Monday 30 November 2009

A slice of humble pie and a cup of motivation to go, please!

Last week was a full one with lots of networking and business seminars. All good stuff and useful to my business but without a doubt the most inspiring of talks came from an unexpected source.

For nearly two years now I have been working with a very determined and increasingly succussful local businesswoman, Rebecca Varley. Rebecca has built up a very interesting company called 'Speakers from the Edge' (www.speakersfromtheedge.com) which represents the best motivational speakers from the world of adventure, exploration and ultra-endurance.

Rebecca invited me along to an evening she ran at Sheffield University and let me tell you, I was blown away!

To put this into context, let me explain first of all that I don't consider myself to be the biggest risk taker in the world. It took me two years to commit to buying my business, plus excessive reading of books such as 'Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway'! (Amazon - Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway). I am a firm believer in the mantra '...It won't kill you!'

Well, the talk delivered by
Ian Parnell (endearingly mad) and Andy Kirkpatrick (off his trolley) put 'what's the worse that can happen?' completely into perspective.

These guys have an unfaltering passion for extreme mountaineering. What struck me was that their passion was not money-driven but came from a thrill for the challenge, the aspiration to achieve greater and greater levels of self-improvement and no doubt a desire to view from the most unusual of perspectives some of the most amazing places in the world.

Of course, they could just be completely crazy but whatever the driver, what struck me was that their achievements are so real, so tangible, so obviously beyond what most of us consider ourselves to be capable of and yet their attitude and demeanour so matter-of-fact and self-effacing. Chuck in some humour and beautiful photography and you have the makings of a great evening.


I recognised many analogies to the challenges faced in business and it reminded me of something I'd heard earlier in the week "Don't look at how far you've got to go but at how far you've come". It might sound cheesy but for many of us, this is something we're just not very good at as business people!

I'd like to thank Rebecca and her speakers, Ian Parnell and Andy Kirkpatrick for a fantastic evening and I'd encourage anyone looking for truly motivational speakers to give Rebecca a call.


I promise you equal measures of humble pie and motivation and more than a little food for thought!










Friday 20 November 2009

What have you learned today?

This morning we attended a creative and inspiring Entrepreneur's Exchange networking event, hosted by Jill White. For any of you who have not yet attended one of their events, I'd highly recommend that you get on their mailing list. The only stipulation? You must run your own business. Compete or Get Beat Event Details

There were a lot of great ideas and advice on how to improve your business but I thought I'd share with you some of the gems that really stood out to me.

1) Nothing is ever fixed - there's nothing to say that the way things are are the way they should be so always challenge the norm, push the boudaries and take calculated risks.

2) Don't be afraid to make mistakes - it is by making mistakes that we learn how to improve so don't be scared to try something new and if it doesn't quite go to plan, understand why and make the neccesary adjustments. printing.com was built on our response to mistakes!


3) Dare to be different - establish, understand and promote what it is that you do DIFFERENT in your business, not what you do the same. You must make yourself "demonstrably and dramatically different" to survive in today's tough marketplace.

4) Explore new avenues - move with the times and take advantage of new ways of promoting your business such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogging. Work to a strategy (rather than dipping in and out) and use these methods to break down barriers to meeting the people you want to do business with.

5) Work backwards - instead of working from A to B, establish what B is (i.e. where do you want to be) and work backwards from there. This is a more logical and strategic approach and will ensure you achieve what you set out to.

6) Think inside the box, that is to say that you should understand the context within which a problem exists. This idea was put to us by Jonny Douglas and the full theory behind this approach can be found at Jonny Douglas Ltd. The approach is relevant to all areas of your business, from strategy and marketing through to the generation of new ideas.

The event's differentiation was the networking sessions on the Big Wheel in the centre of Sheffield, allowing people to mix and discuss the points raised by the speakers. Here's how we started our day! 





I'd like to thank Jill and Andy for yet another fantastic event and give credit to the speakers for their enlightening insights into better ways to approach business:

Jonny Douglas - Jonny Douglas Ltd
Jessica Zeun - JD Approach
Craig Birch - Sugarcane Creative
Andy Hanselman - Andy Hanselman

Finally, in the spirit of Point 4, you can follow me on Twitter (Tweet Me!), LinkIn with me (Join my network) and be sure to forward my blog onto your colleagues and friends!

So, it's now 4.45pm on Friday and it's definately 'beer o'clock'... have a happy weekend!

Sunday 15 November 2009

You too can be a designer.....

... using just a dried up loaf of Morrisons Tiger Bread!

Something to kick off your Monday morning: CLICK LINK

Wednesday 11 November 2009

Kicking your new business off on the right foot - 5 top tips

In the spirit of Global Entrepreneurship Week which starts from 16th November, I thought it might be worth sharing with you some of my insights, observations and general business know-how on how to get your new business off on the right foot.

Here are my five top tips for success:

1) HAVE A GAME PLAN. Spend time brainstorming, understanding and documenting your gameplan, or 'mission statement'. Why have you started your business? What are you trying to achieve? How much do you want to earn? Where do you want to end up? How will you eventually exit the business?




