jenn donovan

Devil’s Advocate – Why You Need One

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You might think that a Devil’s Advocate is a bad thing, but it’s one of the best things for your business. Let me explain.

Scenario: A new project or service is being developed and a core group of people are going to be working on it. Sometimes the idea is the brainchild of a boss or department head, and they hand pick their team to work on it. They don’t accept ideas from outsiders, and they are certain it’s going to be the next best thing since sliced bread.

Outcome: They spends time, energy, and even company money to implement the idea and NOTHING CHANGES, or THINGS CHANGE FOR THE WORSE. They get some horrible feedback from clients, etc. Then you start to hear the grumblings from employees saying they knew it was a bad idea or that it wouldn’t work, or they would have done it this way, etc.

When you have a small group of people working on one thing over a long period of time, they develop the same perspective on what is going into the project or what is being taken out. They are all dedicated and loyal to what they are working on, but when the time comes to launch it, they are expecting, whether they realize it or not, for everyone to feel exactly the same way.

Sound familiar? It happens everywhere, and it doesn’t matter if the reason is that the people are too like-minded, or that the boss or leader of the project just won’t listen to anyone, or if the employees are just “yes people” and don’t want to rock the boat or put any extra energy into thinking about the idea. Regardless of the reason, it can be crippling for your business.

The idea of a Devil’s Advocate might sound really negative, but it’s not, well, not if they have the right mentality. As long as they aren’t focusing on just the bad things (a Negative Nelly), and they can offer some alternate ideas instead (they come with solutions, not just pointing out the problems), and they spark others to think outside the box, then having a Devil’s Advocate on your team is a win-win.

Here’s the tricky part though, the big cheese needs to be willing to listen. We’ve had several clients over the year say that they need a change, they are open to new ideas, etc. BUT at the end of the day, they just didn’t listen. They would buck every new idea with why it wouldn’t work, they wouldn’t get their team excited about the new ideas, or they would agree to the idea but then 5 minutes later, they are off on their own path again creating chaos.

How do you know if a Devil’s Advocate (DA) is successfully doing their job? In all actuality, it should be subtle. There should NOT be huge disagreements, people stomping off getting angry, or a project being put on hold until people cool off. A DA just responds to ideas by asking more questions. They ask What If scenarios. They offer some suggestions on doing things different – would it have the same or better outcome. They spark others to think about the actual cause and effect. Their job is to get everyone thinking. If everyone agreed all the time with the first idea that came up, I’m pretty sure we’d still be in the Stone Ages.

It’s how Cindy and I work daily. She might be the one who still signs my paycheck, but if I just Yes’d her on every idea, piece of content, or strategy, I’d never be challenging her or myself. It’s not about being difficult or pushing back, it comes from a place of love and knowing that maybe if we dig a little deeper or consider a different angle, something GREAT will be born instead of something that’s just OK. Now, we make sure we are always moving forward, because progress should never stop, but taking time along the way to make sure we are still doing it the best way at the moment is crucial.

Do you have any great Devil’s Advocate stories, please share, I’d love to hear them? Comment below or send me an email at jenn@staging.redbarnconsultingllc.com.

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Do you have what it takes to be your own boss?

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Are you sick and tired of working for someone else? Putting in long hard hours just to benefit the owner of the company and shareholders? Working the 9 to 5 grind week after week with no end in sight? Yup, we’ve been in your shoes. We know how it feels. Depending on the culture of the place you work at, you feel like just another cog in the wheel. So, are your finally ready to be your own boss and start your own company? GREAT!

The first thing you need to know about being your own boss is that it isn’t all rainbows, glitter, and unicorns. It is liberating and exciting, but it has its pros and cons just like anything else. Before you ride off into the sunset to start your own company, make sure you know what you’re in for.

Setting Your Own Schedule. I think this is one of the biggest draws to being your own boss. You have the freedom to create your own schedule. However, you may find that like so many other business owners, you are working longer hours than you anticipated. You still have the flexibility to determine when your day starts and ends, when you take vacations, and handle all your personal obligations.

