The Life of a Private Investigator!

Welcome to 2009!

Wishing you all blessings in 2009 and

remember tonight especially DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!!!!!!

New Years Resolution-Day 2

Resolutions many times are hard to keep, because we over commit ourselves and the person we let down the most is ourselves. One way to avoid letting ourselves down and defeating the whole purpose of self-improvement is to set attainable goals. Not all resolutions should require work make some resolutions just for fun. Todays resolution is one I highly recommend.

Resolutions 2 - Laugh More

It really is the best medicine! Finding the good in life means knowing when you need a good laugh. It’s also a great way to build self confidence, as you can laugh at your own mistakes and not feel so bad about your failures. Being happy in life, by using the power of positive thinking and getting in a good giggle now and then, is not hard to do. It’s simply a choice you make for yourself, no matter what your circumstance, and it could be the saving grace you really need. And, when you get good at it, share your laughter with someone else – you could really make their day.

 

So as a side note to this post tonight I should tell the readers that laughing more is not hard to do because my family and I just played guitar hero world tour, we sang, played the guitar and drums. We sounded like sick cows but we laughed and guess what; I feel better.  What makes you laugh?

 

 

New Years Resolutions

Every year I make the usual resolutions in my head; lose weight, get healthy, become more organized etc etc. Some times I keep them sometimes I don't. In general I make it a practice all year long to try and improve my life but for some reason we all put a special focus on New Years. I am going to post for the remainder of this week posts specifically related to resolutions.  Unique or inspiring you be the judge.

Resolution 1 - Pay It Forward

A surprising way to help yourself is to help someone else. You can work more miracles in your own life, simply by helping someone else. And there are plenty of people in need.

 

What if you don't have the time or resources to spare? Don't worry about it - you can make this as easy and unobtrusive as you like.

Make a new resolution to simply smile at a stranger at least once every day. A smile can go a long ways, passing from person to person and warming the hearts and souls of potentially millions of people.

 

But if you do want to do more, and really see the difference you're making, go for the gusto.

Volunteer at your local shelter or soup kitchen. Buy a bagged lunch and hand it out to a homeless person. Go through all those old clothes, shoes, coats, hats and scarves in your closet and bag them up for your local Goodwill or Salvation Army.

If you have the time, patience and desire to do more, sign up to become a Big Sister or Big Brother. You can make a world of difference in a child's life, which is an investment in everyone's future.

 

 

 

 

End of the year lessons for improving my business-

As the end of the year closes I always try to get ready for the new year.  As an investigator it is important to organize, prioritize and categorize your work. It is not that hard if you are good at what you do. These are three important work habits that any good investigator should constantly be trying to improve on.  In order for me to stick to that formula I have to re-evaluate what works and what doesn't

I look at how I did things last year and then I look at how I could improve things this year. Once I do that I implement changes for the new year, changes that I know will streamline my work.  Simple things like color coding file systems or key words for taking notes during iinterviews. I personally have excellent recall for interviews and it is because of my system for key word.I have developed a technique that encourages people to talk talk talk. The more they talk the more information I am able to get for the attorneys I work for. You never know what information will be useful. So the key to recall the interview with the notes is to just highlight the topics. I never ever record an interview and the reason is it creates a barrier. No one really wants to be recorded talking. In this instance I have to organize, prioritize and then categorize the information. 

I also use this technique when balancing my workload. It is important not to let down the attorneys that hire me.  I meet my deadlines butsometimes I stay up all night to do that.  Organization, prioritization and categorizing allow me to work more than one case at a time.

Thankfully this formula is my recipe for success. As 2009 begins I will be looking at ways to improve upon this formula so I can achieve even more success. Give it a try it might work for you.  Also, let me know what business lessons you can share with me.

Happy Holidays!

All Things Legal Investigations

Original post, for this blog only (by Mr. Sting)

Haven't posted here for a little while.  Been focusing on my blog.  Also have been extremely busy lately.  Working all kinds of crazy hours.  Everything from cheating spouses, child custody, stalking a stalker, surveillance on a criminal case. 

