So here is a question, how much personal cash did you make from your business in the last year?
I know a lot of you have transferred personal payments to your business where you can… and that aside HOW MUCH… $$ ok it’s an ozzie thing to not discuss $$ but hey I’m not asking you […]

Ask the 2 big questions in your buisness, What’s working and what’s not.
Jot down a list of each, perhaps a coloumn each or a sheet of paper each. Take a solid look at the list and ask what can I do about the things that need to be better, and what can I learn about […]

Seems silly to say that, but reverse goal setting can work a treat to make things work.
Another way of putting it is to begin with the end in mind. Create the visual outcome in your minds eye, then step backwards bit by bit until you get to the present time, and you will then […]

In business the success you get is often based on what you do as the business Owner/Operator, Director, Manager, CEO… Sure there is a matter of Luck, being in the right place and the right time (serendipity) but mainly the L.U.C.K. boils down to Learning Under Correct/Constant Knowledge.
Over time you might be able to ‘fluke’ […]

Of increasing annoyance is the challenge employers face in dealing with Bullying in the workplace. No longer is it just a blue collar “stir up the new apprentice with some pranks issue” but it’s a bigger issue involving all business types. It seems there are as many bullies as there are workplaces.
Finding out you have […]

The Ford Geelong issue will cause a few problems for a while yet. Local business identity Lawrie Miller who is part of the local Chamber of Commerce has suggested it will not cause a big ripple, that the people out on their ear may be absorbed in part, into “IT and Bio Tech industries…” (Geelong […]

In a car you have a couple of blind spots that mean you have to turn your head to see out of a side window to see what is really happening, and I see the same in business, in retail it’s often called store blindness where the details become common place and things that need […]

The news today is saying they will drop 600 jobs at Ford in Geelong in the casting plant, as they can get the engines cheaper o/s. That might be true but what about the carnage… not just the jobs, the investment.
The Victorian Government has put in over 60million dollars investing in the car maker to […]

Okay some of you are saying “another one!”, we have a one pager, a fully blown (dunno how many) pager and now I have seen everything a 12 pager!
That’s okay I figure whatever works for you is a great plan to have. Too many clients have plans that don’t work, or no plan which I […]

Ford may dump workers at its Geelong (Aust) plant in a chance to rebound from a slump in sales of its larger engines produced at the plant. This has people from all sectors of Government and industry bodies jumping to try and stem the flow on effect this may have IF it happens. My view, […]

No not the keys to the car, the keys to my business success!
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a few keys to making your business better? For many in business its about building the team they have so they can leverage their time and money more effectively. So here goes, check these key tips out […]

It’s that time of the year in Oz, cold and wet. Then to top it off I’ve got a cold… I have not had one in about 3 years (lucky I guess), But this one has a grip like you would not beleive. More cold and flu tabs, cough mixtures and so on to try […]

Not wanting to over-simplify the whole ‘running a business thing’, but I’ve developed a list (based on my own experiences, and that of my clients and other business owners), which covers some of the things we need to know for different stages of building a business:
Start-up phase:

Start a business because you want to, don’t […]

People are only as good as what they know. That’s a simple piece of information everyone should know. But very importantly in business its a great thing to be aware of with staff and customers alike. You might assume they know lots of things like you do, but when push comes to shove you might […]

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you can’t argue that pop queen Madonna and domestic doyenne Martha Stewart are two master marketers.  One is a calculated maverick who’s stayed at what has to be the world’s toughest and most fickle business for nearly a quarter century.  The other turned an at-home catering business into a multimedia […]

In our local paper today we read of a 30 yr old who had taken his life… Sad, and tragic, what made it worse my wife and I had taught this “lad” I remember his boisterousness, his propensity to get in to mischief, his moments of sheer happiness and the odd moment of withdrawl. In […]

Is your business profile telling you you are doomed to a life of mediocrity, or that there is hope for the future?
Take a look at the profile (see the PDF attachment Business Profiles) and ask yourself the following.
1. Are you at a clear profile level, or moving between them?
2. Is the profile level totally […]

With the natural differences among the four behavioral types in mind, pretend that you want to give four people 15-20 minutes to make three simple decisions:
1. Where the next meeting will take place
2. When it will happen
3. The theme of the meeting
Quite by accident, your group consists of one Relater, one Thinker, one Director, and […]

We all know our customers. We know their names and their businesses, and we often know something about their lives outside of work. Usually we have lists of who our customers are. However, what many small business owners usually don’t know is what’s happening in the mix of their customer base.
When you […]

We all need to focus on three key pillars for success: marketing our businesses to build clients and income; management practices and procedures to establish the framework for our business as it grows; and mentoring support to keep us on the right track, and provide different levels of support as our business grows.
1. […]

So your prospect, Mary, is sitting at the computer reading your compelling sales letter. She’s convinced she needs your product. So she clicks on the order link, with her credit card next to the mouse. She’s taken to the order page. What she sees next makes her change her mind and click away. Can you […]

Here’s a thought – Imagine two years down the track (visualise clearly now) that you have a business that is running itself, and people call you saying how brilliant the staff are, the range of services is to die for and they love the level of service they get! You drop in to the office […]

How do you know which strategy will grow your business most effectively in the short and long term? Market penetration, market extension, product development or diversification are the primary strategies for building your business. You can also grow organically (growth in your own business) or by acquisition (of another business). This article […]