Creative Freedom. You determine what your products and services will look liked, when they will be available, and how you want to deliver them. If something isn’t working, you have the power to revise those offerings to ones that customers may respond better to or terminate them if they no longer interest you in providing them anymore.

Creating Your Own Core Values. You get to set the tone for how your company is see. What’s most important. You can align it with your own personal values and infuse it into every aspect of the company.

Money. You don\’t draw a regular paycheck, not like you would if you were an employee of someone else. You get paid with what is left after expenses, taxes, etc. And you are solely responsible for generating your income. If your business idea flops or you don’t follow the right steps to create a successful business, you could lose your entire initial investment. BUT you also aren’t limited to what you can earn. If you work hard and set yourself up for success, it\’s possible to generate great wealth when you run your own enterprise.

Tax Benefits. Business owners can take advantage of a range of tax benefits despite paying higher Social Security and Medicare rates. They are allowed to accelerate or delay particular expenditures, hire family members and write off a greater variety of business expenses. These options can dramatically reduce the tax burden.

Health Benefits and Retirement. You’ll have to pay for your own health insurance unless you have a spouse who works at a company who provides them. If you are purchasing them yourself, you’ll find that you are paying higher premiums vs. what you paid as an employee. You’ll also be responsible for contributing to your own retirement account without any employer match.

Being your own boss can be both satisfying and terrifying. If you put in the hard work and dedication, you can achieve success in being your own boss. Just remember that it does come with its advantages and disadvantages – and you have to look at them all. The best way to make sure you start out on the right foot, is to have a mentor or coach, who can help you set yourself up for success and make sure you are ready to take the leap. Being your own boss can be far more rewarding than you can imagine.

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Accountability – What’s your excuse?

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When you think about accountability, most people think it means taking responsibility for your mistakes. Admitting when you messed and taking the blame for any fall out. That’s now wrong, but it’s only a part of really and truly holding yourself accountable for your actions.

Meriam Webster defines accountability as the quality or state of being accountable; especially : an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one\’s actions. The way I interpret accountability means also taking responsibility for why you aren’t happy, working your dream job, or living the life you truly want. Making excuses or inactivity is still an action – and it doesn’t mean you can’t be held accountable.

Let’s be brutally honest with each other for a minute. We all make excuses, probably every day, for why something isn’t done. At work, you might have 6 different open projects swirling around your desk, and something slipped through the crack. You own up to it, apologize, and make sure it gets done ASAP. At home, you might have forgotten to move the clothes from the washer to the dryer because the kids needed a ride to practice or had a band concert, so now you have to run them through another wash cycle. Both situations could easily be blamed on being overworked or having too much going on – but we own up to making the mistake or not paying attention or not scheduling our time correctly.

BUT why do we make excuse after excuse when it comes to achieving our goals and dreams? Think about it for a minute. Have you had a goal that you’ve always wanted to achieve? Maybe it’s starting your own business or traveling the world. Neither of them is as complex as finding a cure for cancer or creating world peace. So why haven’t you done it yet? In your mind you make the same excuses over and over again. The timing isn’t right, you don’t have $50,000 saved in the bank, something less important popped up and you decide that for some reason that should come first. Excuse after excuse.

It’s time to start holding yourself accountable for your goals. Just because you’ve never said them out loud or shared them with anyone, doesn’t make them any less real or important. So why do we constantly make them feel like they are less real and less important? Because we aren’t holding ourselves accountable.

We’ve been working with a business coach at Red Barn and one of the big things he preaches is time blocking and scheduling. You want to take that dream vacation – do it. Look at your calendar right now and block that time off. You don’t necessarily have to book the vacation today, but if you never block it off, something will always come up and keep you from doing it. You want to start your own business – awesome. Create a contract with yourself and include the key dates – date you start your business, date you quit your job, dates you will have the business plan done, business paperwork filed with the state, etc.

