By dallaschamber Business Books • DACC • General Information • motivation • Uncategorized • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

The Outward Mindset

An outward mindset will greatly impact how we negotiate our world and the impact we will have. An outward mindset helps us to see the world as it is and not how we imagine it to be. An outward mindset doesn’t come naturally though. We have to consciously change how we think about the world and about others.

In The Outward Mindset, the Arbinger Institute reports that “the biggest lever for change is not a change in self-belief but a fundamental change in the way one sees and regards one’s connections with and obligations to others.”

Moving from an inward mindset to an outward mindset is more than a surface adjustment or behavioral change alone. It requires a change in how we see and think about others. How we see and respond to others is not so much about them as it is a reflection of what is going on inside of us. We often fixate on other’s shortcomings so we don’t have to deal with our own.

Arbinger has discovered that those who consistently work with an outward mindset follow a pattern. They:

· See the needs, objectives, and challenges of others (Create opportunities for people to see each other so they can begin to talk.)

· Adjust their efforts to be more helpful to others (“Real helpfulness can’t be made into a formula. To be outward doesn’t mean that people should adopt this or that prescribed behavior. Rather, it means that when people see the needs, challenges, desire, and humanity of others, the most effective ways to adjust their efforts occur to them in the moment. When they see others as people, they respond in human and helpful ways.”)

· Measure and hold themselves accountable for the impact of their work on others (“Measuring one’s impact requires nothing but a willingness to stay in regular conversations with others about whether they feel one’s efforts are helping them or not.”)

An outward-mindset begins with you. “While the goal in shifting mindsets is to get everyone turned toward each other, accomplishing this goal is possible only if people are prepared to turn their mindsets toward others with no expectation that others will change their mindsets in return. This capability—to change the way I see and work with others regardless of whether they change—overcomes the biggest impediment to mindset change: the natural, inward-mindset inclination to wait for others to change before doing anything different oneself.” This of course, is true leadership.

The chamber office is carrying this book. Stop by and purchase your copy today to learn how you and your organization can benefit from building an “outward mindset”.

By dallaschamber Business Spotlight • DACC • DAVC • General Information • Member News • Uncategorized • Upcoming Events • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

Dallas Area Visitors Center

Last week, the Dallas City Council approved the city’s budget which included them keeping the entirety of the Transient Lodging Taxes. This means that the City will no longer contract with the Dallas Area Visitors Center for marketing of the Dallas area.

So, what’s next for the Visitors Center? Simple, we are going to continue to do the next right thing! This means we will continue to work collaboratively with the City in marketing efforts and in the promotion of city events. We will continue to be involved in other civic organizations and put time into providing the best information possible to Dallas residents, businesses and visitors alike.

Most importantly, the Visitors Center is going to strengthen our focus on drawing tourism to our great city. Identifying and leveraging Dallas’s assets combined with a strong marketing plan will drive people to see what Dallas has to offer. Tourism has a wide range of economic impacts. Tourists in Dallas will contribute to sales, profits, jobs, tax revenues and overall income in our area. The most direct effects from tourism occur in the primary tourism sectors; lodging, restaurants, transportation, entertainment and retail trade.

Simply put, the Dallas Area Visitors Center is going to continue working for you!

https://www.exploredallasoregon.org/

By dallaschamber DACC • General Information • Marketing • motivation • Networking • Uncategorized • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

Forbes Coaches Council Shares 9 Pieces of Business Advice

  1. Research And Understand Your Market

Take the time to do market research and really listen closely to your ideal client’s needs. Get really in tune with them to know where they’re at right now: That is different to where you would like them to be. Take this intel and craft it into an irresistible solution for them to be able to get easier yeses in your business. – Penny Elliott, Pennycomins.com

  1. Put In The Hard Work

Starting a business is exponentially harder than another other job. Successful entrepreneurs need to operate well across a variety of functions: sales, marketing, finance, operations, HR, etc. On top of that, creating an enterprise from scratch requires creativity, persistence and continuous learning. – Justin Kulla, BusinessBlocks

  1. Mould The Life You Want For Yourself

You are the designer of your life. If there are parts of your life that do not fit well, you can make adjustments. Think of your life and career as clay on a potter’s wheel and you as the potter. Get a picture in your mind of what the masterpiece looks like and keep shaping toward that picture. – Bonnie Hagemann, Executive Development Associates

  1. Really Listen To Your Clients

Truly listen and empathize with your clients. Everyone is so interested in getting their own personal message across, that no one pauses for a moment to actually listen and hear the root of the problem or pain. Believe in listening 80% of the time, clarifying 10% of the time, and responding wholeheartedly and intentionally, is the remaining 10% of the time. – Stephynie Malik, ChiqueSpeak

