Make Team Building Fun – Video Interview with Leona Watson
December 6, 2011
Leona Watson, owner of Cheeky Food Group, a company that uses the fun and interaction of cooking together to provide team building, conference and client entertaining activities across Australia and New Zealand.
In this video interview we discuss:
- How Cheeky Food Group makes team building fun
- How her large-company experience helped her start her business with almost no budget
- How to leverage in business, step back and delegate
- How to manage the mood in your business by managing yourself and more
Enjoy this interview with Leona Watson.
Watch this interview on the Australian Businesswomen’s Network website now.
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About the In Her Shoes seriesIn Her Shoes is a regular video series presented by the Australian Businesswomen’s Network and BNet.com.au. Each interview features an inspiring businesswoman and her strategies for success. New episodes are released regularly. Become a Community Member for regular updates. StartUp and Growth Members get updates automatically. Become a Community Member with the Australian Businesswomen’s Network. |
Focus on Your Competitive Advantage in 2012
December 2, 2011
By Yvette Vignando, www.happychild.com.au
A few weeks ago, I was trying to make choices about directions of my business and some decisions about dealing with a challenging issue – nothing new to most people in my position. In situations like this, I turn to trusted friends and mentors, and I always find this to be the most helpful action I can take. And during this period, I also happened to read one of Seth Godin’s blogposts called Your Competitive Advantage.
It reminded me to also look at a few of the business books I most admire and refocus myself on what’s important and refocus on the vision I have for my parenting website.
Seth’s post also reminded me that working faster, doing more and spending more and more time on ‘problems’ is not necessarily going to lead to success. An extract:
“When you increase your discernment, maximize your awareness of the available options and then go ahead and ship work that scares others… that’s when you succeed.
More time on the problem isn’t the way. More guts is. When you expose yourself to the opportunities that scare you, you create something scarce, something others won’t do.”
So if you are thinking about your own competitive advantage…
Ask yourself, are you spending enough time focusing on doing your very best work, work that is better than your competitors’, work that will differentiate you? Or are you obsessing about your challenges, your obstacles and your shortcomings? Seth Godin calls this our “Lizard Brain” – he says this is the kind of brain that does this:
“We say we want to be thin but we eat too much. We say we want to be smart but we skip class or don’t read that book the boss lent us.”
The Lizard Brain creates resistance in us and that resistance gets in the way of our success:
“The resistance grows in strength as we get closer to shipping, as we get closer to an insight, as we get closer to the truth of what we really want. That’s because the lizard hates change and achievement and risk.
As the year draws to a close, I challenge you to put your lizards out in the sunshine and leave them alone – use 2012 as the year that you put all your passion, energy, ideas and brilliance into being the best you can and doing the best you can – that will make your competitive advantage shine.
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY YVETTE VIGNANDO
- What is an Internship in Australia?
- What are Your Favourite Business Books?
- Starting a Business – What Do You Want to Know?
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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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Blog Comments and Why You Should Do Them
November 18, 2011
By Cheryl Hayman, Hayman Strategy
Unless you are a total stranger to blogging, you may already know the importance of comments. If you want to get more engaged and responsive visitors to your blog, blog comment marketing is something you should consider doing.
At the end of the day, comments are the thing that validates a blog’s existence. Comments allow us to see what other people think about our posts, inspire new ideas and validate that a connection is being achieved.
What is blog comment marketing?
It’s basically just that – leaving comments on other people’s blogs. You may already do this, but if not, it is certainly worth doing as part of marketing yourself, your business or your brand differently.
Comments represent the level of activity in a blog and it is a major factor differentiating static websites and blogs.
If you already leave comments, then have you given any thought to the comments that you leave on blogs? Have you considered the impact is has and how it reflects on you, as the writer?
Here are some reasons to consider commenting more often, as part of your marketing strategy:
- Comments are the first step in forming a relationship with another blogger. Good comments improve the quality of a blog, so you notice the people who are enabling your blog to be better. If you leave comments, over time you’ll start to be recognised.
Consider this real world example
Have you ever gone to a shopping centre and noticed that some stores have many customers, while others are empty? When a new customer enters the centre, will they be attracted to the store with customers or those with none?
The same goes for restaurants. How often have you avoided a restaurant that is empty and gone nearby where there are more customers eating? It is a reflection of the quality and offerings of those stores. Real or perceived, it doesn’t matter.
This is applicable in blogging too. Readers have a tendency to stick with the blogs with comments, while they always avoid the blogs where no discussion is going on. If you actively participate in discussions at other blogs, you too will receive lots of comments in your blog. This is simple blogging etiquette; it will become a reciprocal arrangement.