Life is WAY too short to keep putting your dreams on hold. Don’t let others dictate what’s important in your life because you aren’t taking accountability for what you really want. No one is going to check in with you to see if you’ve booked airline tickets yet or met with a business attorney. So, start putting dates on your calendar, and start living the life that’s really going to make you happy. No one wants to look back 20 years from now and feel like they missed out on opportunities.

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The fear of trying

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You’ve probably heard a quote like “if you’re going to fail, then fail fast.” I used to be afraid of failing, let’s be real, no one wants to fail. But working at Red Barn has taught me that, hey, sometimes you fail, and that’s OK if you fix it and learn from it. It’s a tough transition, especially if you work in Corporate America where when something goes wrong, it turns into the blame game. It’s a nauseating feeling always trying to cover your ass in case that finger turned to you. It became more than a fear of failing and more of a fear of even trying something new. But now, I’ve learned to embrace learning and trying new things because the fear of failure isn’t so stifling.

Before I started at Red Barn I had NO marketing experience. Sure, I used Facebook and LinkedIn, but that was about it. I’d never written a blog, sent out an e-newsletter, or used any design software. But I had to learn these things, and being remote, Cindy couldn’t hold my hand and walk me through things. I relied heavily on 2 very good friends – YouTube and Google. Trust me, if these 2 don’t know how to do something, then it’s not meant to be done.

I learned how to make updates to a website, edit art files in Adobe Creative Suite, create e-newsletter templates, create and implement Drip email workflows, the list goes on and on. Have I messed stuff up – ABSOLUTELY! Go ahead – ask Cindy – she’ll tell you. Most of the time I was able to fix any issues before they went live or to a client. That’s why we proof each other’s work – those extra set of eyes are key.

Here’s a secret that I learned from my mistakes and it wasn’t to stop trying! First – take accountability for your actions. Pointing the finger to someone else doesn’t fix the issue. Own it, fix it, learn from it, and move on. Secondly – follow up! This can save you a ton of headaches. Here’s a great example – We have a client that we schedule blogs for that post on a specific day and time. I send the link ahead of time to the client to share on social media and via an email to their clients. Well, I went in to check to make sure the first blog posted as scheduled and to my surprise – for some technical reason, it didn’t post! Had I not followed up, the client would have posted a dead link on their social media and in their email. I was able to fix the issue before it created a problem. It was no one’s fault, but you can bet I would have felt horrible if the client felt any negative effects from the error.

Trying new things is what makes my job exciting and fun. If I was afraid every time I had to try out a new software or implement a new marketing idea, I wouldn’t get very much done. Trying and failing is just part of the learning process. Sometimes you try things and get a win right off the bat – I LOVE when that happens. But most times you must try things a few different times before you get it right. It’s a process as Cindy likes to say. I play around with something, test it, make it live, test it again, make more tweaks, test it again, and so on and so on until it’s perfect. Another Cindyism – progress not perfection. Trust me, you learn a lot about yourself when you self-teach, and I get really excited when I teach my self new things and can put them into action.

So, my PSA for the day – Don’t be afraid to try things. Pull the trigger so that if you do fail, you fail fast and have time to fix it and learn from the mistakes.

If you have any great failure turned success stories, I’d love to hear them!

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Efficiency – is it a curse or a blessing?

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It’s often a running joke at Red Barn that I get shit done – and fast. I really can’t help but be efficient. I’m not quite sure if it was something I learned as a child or something I was just born doing, but as far back as I can remember, I’ve always been motivated to just get things done. Lately, it’s made me wonder if there is such a thing as being too fast, too efficient…

I can remember being back in the 6th grade and every morning we’d have an assignment that we’d have to start working on while everyone got settled, attendance was taken, volunteers would collect homework or items for the office, etc. I would rush to put my coat and backpack away, get out the book I need for the assignment, and work as fast as possible to get the assignment done, correctly of course, so that I wouldn’t have to work on it later or as homework. Having watched this pattern for weeks, my teacher actually said something to me about being too concerned with getting my work done. (Shocking, right! Well, I did go to Catholic school, so things were much smaller and a lot different than public school) So, the next day I volunteered to collect everyone’s homework instead of getting a jump on the morning assignment. Do you want to know what I learned – Nothing!

