Branding is one hot topic, although it is wildly misunderstood. To make things even more confusing, branding is often tossed in the same basket as marketing which makes its application to an entrepreneur or sole-practioner even more unclear.While out speaking on branding, the question that I hear most is "How do I know if my business or service is brand material?" With businesses opening left and right, and more and more closing each year, I'm...more
Starting Your New Home Business The Right Way Once you have made the initial preparations for starting up your home business, it is time to think about getting a little discipline. I don't mean that in any salacious sort of way: we are not talking about chastisement involving pain and leather goods. If you are entertaining this kind of idea, you are not working hard enough. You will have plenty of time for that type of mind wandering when you...more
The seven essentials of business communicationThere are seven essential elements to successful business communication: Structure Clarity Consistency Medium Relevancy Primacy/Recency Psychological Rule of 7±2If you are going to communicate effectively in business it is essential that you have a solid grasp of these seven elements.So let's look at each in turn...StructureHow you structure your communication is fundamental to how easily it is absorbed and understood by your audience.Every good communication should have these three structural elements: an opening, a body, and a close.The Opening allows your communication's audience to quickly understand what the communication is about. Short, sharp and to the point, a good opening lets your audience quickly reach a decision of whether or not to pay attention to your message.The Body is where you get to the 'heart' of your message. It is in the body of the message that you communicate all of your facts and figures relative to the action you want your communication's audience to take after attending to your message.There's a key to rapid uptake of your message -- KISS. Pitch your presentation's graphics at a grade seven child. If THEY...more
Everyday someone asks me, "How do you start a pet-sitting business?" I try to answer their question succinctly. But the truth is, starting a pet-sitting business, or any business is not always a succinct process. Following are 21 tips that I know can lead to pet-care business success in any economy.1. Accept what you don't know. Not everyone who...more
Like human nature over time, the power of good public relations remains the same. Whether you are a manager working for a business, a non-profit or an association, at some point, you will want, or need to create outside stakeholder behavior change - the kind that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives. Fortunately, you can get...more
We've all heard about certain ways to cut your grocery bill like avoiding the grocery store when you're hungry, using coupons on double coupons day, and buying only the items on your list. These are all good tips and we should keep using them. However, I've found a few pointers that might help you save even more on your grocery bill. The first thing you need to do after you've made your grocery list is to try to figure the total cost of your grocery bill. Make sure you've got everything on the list that you'll need because after you've made an educated guess you're going to go to your purse (or wallet), take out the cash and leave the rest behind. Believe me, this will definitely cut back on the unnecessary extras because you won't have the credit cards to fall back on. And if you're like me, you'd rather be hung upside down by your toe nails than be found short at the check out. Don't be afraid to look on the day-old bread rack or in the "about to expire" section of the meat department. You have to be careful, but you'll probably be able to tell whether the item is good. Just make sure to use it right away, don't let it sit in your refrigerator for a week. Who knows, it...more
You excitedly signed up for that pre-made money generating website you saw in a popbehind window. You signed up for the affiliate IDs. You set up your autoresponder and signed up for several "traffic generators". You read the writings of all the...more
My experience working with thousands of leaders world wide for the past two decades teaches me that most leaders are screwing up their careers. On a daily basis, these leaders are getting the wrong results or the right results in the wrong ways....more
Each year, businesses write-off six percent of revenue to waste, fraud and abuse. But why would managers throw all that hard-earned money away when there is a reliable way to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse using accounting policies & procedures to...more
Dear Friend and Subscriber: I'd like to extend you a warm welcome to the first issue of my Quantum Leap Advantage®4® Internet Newsletter. From time to time this newsletter, in addition to exposing you to well-tested and proven precepts to make your...more
Do you rule your superannuation or does it rule you?It's easy to fall for some myths about your super unless you do some clear thinking about who is in charge. Virtually all Australian employees now have a superannuation account, many have several,...more
Warning: Lying on your resume could cost you your job and your freedom.Picture this. You're sitting at your desk working away happily at a company you've been employed with for ten years. You've had several promotions and you're now a Sr. Assistant...more