As you watch the graph on your business rise as things get moving, you will no doubt be delighted, but then as you measure more things you may notice a few flat spots, or worse still some downhil slides on the graph. Check against this list and make a list of your options, before long […]

This could be the start of a new era in understanding business. Okay I might be overstating things here, but at least take a look and check out the three levels of business and then check out where your business might fit. At any of the three levels businesses can be successful, and the descriptors […]

Preparation

Do you have enough information on the customer’s company to understand their business and the context of their inquiry/request/approach to you?
Have you identified the stakeholders?
Do you understand what each of the stakeholders really wants?
Have you assessed the business requirements, and the individual requirements, of your customers?
Do you know who your competitors are, or likely to […]

There’s talk from time to time about business being too top heavy, too greedy, too much aimed at getting bigger, too much emphasis on global markets. All of that happens and a range of studies and anecdotal evidence shows that bigger is often not better, in fact it can be like a person with too […]

One major aspect of your personal image comes from how well you’ve developed what’s inside your skull. I’m not talking about a high IQ or your skill at Trivial Pursuit. I’m referring to your mental fitness.
Can your mind lift abstract concepts from The Wall Street Journal or from the professional journal in your field? Can […]

1. Set Goals
2. Develop Strategy
3. Align & Mentor People
4. Execute Plan
5. Review Performance
The strategic planning process is not simple. It involves understanding your market, you competitors, your clients, the motivations and drivers of the people on your team, your own drivers and needs, what is working and what isn’t, where the core competencies are for the business and the […]

No-one. How is your performance measured then? By the performance of your business. If you don’t measure this, no-one else will. It’s all up to you.
A review of your business will identify any areas which are working really well, and any which may require you to take action. As we’ve […]

Have you ever gotten to the end of the day and wondered where all your time went? You were up-and-down, left-and-right busy all day, yet you barely made a dent in your to-do list; so what did you do? What happened to all that time if it wasn’t spent accomplishing your projects?
Time-wasters come from the […]

Think you have what it takes to be an consultant or a coach? I wasn’t so sure I knew when I first started in 1999. All I knew was I desperately wanted to work from home to raise my two sons after my divorce. It took a lot of trial and error to get to […]

The car ride was library-quiet despite having a 10 year-old daughter and an 8 year-old son in the back seat. The peaceful respite from the calamity that usually takes place behind me should have been my clue that something was up. But I was enjoying the rare serenity to the point that I was actually […]

First of all, do you have connectors working ‘for’ your business?
Read each of these statements below, and say whether you agree or disagree with them:
• So many people, especially those with service-based companies, say they have grown their business mostly through referrals. Maybe you have too.
• Mostly, they/you do little to generate these referrals, and they […]

As marketers and businesses seek to promote themselves, their products or events, they need to think through the promotional products they use in their promotions. While they need to consider the positives, they also must explore possible negatives. A product that may seem like a sure-fire hit may actually turn into a public relations problem. […]

With a shrinking job market and an ageing workforce there are higher levels of competition for workers in the western world than probably at any time in our history.
How then will employers handle this situation and create workplaces, which employees will love to work in, be delighted by the work they do and generally be […]

I know you are probably thinking I am going to chat about the little TM symbol signifying a registered trademark on an item, short answer, no
And so to “trademarks”, I heard about this through my wife’s school, they are working with the students on establishing things that are of value to them and they call […]

So you want to be, or are in business, how come? What motivates you, or drives you to do it, or want to do it?
For many its the percieved lifestyle (golfing fishing, haning out with business buddies while others are working for you), or is it the money, or the sense of achievement…. […]

You know when somethings good, when you find yourself nodding in agreement to many of the points being made by a successful business operator as they run though their points on what made them successful.
It was the points being raised on a recent TV current affairs program that had me sitting up paying attention, and […]

Twiddling your thumbs and waiting for some business to come in? Why not use this downtime to set yourself up for greater success in the new year? Here are my 10 picks, but you don’t have to do them all. Even doing just one will get you another rung higher on your business ladder.
1. Evaluate […]

Can I suggest you read the ‘E’ Myth by Michael Gerber. The book mentions creating an effective system of operation in your business, doing so can give your business a distinct edge over others who may be  throwing caution to the wind without a system of operation. Here’s the link to find the book…
E-Myth-Revisited
Think […]

You run the business, you worked your fingers to the bone to get it up from zero to hero, you finally leveraged your way to add in some employees, and after all that you are starting to make the whole thing pay for itself handsomely. Well done.
So what’s your job now… In the begining you […]

Are you like a lot of people, busy with the little things in your business? Are you finding that although things seem to get done, there is little change to your business performance and or profitability?
In a recent Blog I wrote about to do lists and focussing on getting things out of your mind and […]

So what’s on your action plan for today?
Do you have small things, big things a mixture of both perhaps?
Whatever you have on your action plan, is probably what you will achieve. The shorter term things (usually the easiest) will probably happen without too much drama, the mid sized things you may well chip at bit […]

If there’s one thing that can get in the way of a smooth running solo enterprise, it’s the lack of an organised back office. Sadly it’s not unusual to see a business that fronts up well yet is a disaster behind the scenes.
Here are my Top Five back office essentials, see how you stack up:
1. […]