Archive for the ‘Business’ Category
As a small business owner, you ARE your business. If you have ever seen any of the worldwide “Dragon’s Den” type programmes on the TV, you will observe that the dragons invest in the person behind the business as much as the concept itself.
It is important for that business owner, to constantly watch trends, be familiar with their market, and adapt to the changes that invariably happen. We also need to keep an eagle eye on what the competition is up to, and notice what they are changing, and are those changes in line with consumer changes, or are they trying to influence the consumer / client.
This is where business owners can get “bogged down”. Constantly watching out for the enemy, copying their strategies, playing cat and mouse to try and gain ground.
Let’s say our business has been successful in the past, and now, inevitably things are tough. We batten down the hatches, cut costs, cut prices, downsize, and cut budgets. You are probably familiar with any one of these strategies.
But why do we do this? Because the strategists recommend it? Because your competition is doing it? Because of the proven facts from the past? Because historically, it works?
Think about this: where do we get the notion that repetition is the best tactic? What influences us to think that what worked before will work today, for our business?
Now think about this… is this the same type of recession as before? Will the next boom (there WILL be a next boom) be the same as the previous one? I would imagine NO, and NO!
So, why then, are we doing the same things now that we did before? Read the rest of this entry »
We, the Irish race, are great for the “ole banter”. We could talk for Ireland and we do talk for Ireland. Most conversations begin with a discussion about the weather. Only in Ireland could you hear “sunny spells, chance of showers, developing into thunderstorms, to clear later with a sharp frost” in one sentence. Unless of course you are in Inuvik perhaps. Here is a very funny one I was presented with by our national weather forecast the other day:
As an Irish born and bred national, I have lived and travelled in many different countries. The experience helps me learn about other cultures and countries, but one thing I realised over the years is that people are the same wherever you go – they are good or they are bad. As a race, we interact at an intellectual level, and tend to seek out similar people as ourselves.
The trick really is to look beyond your comfort zone. Look beyond your immediate personal network. Look beyond your social “class” whether that be financially or socially. Look beyond your own capabilities and seek mentors who do things that you think are great.
Build your network. Build your online network through social media, social networking and Read the rest of this entry »
I am no stranger to health and fitness, having been a part of various therapies, classes and courses over the years, mostly as a preventative rather than a cure. Those of you who know me personally will attest to the fact I have NEVER dieted, but do not indulge in fast and overly processed foods, but like anyone else, have my “weak” areas.
Cork Mini Marathon bib 2010
I fought these weak areas for a long time, and there is something about turning 40 that helps us realise that health is so important, because without it, you do not have quality of life.
Now I allow myself my indulgences whenever I want them, and compensate by eating healthily otherwise, drinking lots of water and exercising on a regular basis. To be truthful, mostly my exercising consists of brisk long walks, and generally going to a class of some kind.
Last year, in beginning of 2010, I discovered running was a faster way to improve fitness and endurance, and of course kick me back into a state of racing heartbeat and pushing myself beyond my comfort zone. I wrote a post about it at the time about motivation, and decided to achieve my goals by training for both the Cork Women’s Mini Marathon AND the Limerick Women’s Mini Marathon. I followed a programme to the minute, and achieved my training goals for the first race. The second race was exactly a week later and unfortunately I did enough damage to my lower back that Read the rest of this entry »
This blog post is dedicated to RW and written to invoke thought, not provide you with the skills and attributes needed to be an Entrepreneur. There are hundreds of articles out there to provide you with the “know-how”. I am exploring the “why-how”.
My life:
3 yrs ~ Montessori school, fun learning of the basics.
4 yrs ~ Primary School, initially fun to evolve into evening homework, mandatory sports, trips to the Headmaster’s office and mandatory conforming to the rules of the school.
12 yrs ~ Secondary School, more mandatory subjects, mandatory sports, mandatory extra-curricular activities, optional extra subjects (instead of playtime), mandatory career guidance (I won’t bore you with the obvious advice from a religious convent.)
17 yrs ~ Third Level, optional everything. Chaos!