I mean I have been busier than a one armed wall paper hanger.  I love it though.  Love to be busy.  Work is rewarding, when it is rewarding work. Great cliché  isn't it.  :)  I know Dawn has mentioned snow in Oregon.  Here in Oklahoma we had a few days of ice.  Now just rainy. 

Well, the post may not have been exciting.  But it was exclusive to this blog. 

  

The Definition of "Patience"

Webster Says - 

Pat-ience

–noun

1.	the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.

2.	an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with a slow learner.

3.	quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: to work with patience.

4.	Cards (chiefly British). solitaire (def. 1).

5.	Also called patience dock. a European dock, Rumex patientia, of the buckwheat family, whose leaves are often used as a vegetable.

6.	Obsolete. leave; permission; sufference.

Ralph Waldo Emerson says------

   

     "Nothing Great Was Ever Achieved Without Enthusiasm."

                    Ralph Waldo Emerson    

                   (US Essayist and Poet 1803-1882)

One case ends and another comes in the door

When your self-employed in this economy you can not help but  worry about work coming in the door. So it always thrills me when another case is referred to me. I settled a case Monday and on Tuesday a prominent attorney in town referred me another sex abuse case.  I love referrals!

Happy endings

I have been working on a sex abuse case for the last 15 months. The case was set to go to trial December 15th.  With alot of solid evidence, the best attorneys in town and a determined client we powered forward toward the trial date. Sometimes a trial is not the best outcome for a client, today I am happy to report that the client was able to settle the claim which was the best possible outcome.

This case was particularly important to me. I was able to obtain evidence that showed the parties involved knew they had a predator in their church. A Church where they protected the perp and harmed the children.  Because this brave young person was willing to come forward the church has been held accountable.

This case was a good example of digging up the dirt.  I knocked on a lot of doors, ran into a lot of dead ends but ultimately I would not give up.  A good investigator can make a case for the client.  In this instance I can be proud of my work but mostly I am proud of the client for showing the courage pursue this case.

A message from Mr. Sting to Dawn

Running on empty

Sometimes we find ourselves doing just that. I have been running on empty for several days. Taking inspiration anywhere I can get it.  I am sure I am fight a flu bug but I need to rally.  Some people ask me why I do not just stay home--I do not always have that luxery. I have a client counting on me and a trial date looming.  So even though I am running on empty I am still running.

The clients deserves the best I have to give even when I do not feel like I can. What makes me great at what I do is that when push comes to shove I am still going to keep at.

So when you are running on empty what keeps you going; money, the client, your own determion.

What is the definition of a good Leader - (posted by Dawn Krantz-Watts)

The qualities that constitute leadership seem to be linked with a person's own sense of self worth. For example, a leader is willing to assess a situation and trust in their own ability to act. While the decision may lead to positive results or not, the leader is willing to take a chance because of his or her own confidence in their judgment. Additionally, the leader develops trust in other people, and they trust him/her in return.

A private investigator is a leader, we have to have self confidence (we get rejected a lot), we have to be able to act fast (we might have to run like the wind to stay out of sight), and we need to earn your trust (I am a total stranger you just let in your house, I hope you trust me).  Seriously, in this profession we are required to think on our feet because we do not always know what is going to happen on an assignment. We earn our clients trust by producing great results. Whether it is in surveillance work or witness preparation being an investigator requires us to be the best at what we do. It takes initiative and determination. All these are signs of a good leader. 

Are you a leader or a follower?  I know  I am a leader.

Sometimes it's not exactly rocket science (Posted by Tony Goring)

We get a fair number of trace requests. Like a lot of PI firms we regard these are an unglamorous bread and butter type of work but we love them.

As the festive season is looming and just because I’m a nice guy may I present the secret for success in over 50% of the traces we charge for:

The telephone

The telephone directory

A cheerful polite voice

You have no idea how far simply being nice will get you!

Should you choose to ignore the above we will unashamedly bill you until such time as I can afford a hammock and Mauritian citizenship.