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Tag: Preparation

  • Reimagining teacher preparation to include student mental health supports

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    Key points:

    Teacher preparation programs have long emphasized curriculum, instruction, and assessment. However, they often fall short in one critical area: social-emotional and mental health needs of students.

    We work daily with students whose academic success is inseparable from their psychological well-being. Nonetheless, we witness new educators wishing they were trained in not just behavior management, but, nowadays, the non-academic needs of children. If preservice programs are going to meet the demands of today’s classrooms, they must include deeper coursework in counseling, psychology, and trauma-informed teaching practices.

    Students today are carrying heavier emotional burdens than ever before. Anxiety, bullying, depression, grief, trauma exposure (including complex trauma), and chronic stress are unfortunately quite common. The fallout rarely appears in uniform, typical, or recognizable ways. Instead, it shows up as behaviors teachers must interpret and address (i.e., withdrawal, defiance, irritability, avoidance, conflict, aggression and violence, or inconsistent work).

    Without formal training, it is easy to label these actions as simple “misbehaviors” instead of asking why. However, seasoned educators and mental health professionals know that behaviors (including misbehaviors) are a means of communication, and understanding the root cause of a student’s actions is essential to creating a supportive and effective classroom.

    Oftentimes, adults fall into a pattern of describing misbehaviors by children as “manipulative” as opposed to a need not being met. As such, adults (including educators) need to shift their mindsets. This belief is supported by research. Jean Piaget reminds us that children’s cognitive and emotional regulation skills are still developing and naturally are imperfect. Lev Vygotsky reminds us that learning and behavior are shaped by the quality of a child’s social interactions, including with the adults (such as teachers) in their lives. Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy further reinforces that psychological safety and belonging must be met before meaningful learning or self-control can occur, and teachers need to initiate psychological safety.

    Traditional classroom management training is often sparse in traditional preservice teacher training. It often emphasizes rules, procedures, and consequences. They absolutely matter, but the reality is far more nuanced. Behavior management and behavior recognition are not the same. A student who shuts down may be experiencing anxiety. A child who blurts out or becomes agitated may be reacting to trauma triggers in the environment. A student who frequently acts out may be seeking connection or stability in the only way they know how. Trauma-informed teaching (rooted in predictability, emotional safety, de-escalation, and relationship-building) is not just helpful, but is foundational in modern schools. Yet, many new teachers enter the profession with little to no formal preparation in these practices.

    The teacher shortage only heightens this need. Potential educators are often intimidated not by teaching content, but by the emotional and behavioral demands that they feel unprepared to address. Meanwhile, experienced teachers often cite burnout stemming from managing complex behaviors without adequate support. Courses focused on child development, counseling skills, and trauma-informed pedagogy would significantly improve both teacher confidence and retention. It would also be beneficial if subject-area experts (such as the counseling or clinical psychology departments of the higher education institution) taught these courses.

    Of note, we are not suggesting that teachers become counselors. School counselors, social workers, psychologists, and psychometrists play essential and irreplaceable roles. However, teachers are the first adults to observe subtle shifts in their students’ behaviors or emotional well-being. Oftentimes, traditional behavior management techniques and strategies can make matters worse in situations where trauma is the root cause of the behavior. When teachers are trained in the fundamentals of trauma-informed practice and creating emotionally safe learning environments, they can respond skillfully. They can collaborate with or refer students to clinical mental-health professionals for more intensive support.

    Teacher preparation programs must evolve to reflect the emotional realities of today’s classrooms. Embedding several clinically grounded courses in counseling, psychology, and trauma-informed teaching (taught by certified and/or practicing mental-health professionals) would transform the way novice educators understand and support their students. This would also allow for more studies and research to take place on the effectiveness of various psychologically saturated teaching practices, accounting for the ever-changing psychosocial atmosphere. Students deserve teachers who can see beyond behaviors and understand the rationale beneath it. Being aware of behavior management techniques (which is often pretty minimal as teacher-prep programs stand now) is quite different than understanding behaviors. Teachers deserve to be equipped with both academic and emotional tools to help every learner thrive.

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    Dr. Yuvraj Verma, Bessemer City Middle School & William Howard Taft University & Jennifer Veitch, Bessemer City Middle School

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  • Jeff Bezos’ Secret to a Clear, Focused Mind Is Puttering. Psychology Says He’s on to Something 

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    Many founders and CEOs are known for their high-octane morning routines. Not Jeff Bezos. The founder spends the first hours of his day “puttering.” 

    “I like to read the newspaper, I like to have coffee, I like to have breakfast with my kids before they go to school. Puttering time is very important to me,” Bezos explained back in 2018. According to his wife Lauren Sanchez, his mornings still focus on slow, offline puttering today. 

    Sipping your coffee while catching up on the news sounds pleasant. But Bezos doesn’t just putter around in the mornings because he’s a billionaire who can do what he pleases. In the same interview he explains that his relaxed morning routine helps him clear and center his mind so he can make high-quality decisions during the day. 

