can't really ever have a conversation with them," she writes. "You should try to say what you really think about some things, even if other people won't like it."

7. Follow your interests. 
Instead of learning about a ton of dull topics just for the sake of being knowledgeable, pursue areas that you actually find stimulating. That way, you'll sound animated and engaging when describing them to other people.

"I don't think it's as much a matter of trying to be interesting as much as it is naturally following what you enjoy, being an avid student and collector of information that interests and excites you," writes Renee Nay.

8. Read a lot. 
If you have the time and money to travel the world, great. But even if you don't, you can still learn about different cultures and historical periods by reading everything you can get your hands on. Books, blogs, periodicals - expose yourself to as many new stories and ideas as possible.

"Read a lot - it opens up multiple new worlds to us," says Chaitra Murlidhar.

9. Run with a different crowd. 
Perhaps the real reason you don't feel interesting is because you're spending time with people who don't appreciate you. In that case, you should find a different community who understands how much you have to offer.

Writes Travis Biziorek: "Challenge yourself to meet new people, hang out with a different crowd, and experience people with different outlooks and views on life. I promise you'll find people that interest you and those that find you fascinating."

SOURCE: Business Insider SHANA LEBOWITZ

DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY

Our firm provides the information in this e-newsletter for general guidance only, and does not constitute the provision of legal advice, tax advice, accounting services, investment advice, or professional consulting of any kind. The information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional tax, accounting, legal, or other competent advisers. Before making any decision or taking any action, you should consult a professional adviser who has been provided with all pertinent facts relevant to your particular situation. Tax articles in this e-newsletter are not intended to be used, and cannot be used by any taxpayer, for the purpose of avoiding accuracy-related penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer. The information is provided "as is," with no assurance or guarantee of completeness, accuracy, or timeliness of the information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of performance, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose.
 
Small Business Products



VANTAGE has a wide range of products designed to sustain Small Business success and growth.

These products include:

Health Insurance Exchange
Group Medical
Group Dental / Vision
Disability / Critical Illness
Business Liability
Directors & Officers
Errors & Omissions
Business Interruption
Key Person Insurance
Small Business Tool Box
Workers' Compensation
Employment Practices Lia
Employee Theft
Commercial Auto
AARP Sponsored Auto & Home
Umbrella
Property
Product Liability
Start-Up Assistance
Legal Assistance
Human Resources
Marketing
Business Planning


CONTACTS

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Please contact one of our 
VANTAGE 
professionals for assistance: 
 
Paul White
510-595-0904
paulw@vantagebss.com

Steve Cannon
510-595-0906
stevec@vantagebss.com

Gerri White
510-595-0926
gerriw@vantagebss.com



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Vantage Business Support & Insurance Services
4096 Piedmont Ave # 616 / Oakland / CA / 94611
28346 Alava / Mission Viejo / CA / 92692
 

 

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