Archive for April, 2011

Royal Wedding Fever – Be Careful What You Commit To

Friday, April 29th, 2011 at 7:59 pm  
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This morning, I watched the Royal Wedding from a hotel bedroom in America, and what an occasion it was. I can honestly say that I’ve never felt as proud to be British as I do today, which might be something to do with the fact that I’m an Englishman in Chicago, to mis-quote Sting!

The ceremony got me thinking though, about the decisions people make that affect their lives, just as Wills and Kate did this morning, when they committed to love, cherish and keep (not obey!!) for the rest of their lives.

Now, in business, our commitments are rarely ‘til death do us part’, but it’s still important that we think consciously and carefully about the choices that we do make, the relationships we start and (importantly) the people that we commit to.

Joining the Royal Family is not an easy decision, Kate’s life will never be the same again, and I’m sure she’s thought her decision through very carefully.

I consider my relationships and commitments carefully too, and I’d advise anyone in business to do the same. It’s a bit like real life, where you wouldn’t jump into bed with someone you’ve just met, or that you’re not 100% sure of. You’d do your research, ask some questions and do what the professionals call ‘due diligence’.

What questions to ask though? Well, I always take a look at their track record and find out how long they’ve been in business. I’ve been running my own business for over 8 years now, and I’ve seen a lot of my competitors fall by the wayside in that time. If a key-supplier goes bump, it can cause a real headache.

In the franchise and business opportunity world, choosing who you tie the know with is of huge importance. You can usually change a printer, or find ways to lose an employee who you’re not getting on with, but it’s not that simple with a franchise. My ‘thebestof’ franchisees sign a 5 year agreement with me. They’re committed, and so am I, so we’d better be pretty sure that we’re going to get on.

My advice to anyone who’s thinking about getting involved in a franchise opportunity is simple…

Check out their Track Record

How long have they been running the business? Have they just started out, or have they got years of experience and a trophy cabinet full of awards?

In the franchise and biz opp market in particular there are people who try and build a network of new franchisees without any grasp of the huge effort and work involved in properly supporting and nurturing a network. These ‘wannabe’s are often the businesses that don’t last. The owner or front man takes a big bunch of cash, promises the world, but then, for different reasons, can’t fulfil on his promises and the unlucky franchisees lose everything.

What have they really achieved in business? How solid is their track record, commercially – not just in sound bites.

Check out the Team behind the Front Man

It’s not easy heading up a franchise network and it’s not easy to find the right people to support your franchisees either!

A messianic, heroic, brilliant front man is one thing, but find out who’s going to be supporting you day to day. It’s the ongoing support that counts.

The franchise market is littered with one and two man bands who offer a brilliant sounding business at a really low price. The problem is that the business doesn’t have the money to provide the ongoing training and support and so, once again the poor franchisees are left high and dry.

Check out their Financial Stability

There’s no point in signing a 5 year agreement if they’re not going to be around in 5 months. Be sure that they’ve got the financial wherewithal to support you as you build your business over the years.

One sure sign of trouble ahead is if the person or organization selling the franchise has had cheques bounce in recent times, or is driving around in an F reg Escort! I know it’s obvious but ask the direct question. If they have, then my advice is to run a mile.

Buying a franchise is a big deal and you might need to look carefully at a few frogs before you decide which one’s your Prince!

Twitter – Weekly Updates for 2011-04-29

Friday, April 29th, 2011 at 7:15 pm  
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Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin…

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011 at 1:57 pm  
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We all love a story don’t we? I’m sure you’ll have fond memories of your parents or grandparents, teachers or tv presenters telling you stories – I know I do – and stories are one of those things we never grow out of.

Stories inspire us, teach us, move us to buy things, make things happen and stand up for what we believe in. They connect us with other people who have similar stories that resonate with us on some level too.

Recently McDonalds ran a campaign for the ‘Ronald McDonald House Charities’ which asked people to donate their spare change to help fund a network of houses, family rooms and mobile care centres for sick children and their parents.

The campaign raised nearly $25 million last year through the use of donation boxes in McDonalds restaurants which was a fantastic achievement however, when social media was brought into the mix they generated 130% more online donations and a lot more to their donation boxes too!

Take a look at this article on the Social Media Examiner site to learn a bit more about how McDonalds used the stories of the people they were trying to help in order to move people to donate to the cause. And then ask yourself, what stories are you telling to help people connect with you and what you are trying to achieve?

Every single one of us has a story to tell. Make sure you are using yours to market your business in a compelling way and I bet you’ll end up living ‘happily ever after’.

What goes around…

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011 at 8:53 am  
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I enjoyed reading this blog post on the Personality Not Included website (great book by the way, highly recommended – it’s about making your business more authentic).

Anyway, in this blog post about Social Media Karma, author Rohit Bhargava talks about the way every single action you take via social media (whether it’s a status update, a retweet or posting an article on your blog) adds towards the sum total of your internet presence – so you’d better make them count! Social Media Karma is the idea that everything you do via social media will have an indirect or direct effect on you (what goes around comes around).

Bhargava gives you 10 ways to improve your Social Media Karma and I’d suggest you take a look as there’s some good stuff here.

What results are you getting back? If it’s not what you’d hope for perhaps it’s time to look at what you’re putting out there?

Twitter – Weekly Updates for 2011-04-22

Friday, April 22nd, 2011 at 8:15 pm  
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Must try harder!

