Posts Tagged ‘Business’
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 »
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 »
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 9:
S ~ SILENCE
OK, so you are still running around like mad, trying to get everything done. So you promised yourself. So what! There is not a chance on this universe that if you keep going 90 miles an hour, you can suddenly stop at 5pm on Christmas Eve (unless you are the road runner of course). And by 5pm on Dec 24th, it’s too late anyhow, you have missed the buzz and joy around the place.
So it really is now, time to wind down, wind up those chores, push all unnecessary tasks out until 2011, send off your Happy Christmas email and make a conscious decision to stop working.
it’s up to yourself, but unless your business is traffic reporting or weather reporting, you really have no business to keep the vigil on Social Media over the holidays, checking emails.
The time should be spent doing different things for your business, like thinking about potential blogposts, thinking about your business for 2011, making notes.
Someone said recently, a solution to a problem came to them while they were vacuuming (OK, not very quiet, but it worked), he was quite surprised how a mundane job could inspire such creativity.
It did simply because he stopped focusing on the problem, ever experienced that? Then make it a habit, allow yourself time away from your business to work ON your business. It will thank you for it!
Be kind to yourself and your business, and come back tomorrow for our FINAL Step of CHRISTMAS TIPS for your Business (and of course I have it prepared already, because by then, I will be on holidays).
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 3:
R ~ REVIEW
Review your Business Plan! Yes, I said Business Plan. You remember that document that you threw together in a rush to get something together for the Bank, Enterprise Baord, SYOB Course???
Well, that document should be the soul of your business. What can it do for you, if populated correctly? Here are a few suggestions: Read the rest of this entry »
Well, it is that time of year again.
Barcamp IV Cork is on this Saturday Nov 20th, Webworks, Cork City.
I will be presenting in the morning, and am basing my talk this year on running a business. My take on this subject is ~ “Are you running FROM your business?”
My presentation will include interactive slides, insights, tips and tricks on the practicalities of running your business. The first thing to address is the “Entrepreneurial Spirit” and if such a thing exists, or if it is just a myth!
I will then look at the practical side to working in your business, and the importance of working on your business, touching mainly on SALES, ACCOUNTS/ADMIN, and STRATEGY and then bringing it all together.
Looking forward to seeing you there, don’t forget to say “Hi”
P.S. An interesting “take” on un-conferencing here by Kaliya Hamlin
The average small business owner can be found renting an office or office space in a town (urban) or on the town’s periphery (rurban). Another type of business owner is the entrepreneur working from home in a rural [an undeveloped or lightly developed and sparsely populated area] setting, perhaps using a virtual office. They may have their incoming phonecalls and mail “processed” by a service provider whilst dealing with the outbound selling and administration themselves.
Working in Rural Ireland can feel isolating
Despite a thriving business, the small business owner can often work in isolation. Read the rest of this entry »
