Brandon Foote

"If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson Books The right book can change you. It can show you a new way of doing something you never thought possible before. It can give you the confidence to keep going. Here are my top 10 favorite books. These books impacted my life greatly and mean a lot to me. I hope they change your life too. Brandon’s Top 10 Favorite Books #1 - The 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss Main lesson: How to be more productive, make more money, and enjoy more freedom.

#2 - Radicals & Visionaries by Thaddeus Wawro Main lesson: Learn from the successes of famous entrepreneurs - you’re not the first one going through this.

#3 - Keep ANY Promise by Karim Ismail Main lesson: How to set goals and actually follow through on them.

#4 - Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Main lesson: The rules of success that anybody can follow to make your idea become a profitable business. #5 - How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Main lesson: How to improve your people skills. #6 - Trump: The Art of the Deal by Donald Trump Main lesson: Think big. #7 - Built to Last by Jim Collins Main lesson: Stand for something. #8 - The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn Main lesson: How to provide outstanding customer service. #9 - Hire the American Dream by Dave Melton and Tim McInTyre Main lesson: Give your team opportunities to be better. #10 - The Entrepreneurial Journey by Norm Trainor Main lesson: Hire people to take on projects, not tasks.

Mobile computing reached its tipping point in 2011 when sales of smartphones and tablet devices surpassed sales of traditional PCs. Tablets and phones are less expensive and cumbersome that PCs and offer lightning quick connections on the go. These smart gadgets aren’t just useful for checking Instagram or the latest NBA scores anymore; they have evolved to boost productivity for an increasingly mobile workforce. Nearly 35 percent of the global workforce is mobile and their printing needs to be mobile, too.

In the last two years, mobile devices have become far more business-friendly to accommodate the demands of the growing mobile workforce. There are better applications and more accessible information thanks to cloud computing. Yet hurdles to mobile printing have remained, namely the issue of data security and support across multiple mobile operating systems.

At OnPOINT Imaging we know your business is unique, and your mobile printing solutions need to be tailored to meet your specific goals. We offer a variety of desktop apps that are easy to use and integrate into your existing network securely.

Here are several ways your company can integrate mobile printing:

Mobile Printing Apps. Smaller offices with one or two devices can choose mobile printing apps that communicate directly with an easy to discover printer.

Follow "YOU" printing allows for a user to send a job to a "CLOUD" print que, and when you are ready to release that print job, you can walk to any XEROX device and simply type your password and release that print job. Thus the name, it truly "follows you" to where you want to pick up the document.

With our newly released ConnectKey products users don't have to install anything or use any fancy software. You all ready have an iPhone, iPad or smartphone and our XEROX technology is the only licensed provider to sync directly with your phone without third party software or workarounds! 

Seventy-five years ago, a man named Chester Carlson invented the copier. He called it “xeroxagraphy.” Xerox became a name synonymous with its product. Even after other companies came out with their own versions of a copier, most people still referred to the action of copying a document as “making a Xerox.” The founding father of Xerox aimed to make office work less tedious. Simplifying workflow processes is also the goal at OnPOINT Imaging, which is why we are proud to offer Xerox printers and Mult- Function devices to our customers. Matter of fact, as your LOCAL PLATINUM XEROX AGENCY, we represent the full breadth of Xerox. We are 100% aligned and ONLY represent XEROX because of their track record of making the BEST products on the market! 

Xerox remains one of the most innovative companies in the office systems industry. Over the years, the company has continually improved its products including the revolutionizing invention of double sided copying in 1970. Xerox is still awarded roughly 23 patents per week.Did you hear that, YES 23 PATENTS PER WEEK...  It is no wonder why some of the biggest companies in the world outsource their business processing to Xerox for document management, IT services and production printing.

OnPOINT Imaging has Xerox copiers to suit any business’s needs. We offer compact designs for smaller offices to high-powered multifunction printers for larger workgroups. Xerox’s advanced color technology provides professional full-color, high-resolution documents at fast printing speeds.

When it comes to office printing, a fast and efficient connection is key. Xerox printers are easily integrated into a company’s existing network, and users can manage the printing queue or troubleshooting issues from a web browser. Employees can also stay connected to the network outside of the office thanks to Xerox’s ConnectKey technology. This advanced technology provides mobile printing, a common user interface across multiple devices, and cloud-based storage.

Practice improves presentation.

The more you practice and prepare for success, the more your presentation will improve. Identify your strengths and use them to determine what types of preparation will be most beneficial to you. Use the tips below to help you refresh your presentation skills. 

1. Follow Your Preference

Introverts may enjoy diving into research, organizing and losing themselves in details. Depth of knowledge builds confidence, improving your presentation. Extraverts may enjoy talking with experts or visiting customers to expand their knowledge. Allow your natural preferences to guide your presentation development.

2. Make Every Performance Count

Practice your presentation using your visuals in front of a mirror, family or friends. Then practice again in front of colleagues familiar with your topic. Use their feedback to improve content and delivery. Time yourself to ensure your presentation fits within its allotted time and to improve your pacing.

You don’t need to memorize your speech. If you’ve practiced enough your notes will keep you on track without having to read them word for word.

