Date: March 2017

We are about to embark on our last quarter of the financial year, and like most companies, we are seeking to accelerate our sales performance and leverage our current marketing structure and assets.

Marketing Eye is one of Australia's most recognisable marketing consulting firms due to our online performance. We were early adopters of everything from websites through to social media use. We know that every single month search engine optimisation must be a priority, and blogging keeps our prospects coming back time and time again.

Marketing Eye has always accepted internships ever since we were first approached by an overseas University. The reason being that many Universities around the world require internships abroad and they struggle to find one's that they are able to get into, as it isn't always common place in Australia.

Our interns have been amazing. They work on client accounts predominantly depending on capabilities on market research, databases, strategies, inside sales platforms, content development, social media and idea generation.

I was driving to work today, and I really need to put diesel in my car. It is the one thing I hate, but fortunately, I literally fill my car up once ever 6 weeks or so. I don't drive much as I am never in town. I thought to myself how annoying it is to fill my car up and how I wish I had someone to do it for me. It's just a task that seems pointless other than the real fact that if I don't fill it up, I will be on the side of the road.

Which brought me to the fact that on my 5 minute drive to work, 3 cars were being removed by trucks because they had been left overnight and at 7am in the morning, the road doesn't allow parking. It was 7.01am. 

Marketing Eye's growth is a total mixed bag, but one that is neatly packed.

In light of the fact that a business plan is in place to accelerate the expansion plans, it has become even more evident that our investment in technology will catapult our ability to expand the business in a fast, manageable pace.

Marketing can often be defined as a science and a bit of luck, while sales is a skill that requires knowledge and expertise to close.

Last night I attended an event just for an hour or so that my friend was hosting. I caught up with a few people and without realizing it, had to take a few steps back.

The reason being is sometimes things are best left in the past, especially people, and who wants to know what someone else is doing? I certainly don't.

I have been reading over the past week or so about the rise and fall of 1-Page, a public listed company on the ASX, headquartered in the US.

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.