Blog Author Mellissah Smith - Page 82

For months, I have sat in fear that my Information Memorandum to raise money for expansion into the US market would not be well received.

In fact, I have been incredibly reluctant to show anybody. I have held onto it tightly and when people have asked, I have said "I will get it over to you" and then it has taken weeks to attach it to an email and press "send".

Life is to be treasured. Every moment that we live and are surrounded by wonderful people who love and care about us, we should take time out to appreciate it.

My cousin's husband, a father of 3 beautiful children, decided to unexpectantly end his life today. As you can imagine, his family is devastated. We all are. He was such a wonderful man, who loved his family dearly and was full of spirit. Now, he is gone and only his memories remain.

Mental health is a real issue in our community. I started to think about the number of people, who I know who have chosen to take their own lives. Unfortunately, I can't count them on my hands as there have been too many. Yet, for some reason, we still are not doing enough. We should all do more to help those around us deal with depression.

If you have a family member or a friend who is down, be there for them. Support them even though you may feel there are other things you would prefer to do. Encourage them to seek help and give them an ear when they want it.

Life is precious, and suicide can happen to anyone.

Bill Gates dropped out of college to start Microsoft.

Jeff Bezos quit his lucrative job on Wall Street to drive to the other side of America to start Amazon.

Donald Trump faced personal bankrupcy at one stage taking risks.

So, is moving to the US and starting Marketing Eye, such a risk afterall?

We are all sexual beings. True.

And, advertising executives the world over will tell us that "sex does sell". They have a long history of showcasing scantily clad men and women in advertising with great success.

But, does it still work?

The last two men I have dated have been lovely guys. Wonderful in fact. Both over 50 yet neither opened the door for me until I made it clear that my expectation is that I believe that men should always open the door. I know this is old fashion in so many ways, but when you have always experienced men that are gentlemen, it's hard to settle for anything less.

It's like if an old lady is standing on a bus - someone should stand up and let her sit. Or a pregnant lady who needs to go to the restroom - you should always let her go first.

I can't criticise people for not opening the door, or eating before the host sits down to dinner or not placing their knives and forks together when they have finished a meal. The reason being is that too many people don't do this anymore. The more I travel, particularly in the US, the less I see people using old fashion manners in their every day lives.

Women have a lot to answer for this and I am sure that men find it hard to ascertain who to open a door for and who not to. I am sure most men don't mean it, and no doubt there are a lot of women out there with poor manners to, but in this day and age, can we really identify a common global manners protocol that every person should adhere to?

The English are always good with their manners and Europeans are very good also. I was out with some Formula One Drivers on the weekend, and all of them opened the door, walked on the outside of the women they were with and in every way were gentlemen. It was such a refreshing thing to experience.

What's your thoughts? Do you think that men being gentemen are a thing of the past? Is bad manners exclusive to people outside of Europe and the UK?

In business, what is the protocol? I always allow the client to sit down first, and whether it is male or female, I try to open the door for them as they are leaving. What other ways can business leaders show good manners?

One of the things that no-one tells you when you are thinking about expanding your business is just how busy you will be.

It is remarkable how much you can fit into a day, let alone a week.

I am travelling to the US on 22nd March to meet with some people over there; potential investors, key influencers, government and industry leaders. Organising my schedule and fitting everything in is near impossible. 10 days just isn't enough. But for this trip, it will have to do!

About 10 years ago, I was in New York for a holiday and by chance, I happened to be in town when there was an entrepreneurs event with Jack Welch.

I sat down with my friends who were also in business and watched Jack Welch talk about his story of how he changed GE and his philosophies on business.

Marketing Eye received a ranking last week on Twitter and it had me thinking...

A chance meeting today of a singer/songwriter from Yeppoon in Queensland, reminded me of how much the past can influence the future.

While we may learn history throughout our education, as an adult, unless you are particularly interested in historical events and people, knowledge on the past can be somewhat limited.

Today, I was asked to market something that has so much historical significance in Queensland, but is yet unknown by most of Australia. It is perhaps some of the best poetry that I have ever read. Up there, in some ways, with Keats, Shakespeare or Blake.

If you haven't read it already, pick up a copy of Pen Blossoms by Mary Rattenbury, published in 1936. It will literally take you to another place.

Like Nostradamus who predicted the French Revolution, Adolf Hitlers ruling and the death of Princess Diana, Mary Rattenbury predicted an invasion of Australia by the Japanese.

Sometimes the best marketing for the future, is to take a look at the past. Look at past authors, poets, artists and gain insight into their work. You never know what piece of brilliance you may pick up and how relevant it is to today's market.