Seriously what do I think about the world today?
I’m concerned about the amount of debt our government has accrued but I’m not worried.
I don't worry about it. Worry doesn't accomplish anything but sleepless nights. God is in control. Be faithful, not fearful. Take action, go for a walk, get about 12 hugs a day and treat people right.
The people I hang with are small business people who work hard everyday. They don’t expect, count on or would even accept a handout. They feel accomplished and good about themselves because they truly earn the money they make. I have always hated the jobs I had where I wasn’t busy. I get bored easy. I don’t really understand those who try to get by without doing anything at work except collecting a paycheck.
Get up every day and do something you’re passionate about. Think about your future as if your allowing your imagination to go wild. Set some goals and write them down. Do something everyday to reach those goals.
Then set some more. Get after it. Everyone has the same God given right to success. You get to choose what you do everyday. Read some new books. I have been reading the Rich dad Poor dad books. They are amazingly simple to read and understand.
Do your best then give yourself some rest and play. I went kayaking again last night across the lake. It was about 6pm when we got there and we left at 9. I am amazed how each sunrise and each sunset is completely different and they all have their own unique beauty and emotional experience.
Sunsets and sunrises are daily gifts from God. Everything good is a gift from God. The more you're grateful for - the more you will have to be grateful for.
Everything will be fine.
Moving Forward,
Jeff
www.brooketraining.com
www.freightbrokertraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
Answer the Phone
I spend a lot of time on the phone. It is critical for success as a freight broker to make a lot of calls and take a lot of calls. I make calls to find loads, to find carriers and to keep up with my freight broker school graduates. Here’s about.com’s home office advice on your business phone needs.
Use a Dedicated Phone for Your Home Business
One of the many benefits of working from home is having reduced overhead. However, the initial savings from sharing a phone line with your home and business can ultimately cost you. A home phone is less professional and may allow clients to question the legitimacy of the business. One of the common pitfalls of using a home phone is having to share voice mail that uses a message from both family and business. It confuses customers. Likewise, when sharing a phone, you risk having a child or other family member answer the phone, giving the impression that you are not running a real business. It is best to use a dedicated phone line for your home office. Of course, this can include using a cell phone, or a VoIP (Internet-based) phone.
Since my kids are now teens they never answer the home phone…their cell phone might as well be glued to their head, or text finger. So my home phone now doubles as my business phone. I believe in the business call always being answered by a person if at all possible. I use a phone service that has voice mail and forwarding so that I can forward the phone to my cell or to an associate who can take the call. In freight brokering and in education it is paramount to be available to field calls. You will miss countless opportunities if the call rolls over to an answering machine or service to often. You will also miss the opportunity to connect with someone in a personal way.
I can’t say enough: Success as a freight broker depends on relationship building with carriers, shippers and support companies. Face to face contact is the best, but a close second is the phone.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.transportationtraining.com
Use a Dedicated Phone for Your Home Business
One of the many benefits of working from home is having reduced overhead. However, the initial savings from sharing a phone line with your home and business can ultimately cost you. A home phone is less professional and may allow clients to question the legitimacy of the business. One of the common pitfalls of using a home phone is having to share voice mail that uses a message from both family and business. It confuses customers. Likewise, when sharing a phone, you risk having a child or other family member answer the phone, giving the impression that you are not running a real business. It is best to use a dedicated phone line for your home office. Of course, this can include using a cell phone, or a VoIP (Internet-based) phone.
Since my kids are now teens they never answer the home phone…their cell phone might as well be glued to their head, or text finger. So my home phone now doubles as my business phone. I believe in the business call always being answered by a person if at all possible. I use a phone service that has voice mail and forwarding so that I can forward the phone to my cell or to an associate who can take the call. In freight brokering and in education it is paramount to be available to field calls. You will miss countless opportunities if the call rolls over to an answering machine or service to often. You will also miss the opportunity to connect with someone in a personal way.
I can’t say enough: Success as a freight broker depends on relationship building with carriers, shippers and support companies. Face to face contact is the best, but a close second is the phone.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.transportationtraining.com
Light Blog
Lighting and Atmosphere is an aspect of offices I don’t really think about that much. But where set up your desk can make a big impact on your productivity as well as your work attitude. Think about restarants. If I go in to a bright restaurant with big windows and comfortable chairs, I feel more welcome. I want to stay and enjoy my dining. But when I go into a fast food joint with hard plastic sticky bench seating all I want to do is grab a bite and run, except of course when my kids were little and mesmerized by the maze of neon slides and ball pit.
Studies actually document the effect lack of light has on people. Parts of the country that have more dark months have higher percentages of depressed people. SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder is depression because of seasonal darkness. Make sure you have some great light on your desk so you don’t get depressed while working long hours.