    To the productivity obsessed, puttering might sound like the opposite of focused effectiveness. But psychology insists Bezos is on to something. Puttering, by definition, may be aimless and small in scale. But science is clear it can also help our brains work at their best.  

    Puttering as mindfulness 

    The hectic modern world means most of us spend a large portion of our time ticking through a never-ending to-do list. This frantic turning of the mental wheels can be productive. But it doesn’t leave much room for reflection, creativity, or a simple appreciation of the small pleasures of the present moment. 

    Wandering around doing this and that, on the other hand, acts as a form of mindfulness. It turns off the churn in our brains for a bit, leaving space for ideas and even contentment to bubble up. 

    “Puttering is a gesture of respect from our brains to our physical selves. It’s not about thinking, or reading, or producing. Instead, we take on ‘mindless tasks’ that need only the most minimal participation of the brain. We acknowledge our surroundings, consider what makes us comfortable, and tend to those things, however aimlessly,” explains author Sophia Dembling in Psychology Today. 

    We grit our teeth through housework drudgery. Puttering, in contrast, is a series of low stakes wins we do for the sheer satisfaction they bring. Our attention is on the task as we do it. This present focus quiets the mind in a way that is “deeply therapeutic,” Dembling insists. 

    Set “free from all constraints, my brain meandered at its own pace and in its own way, unclenching and creating space through which fresh ideas wafted. It was relaxing, refreshing, and rejuvenating,” she writes of her own puttering.  

    Research supports Jeff Bezos  

    Studies agree with her (and Jeff Bezos) that puttering is a low-key but effective way to center yourself. 

    For one, researchers explained to volunteers that doing the dishes could act as a form of mindfulness if they simply focused on the sensory details of the task, the warmth of the bubbly water, the gleam of a clean plate. Afterwards, subjects reported that six minutes of this everyday chore reduced their nervousness by 27 percent and increased their inspiration by 25 percent. 

    Puttering, it turns out, is a state of mind, a way of approaching whatever minor job is in front of us. When we tackle these tasks in this unhurried way we gain some of the same calming, creativity-boosting effects as other more formal mindfulness practices, like meditation. 

    Perhaps that’s why, at least as late as 2014, Jeff Bezos also still claimed to wash the dishes himself every night. 

    Puttering as anti-anxiety intervention 

    “Puttering has to do with cleaning and organizing; but it isn’t those things. You begin by identifying an itch in your personal space: something like a jar that has a lot of different types of things in it, or a shelf of plates where you can see a layer of dust underneath everything,” cartoonist Sophie Lucido Johnson wrote in an ode to her husband’s gift for puttering on Medium. 

    One of the great pleasures of puttering, she continues, is the joy of scratching those itches. That ability to right a minor wrong, to remind yourself that you can be effective in the world, is another science-backed benefit of Bezos-style puttering. 

    “Unlike other distracting activities – such as playing computer games or watching trashy TV – puttering also has the advantage of being proactive and useful, increasing our ‘perceived control,’” explains the BBC. The small shot of agency when you organize the junk drawer, say, reduces physical markers of stress in the body, it reports.  

    Feeling more in control in tiny ways, calms us down. That sets us up for larger, more difficult exercises of agency and control later. And if our puttering makes your environment a bit tidier, that’s all the better. Less visually crowded spaces, also soothe our brains, science shows. 

    “In general, you see much greater brain activity as you increase the number of distracting objects within a scene,” the BBC also notes. “This may lead your brain to tire so that it struggles to maintain its focus over long periods of concentration.”

    If Jeff Bezos makes time to putter, so can you

    Take all this together and you have strong evidence that Jeff Bezos isn’t just enjoying his life when he’s puttering around each morning. (Though he’s probably doing that too, which is a perfectly excellent goal.) He’s also practicing a low-key, practical form of mindfulness that helps to reset and prepare his brain for the day to come. 

    If a titan of industry like Bezos can justify spending time puttering each day, certainly you can give yourself permission to putter too. Your brain will probably thank you. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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    Jessica Stillman

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  • Rethinking substitute teacher preparation

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    Key points:

    Many of us remember the days when having a substitute teacher meant movie day–a wheeled video cart appeared, and the substitute teacher’s main goal was making sure students stayed quiet until the bell rang. Times, and students’ needs, have changed.

    Even with teacher vacancies stabilizing in some areas, exhausted teachers still average missing 11 days of the school year, or 5-6 percent of a 186-day year, leaving students spending not single days, but weeks or even months, with substitute teachers. As a result, today’s substitute teachers must do far more than serve as placeholders. This shift demands a fundamental rethinking of how school districts prepare, support, and deploy substitute teachers. They can no longer view substitutes as temporary placeholders; they need capable, prepared educators who can keep learning on track and maintain continuity when regular teachers are absent.

