Roy Barnes | Service Force Plumbing Co-Owner

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Brian Loebig

1. Career Influences

The people I grew up around were honestly my biggest influences. A lot of family members, a lot of high school friends, all in the trades and all hard-working go-getters. One of my best friends built a successful electric and solar business, another built up an HVAC business. I started my own mowing business in high school, then kind of added hardscaping, then decks, then construction, and now I run a plumbing business with Hendrik, another of my high school friends. I always had my own drive to succeed, but I was also surrounded by great role models, both for hard work and for building a business.

2. Biggest Career Success

Upsizing Service Force Plumbing the last few years. Hendrik and I had worked together with maybe a couple employees for several years, and we finally set out to build into a multi-county business that my kids could take over one day. We’ve gone from two-truck, two-guy home plumbing to a mid-size company that can do everything the biggest guys can do including excavation and trenchless sewer repair almost daily.

3. Recent Lessons Learned

That every employee responds to different types of encouragement and feedback. Now that I have a bunch of guys working for me, I can’t just assume that what motivates me will motivate them, and I can’t just assume that what I consider constructive feedback will be interpreted the way I intend it! I have to be able to deliver the best service possible to customers through those employees, so I’m still learning how to encourage that on an individual basis.

4. What inspires and motivates you?

Giving a customer the best possible service at a fair price. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that I gave the best advice I could give, got the best people out to do the job, and the customer knew the result was worth what they paid and more.

5. Your Top inspirational quotes or words of wisdom

Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.

6. Contact Info

https://serviceforceplumbing.com

301-370-8320

https://www.facebook.com/plumbing.service.force/

https://www.instagram.com/service_force_plumbing/

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Gaining Control of a Hijacked Domain Name

Posted on August 30, 2024 by Brian Loebig

domain name hijackedAs a web developer I have often worked with new clients who have decided to part company with an existing web design firm or individual. Once the client decides to make a web management change they begin to collect the necessary information to move their domain to a new server only to discover they do not own their own business domain name!

Small businesses who are not tech savvy often hire firms without fully understanding the do’s and don’ts of domain name registration. When they hire a firm to develop a website they assume that the firm has their best interests in mind and they pay them good money to develop their site. They eventually learn that letting a designer handle all aspects of their web presence is like giving them the only keys available to the front door of the business.

Although the practice is commonplace, in my opinion, it is unprofessional and unethical for a web design firm to purchase a domain name for a company and set themselves up as the domain’s owner.  The domain name administrator contact information should always be setup using an email address controlled by the client, a client controlled phone number and client name. The web firm can set themselves up as the domain technical contact and still have full access to the domain for development purposes. However, the administrator/owner name should always be controlled by the company it represents. For clients who want their web firm to have a higher degree of control, they can create a company owned email address that is forwarded to the web firm’s technical contact.

These guidelines for gaining control over a hijacked domain name have been used on far too many occasions with a high degree of success.

  1. Ask the web design firm to change the domain name administrator email address to one that is controlled by the company. Then, log into the registrar site where the name was purchased and send a reset password request. (If you don’t know the Registrar site, see step 5)
    1. Sometimes asking politely is all that is required. If the web designer is ethical they will gladly give you control over your own domain name. If they refuse, let them know you will be reporting them to the Better Business Bureau and will pursue additional actions to gain control of your business domain name.
  2. If time is of the essence, purchase a very similar domain name such as the .net, .biz or other version of your domain and begin developing your new site using that domain name.
  3. Backorder the hijacked domain name so once the owner releases it, it will become yours once again. This will also prevent others from backordering your domain name in the future.
  4. File a Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DCMA) complaint with the web host where the current site is located to get them to take the site down.
    1. Here are some links to actual web host copyright infringement policy pages:
      1. Cloudflare.com: https://abuse.cloudflare.com/
      2. Blue Genesis: http://bluegenesis.com/dmca.htm
      3. HostGator: http://www.hostgator.com/copyright.shtml
      4. GoDaddy: http://www.godaddy.com/agreements/showdoc.aspx?pageid=TRADMARK_COPY
      5. Softlayer: http://www.softlayer.com/about/legal/dmca
  5. If you don’t know where the site is hosted, look it up using the Internic Whois site: http://www.internic.net/whois.html
  6. Each webhost has a policy to file an infringement notification. I have never had a problem getting a webhost to take down a website that had content from a previous owner.
  7. File a domain name dispute with an ICANN authorized dispute resolution service provider such as the National Arbitration Forum.
    1. ICANN is an acronym for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers and is responsible for the coordination of the global Internet systems of unique identifiers and, in particular, ensuring its stable and secure operation. They also set the world rules for domain name disputes.
    2. The National Arbitration Forum outlines four steps to proceed with a complaint: http://domains.adrforum.com/main.aspx?itemID=599&hideBar=False&navID=201&news=26
      1. Identify the appropriate policy for your domain name dispute.
      2. Follow that policy’s Rules, Forms & Filing page.
      3. Familiarize yourself with that policy’s rules.
      4. Proceed to file/respond to a Complaint. For certain disputes you may file online; otherwise, you must email us the necessary forms and print them and file/respond by fax or mail.