Other than my teacher, no one cared that I was the one collecting assignments instead of doing my work. No one cared when I got the assignment done as long as it was done by the due date. And the funny thing was, no one else took advantage of the extra time they had when they didn’t volunteer. Ok, I lied, I did learn something, but I didn’t realize it until many, many years later. I’m just wired different than most people. And for the most part, it’s OK!

I have come to terms with the fact that I just work at a faster pace than more people. I just can’t procrastinate – it’s not in my DNA. If I have a to-do list, I can’t relax until I’ve check off all the tasks. I love that sense of satisfaction that my work is done. If I can get it done today – I will. It’s just how I operate. BUT, I can’t help but wonder if my efficiency, and let’s be honest, lack of patience is getting on other people’s nerves or creating frustration for myself?

I sometimes find myself getting frustrated when it takes people more than 5 minutes to respond to an email or that it takes them 2 hours to complete a task that I know should only take an hour. I know, I know – who would want to work with me?!

It’s something I’m working on – being mindful of my time, other people’s time, and working on letting go some. I’ve started saying NO to things that I don’t want to do, more in my personal life vs. work. But at the end of the day, I can’t help but be me. In my defense, I do warn people that I’m crazy! But I also think my dedication to my to-do list, checking email, and be overall responsive is what makes me so good at my job.

So, the morale of my story is this – be who you are! My efficiency has made me who I am today, and you don’t get to be the Ops Beast by sitting on your haunches – pun intended! My apologies to anyone that I’ve annoyed or had to poke to move faster. It was nothing personal!

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The Evolution of Marketing

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Marketing has undergone some drastic changes in the past 10 years. Well heck, even in the past year, or 6 months! I’m sure you know firsthand that people are being overloaded with data everywhere they turn – on their phones, computers or tablets, watching TV, and even just driving down the road. It’s everywhere!

So how did this evolution come about and how is it affecting YOU and your business? Let’s look at cell phones as an example of evolution. More specifically, the smart phone.

Think back to about 15 years, the smart phone was just starting to evolve, and Nokia phones ruled the landscape.  You know, the phones that only made calls, had texting capabilities, and offered the solitary game of “Snake”. EVERYONE had one, and the only way to really customize it was to buy a different faceplate for it. Bluetooth – what’s that?!

10 years ago, the flip phone was all the rage and phones started offering alternative capabilities other than making a call. New apps were offered with the ability to access the internet as well as take and store photos. OMG – the selfie revolution is upon us! But seriously, your phone started becoming a tool that could make your life easier. And accessories, they started flooding the market!

Now think back to just 5 years ago, all 10 of the top phones where flat touch screen models noticeably larger than today’s phones but we have a trend going. The possibilities became endless – new apps were being created daily, your phone became your life line to the world, and something you couldn’t leave home without – and social media was literally at your fingertips – pics or it didn’t happen!

Over the past 15 years the cell phone industry has evolved rapidly and it’s still evolving. Cell phones changed shape, sizes, colors, and function. Could you survive without your cell phone today – of course you can, but most people wouldn’t want to.

So, what does this have to do with Marketing? EVERYTHING! Why wouldn’t your marketing have to evolve just like the cell phone did and is still doing? Traditional marketing used to include newspaper ads, AM/FM radio, billboards, mailers, etc.  – which are all still relevant today. BUT – and that’s a big BUT, only if you are hitting your target clients. The biggest draw to digital marketing (to me anyway) is the trackability and the demographic specification.

