A blog that chats about the craft of management now that’s useful! Check out the ten x 3 article I liked them all!
Management as a craft seems to resonate with the idea of the manager as an artisan, with a unique blend of artistic and practical skills. If this is the case the business could […]

I get asked which of my posts are my favourites and have been asked to put a few in here for people to find. That’s hard to do in a sense but hopefully you will agree with my points.
Business spirituality this happened as the results of reading a school newsletter it was so interesting and […]

Printed on the sign were these words, “We have your plumbing needs.”
No they don’t. You see, they can’t have my needs. Only I can have my needs.
If I need a sink-stopper thingy, I seek out someone who has a sink-stopper thingy. I don’t need someone who has my sink-stopper thingy needs. Because if […]

My dad always revered job satisfaction and would ask me “are you happy at work?” Mostly I was, but more due to the role and the environment rather than any management on mine or the organisations behalf.
There is an age old debate about the satisfaction and $$ debate as to which is more important, to […]

I live in Geelong and as we come up to the final of our Australian Rules football season Our Geelong team is a hot favourite to win, so to find a champion down here at the minute is very easy! Just name any one of the team members and I will agree!!!
These kinds of chapmpion […]

In all the things that a business is, the number one thing should be viability. It’s great you have an idea to pursue, it’s great you have a mission and vision, it’s fantastic you have the skills to do it as well!
But…
How viable is it?
Let’s be perfectly honest, business is about profit, and your role […]

In Australia today, a transport company in Sydney McArthur Express has gone into receivership and has been found to be insolvent. This means the company is not viable and they will sell everything and pay out the creditors as best they can.The plight is a miserable one for workers, the creditors and operators of the […]

Everyone was screaming. Chaos ruled. Then, from nowhere she appeared. With surgical precision, she dismantled her pen, quickly cut a slit into the man’s neck and inserted the pen barrel. As color returned to the man’s face our hero wipes her brow and everyone cheers for joy.
Isn’t TV Great? You may never use your […]

There are customers and there are CUSTOMERS! it can be very useful to know who you are deailing with so you can figure out the best way of working with them so they are influenced to purchase and deal with your organisation.
there are personality profiles, psyche profiles and marketing type profiles here is one we […]

For the Franchisor: How do you make the start up phase easy for the Franchisee?
For the Frachisee: How does the Franchisor make the start up phase easy for you.
This is the sort of question both parties should be asking themselves and for the Franchisor reviewing it often to make sure they have the best systems […]

It’s probably thought of as a no go zone, the franchisor wants their members to follow a system, and the franchisee wants to have a system that ensures ongoing viability, and therefore $$ in the bank to fund their lifestyle.
For most the entreprenerial activity in a franchise will happen at the “top end”, where the […]

We see so many home based businesses these days, running small ebay stores then graduating to having there own online store. A lot of home based business have blogs like this one as well.
We see a lot of them in the FBT forum and places like The Messy Desk
I noticed something interesting though. I noticed […]

Experiences are everything, if you have any sort of business that sells to people then the experience the customer has is vital to your operation.
In a franchise the franchisor would then have a greater duty of care to ensure the prospective franchisee has customer service skills, is customer aware, is able to communicate effectively and […]

Who is blaming whom? In the failed business stakes there are those with the crushed ego from the fall who want to blame anyone but themselves. They will claim the system failed them, customers failed them, area supervisors and suppliers failed them… then of course the franchisor failed them!
In all the blame game generally gets […]

Dear Seller,
I only have a few minutes, but I understand you’re interested in what you can do to capture my attention and entice me to want to set up a meeting with you.
Let me say this loud and clear right now - you have no idea what my day is like. You may think you […]

In business we all have a duty of care to some degree, we also have to make a profit at some stage by providing a product and or service that’s what makes us a business and not a charity.
In franchising I see it that the duty of care is still there, its perhaps very […]

The guys in the sales dept of your business just love to use testimonials from happy customers, the ones that willingly tell how good the company and product was. In some cultures its hard to ask for a testimonial (or as I like to call them a Yestimonials!) The one thing that stands out to […]

Starting in any business is fraught with challenges, in franchising its the same, there are challenges. The aim however with a franchise is to diminish some of the risks so you can begin with a solid system behind you that offers training and support as well as a proven brand people want to buy from.
It […]

The exceptional organisation according to Tom Peters associate Ed Michaels, is one that provides and nurtures rigourously the following…
“Remarkable challenges, rapid professional growth, respect, satisfaction, fun, stunning opportunity, exceptional reward, amazing peer group, full membership in ‘Club Adventure’, maximized future employability…”
All this leads to attracting more of the right people both internally and externally. In […]

When it comes to buying a business or starting out in a brand new venture, it is vital to do your “due diligence” so you can know if the business is right for you. In franchises its the same, however it is reasonable to expect the franchisor should be able to supply you with more […]

From our forum to you here are more favourites from the last year.
Entrepreneurs mind set
Keeping employees happy
Exceptional yet?
Most of these also got lots of views from our members so that’s useful. But mainly I see these as having the scope to get people involved, mindsets and keeping people happy… I guess there is always the […]

I, like many of you, know running a small business can be a lonely existence - you need to wear many hats and keep up to date with the latest developments and thinking. It was one of the reasons we started this site.
But I am not one to rest on my laurels and just use […]

No this is not about Homer Simpson getting a helper monkey! it’s about the ideal clients we all want to chase, but hey there are issues about going for gold, its time, money and often our attitude.
Firstly the ideal customer “monkey” is at the top of the tree, try to climb it too fast you […]

In business there are many things to consider, but one of the most overlooked is the fact that you have to deal with people, staff, customers, suppliers, partners and support teams (accountants coaches and the like). The factor that makes or breaks the relationship that’s built is your attitude. But what is it, and specifically […]

With hundreds of franchise business opportunities to choose from it can be a daunting task to find the right one, retail, service based, business to buisness and each has so many options avaiable, and to top it off the costs involved can make the choice easier (less options available) but harder (cheaper does not mean […]

Tired of handing out pens and other junk at trade shows that don’t give you any return on your investment? Consider the benefit of a 4″ x 6″ postcard.
A postcard is a great trade show handout …. IF, it is backed by an effective idea. Many describe a great postcard handout as little more […]

 Okay world, here are my 3 favourite articles for the period Sept 2006 - 2007 our first year of www.freebusinesstips.com.au
Jenny Stilwell  3 pillars… Because at the time it knocked me flat! I loved the depth yet a simplstic approach that ANYONE in business could follow. I love most of Jenny’s work and so the link […]

When asked to write a short article on my favorite Free Business Tips blog stories I answered, “yes” before I should have. Have you read the stories?! Choosing my favorite stories is like choosing my favorite child. I mean sure, I’m always going to choose my own … but then when it comes down to […]

Take a business or division of a business that is doing okay, (note… not doing exceptional, just okay…) take a good hard look, is it doing what you want, chances are no, you would prefer an exceptionally performing team right? So what to do?
You could do a review, and implement some extra training… chances are […]