    Professionalizing the substitute teaching role through standards-based training

    The first step toward professionalizing substitute teaching is acknowledging that substitutes are an essential part of the educational ecosystem and that their impact on student learning is quantifiable. A recent meta-analysis of studies demonstrated a positive link between teacher professional development, teaching practices, and student achievement.

    • Fully certified teachers tend to produce better student outcomes compared to those with provisional or no certification.
    • Underprepared teachers leave sooner, increasing instability.
    • Trained teachers are more likely to stay and build effectiveness over time.

    Yet many districts have failed to apply this same logic to substitute teachers, who may work with the same students for extended periods.

    A standards-based approach to substitute preparation mirrors what school leaders expect for all other educational roles. Just as they demand competency-based frameworks for students and research-backed training for teachers, substitute teachers need clearly defined expectations and aligned professional development.

    Seventy-seven percent of districts provide no training to substitute teachers.  When training is offered, the focus is primarily on logistics: Don’t be late, dress appropriately, and find the main office. While these basics matter, they represent only a fraction of what today’s substitutes need to know. Forward-thinking districts are adopting structured frameworks that move beyond ad hoc training approaches and bare minimum orientations. One promising model is the LEARN framework, which establishes five core standards for substitute teacher preparation:

    • Leads and supports instruction for all learners: Substitutes understand their instructional role and can facilitate meaningful learning experiences rather than simply supervising students.
    • Ensures a safe and productive learning environment: Substitutes move beyond basic classroom management to maintaining continuity of instruction and keeping learning productive.
    • Acts with professionalism and ethics: This standard emphasizes both professional behavior and ethical decision-making in educational settings.
    • Recognizes the whole child: Substitutes understand diverse learner needs, from special education students to those from high-poverty backgrounds, and can adapt accordingly.
    • Navigates the educational setting appropriately: This encompasses communication, collaboration, and connection with colleagues and school culture.

    What makes this framework powerful is its focus on supporting a safe, productive environment that keeps learning going from day one. Rather than hoping substitutes will figure things out through trial and error, districts can ensure every substitute enters the classroom prepared to continue learning from their first assignment.

    The framework also allows for tiered development. Basic training might cover essential competencies for short-term assignments, while enhanced modules provide more robust exploration of the LEARN standards relevant for different roles and needs. Additional content can be available to develop instructional best practices and student learning theory for longer-term placements. Advanced training might explore supporting diverse populations and specialized instructional strategies in working with students with special needs.

    Building a strategic substitute workforce through targeted professional development

    To begin implementing LEARN or any other framework for substitute teachers, districts should conduct an honest assessment that includes questions such as:

    • Do you provide consistent training for this critical role?
    • Does your substitute training address all essential competencies?
    • Are you expecting substitutes to maintain instructional continuity without providing the tools to do so?

    If gaps exist–perhaps you’re strong on professional expectations but weak on instructional preparation, or focused on behavior management while neglecting lesson plan interpretation–you face the choice between investing your time and money to develop comprehensive programs on your own or partnering with a provider who can deliver research-backed training.

    The classroom impact of having well-prepared substitute teachers in the classrooms becomes evident immediately. Untrained substitutes may default to worksheets and videos because they lack confidence and preparation. This can lead to disengaged students, behavior concerns, and other challenges. Trained substitutes, on the other hand, can facilitate small-group activities, manage learning centers, and guide students through complex tasks because they understand classroom routines and are confident in their ability to maintain established systems. As one teacher commented after training, “I can better engage students, adapt to their learning styles, and support stronger academic growth.”

    District leaders also see the impact of rigorous training, which one leader said “is helping to create more subs at a time they are desperately needed. The training they are getting helps them understand how to manage a classroom effectively–more so than the credit hour requirements.”

    This difference matters enormously for instructional continuity. When teachers know their substitutes can handle their established classroom routines and learning activities, they’re less likely to water down instruction or leave generic busy work. As a result, students experience fewer disruptions to their learning progression.

    From a workforce perspective, training drives retention. Employees who feel prepared and confident in their roles are more likely to continue working and stay with organizations longer. This principle, well-established in human resources research, applies equally to substitute teachers. When substitutes have the support they need to successfully manage classrooms and support student learning, they’re more likely to accept assignments and remain in the candidate pool.

    The path forward is clear: Districts must move beyond treating substitute teaching as an afterthought and embrace it as a critical component of education. By adopting standards-based frameworks, implementing comprehensive training programs, and strategically developing their substitute workforce, districts can ensure that learning continues regardless of which adult is leading the classroom. Districts that invest in professionalizing their substitute workforce will see returns in instructional continuity, teacher satisfaction, and ultimately, student achievement.

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    Dr. Stephanie Wall, Kelly Education

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  • 3 Continuity Plan Failures That Toppled Industry Giants | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is often something that many professionals do not pay close attention to. History has shown us that even industry giants can be humbled and collapse or lose significant income when they overlook critical vulnerabilities in their preparation for crises.