A busy blog is an attractive blog.
- You’ll get “pre-qualified” visitors. Be smart about where you comment, leave thoughtful comments and you’ll attract the attention of the blogger as well as the other readers. If you clearly know what you’re talking about and they’re interested in the topic, many of them will click through to your blog as you become deemed an authority figure with something pertinent and interesting to say too.
- You’ll learn something in the process. If you read other blogs on your industry, topic, market and competing brands, or blogs that are directed to your ideal audience, then you may even pick up some useful knowledge.
The main reason that blog commenting is so useful is because it can potentially lead to more traffic for your website or blog. It can build awareness, loyalty, sales and advocacy for your own brand. At the end of the day, the key ingredient to successful outcomes for your brand will result from applying your blog commentary to those blogs that target the same audience that you are trying to reach.
MORE GREAT POSTS BY CHERYL HAYMAN
- Why isn’t my blog getting any comments?
- Approaching Your Boss – a Mentoring Perspective
- Uncover, communicate and nurture your personal brand
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Cheryl Hayman – Hayman StrategyCheryl Hayman owns and manages a strategic marketing and business consultancy, Hayman Strategy, providing a broad range of business and marketing solutions to corporations. Prior to establishing her own business, Cheryl had over 20 years experience as a senior marketing executive in multi-national organisations spanning Australia, NZ and the UK. Cheryl undertakes a number of non-executive Board roles and sits on several Advisory Boards including the Australian Businesswomen’s Network. Cheryl is a Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute, holding a CPM.
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Big Business Tips for Small Enterprises
November 13, 2011
Lynette Mayne has held senior positions in large organisations all over the world. Her achievements are many and her resume extremely impressive. She has a Prime Minister’s Centenary Award for leadership in industry.
Lynette is the owner of Work Wear World, a leading supplier of work apparel to some of Australia’s largest corporations. In this interview she tells us about her transition from big business to a smaller enterprise, the challenges she has faced, skills she has drawn on, and success she has achieved.
We discuss:
- The lessons learned in corporate Australia that armed her with important skills for running her own business.
- What makes a good partnership or joint venture
- Why she’s a champion for women and the empowerment of women as leaders
- The biggest challenges she’s faced in business
Enjoy this interview with Lynette Mayne.
Watch this interview on the Australian Businesswomen’s Network website.
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About the In Her Shoes seriesIn Her Shoes is a regular video series presented by the Australian Businesswomen’s Network and BNet.com.au. Each interview features an inspiring businesswoman and her strategies for success. New episodes are released regularly. Become a Community Member for regular updates. StartUp and Growth Members get updates automatically. Become a Community Member with the Australian Businesswomen’s Network. |
What If?
October 27, 2011
By Julie Wise, The Silver Owl
If you ever ask my team when they run for cover, they would immediately say when she starts a sentence with, ‘What if’.
I have to admit, I use this phrase fairly often when I sense there’s more we can be doing or when I really want to challenge the way a business is doing something.
Surprisingly, or perhaps not, we come up with so many ideas…
When we do ask that question – What If:
- I stopped producing that report – would anyone notice?
- We opened only 4 days a week?
- I dropped my website?
- We didn’t have an office – could my staff do their jobs?
- We only used Facebook – no email, no paper, or intranet?
- We had a best ‘what-ifs’ of the year competition running?
The trouble isn’t really generating the possibilities. You will end up with a list of ideas, some more plausible than others, because that’s just how it works. The problem will be being paralysed or overwhelmed by the list.
I invented a simple ranking system to help put some order on the list.
The ranking system looks like this…
| Points | Description | Follow Up |
| 10 | Of course it’ll work | Why are you even bothering to think out – Just Do It |
| 7 | I reckon it’ll work | Might need to cite some examples or some numbers from the finance beanies |
| 5 | Like Government | Approximately fifty-fifty chance of delivering result. |
| 2 | If I cross my fingers and squeeze my eyes really tight… | Put it on the desperate list! |
| 0 | NO | Bin It |
It’s a good idea to rank the ideas quickly without too much thought by using your first instinctive reaction to the suggestion - you understand your business better than anyone else, so TRUST yourself!
Now start working on the ideas ranked 7 or higher to look at what or where they improve your business and start making the changes.
So if you’re ever wondering how to get some ideas, or looking to resolve a problem, ask yourself: ‘what if’.
What if I called this brainstorming?
