It’s no secret that at Far West Capital, we promote a healthy work-life balance – which includes taking time to unplug from our busy lives. For each of us, this means something different. Some of us, for example, unplug through exercise. Our fearless president and CEO is an avid Bikram yogi. Our EVP leads a team and participates with them in a 100-mile race each year. Others do it through gardening, going to the movies, meditation… we could go on and on. The question is, how much time are people actually taking to truly “unplug”?

Did you know there’s actually a National Day of Unplugging? It began in 2009. The day is designed to help hyper-connected people of all backgrounds embrace the ancient ritual of a day of rest. Are we at a point in our society where we actually need a national day to prompt people to take time to smell the roses? After conducting more research, we found that there’s a growing movement towards doing some things the old-fashioned way in order to enjoy life to its fullest (translation: technology-free). Some have started to incorporate this into their homes – no TV, no Internet, no phones. Some make it a weekly practice, eliminating technology for a night, a day or from sundown to sunup.

The philosophy is that technology speeds up time, and time is relative to your state of motion. Have you noticed how fast time goes by when you’re checking emails, surfing the web or playing on Facebook or Twitter? People who are actually powering down and going technology-free in their homes have reported more time to read, connect with family, bake from scratch, play board or card games, take a hike or ride a bike, rediscover hobbies and so much more.

There are, additionally, a plethora of health benefits to unplugging, which include less stress, better sleep, increased focus, productivity and creativity, less pain (think about the increased number of patients doctors are seeing for thumb, hand and wrist pain) and you’re safer on the road without the distraction of a text or tweet.

Are you convinced yet? We are. Making your home technology-free might seem like an extreme first step, but what about starting with unplugging for a single night, or even a 24-hour period? If you decide to take on the challenge, we’d love to hear the results.

Have you ever truly thought about what it means to be a member of the community? Communities can be physical (neighborhoods, business districts), organizational (such as the Chamber of Commerce), or industry focused (for example, the financing industry).

Your active involvement in these communities benefits not only the community as a whole, but also you and your business. Attending events hosted by other community organizations allows more than just an opportunity for you to participate, learn and network. Additionally, it provides you with a venue to learn how those organizations are branding themselves, who they are partnering with, and how they are contributing back to the community. Conversely, hosting your own event allows you to showcase your business, network with other like-minded folks, and provide beneficial information to your community.

At Far West Capital, we like to keep our events interactive with knowledgeable speakers. At our recent joint event with Capital One Bank, Rich Russakoff shared his wealth of experience and provided participants with fundamental “how to” steps for establishing and maintaining relationships critical to funding business growth. It was a great chance for entrepreneurs to learn, network and enjoy a tasty lunch. It’s no secret we’re passionate about helping entrepreneurs grow their business – whether we work with them to provide financing and/or we’re able to provide them with other beneficial resources from our network that they can use. It’s just one of the ways we enjoy giving back to the Austin community.

The reason we love hosting interactive events is because we constantly get feedback from attendees about the value. Interaction allows members of the community to engage with one another during the process of learning more about the main topic of an event.

If your organization decides to use its expertise to improve your community, we have a few things to consider before you begin planning your next event:

• Will this event benefit the community as a whole?
• Is the topic of this event timely? Relevant? Interesting? Beneficial? Entertaining?
• What is the structure of this event? Panel? Guest speaker?
• When is the best month/week/day/time for this event?
• What is the best setting for this event? Breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? After Hours?

When planning a community event, leverage your expertise. For example, if your company has positioned itself as the foodie of the community, use this forum to share your knowledge about up-and-coming restaurants. This raises awareness about your brand and positions you as an expert on the topic. You can also consider involving a local charity, giving them a forum for highlighting their work and perhaps a portion of the proceeds from the registration fee.

Plan on hosting a community event? We’d love to hear about it.

It is evident that the marketplace has become more fast-paced since the entrance of Millennials. The age group is comprised of those born roughly between 1980 and 2000, who identify themselves through their knowledge of the digital space – its potential and sociability.

By 2025, it is expected that 75 percent of the United States workforce will be comprised of Millennials – a statistic that makes clear the need for businesses, such as ourselves, to begin recognizing the new needs of this next generation of employees and taking action as Millenials continue to rapidly enter the workforce.

