5 Twitter Tips for Entrepreneurs
March 15, 2010
By Yvette Vignando, www.happychild.com.au
Leading up to the launch of a new site, I’m researching everything about the power of social media. Before I catapulted myself into the Twitterverse, I confess I cynically suspected it would be full of people updating me about their breakfast, their political views or be a series of automated marketing pitches.
Well, I was right, and it’s actually fantastic. The power of Twitter is that you can authentically and personably connect with people on the same wavelength. And I love that it’s a platform with fast, 140 character, very digestible pieces of information.
As I get to know people personally, including their breakfast menu, I get a sense of how I can help them and actually build a community of ‘real Tweeple’. Those tweeple might be interested in what I have to say, or have information that is helpful for my own personal and professional growth. Even though I’m not a fan of automated tweeting, I still appreciate the efficient sharing of information by the rich source of tweeple I have met during my 140 character visits to the Twitterverse. And I firmly believe that the quality of your Twitter followers is the key, not the quantity.
5 Twitter Lessons I’ve learnt:
Give to Get
Like most venues in life, on Twitter you need to give to receive value. This means:
- Tweet personable information about yourself that is relevant or has synergy for some of your followers. You can keep this non-identifying but still real. For example @SuziDafnis discloses with a picture that she has a penchant for terrifyingly high heels “Just said no to temptation… I can always change my mind. http://twitpic.com/178vfu”
- Tweet links to interesting blogs and news articles. They don’t need to be all your own.
- Re-tweet the tweets you find funny, useful or informative.
- Keep your self-serving links to a minimum but share the ones you are proud of such as your latest blogpost, or in my case recently: “A link to my 5min pres on why there needs to be more emotional intelligence in school http://bit.ly/b6aTzI #ignite”
Read the #FFs With Interest
On Twitter, #FF stands for Follow (on) Friday. Tweeters post Twitter identities of people they think are worth following. Usually this means they’ll be people of interest to you too. Click on their profiles, read their short description and latest tweets and if you’re interested, follow them.
The power of Twitter is that you can authentically and personably connect with people on the same wavelength.
Re-Edit Your Short Profile
The short profile, limited to 160 characters is what people read when thinking about following you. I’ve amended mine many times and I confess it’s still a work in progress. Be informative, personal and disclose your personal style. If you have feedback on mine, I would really appreciate it. Currently it’s “Publish Parenting Info- Raising Children with Emotional Intelligence. A happy child makes a world of difference. Mum of 3 boys. No, they’re not always happy.” What do you think?
The Best Camera is the One You Have With You
I have totally stolen this line from Andrew Harvey at Ignite - the least I can do is share a link to his presentation. Tweeters develop their online brand by taking a quick photo with their mobile phone. This ranges from a sunrise to a pet rabbit or in @SuziDafnis’ case, a dangerous set of heels! A service you can use for this is Twitpic.
Use a Browser to Avoid Twitter Overload
Twitter can suck you in. If you want to scan through the important stuff quickly, download a Twitter browser to manage your lists of Tweeters. I use Tweetdeck but there are many others. Here are a few to check out: UberTwitter, HootSuite and Seesmic.
Hope that’s useful to you – I’m loving the learning that comes with my entrepreneur’s journey – see you out there in the Twitterverse.
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Yvette Vignando - www.happychild.com.auYvette is pursuing her passion - to take action that helps children develop great social and emotional skills as a foundation for a happy and successful life. Formerly a lawyer and then successful executive coach specialising in Emotional Intelligence, Yvette was encouraged by her experience of MentorNet to launch her business - a website for parents that publishes practical and engaging information about raising children with emotional intelligence. Yvette looks forward to sharing the challenges and successes of her experience as she navigates her way through the adventures of launching a website, and tackles online sales and marketing, an evolving business plan, and the growing universe of social media. Yvette hopes that by following her personal and professional development as an entrepreneur you will also be inspired to follow your passions.
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The Power of Symbols for your Brand
March 10, 2010
By Cheryl Hayman, Hayman Strategy
How often do we sit and think about how symbols, pictures and taglines affect our brand? Conversely how aware are we of the effect on us of our favourite brands’ symbols and other visual identity references?
Are you a visual person, and does it matter?
From teenagers wearing Gap and Nike brand logos to adults driving BMWs, we are drawn to incorporate brands into lives. We all draw our personality and self-image from products such as cars, homes, clothing and even recreational activities, and products always have brand logos or symbols of some kind that represent them.
By accident or Design?
Nike probably got the best deal amongst all companies when Caroline Davidson designed its logo for just $35 in 1971. The main part of the logo hasn’t really changed with time. However it was 7 years before they realized that the text and the swoosh were overlapping each other.
As the brand gained recognition, the company name was dropped from the logo, which made it more simplistic and memorable. The company has different variations of this logo for its various departments like Skate, Soccer etc.
Creating a Visual Signature
One of the first steps in creating an identity for an organisation is the development of an effective logo. An appealing logo makes your business special and memorable in the eyes of your clients or customers.
