Blog Author Mellissah Smith - Page 34

I am so caught up in everything to do with technology, I have to be constantly reminded as to why the technology exists - and that is to better serve the people around us. From customers and prospects, to employees and suppliers, our ability to engage, interact and create conversation is imperative to our ability to be more successful.

Having just returned from the slopes of Aspen, skiing down the mountain like I don't have a care in the world, and I have no fear for my life and what injuries a fall may result in, I am back in the grind.

Years ago I learned that working a 60 or 80 hour week as a small business owner was not effective, efficient or in any persons best interest, let alone my own.

I changed my life, started working what I deem to be reasonable hours and made sure that no weekend was filled with any work commitment and was left to me living life the way life should be lived.

That all makes sense, and in theory works a treat, except when your business grows and more opportunities hit your desk than you know what to do with it.

We all want to leverage opportunities, grow our business, and capitalise on what we have achieved, but that takes time, and time means not only money but energy.

The best managers delegate and prioritise - and know exactly when an opportunity that is too good to be true needs to be put to the backburner.

At times, I think I have it sorted, but I am foolish and no matter how much I tell myself that this is the case, I always fall prey to the next best idea. Fortunately, I have an ability to not leap on it without thorough thought processes determining its value to the bigger picture.

But as life would have it, some really amazing things have fallen on my desk and now I am in a conundrum. Some decision have to be made and one of them is about what is my real job and where do I really want to take my life.

When you are sitting in my shoes, you have people coming to you almost daily with "good ideas". I am quite experienced at cooling those ideas down, but all of a sudden there are some things I want to do and that means that I need to change it up a bit, make my priorities a little different but not work any extra hours and keep my head in clear space so I can always be in the position to make good decisions.

Each year we search high and low at ways in which we can improve our business and company culture.

Like many businesses, we feel as though we have tried everything - and at times it works, and sometimes we quite simply fall flat on our faces.

I'm sitting at the Qantas Lounge at the Melbourne International Airport ready to board another flight to Los Angeles. I am a tad tired. 2.15am wakeup wasn't my best work, but sometimes excitement does get the best of me. Travelling for me, is exciting and part of the bigger adventure. I get to meet people that inspire me, shock me and sometimes join me on my journey as a friend, client or person "I just know".

Meeting people when you are an introvert is completely and utterly out of your comfort zone, and I know the value of being outside your comfort zone. It's one of the best things that can happen, especially if you are an entrepreneur.

It's been a hectic few months and this week has been no different. 

With the weekend upon us, I can safely say that the next few months I am only focused on Marketing Eye, technology development and the people who have already been in the incubator and need my support. It's time to pass on the baton for all the things I have become so passionately involved with, and focus on my own backyard - so to speak.

Shit happens. It's a fact. Business will not always be smooth sailing and believe it or not, it's ok. What we learn from our challenges and mistakes is what makes us stronger and more capable in the future.

To be in love is the biggest gift of all. The feeling of thinking about someone from the moment you wake up, until you fall asleep at night - there really is nothing better. 

Jack Ma's speech at the World Economic Forum struck a raw and real note with me. He is more successful than I would ever be even if that was my pursuit in life, but we do have some similarities and that is based on a view of the world we live in and our roles in making it a better place.

Talking to my sister-in-law today, we discussed how I could sell up my home in Melbourne and move to the Fraser Coast and live on the beach in a brand new house, designed by me, for less than $800,000. Imagine that? When you live in the city, you soon realise that $800,000 buys you very little, but in some of the most beautiful places in the world, it brings you a lot. Imagine what I could do with the leftovers. Retire? Do more for the community and causes in which I support? Change people's lives and outcomes? It really is endless. I was born with a brain and it works just as well outside the constraints of business. What if I used it more on a fulltime basis to improve our world? 

I have never been more busy in my life. I remember 2 years ago feeling completely overwhelmed by having so much on my plate, and feeling as though I was floundering.

I kept on taking on more 'stuff' and it wasn't a case of not being able to say no. I simply wanted to do all the things I was doing and they were important to me. I hired two personal assistants and that worked wonders, except I decided that they were too good to be personal assistants and moved them promptly into other roles.

Marketing Eye has been a pioneer of the outsourced marketing department concept. We brought the concept to the forefront some 13 years ago, and have since forged a new market where companies can outsource to one company with no freelancers their entire marketing needs.