3. Project Your Success

When presenting, speak from the diaphragm, loudly and clearly enough so the people sitting farthest from you can understand what you’re saying. Speakers often have a different sense of time than those listening. Pause after key points to allow your audience time to absorb them—or for dramatic emphasis.

Vary the tone of your voice appropriately, to enhance what you’re saying. Avoid filling time with “ums” and “ahs”. A silent pause is far better.

Make a conscious effort to observe your body language in relaxed, comfortable settings. Try to achieve the same natural, but poised, posture when presenting. 

4. Prepare Before Every Event

If possible, arrive at the speaking venue early to ensure you’re familiar with the equipment, and that everything’s working. Come prepared for technical difficulties, like a backup of your presentation on a memory stick—or the ability to proceed without it entirely.

5. You Can Do It

If public speaking fills you with anxiety, practice breathing and relaxation techniques to calm yourself. Remember, the audience is not really focused on you, they’re focused on what you can tell them. They are receptive to learning and want your presentation to succeed. Try to focus on sharing information not on yourself.

6. Seek Understanding

One of the keys to a great presentation is knowing your audience. If possible, before it’s time to begin, take five or ten minutes to meet a few of the people you’ll be presenting to. Use what you learn about them to make small, but meaningful adjustments to your talk. And when you look out at the group from the podium, there’ll be a familiar face or two.

7. Pause for Effect

When you take the stage, pause for a moment before you begin. Acknowledge the audience with a silent smile or welcome greeting. Eye contact is a great way to keep people engaged. Use it throughout your presentation. About two seconds is ideal. And spread your gaze around the room, left to right and front to back.

Keep your audience in view to help you gauge their reaction to your content. Signs of engagement are eye contact, note taking and

nods of agreement. If attention is waning, ask a question or two to reengage your listeners.

8. Focus Forward

When projecting your presentation visuals on a screen behind you, it’s a good idea to glance over your shoulder from time to time to check everything’s correct. Pause, when you do it. Never read from the screen behind you. Make sure you’re facing the audience whenever you’re speaking.

9. Show Leadership

How do you handle an unexpected disruption during your presentation? The audience will likely take its cue from you. If you acknowledge the interruption, it will shift even more attention to it. If you ignore it, you may be able to minimize its impact. Either way, it’s best if you can decide how to handle it quickly and act accordingly.

10. Prepare to be Questioned

Most presentations conclude with a Q&A session. Instead of showing a slide that reads “Questions” show one that summarizes your key points. It will serve as a good reminder and help stimulate the questions you’re after.

Eight tips for growing your business.

It’s possible to build on your success even in challenging economic times. The basic principles of staying focused on delivering real customer value while remaining true to your goals become even more important. If your business is growing, or you’d like it to, here are some ideas and resources to help you. 

1. Customers first.

Celebrate your customers and align any growth plan around protecting your existing relationships. Sustainable business growth depends on keeping your customers happy, just as it did when you started your business. Consider creating customer reward programs (discounts, extended payment terms, etc.) to ensure customer loyalty.

2. What makes your business unique?

Being able to express your business’s core principles and values will help you choose appropriate growth strategies. If you haven’t done so already, create a polished 20 second “elevator speech” that summarizes your business’s products and uniqueness. This summary will help you focus branding and marketing efforts, and will provide the core for conversations with those you reach out to.

3. Sell solutions, not widgets.

Ramping up sales is easier when you focus on this reality: you’re selling a result, not a thing. Avoid “feature dumps” that emphasize the characteristics of your product rather than how it benefits your customer. The most effective sales conversation begins with questions to determine if your prospective buyer has a need for what you’re selling. The goal is to match your products and services to what your prospect needs. If you can’t make a match, move on.

4. Growth? Look out!

A challenge for many small business owners is shifting their perspective from inside their business—the daily details of running the business, to outside the business—developing a strategy for growth, researching markets, understanding competition and so on. Need help? Reach out for resources. Look for ways to harness the expertise and experience of others through networking. As time permits, join associations and attend meetings. It takes time, but can yield benefits without requiring capital. 

5. Marketing.

Complementing your sales efforts with marketing is key to growth. It helps you get your message out to more prospects, creating demand for your products or services. It’s important to develop your branding and incorporate it in all your marketing. If you haven’t done so already, determine a look and feel (type style, graphics, color scheme, logo) and stick with it.

Always include a “call to action” telling prospects what you’d like them to do. Your marketing pieces should also include a compact version of your “elevator speech” for consistency and branding.

6. Working the numbers.

When your new business level requires expanded facilities, new equipment and increased staff, how will you pay for it all? If you’re “growing slow”, can you “self finance” these requirements through profits? If not, when you’re considering loans or mortgages, check out the Small Business Administration website in the US, or the Canada Business Network website for information on loans and grants. While you’re there, surf around. There’s a wealth of free information on a broad range of topics like writing a business plan, business law and regulations and finding local resources.

7. How many people does it take to create success?

As your business grows, the workload becomes more distributed, requiring more employees. Controlled growth means adding these employees slowly and deliberately. If you’re not sure you’ll have sustained revenue to support direct hire employees, consider temporary contract employees. It’s a great way to harness a skill you may only need temporarily. And “test driving” an employee is a great way to find if you have a good fit for longer term employment.

8. You’re the engine.