    This can range from overconfidence in their abilities and technologies used to geopolitical unawareness. If the blind spots are not managed carefully, severe crises can be escalated, which can even threaten the future of the business.

    This article will look at three catastrophic BCP failures that brought down industry titans. Every organization or company can learn lessons from these in order to ensure that they do not make the same mistakes.

    Related: The Cost of Unpreparedness: Why Many Businesses Lack a Continuity Strategy

    Overconfidence in technology — How Facebook lost brand value

    Many leading social networks were a few years ago always confident that their AI and automation would help them to solve crises without the need for human intervention. The overreliance can pose severe problems when complex problems arise.

    In 2018, Facebook was dealt severe embarrassment for its overreliance on its automation after an automated network configuration tool misapplied changes, which caused the disruption of its services to millions. The incident exposed a critical flaw in that no manual override was in place to be able to correct the error quickly.

    Facebook not only suffered reputational damage as users and advertisers lost trust in its reliability, but it also exposed its slow response as engineers struggled to diagnose the issue due to opaque system dependencies. There was also a lack of redundancy as no backup systems were activated in order to bypass the faulty automation.

    The big lesson to be learned from Facebook’s error is that automation is still just a tool and not yet a replacement for human judgment. BCPs must always include fail-safes — i.e., manual overrides for critical systems, scenario testing, which means regular drills for technology failures, and transparency in order to ensure clear communication protocols during outages.

    Related: Do You Have a ‘Business Continuity Plan’?

    A failure to recognize geopolitical certainty led to Adobe usurping Kodak

    It is important for major companies to always pay attention to geopolitical shifts and understand that a company has to regularly adapt depending on what happens in the world. Kodak was guilty of treating geopolitical shifts as distant risks, and this shortsightedness led to its downfall.

    It was actually Kodak that invented the digital camera, but rather than further developing it, they opted to bury the technology in order to protect their film business. Upon noticing that humans were migrating to digital systems, Adobe migrated earlier than Kodak, embracing cloud-based tools and recurring revenue models. Kodak paid the price for reacting too late and had to file for bankruptcy in 2012.

    Kodak paid the price as their leadership clung to legacy revenue streams, they didn’t have a BCP for disruptive tech adaptation and as they had ignored hard trends such as digital migration, which was inevitable.

    Learning from the example of Kodak, it is always important for companies to monitor trends and especially identify hard trends such as demographics and technology evolution in order to predict disruptions. Flexible frameworks should be developed in order to allow rapid pivots, and there should be shareholder alignment to ensure that leadership and teams are prepared enough for transformational change.

    The semiconductor shortage crisis was caused by underestimating supply chain vulnerabilities

    Many BCPs opt to focus on internal risks, such as cyberattacks, and neglect external dependencies such as global supply chains. The 2020-2022 semiconductor shortage was an example of this, as it crippled industries from automotive to consumer electronics.

    The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted most industries — global logistic networks and many companies that rely on “just in time” manufacturing, such as Toyota, faced massive production delays. Companies that did not have diversified suppliers and inventory buffers lost billions in income. Ford is estimated to have lost $2.5B due to chip shortages.

    Because of single-point failures and the fact that there was an overreliance on a handful of suppliers, some were toppled. There was also a lack of contingency stock, and the lack of buffer inventory for critical components greatly impacted businesses, while slow adaptation delayed reshoring and supplier diversification.

    Related: Your Business Faces More Risks Than Ever — Here’s How to Ensure You’re Prepared For Any Disaster

    The lesson from all of this is that for a BCP to be resilient, it must include supplier diversification, stress testing and inventory buffers. There should be partnerships with vendors across regions. Stress testing will stimulate supply chain disruptions in BCP drills, and inventory buffers help to maintain strategic reserves for critical materials.

    In today’s day and age, the difference between survival and collapse will often lie in analyzing and recognizing blind spots before they become problems. All businesses should aim to learn from the above scenarios because, in business continuity, complacency is the greatest risk of all, as it can lead to a business’s downfall.

    With the world and technology now constantly evolving, a company must embrace change and continuously work on finding ways to be relevant for the far future.

    A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is often something that many professionals do not pay close attention to. History has shown us that even industry giants can be humbled and collapse or lose significant income when they overlook critical vulnerabilities in their preparation for crises.

    This can range from overconfidence in their abilities and technologies used to geopolitical unawareness. If the blind spots are not managed carefully, severe crises can be escalated, which can even threaten the future of the business.

    This article will look at three catastrophic BCP failures that brought down industry titans. Every organization or company can learn lessons from these in order to ensure that they do not make the same mistakes.

    The rest of this article is locked.