If you would like some advice or recommendations concerning your unique situation feel free to contact us!

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How to Add an Admin to Google Tag Manager

Posted on June 11, 2023 by Brian Loebig
  1. Log into the Google Tag Manager (GTM) Account: https://tagmanager.google.com/#/home
  2. Click the three vertical dots in the top right corner to open the drop-down menu and select “User Management”

  3. On the next screen, click the blue + circle on the top right and select “Add users”

  4. In the “Enter email addresses” section, add a Google-connected email address and select the “Administrator” check-off box. Click the “Read” Container Permissions option which expands a window from the right.

  5. Select the “Publish” checkoff box which will highlight all the other check boxes. Then, click “Done” which will close the pop-out window.

  6. Click “Invite” to invite the user to be a GTM Admin.

  7. You will see an “Invitation pending” notice that the user has been invited.

  8. Done!
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How to send BNI email to all members using the BNI Connect Mobile or Web App

Posted on March 19, 2023 by Brian Loebig

Mobile App:

Open BNI Connect App on your phone

  1. Tap the “Search” icon at the bottom of the app
  2. Then tap the little mail icon on the top right
  3. Then tap the email icon at the top right
  4. Then tap the check box at the top to select ALL members of the chapter
  5. When all are selected, tap the “Compose Email” button at the  bottom of the screen

Web App:
In the web app (https://www.bniconnectglobal.com/web/secure/home), there is a shortcut that provides an updated list of all current members’ email addresses. Once in BNI Connect, go to Chapter Shortcuts on the left, then Email My Chapter. Copy and paste the emails into your email message. See screenshots below.

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Dr. Jelena Kecmanovic | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Expert

Posted on September 19, 2022 by Brian Loebig

Dr. Jelena Kecmanovic (“Dr K.”) is a clinical psychologist, the founding director of the Arlington/DC Behavior Therapy Institute (ABTI), and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She is a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) expert with over 25 years of experience as a therapist, teacher, mentor, author, and presenter. Dr K. is a frequent contributor to the Washington Post, and her work also has appeared in CNN, the Chicago Tribune, Salon, Fast Company, Psychotherapy Networker, and Psychology Today Magazine, among others. She also writes a Psychology Today blog, From Science to Practice, and has been quoted and interviewed widely, from the New York Times to NPR.

1.      Career Influences

The work of Irving Yalom, who is arguably the greatest living existential psychiatrist, has influenced how I think about the human psyche and how I practice psychotherapy. He distilled the pertinent thinking of existential philosophers and applied it to psychology. I believe that any good therapy, including CBT, has roots in existential thought.

2.    Biggest Career Success

I am proud to have gone from a Bosnian refugee to obtaining a Ph.D. from one of the top clinical psychology programs in the country (at Temple University), to college professor. After leaving full-time academia, I devoted myself to clinical practice, eventually building a well-regarded institute with 20 doctoral-level psychologists. Seeing my writing in print in publications like the Washington Post also fills me with gratitude.

3.     Recent Lessons Learned

I’ve learned that you cannot be responsible for other people’s thoughts, feelings, or actions – only your own behavior. As long as you act in a way that is consistent with your values, you have done your job honorably. And you need to gracefully accept what is not under your control.

4.     What inspires and motivates you?

What gives me raison d’etre is my family, my patients, nature, and intellectual pursuits.

5.     Share a leadership story.

I think it’s important to remember that leaders work for their customers and for their associates – not the other way around. When we forget who’s in charge, we lose sight of what we’re trying to accomplish and why.

6. Your Top Two

Memento mori, which leads to carpe diem.

Love is all you need. – John Lennon

7. Contact Dr. Jelena Kecmanovic 

Behavior Therapy Institute

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How to Create A Professional Email Signature in Gmail

Posted on July 18, 2021 by Brian Loebig

This article was updated on July 18, 2021.

