“Daddy”, my 11 year old daughter excitedly exclaimed. “All I have to do is sell seven Holiday wreaths and I earn enough money to go on the school trip to the amusement park at the end of the year!”
As I reviewed the info packet with an advertising professional’s eye, I casually asked, “What do […]

I have been doing some work near a newish shopping centre, it was completely revamped in the past few years. It has a supermarket and some other shops to act as a draw cards and so far so good.
I went there for lunch on two occasions, an Asian food shop is near one of the […]

Back in September of 2006 I posted an article here warning business people to only guarantee that over which they have control. I advocated only guaranteeing such things as, “Your Money Back” or “Replacement”. I specifically warned against guaranteeing a customer’s satisfaction because you have no idea what will satisfy a customer.
Better than 9 […]

Later this morning I have to go and pick up some paintings I have on consignment at a local art gallery. I suspect things have been a little slow in the sales area, as the gallery is only open now at set times on set days and is about to close down. Ok we live […]

Most of you will have heard of the term win win, meaning a positive outcome for both parties, I thought about it as I was pondering some marketing options for a business.
My thought went like this, what if a marketing Co (lets say a newspaper selling advertising) were to only offer win win advertising so […]

In business it seems like we juggle a whole bunch of things, from finances, planning, to marketing and operational issues and lots in between. I often say it’s about how well you juggle as to how well you do in business, however lets take some pressure off for a while and imagine if we stopped […]

I don’t mind stating I feel less than excellent. I have some quotes to do, some work to do, some people to chase, some calls to make, bills to pay, $$ to chase and frankly I don’t care if it all gets washed away in a great flood (or any other disaster for that matter.)
We […]

Have you ever thought about the activity and decisions that takes place in your business, or in your life for that matter? Let’s get a handle on things to explain more about what I mean.
Active and inactive - It’s either one or the other and not much in between, of course at the either […]

Business can be fickle, some succed, others fail, some just plod along making just enough to struggle on even though the market might be very buoyant.
In the end many will say business is just about money. Yes and no… I like to think I get more than just money out of what I do. […]

Over time I come up with a list of business success pointers and change it, the order does not matter much I think all the points are usually of equal importance.
Then I think about it some more, weigh that up against things I see and arguments I have in my head about how things are […]

Describing business in terms of its stages, infancy, adolescence, maturity and so on is a great way to sum up the situation, but there are impacts and of course differences in each.
So in the development of the franchise from the start up infancy stage, through to maturity there are some different challenges to face that […]

In a previous article I mentioned business being like a roller coaster with its ups and downs… This time lets look at some of the causes of this “uppsy downsy” situation.
1. I feel flat - This can be from a build up of things not going too well, everything else can be okay but the […]

An often overlooked area of business is the art scene.
Diverse in its offerings, Art is often seen as the realm of the rich (in mind and $$). And can offer the purchaser more than just a decorative device, it can also boost their stakes in the up and up of social climbing as well as […]

The road we travel in business is a rough one at times, then it gets smooth and before we know it it turns to a dusty track with giant potholes.
I’m talking about the everyday challenges we face, be it in getting enough customers, having enough profit, ensuring staff are happy and the $$ are still […]

The ACCC (Australian Credit and Consumer Commission) in Australia has released a document to assist franchisees in buying a franchise. The doc outlines a bunch of details about how to find a scam franchise (rare) a glossary of terms… (had to I guess) and a range of things to look out for (good logical stuff).
Problem […]

Of course you want to sell to people… that makes sense (until they invent a robot that can spend cash…)
BUT, what sort of people? Rich ones? Poor ones? Ones that work? Ones that play? Ones that have too much time on their hands? Ones that make decisions on BIG buying opportunities for a BIG […]

Years ago I put together a guideline to assist my clients in fully understanding what’s involved in a fully blown business, and for those working in one area to better understand the other areas around them. The result was a PDF file like this one.
It proved to be a useful device and I share it […]

An article by Kirsten Le Mesurier in the Age on innovation struck a chord.
The premise of CEO’s and senior exec’s saying innovation must happen… rarely works, it’s often a directive that can be buried in red tape and politics. Too many times the ideas are wanted but the process becomes a durge and in no […]

In a previous post I mentioned trademarking as a development tool and I discussed “See something - Do something” It’s a nice simple model for business but it can be taken further than a business context, here’s how and perhaps why…
In the branding stakes there is a lot of mention these days about “Brand You” […]

Buying a franchise can be a great way to get into business, (if you have not heard that line before you have not been looking into franchises for long.) and if it’s a ‘turnkey’ operation you are probably getting an even better opportunity, one that has all the bells and whistles on start up and […]

When buying any business (or any asset for that matter) it’s advisable to do your homework. Logical? YES! Practical… Not always. In the case of a franchise they (the franchisor) often has the power of numbers, “X number of franchisees can’t be wrong”, (yes some can be ‘wrong’, but they may not want to admit […]

Anything else to do with your business MUST therefore be about supporting the profit.
Before people go all money crazy though and start saying “business is all about taking and here’s another example.” I say if you are not making a profit you run a charity, and as this article is about business it’s therefore about […]

Earlier in 2007 I did a post on Trademarks not what you think… It gave some starting points and some background to an idea that is really all about values and beliefs but does so in a more street smart way.
I thought it was time to pull out a few more and explore how they […]

In the world of franchising there are many chances to connect with the Franchisees and the Franchisors, meetings, conferences, and the initial training. As the leader of the franchise (or franchise division) or as the franchisee, search for more ways to connect with each other. Then pass on that ‘connection’ attitude or skill to your […]

You start the business and then… Well apart from working hard to make it sustainable…
A few things first, let’s make a list. Why did you get into business? Is it turning out how you wanted? Is there a profit? Is it providing a better life for you? If not when will it do that?
Note how […]

In franchising there are fees of all kinds, franchisees are contracted to pay. Marketing and Management fees are often the main ones.
The fees are used for a multitude of things and are vital for the main company’s day to day operation. The money is therefore a fee paid for the provision of some service, the […]

No matter what sort of business you are in, it’s only as good as the next crisis is. Has that got you thinking? I hope so. You see many business people chip away at the coal face to get ahead, but do not stop to think about how to handle major challenges that might arise. […]

Most (if not all) Franchises have a franchise fee, (it’s a monthly fee usually) designed to keep the head office “humming”. It’s generally separate from a marketing fee, but that might be on the same invoice you get per month. So what do you get for paying that? I guess the Franchisor will have an […]

If you are hiring employees, the usual take on things is to try and match the person you want via assessing their skills an abilities as well as attitude and qualifications.
So you place an advert and put in the role and some Co details, then wait for the cover letters and resumes to arrive. In […]

In flipping about the net I came across this link. http://www.bcg.com/
Simply put the publications section has some great resources for businesses of all sorts, check it out, there’s plenty for everyone…
Very professionally put together, usually when I come across resources like this you end up having to pay or need to be a client with […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]