    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

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    Chongwei Chen

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  • ‘The mystery continues’: Nebraska city opens pyramid that guards world’s largest time capsule in preparation for next year

    ‘The mystery continues’: Nebraska city opens pyramid that guards world’s largest time capsule in preparation for next year

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    A small Nebraska city revealed part of a 50-year-old mystery on Independence Day.Take a look inside the pyramid in the video player aboveSeward, Nebraska — the self-proclaimed “Fourth of July City” — stepped back into time as they opened a pyramid that guards the world’s largest time capsule.”We are opening the pyramid this year because we can’t figure out how to get the capsule open with the pyramid on top,” said Trish Johnson.It was the brainchild of Trish’s father, Harold Davisson. In 1975, the local furniture store owner decided to build a 45-ton vault in the ground, sealed with a brand-new Chevy Vega, motorcycle, and other treasures inside.”All the good stuff is in the time capsule down below,” Trish said. Davisson, who died in 1999, left instructions saying it should be opened on the 50th anniversary: July 4, 2025. The problem was the pyramid was added in 1983.”By putting a pyramid on top, it preserved what was below it,” Trish said. The pyramid also preserved the largest time capsule title, but getting in was harder than expected.”It took them six hours to cut this away,” Trish said. A 4-ton slab and woven layers of insulation revealed a beat-up Toyota Corolla and a lot of other memorabilia.”We had water damage, we had heat damage. But we do have a table full of letters for people to come find and retrieve,” she said.Inside the pyramid were murals that were painted — even some from Trish’s daughters, who were just kids.”We had all steeled ourselves for all of the murals to be pretty much gone. So, seeing any of it intact was pretty neat,” said Kathryn Johnson. They still haven’t figured out how they will get into the main vault for next year’s big event.”We’re calling this our dress rehearsal, and we really think we needed one. The mystery continues,” Trish said.

    A small Nebraska city revealed part of a 50-year-old mystery on Independence Day.

    Take a look inside the pyramid in the video player above

    Seward, Nebraska — the self-proclaimed “Fourth of July City” — stepped back into time as they opened a pyramid that guards the world’s largest time capsule.

    “We are opening the pyramid this year because we can’t figure out how to get the capsule open with the pyramid on top,” said Trish Johnson.

    It was the brainchild of Trish’s father, Harold Davisson.

    In 1975, the local furniture store owner decided to build a 45-ton vault in the ground, sealed with a brand-new Chevy Vega, motorcycle, and other treasures inside.

    “All the good stuff is in the time capsule down below,” Trish said.

    Davisson, who died in 1999, left instructions saying it should be opened on the 50th anniversary: July 4, 2025.

    The problem was the pyramid was added in 1983.

    “By putting a pyramid on top, it preserved what was below it,” Trish said.

    The pyramid also preserved the largest time capsule title, but getting in was harder than expected.

    “It took them six hours to cut this away,” Trish said.

    A 4-ton slab and woven layers of insulation revealed a beat-up Toyota Corolla and a lot of other memorabilia.

    “We had water damage, we had heat damage. But we do have a table full of letters for people to come find and retrieve,” she said.

    Inside the pyramid were murals that were painted — even some from Trish’s daughters, who were just kids.

    “We had all steeled ourselves for all of the murals to be pretty much gone. So, seeing any of it intact was pretty neat,” said Kathryn Johnson.

    They still haven’t figured out how they will get into the main vault for next year’s big event.

    “We’re calling this our dress rehearsal, and we really think we needed one. The mystery continues,” Trish said.

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  • How to Protect Your Business From Internet Brownouts | Entrepreneur

    How to Protect Your Business From Internet Brownouts | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    In today’s digital age, businesses rely heavily on the internet for various aspects of their operations. A smooth and uninterrupted internet connection is essential for productivity, communication and customer satisfaction. However, internet brownouts — temporary reductions in network quality — pose a significant threat to businesses. It’s crucial to explore the causes of internet brownouts, their impact on businesses and strategies to mitigate their effects.

    What are internet brownouts?

    Internet brownouts are periods of suboptimal network performance, also known as “unusable uptime,” that can result in slow browsing, poor video quality and dropped connections. Unlike internet blackouts, where the connection is entirely lost, brownouts are characterized by a temporary decrease in the quality and speed of the internet connection. These disruptions can last for a few seconds to several hours, causing various inconveniences and potential losses for businesses. Without access to strong internet connections, your company might struggle to meet the demands of users and employees alike, leading to lost production and revenue.

    Related: How to Bulletproof the Internet Connectivity in Your Office

    Why do internet brownouts happen?

    It can be frustrating to encounter an internet brownout, and there are a variety of reasons why it might happen. Internet brownouts can occur due to several factors, including:

    1. Network congestion: The internet relies on a vast network of interconnected devices and servers to facilitate data transmission. As more users and devices connect to the internet, bandwidth demand increases, leading to congestion and reduced network performance.