You will stay at your work longer and enjoy it more when you have a place that is comfortable, warm and bright. Here’s more from about.com’s article on setting up a home office:
Brighten Your Home Office with Proper Lighting
When possible, choose a space for your office that allows plenty of natural light. This provides a good foundation for a bright working space that can then be enhanced with more direct lighting. If your office lets in little or no outside lighting, the access lighting becomes even more important. Start by providing general, overhead lights that fill most of the work area. Next, consider adding task lighting, or desk lamps and floor lamps that can give concentrated lighting to your specific work area. Finally, regardless of the type of lighting available, make sure that your computer screen is positioned so that it prevents a glare from occurring. The object is to create balanced lighting that minimizes eyestrain.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
Studies actually document the effect lack of light has on people. Parts of the country that have more dark months have higher percentages of depressed people. SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder is depression because of seasonal darkness. Make sure you have some great light on your desk so you don’t get depressed while working long hours.
You will stay at your work longer and enjoy it more when you have a place that is comfortable, warm and bright. Here’s more from about.com’s article on setting up a home office:
Brighten Your Home Office with Proper Lighting
When possible, choose a space for your office that allows plenty of natural light. This provides a good foundation for a bright working space that can then be enhanced with more direct lighting. If your office lets in little or no outside lighting, the access lighting becomes even more important. Start by providing general, overhead lights that fill most of the work area. Next, consider adding task lighting, or desk lamps and floor lamps that can give concentrated lighting to your specific work area. Finally, regardless of the type of lighting available, make sure that your computer screen is positioned so that it prevents a glare from occurring. The object is to create balanced lighting that minimizes eyestrain.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
De-Clutter
I’m a clean desk guy. My marketing director on the other hand has a desk full of paper almost all the time. A key to productive work is being organized in a way that works for you. There is a booming business of professional organizers. They come into whatever space you have let get out of control and tame the mess. It can be painful for packrats because they make you make hard decisions on what you should keep and what needs to be tossed.
Here’s more from about.com’s article on setting up a home office with regards to workspace balance.
Get Creative: Balance Workspace and Storage Requirements
Often, a home office has a limited amount of space and can feel cramped even with only a chair and desk in the room. However, maintaining a professional office is dependent upon good organization. That means planning a space that has plenty of room for both storage (files, supplies, etc) and an ample area to spread out and work. You may have to get creative. For example, build your own desk that uses file cabinets as the base with wood or a laminate countertop for the top. You may also have to store files in another room. Keep in mind, the general rule of thumb is that any files or supplies that you use frequently should be easily accessible. Again, the goal is to create an organized office space that meets all of your basic needs.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.transportationtraining.com
Here’s more from about.com’s article on setting up a home office with regards to workspace balance.
Get Creative: Balance Workspace and Storage Requirements
Often, a home office has a limited amount of space and can feel cramped even with only a chair and desk in the room. However, maintaining a professional office is dependent upon good organization. That means planning a space that has plenty of room for both storage (files, supplies, etc) and an ample area to spread out and work. You may have to get creative. For example, build your own desk that uses file cabinets as the base with wood or a laminate countertop for the top. You may also have to store files in another room. Keep in mind, the general rule of thumb is that any files or supplies that you use frequently should be easily accessible. Again, the goal is to create an organized office space that meets all of your basic needs.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.transportationtraining.com
A Freight Brokers Ideal Office
Last week I sent you point 1 of this great article
on setting up a home office from about.com. Here’s some more tips with a few edits and add ins from my experience as a freight broker.
2. Choose a Dedicated Area for Your Home Office Space
Once you have made a critical needs list, you have a better idea of how much room you actually need for an office. With that in mind, you can now choose a dedicated area of your home for office space. Ideally, the office should be in a quiet area with some level of privacy. This is especially important if you share the house with a spouse, children or even a roommate. For example, a spare room with a door may be best because it can help filter noise from the rest of the house. Or, if you will be meeting with clients in your home office, it may be more efficient to choose a room near the front entrance of the house.
I have worked from lots of spaces. My garage, an executive suite, a fancy office building, a not so fancy office building, a house boat (that was really fun, but fishing was distracting), a vacation resort and my home. That is the great thing about this business so long as you have internet, phone and fax you are set.
I live close to the Dallas Fort-Worth airport, a major transportation hub. Being close to such a hub helps me feel more a part of the industry even though I am working from my home. One of my students became a freight broker because she wanted to move out of the hustle and bustle of the city for a richer family life and for health reasons.
Atmosphere makes a big difference in how much you enjoy your work. Set up the atmosphere of your office that will encourage you to want to work, minimize distractions and keep you motivated to success.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
on setting up a home office from about.com. Here’s some more tips with a few edits and add ins from my experience as a freight broker.
2. Choose a Dedicated Area for Your Home Office Space
Once you have made a critical needs list, you have a better idea of how much room you actually need for an office. With that in mind, you can now choose a dedicated area of your home for office space. Ideally, the office should be in a quiet area with some level of privacy. This is especially important if you share the house with a spouse, children or even a roommate. For example, a spare room with a door may be best because it can help filter noise from the rest of the house. Or, if you will be meeting with clients in your home office, it may be more efficient to choose a room near the front entrance of the house.