With conventional radio, you never truly know how many people are hearing your ad or if they are your actual target clients. Online or streaming radio (think Pandora or Spotify) can actually track how many people are tuned in at the time that your ad streams and you can set your target demographics. Ads on social media can provide analytics as to how many people saw your ad, clicked on your ad, and reacted to your ad. The possibilities are endless and always changing!

Now folks, this is my kind of advertising! Gone are the days where you need to throw spaghetti and the wall and hope something sticks. One of our favorite tools here at the Red Barn is email marketing! It’s incredibly affordable, easily automated, and you can receive analytics of how many people opened your email, who clicked the link, who read the blog and the list goes on.

Times change, make sure your marketing efforts are keeping up! Have questions on what marketing initiatives will work best for your company? Or maybe you just need some training on what’s new and how to incorporate it into your business? Call me!

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Holiday Vacation Requests – How to Handle PTO When Everyone Wants the Same Days Off

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The holiday season is upon us, and in addition to all the food, celebrations, and holiday cheer comes the influx of vacation or PTO requests. Some people love working around the holidays – it’s quieter, less employees are in the building to distract them, and it’s a great time to catch up on some lingering projects. But let’s be honest, most of us LOVE taking a few extra days off around Thanksgiving and the week off in between Christmas and New Year’s. But as a manager, it can be difficult to juggle all those PTO requests and determine who should get the time off. After all, you do have a business to run!

I’ve worked for several companies who have tried different approaches to this conundrum and here’s some Pros and Cons for each.

Work from Home. This one is my favorite, but it doesn’t work for everyone. Pretty much everybody has a laptop, iPad or smartphone that enables them to work remotely. If your staff doesn’t have to be on site, letting them work at home during the holidays can be a productive way to get things done. Working at home is a viable option only if the business lends itself to it and there’s a way to ensure the employees are actually working.

Seniority Rules! For employees who are at the top of the totem pole this scenario seems like a great idea. After all, they’ve put in the years and years of hard work – shouldn’t they get an additional perk? In theory it sounds like it’s a fair solution – but if you have several employees who have been with you for a while and they always want the same holidays off as the rest of the department, it may cause frustration and friction.

First Come, First Served. Rewarding those who plan ahead can make creating your holiday schedule much easier. Determine the number of employees you can afford to do without, and once you have that number of employees put in requests – all other requests will be turned down. This puts the burden on the employee to submit PTO in a timely fashion. However, you should set a timeline for how early employees can put in a vacation request – you don’t want Susan requesting the last week of December off for the next 3 years now.

Do a Lottery. Doing a lottery system for the most coveted days off when all your employees want to take PTO time may be the fairest option. Have all your employees put their name on a slip of paper, toss them into a bag, and pick as many names as employees you can afford to be without.

Split the Days Up. There are a few ways to do this one. If your employees don’t care about having the whole day off – split the shifts into mornings and afternoon and everyone works a half day. If your employees prefer full days off – split up the week instead. Give Joe Monday and Tuesday off and give Jane Thursday and Friday off. Everybody wins!

Give a Holiday Differential. If it’s in your budget, offer a small hourly pay differential to those who choose to work the day before Thanksgiving or the days surrounding Christmas and New Year’s. It may solve your scheduling problem for you.

Create Black Out Days. This one is at the bottom for a reason – it’s probably the least favorable option and won’t win you any brownie points with your employees, but it is needed in some industries: retail, hospitality, and even healthcare. If an employee wants off during a blackout period he or she would need to ask well in advance, with a good reason, and it would be at the manager’s discretion. It’s a good idea to inform employees from the beginning of the blackout policy so they aren’t blindsided come holiday time.

Handling PTO request any other time of year is typically a breeze, but navigating the request during the peak of the holiday season should be handled with care. Not only can it upset employees, but it could also disrupt your company culture and your brand.

Becoming a better vacation manager is far more important than the challenges of enduring a temporary gap in staffing. Not only are employees entitled to the time off, but research shows that taking it is critical for both their engagement and to avoid long-term burnout. You can read my blog on that here: CLICK ME!

