Do you ever wonder why some people seem to get all the lucky breaks in business while others struggle to barely get by? They seem to be in the right place at the right time. Fact is, maybe they're not at the right place at the right time; maybe they just know how to make things "happen." As a business advisor I often see people begin and end a business before they have given it a chance to grow. For some reason, they seem to think that all they...more
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 have got your home business up and running on autopilot. So store away all thoughts of bamboo canes and studded collars and concentrate here for a short while.We are not even dealing with the kind of punishment you might get at school or a correctional institution. We are talking about the toughest kind of discipline: regular, old-fashioned, grit-your-teeth self-discipline. I can hear the groans but I don't know why Discipline has become so unpopular. You should treat it as a good friend, shake hands with Discipline and give him a clap on the back invite him in to look around your home office and get his opinion of your plans. Discipline will strengthen you and make it easier for you to get organised and stay organised; consider...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...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 that job done by doing something positive about the behaviors of those external audiences that MOST affect your organization. And do so by persuading those important outside folks to your way of thinking, and moving them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary succeed. Fact is, your public relations push must involve more than special events, brochures and news releases if you really want to get your money's worth. The fundamental premise of public relations says as much when it highlights the reality that people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the ...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. ...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