  1. Learn With A Team

Most leaders settle for learning by themselves. They read a book or attend a conference by themselves. Good leaders learn with the help of a mentor. A coach can come alongside a leader and help the leader see things from a different perspective. The best leaders learn with a team. An old proverb teaches that where there are many advisors, there is much success. – Ken Gosnell, CXP – CEO Experience

  1. Focus On What Makes You Thrive

Be unapologetic and relentless with what makes you thrive. Many times, we are influenced from the outside world, and cloud our own desires for the sake of those around us. The sooner you are able to grasp this nugget, the sooner it will drastically change your world. – Neeta Bhushan, Global GRIT institute

  1. Play The Long Game

It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day challenges of running a business, but you MUST carve out time at least once a week to take stock of what you’re doing for the long-term health of your business. That includes marketing, training, employee development, community engagement and capital development. Sound investments today will pay dividends in the future. – Jim Judy, Try Franchising

  1. Focus On the Rewards

This may sound cliché, but my honest advice is to go for it when considering starting a new business venture, despite the fear it may not work out. One needs to adopt the mindset that the whole journey is a big experiment and that “failure” is not an option, because ultimately it is learning and growth that we will get. Focusing on the rewards instead of the fear is the real key to success. – Noor Hibbert, This Is Your Dream LTD

  1. Network With Experienced Execs

Take any opportunity to network and learn from more experienced executives, as well as to be mentored and coached by some of them. Further, exposure to specific meetings, boardroom discussion, and strategic planning would be utterly beneficial. – Izabela Lundberg, Legacy Leaders Institute

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/02/28/9-business-tips-every-entrepreneur-needs-to-know/#865788323463

By dallaschamber Business Spotlight • DACC • General Information • Member News • motivation • Uncategorized • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

Dallas Retirement Village – Evy Nickel

Evy Nickel, a resident at Dallas Retirement Village Apartments, is a designer and innovator by training and osmosis. Some years ago a friend, who was ill, asked her to make something to keep him warm. Rather than the traditional blanket or scarf, Evy took it up a notch and made him a monkey! Stitched with love and filled with rice, these adorable companions can be heated in the microwave and provide gentle warm comfort.

Over the years, Evy made many monkeys that she gave to friends or contributed to non-profits for markets and bazaars. A group from her church would gather and make monkeys for hospice patients who gained comfort just having them to hold. Eventually, Evy obtained a patent for her design, started naming each monkey individually, and called her endeavor MONKEY BUSINESS ADOPTION AGENCY. The monkeys were made in two sizes – a larger one the “caregiver” and a smaller one the “buddy’.

With her move to DRV and the chore of clearing out a large house, she needed to decide what to do with her collection of materials to make many additional monkeys. Her decision was as innovative as only Evy can be… she gifted everything to the Dallas Retirement Village Foundation to use as a fundraiser. Residents were recruited to help sew, stuff and name monkeys, and the marketing began. Because all the materials and labor are donated, 100% of the sales go to Dallas Retirement Foundation’s Scholarship Fund. Ever since these adorable little companions showed up, they have been flying off the shelf!

If you would like to adopt one of these unique monkeys, they can be found in the gift shop of the Health Center at Dallas Retirement Village: 377 NW Jasper Street and also on campus in the main lobby of the Lodge Clubhouse and Village Apartments. If you take one of these lil cuties home, please know that you are not only getting a warm companion, but you are also helping the Dallas Retirement Village staff continue their education to become better caregivers and comforters.

https://www.dallasretirementvillage.com/

By dallaschamber Business Spotlight • DACC • General Information • Uncategorized • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

Dallas School District #2

The primary purpose of Dallas School District is to provide opportunities for the full intellectual development of each child. The child has the responsibility to himself and society to purposely pursue the educational opportunities provided him. Dallas School District has a shared responsibility with parents and with other institutions and agencies for the social, physical, and emotional growth and development of the individual child.

The school must assume a major responsibility for developing in children: a spirit of patriotism based on a deep and abiding love of our country; an understanding of the basic principles of American democracy; a commitment to participate as citizens in the decision making processes; and, an understanding of the duties, responsibilities and rights of every citizen.

The school has a responsibility for developing in all children; an understanding of our economic system based on individual initiative, private property right and competition; a respect for the human dignity attained through productive work; a determination to become contributing persons within our economic system; and, an active concern for the conservation and wise use of our natural resources including the protection of our total environment.

The school has a responsibility for developing in all children an awareness of the societal responsibilities to themselves, to other individuals and the local community or to the larger community of state, nation, or world.

It is an obligation to our children, community and country to institute those programs necessary to fulfill the education needs of our children and to provide the facilities, materials, technology, and staff required to do so.

Dallas School District is working hard to shape the future.