How does your company handle holiday PTO requests? I’d love to hear about it!

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To Dress Up or Not to Dress Up – Halloween Costume Office Tips

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Dressing up for Halloween can be a lot of fun, especially when you work in an office that\’s cool enough to celebrate the annual festivities. And while we don’t have an office to parade our costumes around in, enjoying the fun is certainly on the agenda in each of our respective home offices!

If you work outside the home, however, it’s a fine line between a fun costume that shows off your personality, and wearing a costume that makes everyone you work with feel extremely uncomfortable.

Here are five rules for celebrating Halloween at work that will ensure you have a good time – without becoming the office fright show or clown:

The boss sets the tone. If you ask the boss and the boss says no, then the answer is no. If the boss says, \”Hey everyone, let\’s have a costume contest!\” then it\’s probably in your best interest to put on a wig, or witches hat, and go for it. If Halloween is your thing, but Suzy in Accounting despises it, don\’t harass or tease her until she agrees to play along.

Keep your costume politically neutral. Even if you have strong political views, keep them out of the office – trust me – it’s just not going to end well.

Keep it classy. Although the typical office dress code might be taking a vacation day, it’s still a good rule of thumb to stay mostly within the guidelines – leave the Daisy Dukes and Richard Simmons outfits at home, and opt for something that’s more office appropriate.

Keep it functional. Don’t wear something that prevents you from being able to do your job. Wearing vampire teeth all day might be amusing to you, but if your co-workers and customers can’t understand you, then it’s time to ditch them.

Don’t be disruptive. Having a parade around the office at lunch time is perfectly acceptable, how else are people supposed to judge your costumes? But avoid creating your own haunted house in your office or cubicle. It can get distracting to those trying to work around you, and even hinder your concentration.

One last tip, if you work with someone who has a deathly fear of spiders, clowns, or snakes, don\’t be a jerk and show up to work in a Halloween costume that will cause a panic attack. Some people do have very real phobias that they can\’t contain.

Celebrating the spooky season at work should be fun and light-hearted, not the cause of a heart attack! Have fun and make sure to send us some pics!

So, tell us, what’s your Halloween tradition at the office? Yea or Nay?

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The kind of workplace culture employees want

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One aspect of my job I particularly love is how much I get to interact with our customers. Obviously we talk about their marketing, but the conversations roam in many directions, which for me is part of the charm of working for Red Barn Consulting.

Our clients range from more corporate institutions like banks, insurance companies, and healthcare facilities, but also entrepreneurs and small businesses.

What strikes me is that no matter the business, and whether it’s based in Connecticut, the other side of the country, the need to “get it right” when it comes to workplace culture is crucial to retaining key employees, the ones you really can’t afford to lose.

As a whole, the job market is really tight. Employers are struggling to fill positions and hang on to good employees. Salary, benefits, and growth opportunity are obviously a huge part of the draw, but “culture,” often intangible, plays just as key a role.

When it comes to that je n\’ais se quoi of workplace culture, what are your potential employees looking for?

A seat at the table — Even junior level staffers want to know their contributions are valued. This doesn’t mean the CEO has to carefully consider every idea the greenest guy in the building has, but it does mean providing opportunities for employees at all levels to have their voices heard. Millennials especially do not want to just show up, keep their noses down, and go home. Being able to contribute is a strong motivator for quality employees.

A good mission — Whether your organization sells widgets or helps the homeless, it should have a strong mission that serves as a rallying point for your troops. More than just words, the mission needs to be reflected in your company’s ethos. Feeling good about what the company does and how it does it means quality employees will give 110%, with pleasure.

A comfortable environment — Starched shirts and rigorous enforcement of policy “just because” it is the policy are out. Good employees are looking for a workplace that feels positive and comfortable. When you’re spending 8+ hours a day there, it just makes sense!