Creating a professional email signature in Gmail is sometimes the last item on a laundry list of burgeoning tasks for a small business professional or entrepreneur. However, creating a professional-looking and socially optimized email signature will contribute to increased connections with your customers, colleagues, and collaborators. Here are the steps:

PART I: Save Small Versions of Your Logo and Social Media Icons

  1. Save a very small version of your logo to your computer hard drive.
  2. Find social media icons for each social media site you want to include in your signature.
    1. Use the Google Images search functionality to find icons. Click the Tools button on the right to reveal additional menu items where you can filter images for size, color, type, and other parameters. Find images that are exactly 20×20 pixels. Alternatively, right click on each image, save, and resize them accordingly.
    2. Make sure all the icons you want to use have been saved to your hard drive.

PART II: Setup and Colorize the Signature in Gmail

  1. Log into your Gmail account from your web browser.
  2. Click on the wheel icon at the top right side of the Gmail window. Click “See all settings.”

    Gmail see all settings

  3. The Settings page will appear. Scroll down until you see “Signature.” Click “Create new.” 
    Gmail Signature
  4. The New signature window will open. On the left-hand side, type in and save a nickname for the signature. On the right-hand side, type your name and title separated by a vertical line. (The vertical line key is above the enter/return key on your keyboard and is the same key as the forward slash.)
  5. Then type in your email address on the next line. Use the next lines to add phone numbers, your business address, and other information as you wish.
  6. Make a space below your name and title. Using the font editing tools below the signature, click the square Insert image icon. The Add an image window will open. Click “Upload” and select your logo from your hard drive. The logo will appear in the signature below your name and title.
  7. Make the top line of the new signature bold. Add color to your name so it stands out and looks good with the logo colors.

    Gmail Signature creation

PART III: Add Your Social Media Icons

  1. Add a space below your contact information and type “FOLLOW ME” in all caps.
  2. Copy and paste each small social media icon one by one in a line below “FOLLOW ME.”
  3. Need social media icons? Find some on our blog post “Free Social Media Icons in PNG Format.“

Part IV: Add Hyperlinks

  1. Click on your logo, then drag it slightly and release it so that the image is highlighted, aka selected.
  2. Click on the chain link icon below the signature. The Edit Link window will open. Add the website address to the URL field. Click “OK.”

    Gmail edit link

  3. Repeat this process for each social media icon.
  4. Beneath “Signature defaults,” select the nickname for the signature you just created.
  5. Scroll down and click “Save Changes.”
  6. Compose a new email to see your new professional signature appear!

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Dr. Zachary Cohen | Performance Physical Therapist

Posted on April 11, 2021 by Brian Loebig

Dr. Zachary Cohen graduated summa cum laude from Northeastern University in 2011 with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. He also became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). While at Northeastern, he worked as a Physical Therapy Graduate Assistant for the New England Patriots and served as a strength and conditioning coach for Northeastern University athletics. Prior to moving to Maryland, Zac was a Performance Physical Therapist with EXOS (formerly known as Athletes’ Performance) in Dallas, TX, where he treated and trained the world’s most gifted athletes from throughout the NFL, MLB, NBA, MLS, and various Olympic teams.

1.     Career Influences
I began my career working in professional sports when I noticed a large discrepancy between the quality of care that elite athletes received compared to the normal active public. This inspired me to create Cohen Health and Performance, a place that treats everyone as if they are a professional athlete! 

I suffered a back and neck injury in college that ended my college football career. After that I continued to struggle with back pain. I saw doctors, physical therapists, and was even told that I would need surgery. It wasn’t until I saw an amazing physical therapist who truly understood my struggles and my goals that I got better. Soon I was lifting weights and enjoying the active life I was used to. That experience made a huge impact on me and I hope to do the same for others. 

2.     Biggest Career Success
Building Cohen Health and Performance into a place that has helped so many athletic people wishing to return to their active lifestyles is my biggest career success. More specifically, building the company from a place that depended on me to work with every patient into a place with other amazing physical therapists that make an incredible impact in our community.

3.     Recent Lessons Learned
I have learned that my time is my most valuable commodity and the best investment that I can make is buying more of it. This time allows me to be more present, to better lead my team, and to better evaluate potential opportunities. Getting my own time back is only possible by surrounding myself with amazing people and trusting them to do their job. I’ve recently had to teach myself to provide my team with clearer expectations and then allow them the freedom to reach them.

4.     What inspires and motivates you?
The opportunity to change the physical therapy profession for the better. The standard PT clinic treats 2-3 patients an hour, while health insurance dictates the treatment they are allowed and not allowed to provide. Ultimately, the patients suffer. At CHP we refuse to be this run of the mill PT clinic. We want to prove that it is possible to build a successful physical therapy while working for patients, not insurance companies.