 

https://www.dallas.k12.or.us/

By dallaschamber DACC • General Information • Uncategorized • Upcoming Events • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

Washington Federal Financial Literacy Programs

Save at School-This program for students is our biggest outreach currently. We partner alongside Faith Christian School and have worked in the past with Dallas Community School for this program. We visit the schools on a monthly basis to see the kids and collect deposits for their accounts, which we take back to the bank for them. We also have conducted small sessions for groups of kids at these levels to talk about saving and do fun activities about banking. We haven’t currently worked with any of the larger public elementary schools in Dallas, but would love the opportunity to work alongside classrooms and schools.

Seniors Financial Class-Currently we also host a monthly class with the Dallas Senior Center offering financial advice and information about scams to the local seniors. This has been a great opportunity for some of our older clients and Dallas residents to get a more personal look at some of their finances, keep them in the loop with some of the most pressing and popular scams that could be presented to them, and ask lots of questions about trusts; powers of attorneys; setting up accounts; and making sure they are financially set.

Financial Beginnings– We partner with a company called Financial Beginnings that works with local schools across Oregon to bring financial literacy to students of all ages. The Dallas branch are all certified volunteers and hosts through this program. Teachers can reach out and ask for specific classes, times, and curriculums and we fill the need or we can offer the courses to schools. The program covers lots of topics and is very flexible for the classes and what they need for their setting.

MoneySmart- MoneySmart is a program that our bank developed for different age levels. (elementary-adult) We have all the curriculum available in the branches and can customize it to certain groups or settings. I’ve used bits for some of our Save at School learning sessions and we’ve utilized some topics for our seniors, but we have yet to find a group we can actively use this with. This would be a great free financial program for a community class, schools, or groups. We haven’t currently been presented with a need for it, but should we get an interested party in presenting a financial class or group we would definitely be able to conduct something for our community.

FinStrong-This is a program still in the works that our bank is developing. One of our banks goals is not just offering typical banking services to our clients, but also recognizing that budgeting and banking can be tough and wanting to equip our clients with the right tools and expertise to thrive financially. Right now all employees are going through the program for a trial run to get a feel for the program and also make sure that we are equipped to guide our clients with the right resources they need.

Heartland Merchant Services/Payroll/POS Systems- Washington Federal partners with a company called Heartland to offer amazing value and prices with merchant services, payroll, HR services, and POS terminals for all business types. This is something that we are really passionate about trying to spread to our business community as we have been able to save many businesses money, bring more value, and get people out of long locked in contracts with their current providers. We have two local reps that work to have conversations with businesses at no obligation just to see if they could bring any extra value to a business. This would even be a great comparison tool for current businesses or people looking to start in the area. It is something we offer to everyone, not just clients of Washington Federal. I cannot rave enough about these services and how they’ve helped local businesses in Dallas. Businesses could just come into the branch of give us a call to have us personally get them in touch just to talk with someone to help understand their current situation and how they could possibly find better solutions through Heartland.

Notary Services- We offer FREE notary services to clients and non-clients. Jana Peckham is our branch notary and is happy to assist anyone with notarizing and witnessing documents, no appointment necessary.

Mortgage and Business Loans-Washington Federal offers mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit, construction and remodeling loans, refinancing, and lot loans for people. We also offer business lines of credit, commercial real estate loans, and term loans for expansions and improvements. Debbie our branch manager has been working with the company for over thirty years and is well skilled in finding the best loan options for anybody who walks in through the door.

https://www.washingtonfederal.com/locations/oregon/dallas

By dallaschamber Business Books • DACC • General Information • Marketing • motivation • Uncategorized • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

Tribes by Seth Godin

In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.

Since it was first published almost a decade ago, Seth Godin’s visionary book has helped tens of thousands of leaders turn a scattering of followers into a loyal tribe. If you need to rally fellow employees, customers, investors, believers, hobbyists, or readers around an idea, this book will demystify the process.

It is human nature to seek out tribes, be they religious, ethnic, economic, political, or even musical (think of the Deadheads).  Now the Internet has eliminated the barriers of geography, cost, and time. Social media gives anyone who wants to make a difference the tools to do so.

With his signature wit and storytelling flair, Godin presents the three steps to building a tribe: the desire to change things, the ability to connect a tribe, and the willingness to lead.

If you think leadership is for other people, think again—leaders come in surprising packages. Consider Joel Spolsky and his international tribe of scary-smart software engineers. Or Gary Vaynerhuck, a wine expert with a devoted following of enthusiasts. Chris Sharma led a tribe of rock climbers up impossible cliff faces, while Mich Mathews, a VP at Microsoft, ran her internal tribe of marketers from her cube in Seattle.