A flex policy — Good employees are happy to give it their all, and not just 9 to 5. They are willing and eager to stay late when needed, to handle something off hours, to contribute when helpful to projects far outside their functional area. At the same time, good organizations provide flexibility in return. Need to leave early to catch a daughter’s softball game? Need to work remotely while the plumber fixes a leak? No problem.

A team worth supporting — “I want my employees to work collaboratively, to help each other.” The good news is, your employees want this as well! The key though, is building a team worthy of helping. It’s vital to pay attention to culture and overall “fit” when hiring. One bad apple can indeed spoil the whole bunch. You are building an army of sorts, and you need every member to feel invested in the success of everyone else.

What are some important elements in your workplace culture? I’d love to continue the dialogue.

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Why You Should Care About the Equifax Breach

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By now, you’ve most likely heard the news: Equifax — one of the three major credit bureaus — announced on Sept. 7 that 143 million consumers’ information was leaked in a security breach. Information leaked includes social security numbers, dates of birth, names, credit card numbers, addresses and more. Scary, right?!

We all assume because it’s a credit bureau – you know, those people responsible for setting your FICO score – that they have hacker-free systems and stealing information is harder than breaking into Fort Knox. Well, weren’t we all proven wrong! And if you’re one of the 143 million – like me – you’re just praying that your hard-earned FICO score won’t plummet due to fraudulent accounts being opened.
Identity theft and security breaches happen all the time so why should you care so much about this one – well, because it affects EVERYONE! You’re probably saying, but wait, you said only 143 million people – yes, ok, that’s true, but if you’re an adult with a credit card, student loan, mortgage, personal loan, car loan, or any other type of credit account, you are a victim of the breach – even if you’ve never signed up for any Equifax product or credit report. If you have credit history – you are affected!

But how can that be? That’s because Equifax is one of the three major credit bureaus, meaning any bank or financial institution that manages your credit accounts reports your social security number, name, address and credit account information to the credit bureau to build your credit report. I told you it was Scary! And Equifax has said that the investigation is not 100% complete, so expect that 143 million number to climb.
Equifax discovered the breach on July 29, but didn’t announce it to the public until September 7 – over a month after they knew about it. And the leak occurred mid-May, so your information was available for use for over 3 months before you were notified. Yikes! If you haven’t checked your credit report lately, finish reading this article and do it ASAP!

Equifax is offering free identity theft protection from TrustedID for one year – but you should be aware that TrustedID is an Equifax-owned service. Currently, the terms and conditions state that if you sign up for the free protection, you’ll be waiving your right to join any future class-action lawsuits unless you send notification in writing within 30 days of signing the agreement.

While this is the third largest security breach, the information leaked in this breach is much more valuable than the two Yahoo breaches that hold the No. 1 and 2 spots. The revealed information is all someone would need to open a credit card in your name, which is something you should be concerned about.
While Equifax is providing one year of identity theft its likely not enough. The information leaked from this breach will never get outdated and never changes, allowing someone to steal your identity now or 10 years down the line — something one year of identity theft protection can’t fix. Victims will likely have to worry about identity theft for the rest of their lives.

There are some things you can do now and continue to do in the years to come:

Monitor your credit. Check your credit often. Consider using a credit report monitoring service. These services actively monitor your credit reports and alert you if something is added or changed, or if a new account appears on your reports.

Consider a credit freeze. This is a proactive approach to protecting your credit. When you place a credit freeze on your credit reports, you’re essentially locking them, meaning no new accounts can be opened in your name (by you or anyone else) and your credit reports cannot be viewed by any potential creditor. Keep in mind, you’ll need to unfreeze your credit when you need to get a new credit card, apply for a loan, or get a mortgage, but you can refreeze it afterwards.

Report identity theft immediately. Identity theft is a crime, which means it should be reported as soon as its spotted, like any other crime. Report it credit bureaus, the police, and the company that extended any credit.

It’s possible that this breach may affect the future of credit. Due to the number of people affected, and how dramatically identity theft increases, creditors may look to an alternative method than using social security numbers as a main source of identification.

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