Millennials are redefining what it means to “go to work.” At the workplace, they want to be judged on their impact, have a flexible schedule and be rewarded for their achievements. They don’t necessarily care about the size of their desks or offices. Instead, they are more concerned about company culture and fit. Face-to-face connections have increasingly become a focus for this age group. Although they are a wired generation, connection with co-workers is one of their most important considerations — they want to be part of a team that is focused on a goal. They seek change often and are rarely satisfied with the status quo, which can make for energetic, highly adaptive multi-tasking employees.

They are the most ethnically diverse and highest educated generation in American history, with goals that differ greatly from previous generations like the Baby Boomers. Unlike previous generations, Millennials focus on the balance of work and fun. A Millennial will typically jump ship and move to a different company if he or she views the work and personal life balance as jeopardized. Additionally, 87 percent of Millenials consider a company’s commitment to environmental and social causes when deciding where to work.

Baby Boomers were raised to accept responsibility and then be left alone to do the job.  They have the view that hard work now leads to future rewards. Millennials, however, have a somewhat opposing view. They want transparency in what the goals are, more frequent direction and feedback, and rewards now, not vague promises of future promotions. They are most comfortable in a team environment and expect their opinions to be respected, even if they are the youngest members in the group.

Millennials are no doubt transforming the workplace landscape. The challenge, then, is to harness their talent and drive in such a way as to benefit both the employee and the company. Adjusting to the “demands” of the Millennials can either be an irritant, or the absolute best weapon for innovation and growth within a company.  Employers who resist adapting to the changing expectations of the workplace risk losing the most talented new team members.

At Far West Capital, we’re excited to have created an environment in which relationships are the main focus and the culture is dynamic. We saw the need to react to the change Millenials were bringing to the workforce and did so – we offer flexible vacation time, we explore social media and technology together and stay connected, we offer rewards in the moment, and we involve our entire staff in decisions that affect the culture and environment. Because of these changes, we’ve found that young people today are vying for a job with us for the culture alone. And what we get from them? To start — innovative, more progressive thinking, a stronger link into the world of technology, increased brand advocacy through social media, and a group of employees who are truly passionate about their work and the company at large. It is working for Far West Capital, and it can work for you too!

What are you doing to keep your company Millenial-friendly?

You are your biggest critic. We have been told time and time again that success can only be achieved if we believe in our own skills, but sometimes it’s difficult to see the positive qualities we already possess. Whether it’s our inner or outer beauty, our strengths or weaknesses, or our business potential – we tend to see our flaws before we notice our skills. As Mary Williamson notes in Our Greatest Fear, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” You have the potential to achieve greatness if you let your own strengths shine through.

Recently, Dove released a video for their Real Beauty campaign titled “Dove Real Beauty Sketches.” Only 4 percent of women around the world consider themselves beautiful. Dove is committed to inspiring and teaching all women and girls to reach their full potential. The social experiment shown in the video gathered several women and had them describe themselves for a forensic artist to sketch. Then, he drew sketches based on descriptions by others. When the women saw the images, it was evident that there was a disparity between their image and how others saw them. The goal of the social experiment was to prove one thing: you are more beautiful than you think.

Like Dove’s campaign, we believe that the first step towards unleashing your potential is to realize that you are better than you think you are. How do you maintain this positive mindset during times of deep entrepreneurial stress?

1. Conduct daily positive affirmations every morning – either by yourself, with your partner, or with your team. One example to work off of is “I am awesome because….” 
2. Join an accountability group. One outlet I enjoy being a part of that provides this is Entrepreneurs’ Organization. Find your local chapter here at eonetwork.org.
3. Make a gratitude list nightly — and make sure to include your abilities and accomplishments in that list!
4. Meditation and yoga. No question about it, yoga has given me the peace of mind and clarity to see things as they are without getting caught up in the negativity that the day-to-day of business ownership can rain down on an ego. Consider taking a yoga or meditation class weekly.

Hard work and dedication pay off, and matched with the sense of self and confidence that you can accomplish your goals and achieve your dreams, you’re sure to find success along the way.

How do you maintain a positive sense of self while trying to grow your business?

