Marketing Entrepreneurship Business Blog for SMB's

Marketing Entrepreneurship Business Blog for SMB's

Marketing Strategy Blog - Small Business Marketing - Page 12

"Be careful that the feet you stand on today, don't belong to the legs and arse you have to kiss tomorrow" : Quote from one very wise West Australian.

When I started out working, my friends were all in the same boat. They were starting out their careers too in journalism, advertising, television and marketing. Today, most of them are Directors of News, Television Presenters, Editors and Senior Managers. We all still keep in touch from time to time and support each other whenever and wherever possible.
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Opportunities don't come past your desk everyday. Sometimes you have to work so hard to find an opportunity that when one lands on your lap, you don't really know what to do with it or you forget what it actually looks like.

There are so many things we all can relate "Make hay while the sun shines" to. Here are some that I think you should consider;
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Have we all got it so wrong?

A few weeks ago, I had to cancel a trip to the US that was for both business and pleasure. Mainly business, but a few days pleasure that I was seriously looking forward to. There were real reasons, which I cannot disclose here, but nevertheless, business was somewhat involved.

Then my beautiful girlfriend married the man of her dreams in South Africa, and I had to cancel going there too. More than $1000 down the drain, because South African Airlines don't reimburse you for cancelled flights nor do they give you a credit. Yet again, work got in the way.

Then this weekend, it's Easter and my two nephews are looking forward to spending the special occasion with their Aunt Mellissah. I have work to do and I was about to book a flight to fly to Queensland on Friday and back Sunday until...
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It's a question that many entrepreneurs need to ask themselves but many don't. Why do we believe that an office means sitting in a room, on a chair, with a desk and computer screen in front of us, confined by 4 walls? If you are a one-man band, you tend to show more flexibility, but once entrepreneurs start employing people, down go the curtains, the door is shut and everyone is tied to their desks until they have completed a good days work.
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"Everybody has their shit," said Doreen, a wonderful, successful woman I met for the first time tonight.

As a table of 5 women sharing their stories and updating everyone on their lives, one thing became apparent. Everybody has their shit.

Not the most enticing word in the English Dictionary, I agree, but nevertheless, its meaning in this context makes it appropriate.

I enjoyed the company of 5 fabulous women tonight. Smart, beautiful, successful, emotionally intelligent and value adding, women that can converse on every topic imaginable.

They depict the women that I had in mind when I wrote "what men can do to make their women more successful."
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They say that it is lonely at the top, and although I am definately not at the top, I can definately relate to this feeling.

Having run a small business myself for 13 years, I can identify that at the end of the day, unless you have a business partner, it can be quite lonely.

Yesterday, was particularly stressful.

The business is going so well, and clients are literally running through our doors. Although we have mechanism in place for growth, there are always things to do, that when you add it to your own daily jobs, becomes overwhelming - if you let it.

On top of running a business, we have an issue with a client who is happy with the service, but owes us $80,000. And this is just for invoices raised in the month of February. After, continually asking about when the invoices will be paid as we have a strict 7 day policy, they keep replying that it is coming in the next few days. That started 6 weeks ago. I am sure they will pay, but the situation is stressful nevertheless because after years of dealing with business owners who spin stories, the trust factor on such things has somewhat diminished.
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Blogging isn't for everyone. In fact, few people can pull it off and actually get a reasonable return on investment. While it can be fun to share your ideas, there is a whole world out there whose ideas differ from that of your own. And beware... sometimes they are even happy to tell you about it.

But it isn't all doom and gloom.

Blogging can be quite lucrative from a brand profile prospect and for some, financially. Successful bloggers don't just make their livings out of blogging, they quite often make their fortune. Think Mia Freedman (www.mamamia.com.au) and Seth Godin.

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Yesterday, I wrote a blog on how women can help their man to be more successful. As promised, today I am focusing on how men can help their women be more successful (in business).

If you are a man and lucky enough to have a woman that is determined, ambitious, talented and intelligent - as well as owning their own business or having a high flying career - then count your lucky stars. You are in the minority.
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Success does not just happen. You won’t be born with it, nor will you just be ‘lucky’ and have it. That would be too easy. It is a consequence of several different actions being put into motion to achieve a desired outcome from an individual person.

To have success though, you need to have a reason. Every successful person has a reason as to why they want to be successful.
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How often are you asked to do a speech or presentation?

If it is like me, I am always asked to do speeches, but as I have gotten older and more experienced, I am a lot better at picking and choosing where I should spend my time doing presentations.

Steve Jobs used to say that he spent 100 hours preparing for a presentation. Well, I don't have 100 hours! I am a small business owner.
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Leadership and succession planning go hand in hand for most small businesses. If you are a founder of a small business, it's always  important to earmark who in your organisation is going to lead your company, reinvigorate your staff and your product or service, and create fresh blood that catapults your business to heights you never imagined possible.
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I met with a friend of mine who is an absolute genius. You know the type, a kindof Bill Gates clone that has peculiar habits but is as smart as they come. What struck me as surprising is that he is an avid reader of cold reading books. Surprising because I would have thought that he would think body language books are a bit beneath his 'genius'. Obviously not.

Actually, he reads cold reading and body language books in the dozens. The other week, he bought a whole host of new body language books and has no doubt already read them from start to finish. Sitting with him for a chat is extraordinary because he is so bright, but also because he is absolutely fascinating with his passion for knowing more about why people do what they do. He likes the idea that he can read people which no doubt has made him a lot of money over time. Important if you are in the business of dealing with people and you need to know what they are thinking to make better decisions yourself.
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