20 yrs ~ Out on my ear. Get a job.
24 yrs ~ I opt out. Sound familiar?
Two decades of being inside numerous education systems. I finally came to the conclusion, the working life I had been groomed for, did not suit me. I may have also thought I did not suit this working life. My instincts told me that I would make money in my life, but not the way I was conditioned to. Where do I turn for guidance? When every person I knew was conditioning me to “get a job”.
24 yrs ~ Enter a boy Read the rest of this entry »
I have met Seán Gallagher twice recently. Ironically it was over cups of tea. Whilst networking! Seán thinks networking is akin to going to an AA meeting “Hi my name is Seán, and I am an Entrepreneur!” And everyone in the group says “Hiiiiiii Seán”.
Boy, I had to laugh at that, as sometimes that’s exactly how it feels. And just a few days ago, at a speed-networking event in Co. Cork, the MC mentioned that there were 45 people in the room selling. He then asked the question “So, who is buying?”
What a pointless exercise: going to a networking event to sell your brand, business or latest product, when everyone is there to do exactly the same thing. There is nothing more frustrating than coming home with 28 business cards in your pocket, and not knowing anything about the person behind the business.
So here are my top 10 tips for good networking practice, and are guaranteed to have you noticed and remembered: Read the rest of this entry »
We all love free stuff!
We feel good about ourselves when we get free stuff, and we feel good about the person or company that provides the free stuff. It’s a “humanoid” thing.
We have a feel good factor, and openly and willingly talk about the product or service that we got for free. Whether it’s a competition win, or a genuine offer of advice / service, our feel-good hormones kick into overdrive and we feel like a winner. Read the rest of this entry »
Happy New Year all,
Seefin Coaching is not yet officially back to work, but we have the pleasure of being published in De-Stress magazine again.
Catherine Connors of Stress Solutions 4 Life publishes this great resource for stress-busting and other great topics. It’s a pleasure to be included. Check Page 4 for my article:
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Enjoy the read, and Best Wishes from Seefin Coaching for 2011!!
This month we are running with a great series of TOP 10 tips for your business survival for the traditional break, and on into the New Year.
TIP NO 10:
Be grateful for all your success and learning curves for 2010. There is no such thing as failure, just lessons to be learned from, and appropriate measures to be taken to improve areas that require improvement.
Again, mind-maps come in really handy here, just draw out all your personal and professional successes for the year, and allow yourself to feel proud, be happy, and celebrate.
Christmas is a time of celebration and gratitude. Decide to go into 2011 with a positive attitude for your business, and endeavour to make little changes to the way you do things, just to shake things up a bit. Repetition becomes monotonous, safe, comfortable and can hold you back. Push yourself next year to be the best you can possibly be in your business.
Have a great holiday, a peaceful break, and a very Happy New Year!
This month we are running with a great series of TOP 10 tips for your business survival for the traditional break, and on into the New Year.
TIP NO 8:
A ~ ACTION
Or lack thereof!
There are 4 sleeps to Christmas. How much have you left to do? Enough to take 10 working days? Are things feeling a little pressured right now? OK, then it’s time for the Seefin Stripper!
Take out a piece of paper.
Either as a Mind-Map or a Matrix, we are going to reduce and prioritise our tasks (TO-DO List).
Mind Map: Put your business name in the middle of the page: Read the rest of this entry »
This month we are running with a great series of TOP 10 tips for your business survival for the traditional break, and on into the New Year.
TIP NO 7:
M ~ MANAGEMENT
I am not talking business management or people management here, but SELF-MANAGEMENT!
Here’s a thought:
You cannot respect another until you respect yourself. Agree? OK, here’s another:
You cannot love another until you love yourself. Agree? Some won’t agree with this statement. Try this one:
You cannot parent a child until you can parent yourself. Parents will understand this. So what about business? Here we go:
You cannot manage a team until you can manage yourself. What do you think? If you are lacking in self belief and self confidence, how do you think you will manage a team?
So we are now on the subject of self-management. What does that mean for you? Read the rest of this entry »
