The RDA Blog of Darrah Brustein
Darrah Brustein is an Atlanta transplant, by way of Philadelphia and Baltimore. She holds a BA from Emory University in Religion and Italian, which she naturally parlayed into a career in wholesale apparel sales. Ready for a new challenge, she joined forces with her twin brother to go into business brokering credit card processing. As a natural 'sociologist' of life around her, Darrah blogs to the 'quarterlife' generation, speaking on topics pertinent to them. She is an aspiring children's book author, lover of finance, fashion, and real estate.
I’ve learned that sometimes, when things come naturally to you, it’s not always the same for others. I learned this most poignantly with networking. Meeting new people and helping to facilitate connections is a favorite activity of mine. Because of this skill, I was asked to craft a list of tips for some friends who were looking for pointers, so I thought I’d share, just in case any of it applies to your circumstances:
Read more … I Love Networking!
As a young businessperson, it’s encouraging to be reminded that your efforts and your voice matter. As it turns out, over 50% of the world’s population is under age 27, which puts me just barely in the minority at the tender age of 28. Regardless, it’s eye-open to recognize this statistic and not take for granted being young. The World Economic Forum joins forces with communities to identify, mentor and empower the leaders of tomorrow.
Read more … Youth in Revolt: Reversed
I get calls often about PCI DSS (also called PCI Compliance) which boils down to the regulations that all merchants who accept credit card transactions follow to be sure they’re best protecting their customer’s credit card data. While these standards have been in place since 2005, my sharing of this information with business owners often comes as a surprise. Apart from the cost to merchants and roll-out efforts, it will take continued education and open-mindedness by business owners to recognize the gravity of credit card security as well as the large possible infractions for breaches (maximums around $250,000/breach/month) which can be paralyzing to most businesses.
Read more … The Nitty-Gritty of PCI Compliance - credit card data security
With the passage of the Durbin Amendment new debit rates became effective on October 1. The amendment lowered the interchange rate (wholesale costs) for debit transactions all the way down to the .05% and $.21 per transaction fees. The new law was meant to save some businesses money, so be sure to contact your merchant service provider to see if these savings apply to you and to insure that they are being passed on to you. There are plenty of business and consumer choices.
Read more … What Do the New Debit Card Laws Mean for You?
Recently, my business world grew exponentially by winning a bid to partner with a national association. After the excitement wore off, it dawned on me how many things it entailed that were outside of my comfort zone. That included spending a lot of money to prepare for the three year commitment and launch of the program; having to hire an outside marketing person; needing to create and prepare for my company’s very first trade show booth; and most of all, needing to speak to an audience of about 400 people.
Read more … Business Comfort Zones
They say, ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ and this speaks to the power of habit. The older we get, the more set in our ways we remain. This only adds to my point that the older we get, the harder it is to trend away from the lessons of our childhood to ‘not fail’ and find whatever means are necessary to ‘succeed’. What some of us realize is that ‘to succeed’ in the professional world by maintaining a paying job in-and-of-itself doesn’t always equate to satisfaction. If one chooses to move from that path of perceived success to the world of the entrepreneur, where ‘failure’ becomes a much more likely possibility, it’s challenging to believe in yourself, face the fear, and more so, to overcome the hesitations and questions of your support system who generally were also raised to fear ‘failure’
Read more … Can You Teach An Old Dog New Tricks?
I have so much on my plate, they begin to get mashed together. I also find it makes it challenging to give any one thing your full attention when you’re constantly thinking about what’s next. Strapped to our smart phones, feeling pressure to ‘prove ourselves’ in the professional world, while simultaneously maintaining social relationships, community involvement, dating relationships, and/or family, it can add up to leaving you feeling rushed.
Read more … Speed
While certainly it's not always been any easy ride, I've never felt like I've been so true to myself in my work life before. To make your own schedule, be the one holding yourself accountable, and build a brand that lives or dies based on your efforts is nothing short of invigorating. So, while it's not 'secure' to work for yourself in the start up years, it certainly feels good to know the uncertainties in-and-out and do everything in your power to make things successful. "Top 10 Non-Negotiable" list for myself of my job and work environment
Read more … Talking To Your College-Aged Self, An Interview
Whether or not we care to see it or admit it, people have impressions (true and false) regarding age. I try not to show my age in the office. I don’t want people at work to judge me based on my age. We have to work doubly hard to be taken seriously. How often can you go for a high-level job even if you have the ideas and gumption to be a success?
Read more … Ageism Alive and Well
I’ve received your emails and was too busy to answer. I genuinely believe it’s rude to ignore someone’s email if you know who they are.Generally speaking, younger people grew up with computers and smart phones and as a result are glued to our devices. Therefore, not only will we respond to emails, but we will do so almost immediately. It seems that older generations tend to sit on emails for longer and/or not respond at all. Whether it’s his/her perception of prioritization or lack of importance, this tends to be the result.
Read more … Online Business Etiquette