MORE GREAT POSTS BY JULIE WISE
- Networking – Beyond the Business Card Shuffle!
- Build your Business: Steve Jobs Style
- Mobile Devices : Is your slip still showing?
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Julie Wise – The SilverOwlJulie has over 25 years in business operations, strategy and performance improvements. She is an accredited Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an alumnus of the Institute of Executive Coaching. She established The SilverOwl specifically to help businesses with their strategies and operational efficiencies. With Julie’s wealth of experience, and network of associates, The SilverOwl provides access to a vast range of business performance solutions and experienced professionals. Julie is on the Australian Business Women’s Network Advisory Board and the NSW Committee for the Australian Women’s Archive Project. In Jan 2010, she joined the Fred Hollows Foundation.
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Which Celebrity Apprentice would you have fired?
October 26, 2011
I got caught up watching this week’s launch episode of Celebrity Apprentice — the first Aussie version of the series made famous by Donald Trump and which Mark Bouris of Yellow Brick Road hosts in Australia.
Like the original The Apprentice, in Celebrity Apprentice participants (celebrities) take part in business challenges, mostly in teams, and someone from the losing team is fired each week.
The cast is a hodgepodge of athletes, business people and other ‘celebrities’. This season has athlete Wendell Sailor, reality ‘star’ Polly Porter, politician Pauline Hanson, ‘dance guru’ Jason Coleman, comedienne Julia Morris, beauty queen Jesinta Campbell, model Didier Cohen, footy ‘legend’ Warwick Capper, AFL’s Shane Crawford, Olympian Lisa Curry, Businessman Max Markson, and entertainer Deni Hines as the contestants.
After an entertaining first episode where teams ran a charity car wash (the team who raised the most money won) the men’s team lost and someone was fired by Bouris last night.
The show, while created for ratings (of course) and obviously heavily edited for viewer value, shows enough about a character to have the viewer decide if they like the contest or not.
As a business owner, I watched the show from the point of view of whom I would want on my business team and who would I definitely not want.
Would it be the savvy, well connected Max Markson, the funny and entertaining Julia Morris or the soft but powerful Lisa Curry? And what about the guys?
The footy players impressed me. Well, two of them. Wendell Sailer and Shane Crawford both behaved like team players. They were willing to take leadership, they worked (really) hard in the roles they were assigned and they were willing to work hard towards the team goal. One black sheep, or is it blonde sheep, Warwick Capper was as useful as (enter your own bit here) – i.e. not very! (I realise the show is edited but based on what was shown on the show, he’d be first to be fired if he was on my team.)
In many of the contestants I could see the qualities that I value in team members, qualities that I admire regardless if it’s a team I’m leading or whether someone else is leading.
- Clarity in communication – Jesinta who lead the women’s team was strong but a little harsh in her communication. Her team mates seemed to forgive her for it and to encourage her bravery and leadership.
- Willingness - Most of the guys jumped in and did whatever it took. Capper stood out as the one not willing to take direction or to participate til the end of the challenge.
- Courage - While she’s not someone whose politics I’ve been a fan of, Pauline Hanson stole the show for me when she stripped down to some AussieBum gear to wash a car for a $50,000 bounty which all went towards charity
- Calling it as you see it - Model Didler Cohen not only looked great (he is a model after all) but was willing to call a spade a spade and to put those older than him who disregarded him as just a pretty face, in their place. I hope he shows more of that in coming episodes.
- Drive - While he comes across as arrogant I had to admire Max Markson’s clarity that he had one job to do – to help the team win and (again, despite not agreeing with his leadership style) he pulled out all stops to raise the money they thought would win them the challenge. He was very focused on the prize and the goal. Unfortunately his treatment of his team wasn’t ideal.
Lessons that I drew from the show:
- Leadership matters. Clear direction and participation from the leader is vital.
Mark Bouris - Suzi Dafnis (Kochie's Business Builders 2011)
- Teamwork – No matter what your role, play it and play it to your best ability
- It ain’t over until it’s over – Until the finish bell rings, the game is still on and you can still steal the leading position if you stay focused.
Last night Bouris fired Warwick Capper . I know who I would’ve voted off. Capper!
You? Who would you have fired? And, why?
Rural Leaders in Business
October 25, 2011
Robbie Sefton, MD of Sefton & Associates, discusses the challenges and opportunities encountered by businesswomen in rural Australia. Robbie Sefton is a New South Wales woolgrower and communications expert. Ms Sefton and her husband, Alistair Yencken, own and operate wool, meat and grains properties. She is also the founder and principal of a national public relations and marketing consultancy, Sefton & Associates, based in Tamworth
In this interview we discuss:
- How she manages two lives – that of a farmer and then an executive
- The keys to managing a national business from regional Australia
- What drives her to take on leadership roles within her community
- And, the political issue of Australia and immigration
Enjoy this interview with Robbie Sefton.