In the sometimes lonely world of being an entrepreneur, having this down on paper will provide support, focus and a line along which to work, even if you tweak it as you develop!

It will almost certainly influence how you run and market your business and if you know the end purpose, you'll be more likely to take those calculated risks which are part and parcel of making your business successful.


2) WHAT ARE YOU ACTUALLY SELLING? Are you clear on what exactly it is you are offering to the world? Are you 'just a plumber' or do you save people money on their heating bills by upgrading their boiler? Are you 'just a wedding planner' or do you save people money by managing their budget? Are you 'just an accountant' or do you make money for your clients through effective tax planning? You get the picture. The important thing is to avoid being a 'me too' business.




Such statements as, 'no job too big or small', 'free quotations' and 'customer focused service' simply don't cut it (shouldn't these things just be a given?!). You need to establish how you differ from your competitors and then sing from the hill tops about it!

Too often I meet with people who cannot tell me what they actually do. Sounds like a simple question but it's worth assessing whether your message is clear - both internally to your staff and externally to your customers.

3) INVEST IN AN IDENTITY. It is not uncommon for new businesses to try and cut corners by putting aside the investment required to create a professional identity and brand. I often hear the terrifying words: "I think we'll wait a year or so, see how things go and then maybe sort out a logo". Talk about setting yourself up for failure!




Not creating an identity right from the outset, in my opinion, says two things: 1) I don't really take my business seriously, and 2) I'm not really sure I'm going to succeed.

You should budget for the professional creation of a logo, stationery and marketing materials in your initial business plan. It shouldn't be an afterthought or viewed as an unneccesary cost to the business. A realistic budget should be no less than £1000 to get you off the ground for this aspect alone. To include a decent website, add another £1000 as a starting point.

4) UNDERSTAND THE FIGURES. I was lucky that through my initial employment with printing.com, having a keen understanding of the figures was insisted on right from the outset. I couldn't have had a better preparation for running my own business!

I cannot emphasise enough the need to understand and scrutinise the figures in your business - everything from the turnover, profit and balance sheet through to how your sales break down and where your sales come from (and many other figures beyond that!).






You've seen individuals torn apart in Dragon's Den for not knowing even simple figures in their business and for good reason!

Don't just rely on your bookkeeper or accountant (albeit a good one will be worth their weight in gold). Make sure you understand what's going on so that you can make better decisions, spend in the right areas and know when and where to cut back. You'll invest your money better, you'll not be panicking about spending money (on important things like marketing!) and you'll achieve greater wealth as a result.

5) FINALLY.... DON'T GO IT ALONE!
One of the best things you can do for your business is learn from the entrepreneurs around you. Mix with successful people, attend seminars and entrepreneurial networking events, read business books, ask credible and recommended individuals for advice and use business support agencies/networks such as SENTA, Business Link, BIG, Entrepreneur's Exchange and Trade Sheffield to make connections. Not only will you meet people who can help and inspire you but some of these agencies can also help you access funding to facilitate your business's growth.



Don't get me wrong, this is an extremely simplified outline of how to achieve business success but hopefully, if you've either just started a business or you're thinking of starting a business, I've given you some food for thought and I'm always happy to chat with anyone wanting someone to 'bounce ideas off'.

Further articles will be posted which go into more detail on particular topics so watch this space and be sure to forward my blog onto friends and colleagues who could benefit.


Wednesday 4 November 2009

Win a free set of StarMarque Business Cards (worth up to £180)

Well, our Win a Make-Over competition went really well, with tons of entries. Thank you!
 

I've promised a special offer, give-away or gift EVERY MONTH and that's what I shall do!

This month I am giving away one set of 500 fabulous all-singing, all-dancing StarMarque Business Cards (double-sided colour) complete with design or file checking.





These cards are the BEST that money can buy and by using the glossy highlights in an interesting way, you'll be sure to make an impact at networking events and meetings.

Let me tell you - when I hand over my card, I get a great response from them and people always remember me!

If you're not sure how the gloss highlights can be used, we've got tons of ideas and lots of samples in store - just shout up if you'd like a samples posting out.

So, all you have to do is subscribe to my blog by email (link at the top right of the page) and fill out the entry form at the link below. Don't forget to forward this article on to your friends and colleagues! Go on, don't keep things to yourself ;)

CLICK TO ENTER THE COMPETITION


And the winner is....


Thank you to all those people who have entered our Marketing Make-Over competition.

We have had the draw today (a little later than expected) and I am pleased to announce that the winner is... (trumpet fanfare!) 

... Emma Needham at the Sorby Nano Investigation Centre (Sorby Nano)



We look forward to working with Emma very soon on her next project and we'll keep you posted on the design and print we do for her.

As a big thank you for taking the time to participate, every person that entered will also get a very cool printing.com eco-friendly bag full of goodies and a £30 print discount voucher.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next unique offer to come and please forward my blog onto your friends and colleagues.

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