Telefini Small Business Blog

Sheely is my nickname, and I have been going by this since 3^rd grade. My full first name has been a challenge for people to pronounce. While growing up, I dreaded the first day of class as attendance records inevitably listed my full name, and I’d have to introduce myself after teachers inevitably butchered the pronunciation – it didn’t help that often the last few letters would be cut off from the list.  I write about this because names are important. They are a part of our identity and personality. For many, names have even greater significance, whether to honor relatives, symbolize values, or reflect the history of their family line.

I write about names today because since its inception, Telefini has suffered the same fate that I and anyone with a less than common name have had to endure – constant mispronunciation. I understand that if you haven’t heard Telefini said aloud, certain assumptions are made on how to state the name -  the most common of which goes like this: TEL-A-FEENY (“tel-a” as in the first part of ‘telephone’ and “feeny” as in rhymes with ‘Oscar Meyer “Weenie’”).  In fact, we intended Telefini to be pronounced more in line with the term “telephony” (TA-LAF-A-NEE), which in its most basic definition means “the working or use of telephones.” You can hear how telephony is pronounced by searching in Google or simply click here. More precisely, we employ the general technologies of IP Telephony to provide our telephone solutions.

Thus, we named Telefini in part as a play on words, though we tend to pronounce it a little differently than telephony. Specifically, we say TE-LIF-IN-NEE.  We’ve thought about adding an accent to the name, but we like the way it is spelled currently, and probably won’t change it. Soon, we’ll be launching some videos of our products and in the process we’ll be able to say our name out loud for the masses to hear. Until then, we’ll just have to politely teach others how we prefer to be called. Of course, we're open to any suggestions you have for explaining how to pronounce our name. After all, your name is a powerful representation of who you are and what you stand for.

Over the past year or so, I started hearing the term “value added” used in conversations around strategy, time management, and training. To be honest, for a long time I wasn’t a fan of the phrase, and I’m still not a 100% sold on it, primarily because I just don’t like the way it’s typically used in a sentence (“is that value added?”)…but I digress. Once I picked up on the fact that “value added” really has to do with choosing to spend your time in the most productive and efficient way to accomplish your goals – be they personal, professional, or organizational, I began to start asking myself if I was engaging in value added activities.

Don't answer too quickly

What I’ve found is that answering the value added question is not always easy. Yes, for some activities it’s clear, and it just takes a quick analysis to realize that you could be spending you time on much more important things (e.g. sifting through countless emails when you can use various tools to automatically sort your emails for you). However, I’ve also come to realize that sometimes it takes time to realize the value in certain tasks, meetings, or projects.

From a business perspective, it’s easy to quantify “value added” activities as strictly those that directly lead to a sale. Professionally, it can be easy to say only those activities that allow you to add a new line on your resume or help you climb one step higher on the corporate ladder are worth your energy. If you’re an independent consultant – similarly – the tendency is to focus energy on acquiring and completing those projects for which you’re paid.  I admit I’ve succumbed to this line of thinking, especially when I felt like we weren’t making enough progress toward our goals. Don’t get me wrong. It is important to make sure you’re focused on the important tasks, and there’s a lot of research out there on how best to spend and manage time, including Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”  However, I urge you to consider that sometimes the true “value added” activities may appear in disguise or may just take a little longer to come to fruition.

A case in point

Sure, you’re wondering if you read the title correctly, or if I’m referring to another Richard Engel besides the NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent. (Or maybe you’re asking, “who in the heck is Richard Engel?!”) Your initial thought was correct. I’m talking about the Richard Engel, whom you’ve probably seen at least once over the past few years covering events in the Middle East. How can he help my business, you ask? Okay, so Richard Engel probably can’t directly help your business per se, but there are a few key lessons to be garnered from his work as a reporter that can help your business move forward.

1)     Don’t be afraid to jump in head first and truly live your business

It’s clear that Richard Engel has no problem diving right into the thick of riots, protests, and wars. He’s in it, it’s personal, and it’s pretty much his whole life (at least from what I can gather). He’s lived in the Middle East for several years, can easily navigate his way around, and he experiences the same world as those he’s reporting on. With that in mind, do you live and breathe your business? Whether just starting out or celebrating your 50th year, do you feel 100% committed to your work? (Don’t get me wrong – a healthy life/work balance is important too.) However, the level of growth your business has this next year will correlate with your level of passion, commitment, and willingness to let yourself be completely dedicated to accomplishing your goals. Do you understand the environment your business is operating in? Are you willing to take some risks or venture down a different path to get where you need to be? Are you ready to give your business everything you have to offer – your best ideas, creativity, leadership, and sheer effort?

2)     Get to know the people, landscape, and culture

This is probably the most obvious and well known advice for running a business (i.e. “know thy customer”), but I believe it can’t be said enough, and we all need to remember to focus on what truly drives our business – our customers. Not only is Richard Engel fluent in Arabic, he can speak a multitude of local dialects. He can tell you about the customs and traditions of a specific region, what’s going on in local politics, and I’m sure even the best places to eat local fare.  Have you taken time recently or even this week to check in with your top customers? What are they hoping to accomplish this year? What challenges are they facing or anticipating in the months to come? Have they found a new restaurant they love? Perhaps it’s time to meet there for lunch.