Each element adds unique characteristics to a logo.
It is important to remember that your logo is not your brand. It is just one part of the entire brand implementation process.
Keep it simple.
An appealing logo makes your business special and memorable in the eyes of your clients or customers.
The simpler a logo is the more it is, the more cost effective it is to reproduce. Your logo needs to remain consistent in color, font and proportion where ever it is used.
A brand comprises many elements. These include its name, positioning (reason for being), trademark/trade dress (symbols, colors, typestyle, package configuration), and brand communications. These brand elements, when successfully developed and managed, create a strong identity for a company. Over time, this creates strong brand authority.
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Cheryl Hayman - Hayman Strategy
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| Phone: | 0408 200 545 or 02 9555 5776 |
| Website: | www.haymanstrategy.com |
| Email: | cheryl@haymanstrategy.com |
| Twitter: | www.twitter.com/cherylhayman |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/cheryl.hayman |
| LinkedIn: | See Cheryl’s Public Profile |
| Member Profile: | See Cheryl’s Member Profile |
2010 will be a Very, Very Good Year for Entrepreneurs
February 15, 2010
By Yvette Vignando, www.happychild.com.au
I have good news for me and for you. Phil Ruthven who has spent decades charting the growth and change in Australian business says that 2010 is going to be a “very, very good year for entrepreneurs, no question.” Fantastic!
2010 is the year that I’m launching my online business www.happychild.com.au, a website for parents about raising children with emotional intelligence. I’m excited, a little apprehensive, impatient to get started, mad keen to succeed and loving all the learning and challenge that comes with starting a new business.
In each blog post, I’ll share with you information, tips, books and websites that are helping me on my entrepreneur’s journey. Please do the same; I’d love to hear your ideas too. ABN Startup and Growth Members: I bet you’ve got so much to share and the ABN is a wonderful supportive community in which to do this.
2010 is going to be a “very, very good year for entrepreneurs, no question.”
Surround Yourself with Honest Believers
As I’ve had a few hiccups along the way, including a website that never got launched, I’ve found it’s crucial to be surrounded by people who believe in me and my business idea. Even though I’m convinced that my business will be fabulous, it’s so valuable to have the constant encouragement and feedback of friends, family and mentors to keep me going when things inevitably go wrong. These ‘believers’ as I call them, have been honest and generous in also pointing out where I may need to rethink my plans, and have helped me solve numerous challenges over the past year. An example of a great source of this support has been my pod member from MentorNet, Alycia Edgar. Make time for lunches, coffees and phone calls with your ‘believers’, and don’t forget to let them know how important they are to your success.
Read Widely
If you’re like me, you love good books about developing your business and books that inspire you to keep working towards your goals. There are so many great books; here are three I’ve been reading lately:
- Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk - about building your personal brand, and in particular doing it using social media. It’s a high energy book, informative, engaging and motivating.
- You Tube for Business by Michael Miller - plenty of practical detail about how to leverage online video to market your business.
- Getting Things Done by David Allen - systems to use if you want to be more organised and more productive in your day and in your office.
And just a reminder, Phil Ruthven from IBIS World says “the conditions are never going to be better… if you wanted to start a business from scratch” - I’m definitely a believer in that!
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Yvette Vignando - www.happychild.com.auYvette is pursuing her passion - to take action that helps children develop great social and emotional skills as a foundation for a happy and successful life. Formerly a lawyer and then successful executive coach specialising in Emotional Intelligence, Yvette was encouraged by her experience of MentorNet to launch her business - a website for parents that publishes practical and engaging information about raising children with emotional intelligence. Yvette looks forward to sharing the challenges and successes of her experience as she navigates her way through the adventures of launching a website, and tackles online sales and marketing, an evolving business plan, and the growing universe of social media. Yvette hopes that by following her personal and professional development as an entrepreneur you will also be inspired to follow your passions.
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What You Should Look For In A Bookkeeper – It’s Not Just About Skill Set!
February 5, 2010
By Alycia Edgar, Coastal Accounting Services
Have you resolved to improve the management of your business this year? Perhaps you’ve realised that you can’t be responsible for everything? Bookkeeping is often one of the first tasks that business owners outsource. Unless you’re a bookkeeper, it’s most probably something that nags at the back of your head all the time, stopping you from focusing on what you do best. However, outsourcing your bookkeeping can be a scary idea. Handing over your finances to someone else requires trust: trust in the individual and their processes.
Ultimately a bookkeeper should be part of your team, someone who can do your bookwork but also understand your business enough so that what they do has an impact on the growth of the business as a whole. Obviously bookkeepers require certain qualifications and skills, but what are the personality traits that you should look for when hiring a bookkeeper? For me this is the most important question. Anyone can do most of the work at a basic level, after all you completed it yourself at some stage, but who can do it really well? Sure, the skill set is a must but what differentiates a basic bookkeeper from a bookkeeper that is an integral member of your team?