Tribes will make you think—really think—about the opportunities to mobilize an audience that are already at your fingertips. It’s not easy, but it’s easier than you think.

By dallaschamber DACC • General Information • Member News • Uncategorized • Upcoming Events • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

Innovate Dallas – Partnering Schools and Community for Growth

The best way to ensure our kids are the leaders of tomorrow is to allow them to be leaders today!

Innovate Dallas is about bringing our schools, community, and businesses together to instill the skills and mindsets of innovation that are needed to drive economic growth in our region.

Innovate Dallas has received a matching grant from Oregon Community Foundation to assist in connecting Dallas students to real community centered problems to both enhance deeper learning and to develop leadership capacity.

To prepare the next generation of leaders able to solve our most pressing problems, the Construct Foundation builds and facilitates design challenges known as Breaker Challenges that introduce young people to a prototype-driven method for innovation.  For an example of a Breaker Challenge see this link The Future of Food.

In every challenge, we teach the tools of design and entrepreneurship and task young people with building solutions to a real problem.

THE PROBLEM
Residents at the Dallas Retirement Village are divided into 3 groups based on the level of care that they require, Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Health Services. As residents move through the levels of care they become increasingly isolated from their preferred lifestyle, activities, and circle of friends.

In this Wellness and Aging design challenge we ask a team of students to identify, design, and test new and novel ways to increase joy and connectedness for the residents of the Dallas Retirement Village Community.

Our kids are assets in our community and this Breaker Challenge is our first of many examples to prove this. Our business community’s support in this activity points toward believing in the future of Dallas as a vibrant community that values innovation for growth in schools, business and sense of community as a whole.

Please help us reach our goal of $6,000 to develop this innovative model of learning.

If you have questions please reach out to Jamie Richardson at LaCreole Middle School

email – jamie.richardson@dsd2.org

phone – 503-623-6662

By dallaschamber DACC • General Information • Uncategorized • Upcoming Events • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

Shop Local

  1. Learn About Local Businesses

To learn more about local businesses in your area, set aside a day to explore your town and see what it has to offer. Since part of the benefit of shopping local comes from being able to run errands on foot, leave your car at home and focus on the area within walking distance, if possible.

Start at one end of the main street or one corner of the central shopping district and work your way along, making note of all the businesses you see along the way. When you see one that looks useful or interesting, stop and make a note of its name, its location, and its hours. Then, the next time you’re looking for a jewelry shop, for example, you’ll know exactly where to find one.

 

  1. Shop Locally

Once you’ve identified local businesses in your area, the next step is to make shopping at them part of your usual routine. This can be a challenge if you’re on a tight budget, since local businesses often can’t match the low prices of big-box stores. However, there are several ways to get around this problem:

  • Budget for it. Set aside a small sum in your personal budget each month specifically for local shopping.
  • Go local for services. Goods are often cheaper at big-box stores that sell cheap, mass-produced wares. However, services are often just as cheap or even cheaper when you buy them locally.
  • Shop local for the holidays. Shopping local is a great choice for holiday gifts, because a present feels more special when it comes from your own hometown. Each year, American Express sponsors “Small Business Saturday” after Thanksgiving to encourage people to start their holiday shopping at local businesses, and many independent businesses offer special sales on this day.

 

  1. Eat Locally

Not all local businesses are useful to everyone. For instance, a children’s clothing store isn’t of much interest if you don’t have kids. However, everybody has to eat, so shopping locally for food is one of the best ways to support your local economy.

 

  1. Bank Locally

Another way to keep your money in your community is to literally keep your money at a local community bank or credit union, rather than at a large national bank. Banking locally offers several benefits: lower cost, better service, and supporting your local community.

By dallaschamber DACC • General Information • Member News • Uncategorized • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

MV Advancements

It is our mission to help adults with disabilities through our innovative approaches and caring responsive staff which allows us to serve hundreds of clients through an ever-evolving set of services. Our Employment Services match business needs with individuals’ strengths and capacities, resulting in a long-term win-win for both the employer and the employee. Our retention rate last year was 86%. That means that 86% of the individuals we found jobs for last year, are still working there today!

MV Advancements is proud to report that in the last two months we have helped over 15 pre-screened job seekers find perfectly matched jobs in Polk, Marion, and Yamhill Counties. MV Advancements in the last 3 months has restructured their employment division, expanded the Dallas division and have hired over 5 full time employees in since September of 2018. We are presently partnering with local businesses and cultivating new relationships in our communities so that we can a valuable resource to the staffing needs of all local businesses in the area. We change lives every day.

If you would like more information on how we can help you, please contact Steven Scherer at 503-751-3040 or at SScherer@mvadvancements.org. We encourage you to take a moment and go to our webpage to learn more.

https://mvadvancements.org/about/updates/