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011 at 9:51 am  
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I found an article on the BBC Website this morning which I think you might find interesting.

It’s delving deeper into two approaches to praising children. The first approach is praising intelligence by saying things like ‘Wow, you learned that so fast, you’re so clever!’ or ‘ You’re so brilliant – you passed that exam so easily!’ etc and the second approach is praising effort with comments like ‘Well done, you tried really hard at that!’ etc.

The article asks the question: Where does excellence come from? And the results are fascinating.

I’ve seen people who are surrounded by ‘Yes people’ who only ever praise them for being all-round amazing, crumble and end up with nothing – think of some of the most once successful celebrities who’ve ended up having nervous breakdowns (or worse) for example. The perceived expectation that the praise they crave only comes from maintaining their level of excellence actually damages their confidence and they end up insecure and down and out. However praising hard work has a different effect… it encourages people to give their best 100% of the time and THAT’S where the real power is!

Many people believe excellence is just about natural talent but it turns out that this just isn’t true! It’s all about practice and perseverance! And there’s scientific proof… what great news!

You should read the article because I think you’d find it interesting. It ties in with a belief I have that Entrepreneurs aren’t successful because they’re naturally talented at being Entrepreneurs… they’re successful because they work bloody hard at it!

I want to ask you a question. What do YOU believe about your ability to run a successful business? Do you tell yourself that it’s just ‘in you’ to be successful and that it will just come to you with little effort or do you believe that as long as you put the work in, you’ll get where you want to be?

Will you cross the finish line?

Monday, April 18th, 2011 at 9:15 am  
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Thousands of runners took part in yesterday’s Virgin London Marathon, covering the 26.2 mile route around the nations capital and what an awe inspiring occasion it always is.

I have nothing but the utmost respect for the people who take part in The London Marathon. These people will have spent months, if not years training their bodies and their minds in order to be able to run 26.2 miles through the streets of London and there are many parallels with running your own business here.

I’ve got several friends who run on a daily basis, they say it gives them time to reflect and process the day and that it gives them a real sense of achievement because they are working towards getting the very best out of themselves.

When they first started running though, the last thing they did was ‘think about their day’ – in fact all they could think about was the searing pain, the fact that they couldn’t breathe properly or that their joints were seizing up! It was tough. Really tough.

For anyone who has ever been in that position, where you’re completely new to a certain form of exercise you’ll know how easy it would be to just give up – but with the kind of person who’s destined to run a marathon – they NEVER give up.

Day after day they get out there and pound the pavements. They run in the rain, in the blistering heat and they run through all the times when they just want to hang up their trainers and watch the tv instead.

And then one day all that persistence, determination and pure grit pay off and they cross the finish line at The London Marathon!

Are you a long distance business runner? Will you take the rough with the smooth and get out there day after day, no matter what challenges come your way? Will you cross the finish line? Or will you give up at the first, second or third hurdle?

Twitter – Weekly Updates for 2011-04-15

Friday, April 15th, 2011 at 8:15 pm  
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Is your business at risk of becoming extinct?

Thursday, April 14th, 2011 at 10:02 am  
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I’ve just come across a fascinating article on the Guardian website about a centuries-old language which in danger of disappearing forever because the last two people on earth who speak it fluently won’t talk to each other!

Ayapaneco has been spoken in Mexico for centuries. It’s survived the Spanish conquest, wars, revolutions, famines and floods but now it’s at risk of extinction simply because people aren’t communicating properly. Amazing.

It’s a really good read and if you’re interested you can find the article here however, it made me think about how this important it is to communicate well in business.

You see, if you’re not out there spreading the word and talking about what you do then your business, like so many indigenous languages, will also be at risk of becoming extinct!

It doesn’t matter how many recessions, competitors or other challenges you manage to survive through, you’ve GOT to keep on getting out there and talking to people, shouting about what you do and telling everyone who’ll listen why they should spend their money with you… because if you don’t you could find your business relegated to the history books.

So how well are you communicating in your business? Both within your team and with regards to your marketing? What should you be talking about right now that you’re not?

What dogs can teach us about business!

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011 at 10:44 am  
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There’s a new book out called Clever Dog: ‘Life Lessons From Man’s Best Friend’ which the Author, dog trainer and publisher of K9 magazine Ryan O’Meara describes as an “unusual self help book”’ that can teach us about things like social skills and even achieving financial success! I’ve not read it but I was interested to read about it on The Telegraph website today.

It’s quite amusing to think that Monty could somehow help me achieve more success in my business but actually, in a way he does! My morning walk around the park with him always sets me up for the day ahead. It’s function is the same, albeit on a smaller scale, as taking a holiday – some of my best moments of inspiration happen at these times because I’m relaxed and positive and obviously, that’s always good for business.

Many human ‘leaders’ assert their authority by assuming a confrontational and argumentative position whereas in the canine world, the alpha dog in a pack is always the most patient and the least aggressive member of the group. It’s the dog that is the most calm and confident. Dogs are excellent communicators who are expert at diffusing stressful situations and ensuring that their pack are happy.

Now… if it’s true that we become a mixture of the 5 ‘people’ we spend the most time with, maybe those morning walks with Monty are even more valuable than I’d originally thought!

How do you ‘lead’ your ‘pack’? How do the members of your team see you? Do you assert your authority in a confrontational way or do you take the more canine approach and lead with calm confidence?

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