Ideal traits of a brilliant bookkeeper
- Perfectionism
- Attention to detail
- Tidiness
- Willingness to follow up
- Caring nature
- Ability to prioritise
These traits ensure that:
- Statements are checked
- Stray invoices are investigated
- Files are kept in an orderly manner
- Payments are chased up
- Items are allocated to the correct accounts
- Unusual items are queried
- Paper is organised regularly
- Your bookwork is treated as if it was their own
- When cashflow management is required they can manage this for you
Why is this important? It can save you both time and money. If your bookkeeper can maintain your bookwork to the standards above, not only will you save time on chasing up queries but also money on your accounting fees. If they can manage your bookwork efficiently and methodically, your accountant will have a clearer picture of your business when completing your tax. And you’re not paying your accountant high hourly rates to do bookwork that your bookkeeper can manage.
So when choosing your bookkeeper, rather than just relying on skill set, determine whether you would prefer to have a team member that is an integral part of your business. Make sure to find out if they have the above personality traits. You could even talk to existing and past clients of theirs and get a feel for whether they would be the right fit for you. Once you’ve found a great bookkeeper, you’ll never look back!
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Alycia Edgar - Coastal Accounting Services
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| Phone: | 0403 983 529 |
| Email: | alycia@coastalaccounting.com.au |
| Twitter: | www.twitter.com/alyciaedgar |
| Blog: | www.numbersarelife.com |
| Member Profile: | See Alycia’s Member Profile |
It’s Your Money, Collect it!
February 1, 2010
by Julie Wise, The SilverOwl
Recently, I had a client tell me
‘your invoices are well laid out – especially your payment terms. Can you improve mine?’
Getting paid. Isn’t that the ultimate goal from each and every sale? It had better be, or you are in the wrong business!
Although there are no absolute guarantee, there are things you can do to reduce the incidence of non-paying clients. Don’t ignore creating and enforcing a sound payment policy.
In itself, a strong payment policy will not loose you good business. Good customers aren’t frightened off as they understand that as long as they pay on time the terms do not apply. So, don’t fall into the trap of believing that you need to offer relaxed payment options otherwise your customer will go elsewhere. The only thing you risk losing are clients that are not paying.
Some of your options may be limited because of your service or product but no business is prohibited from collecting their money in a reasonable time frame. The following list will help you formulate your company’s sound payment policy:
- Do you clearly explain payment terms to your customers before you start to work for them?
- Does your business lend itself to offering a discount for upfront payment vs. invoice in arrears billing?
- Does your business also lend itself to offering bonuses or discounts for purchase of prepaid credits?
- Do your customers sign a contract for your services?
- Does your contract clearly state payment terms, - including interest rate, late penalties and collection fees?
- Does your invoice clearly re-state these payment terms?
It's Your Money, Collect It! | Julie Wise
Do you order a credit report on new customers - especially those with large orders? You should! This is not difficult to do, can be done quickly and has saved many businesses. The reasons why are a blog topic by themselves. So we’ll do that another day.
The cost of using a solicitor, who writes plain english terms and conditions, to review your contracts and invoices will be recovered the first time you are faced with forcing a customer to pay.
Another big problem is that most businesses wait too long before attempting to collect their money. Two main reasons for this. Firstly, this is because most don’t have payment reports being produced daily. As a business owner its your obligation to know who has and who has not paid -bso ask your bookkeeper to setup a daily payment report of payments due that day and all overdue payments. It is not unreasonable to call your customer immediately they miss a promised payment. Or to even ring repeat offenders the morning a payment is due to remind them.
The second reason why we wait too long is because invariably the SME owner gets involved in the effort to collect funds from delinquent accounts. It is a role that most people find uncomfortable and unless you are trained in collections its unlikely that you are any good at it.
Unfortunately, waiting just makes it harder to collect. So once you have determined that you cannot collect your money, engage a professional debt collection agency to handle the debt and move on with running your business. Spend your time wisely!
Even if you have to pay 25% of the money to the collection agency, you are better off than holding onto the debt. An easy way to calculate whether the cost of a professional debt collector will be worthwhile is to use the following example and formula:
Example: - Your customer owes you $2000
- You hold on to a delinquent account hoping your customer will pay:
- You collect nothing,
- You pay nothing,
- 100% of nothing = $0.00
- You turn the debt over to a collection agency after making several calls and sending letters :
- The agency collects $2000.00,
- You pay 25%,
- 75% of $1000 = $1500.00
Obviously, you are better off with $1500 rather than nothing and financial worries.
Assuming that you have provided your services or product as agreed, your customer should have no qualms in paying you promptly under the terms of the sale. So clearly stated terms and careful credit analysis will be large factors in your ability to keep your business on a sound financial footing.
Don’t be afraid to collect when payments are due - it’s your money!
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Julie Wise - The SilverOwl
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Starting a business? Checklists, things to consider and more.
November 4, 2008
Considering starting a business? Before you get started there are some questions for you to consider. For example, find out if people are interested in buying your products and services. Who are your competitors and can the market sustain your business. The Australian Government has a great site with resources that you may find useful, including great templates that you can use right away. Learn More.