Watch this interview on the Australian Businesswomen’s Network website.
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About the In Her Shoes seriesIn Her Shoes is a regular video series presented by the Australian Businesswomen’s Network and BNet.com.au. Each interview features an inspiring businesswoman and her strategies for success. New episodes are released regularly. Become a Community Member for regular updates. StartUp and Growth Members get updates automatically. Become a Community Member with the Australian Businesswomen’s Network. |
Making a Business Partnership Work
October 22, 2011
Ellen Baron and Kristin Hickey, the managing partners of the market research company Ruby Cha Cha discuss the importance of partnerships. The multi-award winning team at uses innovative market research to provide insights and create business stories that allow their clients to solve marketing challenges.
In this interview co-owners Ellen and Kristin discuss.
- How key roles are split between the two partners.
- The benefits and challenges of co-ownership
- Leadership from the staff’s perspective
Watch Part One of Kristin & Ellen’s interview here:
Watch this interview on the Australian Businesswomen’s Network website.
Watch Part 2 of the Interview here.
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About the In Her Shoes seriesIn Her Shoes is a regular video series presented by the Australian Businesswomen’s Network and BNet.com.au. Each interview features an inspiring businesswoman and her strategies for success. New episodes are released regularly. Become a Community Member for regular updates. StartUp and Growth Members get updates automatically. Become a Community Member with the Australian Businesswomen’s Network. |
Entrepreneurial Qualities: Lessons from the Life of Steve Jobs
October 17, 2011
By Nerida Gill, Admin Bandit
© peitrozuco.com
The recent passing of Steve Jobs, the inventor and entrepreneur behind Apple and Pixar, at the tender age of 56 reminds us not just how young computer technology, but also how much an individual can change the world.
In 1984, when I was singing “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” into my hair brush, drooling over Tom Selleck in Magnum PI, and discovering lycra (aerobics with Jane Fonda, anyone?), Jobs and his pal Steve Wozniak had just released the first Apple Mac, the grandparent of all our IT gadgets today.
Jobs was a controversial figure, as seen in the dramatically mixed responses to his death — some obituaries have hailed his charismatic leadership and brilliant sales technique, while others have slammed his erratic personality and perfectionist tendencies.
Whichever you believe, Steve Jobs had powerful entrepreneurial qualities, which make a valuable lesson for those of us trying to make our mark in small business.
Seek knowledge
Jobs was still in high school when he started going to after-school lectures at Hewlett-Packard. He may have formally dropped out of college in 1972 after one semester, but continued taking non-assessment classes in subjects as diverse as calligraphy and from 1975, attended meetings of a hobbyist group called the Homebrew computer club.
These activities may seem minor, but they resulted in life-changing opportunities and relationships, including a summer job at Hewlett-Packard, where he met Steve Wozniak, as well as relationships with future Silicon Valley high rollers.
Even that calligraphy class proved useful — without it, Jobs once said, our computers would have only one typeface and font!
Think outside the square
You may not think the hippie era and IT have a lot in common, but Jobs’ desire to learn about life took him to India in 1974 at the age of 19, where new experiences gave him a fresh perspective and a new way of thinking. Apart from converting to Buddhism and developing a penchant for bare feet, he came home with:
- A desire to change the world
- A belief in simplicity, which meant focusing on what is important
- The ability to say “no” in order to maintain that focus
Choose your people
“Many hands make light work,” the saying goes and Jobs knew he needed specialists, people with skills beyond his own, to make Apple a success. He first showed a flair for putting his ego on hold and choosing a team to deliver results as an employee at Atari, not long after returning from India. Offered $100 for each chip he could remove from the arcade game “Breakout”, Jobs offered Wozniak half the reward to do the technical work.
In the end, Atari paid the pair just 14% of what they earned, but had inadvertently introduced them to the third founding member of Apple, Ronald Wayne, a fellow employee.
Wayne may have left Apple only two weeks after it started in 1976, but, 20 years older than Jobs, he gave the company the maturity to start up.
Become an innovator
Innovators have the unusual gift of foreseeing and setting trends — they can see what their market needs when the market itself sees no gap. And this was one of Jobs’ key skills.
Let me give you a bit of history….