    2. Infrastructure limitations: Aging network infrastructure and outdated equipment can struggle to handle modern internet traffic and demands, leading to bottlenecks and brownouts.

    3. Cyber attacks: Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks aim to overwhelm targeted servers or networks with an influx of traffic, causing performance degradation or complete outages.

    4. Natural disasters and human error: Events such as earthquakes, floods or accidents can damage network infrastructure, causing temporary internet disruptions.

    5. Maintenance and upgrades: Routine maintenance and upgrades to the internet infrastructure can sometimes result in temporary outages or reduced performance.

    Regardless of the cause of the internet brownout, it can have a significant impact on your business, so it is crucial to plan accordingly.

    How internet brownouts impact your business

    Internet brownouts can have severe consequences for businesses. The nature of the consequences will depend on the severity of the internet brownout and the specific demands of your business, but some of the most significant consequences could include:

    1. Lost productivity: Slow internet connections can hinder employees’ ability to access cloud-based services, collaborate or perform their tasks efficiently. Lost productivity can result in missed deadlines, frustration and increased costs.

    2. Decreased customer satisfaction: In a world where customers expect instant access to information and services, internet brownouts can lead to slow response times, dropped connections and unsatisfactory experiences, causing customers to lose trust in your business.

    3. Lost revenue: Online sales can be severely impacted by internet brownouts, as customers may abandon their shopping carts or experience transaction failures. Additionally, businesses that rely on real-time data or remote services may face significant operational challenges during brownouts.

    4. Reputation damage: Repeated instances of internet brownouts can damage a company’s reputation, as customers and partners may perceive the business as unreliable or unprofessional.

    To mitigate the consequences of an internet brownout, it is crucial to develop a comprehensive strategy. By being proactive, it is possible to prepare for such a brownout and keep your business on track.

    Related: 4 Tips to Optimize Your Office’s Network Infrastructure

    How to stop internet brownouts from impacting your business

    To minimize the impact of internet brownouts on your business, there are a variety of strategies that could prove helpful. Some of the top examples include:

    1. Invest in robust network infrastructure: Upgrading your network infrastructure, including routers, switches and cabling can improve the stability and performance of your internet connection. Investing in high-quality equipment and working with a reliable internet service provider (ISP) can help prevent brownouts.

    2. Implement network redundancy: Diversify your internet connections by using multiple ISPs or alternate connection types, such as wired and wireless options. This redundancy can ensure that if one connection is affected by a brownout, your business can continue operating with minimal disruption.

    3. Upgrade your hardware: Invest in higher-grade hardware to ensure reliability and avoid costly network failures. In addition, enterprise-grade internet connections have become more affordable with the drop in fiber optic cable prices, making them a viable option for small businesses.

    4. Optimize bandwidth usage: Implement Quality of Service (QService) policies to prioritize critical business applications and limit non-essential traffic. For example, encourage employees to avoid bandwidth-heavy activities, such as video streaming or large file downloads, during peak business hours.

    5. Develop a disaster recovery plan: A comprehensive disaster recovery plan can help your business respond quickly and effectively to internet disruptions. This plan should include guidelines for employees, alternate communication methods and backup systems for critical data and applications.

    6. Consider using a Content Delivery Network (CDN): CDNs distribute your website’s content across multiple servers located in different geographic locations. By serving content from a server closest to the user, CDNs can help mitigate the impact of network congestion and improve your website’s performance during internet brownouts.

    7. Employ a backup power connection: An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) provides backup battery power to your IT systems, ensuring a seamless transfer to the battery supply in case of a power outage. For longer-lasting power failures, consider investing in backup generators.

    8. Switch to cloud or colocation services: Protect your business from data loss due to natural disasters or power surges by moving essential documents to cloud servers or colocation centers. These facilities offer enhanced security, data backup in diverse geological regions and technical support to manage potential problems.

    Internet brownouts are an unfortunate reality of today’s digital landscape. While it may be impossible to eliminate them entirely, businesses can take steps to minimize their impact by investing in robust network infrastructure, implementing redundancy and adopting best practices for bandwidth management. By being proactive and prepared, your business can continue to thrive even in the face of temporary internet disruptions.

    Related: 12 Surprising Office Wi-Fi Killers

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    Greg Davis

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  • How to Prepare for Unforeseen Problems in Your Business | Entrepreneur

    How to Prepare for Unforeseen Problems in Your Business | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Preparation is an investment, and it will be your greatest ally when issues come up in your business. Business will always have a human element, and because there is no perfect human, it’s guaranteed that businesses will encounter unforeseen problems.

    The best way you can solve these problems is not to be reactive after the issue takes root, but to be proactive by preparing for these problems in advance. Here are some of the actions I’ve witnessed in my own business that not only helped keep things running smoothly when hurdles came up but even helped to bypass issues entirely and ensure the success of our business.