5.     Share a leadership story.
I recently promoted one of our physical therapists to our clinic director. His job is to direct all daily operations of our clinic, while also serving his role as a physical therapist. Initially I struggled to let go of the management duties, which limited his ability to take ownership of our performance. Finally, I allowed myself to be uncomfortable and set clear expectations for our entire team that he is the manager of our clinic (not me). Since then, I have focused on mentoring him to be the best leader possible, providing him with clear processes/systems in addition to clear expectations. As such, all our productivity metrics have significantly increased and the growth that I have seen in our clinic director’s competency and confidence has been incredible.

6.     Your Top Two
Be obsessed with getting incredible results for every person that you work with and provide a great patient experience. If everything you do is in your patient’s best interests, the business takes care of itself.

“Undervalue and overdeliver.”

7. Contact Dr. Zachary Cohen PT, DPT, CSCS

Cohen Health and Performance
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How to Add a User to a Google Analytics Account

Posted on January 26, 2021 by Brian Loebig

As a small business, there are several reasons you may want to give someone access to your Google Analytics account.

  • You may hire an SEO specialist to evaluate your website statistics.
  • You might want a staff person to manage your Analytics without giving them the login to your Google account.
  • Your web designer needs to copy the Google Analytics tracking code from your account to install it on your website.
  • A marketing agency, such as River Falls Media, may need access to set up conversion tracking for ad campaigns.

Follow these simple steps to add a user or an administrator to your Google Analytics account while still maintaining the confidentiality of your Google login information.

  1. Log into Google Analytics using your Google login information: https://analytics.google.com.
  2. Click the wheel labeled “Admin” at the bottom of the sidebar menu.
Google Analytics sidebar menu - admin wheel pointed out with a red arrow

3. In the section that appears on the left-hand side, click the “Account User Management” button.

 4. On the Account Permissions page that opens, click the blue wheel in the right-hand corner.

blue add users button
  1. A short menu will open. Click “Add users” at the top.
  2. Add the new person’s email address in the section titled “Add permissions” and select the level of access they need to assist with Google Analytics management. Usually “Edit” level is sufficient.
  3. It is a good idea to check the “Notify new users by email” item so they know they have been given access.
  4. Once complete, click the “ADD” button.
  1. Done!

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How to Add a Manager to Google Search Console

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Brian Loebig

Google Search Console helps you keep your website ready to be indexed by Google so interested people can find it. With this tool, you can verify your ownership of a website and check to see if your pages have been crawled and indexed properly. You can submit individual pages to Google for this purpose or resubmit your entire sitemap. You can also check for errors, security issues, and other potential problems. If you would like to give someone else permission to help manage your Google Search Console, here are the steps to take:

1. Log into your Google account.
2. Go to Google Search Console. https://search.google.com/search-console/welcome
3. In the top left corner, click the hamburger menu next to the words “Google Search Console.” The “Search property” space appears.

Google Search Console hamburger menu

4. Click the Search property” space and a drop-down menu will appear of the websites you manage. Select the website for which you want to add a Google Search Console manager. If you have verified your ownership of more than one version of the website’s URL, choose the resolving version that you see at the top of your home page when you look at the website on the internet.

5. Scroll down and click the Settings icon at the bottom left-hand side of the page.

6. The Settings page will open. Click the arrow to the right of “Users and permissions.”
7. A list of your Google Search Console users will open. Click the ADD USER button in the top right-hand corner.

8. The Add user pop-up window opens. Enter the Google account email address of the new manager. Select full permission so the new manager can view data and make any necessary changes.

9. That’s it!

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How to Create a Google Review Link on Google My Business

Posted on October 11, 2020 by Brian Loebig
Review us on Google header with link icon

Keeping an active and up-to-date Google My Business page is an excellent way to increase your online presence. Aside from completing your company name, address, and hours of operation, listing your products and services, adding photos, and making regular posts, inviting customer reviews can give a boost to your visibility. To do that, follow these easy steps:

1. Go to google.com/business to sign into your Google My Business account.
2. If you manage more than one business, the Manage locations page will open.
3. Click on the name of the business. The Google My Business dashboard will open.
4. Scroll down to the “Get more reviews” box on the lower right-hand side of the Google My Business dashboard. 

5. Click the Share review form button. The Request reviews window will open.

Google My Business Request reviews window

6. Click the short link that appears. This copies the link. Now paste it wherever you like to share with your clients and colleagues. 
7. You can use the tinyurl.com service to track clicks. However, be sure to use the Request reviews Google link to send people directly to the review form on your Google My Business page. 
8. Done!

Whenever you get a new review, remember to respond promptly and amiably. Thank satisfied customers for taking the time to share their feedback. Thank anyone with less than high praise as well and do your best to rectify any challenge or missed opportunity for an excellent experience. Your friendliness and accessibility will increase the positive effect of your Google My Business efforts. 

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