I have worked from lots of spaces. My garage, an executive suite, a fancy office building, a not so fancy office building, a house boat (that was really fun, but fishing was distracting), a vacation resort and my home. That is the great thing about this business so long as you have internet, phone and fax you are set.
I live close to the Dallas Fort-Worth airport, a major transportation hub. Being close to such a hub helps me feel more a part of the industry even though I am working from my home. One of my students became a freight broker because she wanted to move out of the hustle and bustle of the city for a richer family life and for health reasons.
Atmosphere makes a big difference in how much you enjoy your work. Set up the atmosphere of your office that will encourage you to want to work, minimize distractions and keep you motivated to success.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
The Home Office
Working from home is incredible. Everyone envies you. Freight Brokering is a super work from home career. But I’ve learned as an entrepreneur who started in my garage, overflowed into my house, moved to an office building then downsized back to my house, it can be a challenge. I edited down this great article I found on about.com with set up tips.
Tips for Setting Up Your First Home Office
Making Your Home-based Office Space Functional and Efficient
1. Getting Started
Working from home offers many advantages - from the flexibility of setting your own schedule to saving time and gas money by virtually eliminating your daily commute. However, being successful in a home office requires creating an office space that promotes efficiency in a non-traditional work environment. Consider the following tips to help define a professional working space for your new business.
1. Make a List of Your Critical Home Office Needs
Before claiming a corner in one of your rooms and calling it an office, make a detailed list of your most basic needs for a home office. This is called your "critical needs" list. It should include items you must have for your office, such as a desk, computer, fax machine, telephone, and so on. If you are a graphic artist, for example, you may need both a small desk for your computer and a larger table or work space for your artwork. If you are a consultant, however, you may need additional space for several locking, fire-proof file cabinets and possibly a space for clients to meet with you. When making your list of critical needs, it is important to think about all the ways in which you plan to use the home office.
Okay. Now go and make you list. I’ll send more tips next week. Have a great week.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.transportationtraining.com
Tips for Setting Up Your First Home Office
Making Your Home-based Office Space Functional and Efficient
1. Getting Started
Working from home offers many advantages - from the flexibility of setting your own schedule to saving time and gas money by virtually eliminating your daily commute. However, being successful in a home office requires creating an office space that promotes efficiency in a non-traditional work environment. Consider the following tips to help define a professional working space for your new business.
1. Make a List of Your Critical Home Office Needs
Before claiming a corner in one of your rooms and calling it an office, make a detailed list of your most basic needs for a home office. This is called your "critical needs" list. It should include items you must have for your office, such as a desk, computer, fax machine, telephone, and so on. If you are a graphic artist, for example, you may need both a small desk for your computer and a larger table or work space for your artwork. If you are a consultant, however, you may need additional space for several locking, fire-proof file cabinets and possibly a space for clients to meet with you. When making your list of critical needs, it is important to think about all the ways in which you plan to use the home office.
Okay. Now go and make you list. I’ll send more tips next week. Have a great week.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.transportationtraining.com
Need Work?
A lot of churches are responding to our economic downturn by helping others find work. I think that is a great ministry. The church should help people with their deepest need. Income to live on is a deep need for sure. When I heard about this trend I brainstormed on how I could join in this effort.
So I am offering a free daylong seminar on Saturday to any church who’ll have me. I’ll talk and have a question and answer time. Brandi, one of my graduates, trainers and accomplished broker is gonna give her testimony. She just landed a 300 load a month account and just keeps on going. Then sales expert and funnyman Bryan Flannigan will regale the crowd with hot tips for selling and liking it. Plus I will bring a few brokers and vendors who always need help. All for free.
Freight brokering is great for those with the drive and a little cash. Where else can you own your own bus for 2500.00?
I truly believe learning about something new is never a waste of time.
So if your Dallas/Fort Worth area church would like to host us, or you’d like to find out about freight brokering, give us a call. We’d love to come talk.
214-206-1169
Jeremiah 29:11
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.freightbrokertraining.com
So I am offering a free daylong seminar on Saturday to any church who’ll have me. I’ll talk and have a question and answer time. Brandi, one of my graduates, trainers and accomplished broker is gonna give her testimony. She just landed a 300 load a month account and just keeps on going. Then sales expert and funnyman Bryan Flannigan will regale the crowd with hot tips for selling and liking it. Plus I will bring a few brokers and vendors who always need help. All for free.
Freight brokering is great for those with the drive and a little cash. Where else can you own your own bus for 2500.00?
I truly believe learning about something new is never a waste of time.
So if your Dallas/Fort Worth area church would like to host us, or you’d like to find out about freight brokering, give us a call. We’d love to come talk.
214-206-1169
Jeremiah 29:11
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.freightbrokertraining.com
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