    Related: 5 Effective Ways to Prepare for the Unexpected

    1. Pair starters with finishers

    One of the unexpected difficulties as a business leader is being strategic in how you formulate your teams. Not only does a team’s chemistry come down to background and personalities, but the effectiveness of a team is determined by the skills of the people paired together. Some people are great starters — they are always willing to step up to bat and take on extra responsibilities. They’re not afraid of an increased workload. However, because of their nature, they could struggle with finishing projects, or they could be spread too thin to follow through.

    On the flip side, while finishers won’t be the first to raise their hand at taking on an extra workload, they excel at following up and following through. They’re the people who are great at executing and making sure a project is completed by a deadline. Rather than punishing starters and finishers in the areas that need improvement, an effective business leader will pair starters with finishers on a team. This takes time and observation to get to know your employees and how they work, but it makes the perfect recipe to avoid problems down the road.

    2. End meetings with an action item

    Meetings aren’t effective if they don’t have a solid structure to follow. We noticed a lack of measurable progress coming out of meetings at our own business. I realized we needed to be more intentional with these meetings, so we formulated a plan: Cut the meetings to 30 minutes maximum, assign one person to lead the meeting, and assign another person to email a summary afterward.

    The most important change we implemented? Each meeting needed to end with one action item to make the business a little bit better. The action item needed a timeline and designation about who would be responsible for the action item. We didn’t restrict them on what the action item needed to be — the action item could make the business run more profitably, make a process faster or smooth out a recurring issue.

    This was when we started to see notable improvement coming from these meetings, and it’s one of the most proactive measures we’ve taken in anticipating possible problems in the business.

    Related: How to Prepare for an Unexpected, Unwanted and Unwelcome Business Setback

    3. Provide clear guidelines and benchmarks for your employees

    Create a culture around winning. People feel good when they accomplish things, so it’s your job to ensure there’s a structure for getting the work done. For every position you create, outline responsibilities and guidelines that fall upon the employee, and establish benchmarks that will help measure your employee’s accomplishments and growth. Clarify what skills and requirements it takes to get the job done in the job description, and make sure they have a robust understanding of this when they start the job.

    Connect regularly with employees, and give them feedback on how they’re performing compared to the job requirements. You could use metrics like sales numbers, customer satisfaction, the scope or quality of a project’s completion or how well they respond to deadlines. Highlight their wins, and emphasize what they’re doing well.

    People want to get things done simply because it makes them feel good; develop a winning culture by setting reasonable expectations instead of repeatedly dumping tasks on your employees without clear guidelines.

    4. Keep open transparency and communication with your team

    The single most important thing any business can do to prepare for unforeseen problems is to keep a clear line of communication open. Ask your employees, “what can I do better? How can I make your job easier?” Be open to criticism and willing to act on what they say.

    Odds are, this will make your employees more willing to listen and accept criticism from you. If you’re showing them you want to improve for their sake, they’ll do the same for you. The entire business will function better if everyone is helping each other strive to be the best they can be for the improvement of the company.

    Consider asking your employees: Are they in a role that they enjoy? Are they spread too thin to perform? Being transparent in your communication will help take your business to the next level by fixing existing problems and avoiding future issues simultaneously.

    Related: 4 Ways to Prepare Now so Your Business Survives the Unexpected Later

    Preparing for unforeseen problems is a critical aspect to running a successful business. No matter how well-funded your business is and how well-rounded your systems and processes are, unexpected challenges will come up.

    Anticipate growth and potential problems by rethinking how you run meetings, being intentional in how you formulate teams, and providing clear guidelines and communication with your employees. If you’ve pre-scaled for growth, you’ll confidently navigate these hurdles.

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    Trevor Cowley

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  • How Retailers Can Ensure They’re Setup for Success This Holiday Season

    How Retailers Can Ensure They’re Setup for Success This Holiday Season

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Over the last couple of years, Christmas in July has taken on a new meaning for retailers — what once was an opportunity to offer a summer sale has now transformed into a critical time to prepare for the upcoming holiday shopping season.

    But the past few holiday shopping seasons have proven to be anything but ordinary. The past two years, the pandemic caused supply chain delays resulting in backlogs and undelivered gifts, a challenge for retailers and a lesson learned for consumers. As a result, this year, consumers began their holiday shopping earlier to avoid supply chain bottlenecks and to combat high inflation — with 25% of consumers starting as early as August or September. Additionally, the pandemic accelerated the online shopping trend, with new data suggesting that 24.5% of this year’s total retail holiday sales will come from online orders.

    With all of this in mind, some (myself included) may argue that July may be too late for retailers to start their holiday season planning, especially given that the holiday season can account for up to 30% of retailers’ annual sales.

    Related: July Is Just Early Enough to Start Planning for Holiday Selling

    So, how can retailers adapt their strategies to focus on holiday season planning throughout the entire year (as opposed to just the second half) to cover all their bases, increase revenue and prepare for the unexpected?