Laura Beck found many successes in her 18-year career in public relations, including opening an Austin office of a global agency that grew to 16 employees and $3 million in billings. As her older daughter started school, however, Beck realized she wanted to spend more time with her family and decided to leave her PR career behind. In May 2010, she took a jump into the entrepreneurial world to act on the business dream she’d had for years: she launched stripedshirt.com, a website selling fan-wear designed specifically for women, kids and babies.

“At 39 years old, when I decided to leave the career I knew, I was inspired by all the entrepreneurs I had worked with for so many years before, and I thought, ‘I have nothing to lose. Let’s do it. Let’s give it a try and see what happens.’ It’s scary as hell, man. I admire even more the startups that I did PR for, for so many years. It’s a leap but a fun one,” said Beck in an interview with We Are Austin Tech.

Her transition from a top global PR firm to a small business owner illustrates how she unleashed her potential to have freedom, allowing her to own her own business and give her family more of her time.

As we move into the next quarter, we’ll explore how unleashing your potential can open up your life to more freedom and independence.

In what ways has unleashing your potential given you more freedom?

Remember that to develop a productive team that is long lasting, however, you must make nurturing them a top priority. At Far West Capital, we offer weekly catering, breakfast tacos several days a week, flexible time off, and health incentives. Get creative with it and know that it is worth it to invest in your team.

Another recommendation is to bring your employees together — with you alongside — through challenging and fun teambuilding events. The Far West Capital team, for example, participated in Tough Mudder over the weekend, and the entire crew left feeling so proud that they could represent the company at the toughest event on the planet.

What a way to unleash our potential through our core values:

·         Team – No one left behind.

·         Passion – Excited and focused; we pushed through 11 miles of grueling obstacles

·         Execution – All 6 participants helped complete each challenge.

·         Excellence – We are all finishers of Austin Tough Mudder 2013

·         Transparency –  We have to admit it’s tough to be transparent when covered in mud.

Find activities and incentives that align with your core values and mission. Start with just one activity – a 5K, volunteer at your favorite organization, or take your employees on a quarterly outing to your favorite restaurant or outdoor spot. The results will make it worth your while, and you’ll have fun in the process knowing you could provide this experience.

How do you invest in unleashing your team’s potential?

In 1931, Bechtel joined as a member of Six Companies, Inc., a consortium of contractors, and became involved in the largest civil engineering project in history, the Hoover Dam. The company is also known for the Channel Tunnel and the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit system.

Like Bechtel, sometimes people take the leap to entrepreneurship because they need freedom from what holds them back from unleashing their potential. What began as a means of supporting the family led to the founding of a successful construction company that not only succeeded financially, but allowed Bechtel to leave a business legacy for his family. Today, Bechtel is one of the oldest and largest family-led corporations and has been at the top of the civil engineering industry for more than 110 years.

What holds you back from unleashing your potential?

Sandberg is Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer and the author of Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. Her book has sparked many conversations as it addresses concerns faced by women who are rising to the top of the corporate world and advocates asking for what you want and not standing behind the frontlines of business, government, and nonprofit leadership positions.

Here are a few takeaways for both men and women from the book.

1. Speak out, yet stay human

Don’t be afraid to express your ideas and don’t hold back in the manner that many have been conditioned to do. However, stay human within the process – you are vulnerable and that’s okay.

2. Seek smart mentors.

Learn from those who are seasoned within your industry and seek to build strong relationships. Don’t simply search for strangers – learn from those you know well and build off those relationships.

3. It’s not about having it all.

Have balance between home and work life. You can’t have it all, but you can work efficiently to attain more.

According to Sandberg, writing her book is also an example of leaning in and making the decision to be ambitious and speak for women, despite the potential for criticism. Sandberg unleashes her potential for freedom by rising to an executive position, despite the low statistics for female leaders, and for inspiring many others to lean in.

How do you help to unleash potential for female entrepreneurs in your day-to-day?

Like dozens of other industries, the ABL and factoring industry is crowded and competitive. As a company, we’re constantly thinking about how we inter act with our current and potential clients. We do this to stay competitive, but more importantly, we do it to ensure it’s in line with our vision – to create raging fans by providing the USA with as many entrepreneurial success stories as humanly possible.

Read the full article here.