Not that long ago, computers were command-driven; that is, the user sat in front of a screen and typed text-based instructions to get results. For example, you typed the words “erase” or “save” to get your computer to do these things. Talk about fussy and time-consuming… no wonder only “geeks” used computers!
Then a division of Xerox developed a system called “graphical user interface” (GUI) which allowed the user to tell the computer what to do by using a mouse to click on icons, navigate through windows, scroll through menus and check boxes.
Sound familiar?
Xerox didn’t see the potential of their innovation, but Jobs did and he was the first person to apply it to the personal computer, the Apple Mac.
So as you go to the next web page, send an email, write a report, play Solitaire or download photos from your camera, think of Steve Jobs… who made computers accessible to everyone and allowed us to get a lot more done with a simple click of the mouse.
MORE GREAT POSTS BY NERIDA GILL
- Keeping Up With Your Brand: A Reality Lesson from the Kardashians
- Are You Responsible? How Small Business Can Give Back
- How to Dress to Communicate Skill and Success in Business
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Nerida Gill – Admin BanditNerida Gill is the creator of Admin Bandit, a web-based accounting package designed specifically to make keeping the books easy for volunteer treasurers in community groups. After winning numerous business awards, Admin Bandit is in a growth phase after recently attracting external investment.
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How Guy Kawasaki Enchanted Me
October 10, 2011
Two weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Guy Kawasaki for the second time. The first time was two months ago when he was my guest on BOOKED for Lunch, a webinar series that features the world’s best business book authors.
This time he presented and hour-long webinar on how to enchant with Social Media.
Guy is obviously an influencer. His 400,000+ Twitter followers, 60,000+ Google+ followers and the Enchantment page alone has 29,000 ‘likes’. He speaks around the world, had 10 books and mixes with the who’s who of his industry. In fact, I’ve had the opportunity to hear him speak live twice, in the USA.
Guy partnered with us on these webinars to promote his latest book — Enchantment — to our receptive and knowledge-thirsty community.
He was a terrific presenter – very generous and not at all salesy. Then, he offered our listeners the chance to get a free book with purchase of his Enchantment book AND an autographed cover for their copy of Enchantment. As you can imagine, THEY were enchanted by the offer.
(You can get the same deal if you like. The details are below.)
I’m enchanted
I was a fan before we worked together (having read Guy Kawasaki’s books and seen live presentations) but here is why I’m now enchanted:
- Guy’s communications with me and my team have been timely, personal and clear.
- His follow-through has been impeccable and while he is very relaxed, he is completely clear about the outcomes he’s after and his purpose for doing what he does. This makes MY job that much easier.
- He’s also appreciative and inclusive.
Writing a book about Enchantment calls you to the task to be congruent with your message. And he is.
No God Complex
I’ve worked with many speakers and authors in my career. I had an events business for 13 years and I’ve been involved with speakers and authors for 16 years with the Australian Businesswomen’s Network. My world revolves around partnerships and relationships – as most of our lives do!
Some ‘speakers’ definitely have a ‘God complex’. Often it’s the ones that are not as good as they think they are. Many do not. Like Guy, they don’t have a chip on their shoulder or need to act special or be treated special.
I’m still (maybe it’s naivety) surprised when communications are sloppy, people make agreements and don’t keep them or they are difficult to contact or relate to. It’s just plain unprofessional and unnecessary.
And it’s bad for business.
Thanks Guy. It’s been a pleasure.
Suzi
Special Offer for Enchantment Readers
GET A COPY OF THE BOOK
Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions
Get your own autographed copy of the Enchantment book cover by Guy here when you purchase the book.
Order your copy of Enchantment from Booktopia today and save 15% off the retail price.
ENCHANTZEN
When you buy a copy of Enchantment, save your proof of purchase and Guy will send you a promo code so that you can download the eBook version of Presentation Zen for free. Find out more here.
About Enchantment
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Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and ActionsEnchantment n: 1) To charm, delight, enrapture. Enchantment is Guy’s tenth book. In it, he explains how to influence what people will do while maintaining the highest standards of ethics. The book explains when and why enchantment is necessary and then the pillars of enchantment: likability, trustworthiness and a great cause. The next topics are launching, overcoming resistance, making enchantment endure and using technology. There are even special chapters dedicated to enchanting your employees and your boss. Finally, because there are times you may want to resist enchantment, there’s even a chapter about how to do this too. If you want to change the world — or even part of the world, this book is for you.
Here’s what the experts are already saying about Enchantment:
Photographs and testimonials courtesy guykawasaki.com. |