    Prioritize cash flow planning

    Consumers are currently facing the highest inflation rates in nearly 40 years and a halt in government stimulus payments, which in turn impacts how they approach their holiday shopping (e.g., how much they’re planning to spend, through what channels, etc.).

    As a result, small business retailers are entering a challenging and unpredictable time. To mitigate this uncertainty, they must look internally and assess their cash flow well in advance of the holiday season in order to be best prepared for what’s ahead.

    The most effective way retailers can approach this is by creating different cash flow scenarios early in the year that map out the business’ best-case scenario, worst-case scenario and most likely scenario for how the holiday season will pan out. Accounting for these three scenarios can help retailers create a plan of action for how they’ll tackle any challenges and how they’ll activate each scenario. Proper planning gives business owners the confidence needed to forge forward by removing ambiguity and unexpected situations (e.g., not having enough cash on hand, supply chain delays) come the most critical time of year.

    Whether you’re a big box retailer or a local mom-and-pop shop, it’s important to have a full understanding of your cash flow positioning year-round in order to make key business decisions and plan for various scenarios. For small businesses, leaning into technology such as Xero, a cloud-based accounting software platform, allows small business owners to keep track of their cash flow across the customer journey. Keeping track of this data in real-time can help retailers see their full cash position at any point in the year, which can help contribute to their holiday planning strategies.

    An important question all retailers should be asking themselves early in the planning process is: How will my product/service make out if the economy dips into a recession and budgets get tighter? Where does my product/service sit on the hierarchy of needs? If you’re a retailer selling non-essential items (e.g., jewelry, home decor) your planning strategy may look different than if you’re selling essential items like groceries. Having an understanding of your product and consumer purchase patterns will allow you to assess strategies such as how to price your product, how to manage the supply chain, how to effectively market the product/service and beyond.

    As retailers start their holiday planning earlier in the year, what factors should they consider during the planning process?

    Return policies

    According to the National Retail Federation, $218 billion worth of online purchases were returned in 2021 — more than double the year before. The uptick in returns is likely due to retailers offering more lenient return policies during the pandemic as they sought out creative solutions to address in-store closures/restrictions.

    Two years later, retailers (especially small businesses) are now facing higher costs for labor and shipping due to persistent inflation, requiring them to look inward for alternative ways to reduce costs (which for a lot of retailers is shaping up to include changes to generous return policies).

    My advice: Retailers should continue to offer lenient return policies around the holidays, including keeping the return window at least 30 days (in-person and online) and allowing for online-only purchases to be returned in stores. Keeping the window shorter (but still allowing for returns) can help alleviate the impact returns have on the beginning of the year’s cash flow.

    Supply chain

    Worldwide supply chain constraints have had a lasting impact on retail operations. If we’ve learned one thing from these challenges, it’s the importance of planning.

    Having an adequate supply chain strategy in place will reduce the risk of overspending on unnecessary items and the risk of running out of supply for highly sought items. Ordering inventory early in the year can ensure you have adequate stock for top-selling items when the holiday season rolls around. Not having a bestselling product available often means the product will get substituted by the best alternative.

    My advice: Consumer data is your best friend. Properly tracking and utilizing this data can help you have a better understanding of your consumers and their purchase patterns, and which products will likely be in high demand during the holidays (for inventory planning purposes).

    Related: Think It’s Too Early to Strategize for Holiday Ecommerce Sales? Think Again.

    Labor market

    A tight labor market and rising labor costs continue to cause challenges during the holiday hiring season. Failing to meet hiring goals can eventually lead to a loss in sales due to not having enough staff to help ensure shipments, inventory and in-person sales are accounted for.

    My advice: Retailers should consider revamping recruiting strategies, raising wages, offering flexible schedules and extending benefits in order to attract new or seasonal hires. For retailers who are rethinking their reliance on seasonal workers, consider more appealing offerings for regular staff to take on extra hours.

    Consumer behavior

    The current economic climate has impacted the way consumers approach brand loyalty, with many looking to shop for the best deal, even if it’s not through their preferred retailer. As economic uncertainty persists, consumers are experiencing behavioral shifts.

    My advice: Retailers should focus on loyalty strategies to reward customers for shopping at their stores (e.g., offering exclusive deals to loyalty members or offering a point system for each dollar spent rewarding customers down the line with credit or a gift). Retailers can also draw in new customers by offering bonus rewards for signing up for the loyalty program that encourage them to return to the store. Creating a connected omnichannel experience where the physical and online stores sync is also a big draw for consumers.

    Adequate planning and forecasting throughout the year is the foolproof way to ensure your business is best positioned for the most wonderful time of year. By preparing for the upcoming holiday season year-round as opposed to just in the second half of the year, retailers can directly apply lessons learned from the previous year, effectively plan for various scenarios based on different external factors (i.e., inflation) and get a head start on competitors.

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    Ben Richmond

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