Four Ways to Improve Your Business Pitch
January 24, 2012
By Suzi Dafnis, Australian Businesswomen’s Network
If you had to get up tomorrow, or a week from now, and pitch your idea to an audience, how would you go?
James Stevens, Roses Only, Lindley Edwards, AFG Venture Group and Suzi Dafnis, Australian Businesswomen's Network
Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) recently gave four women the opportunity to pitch in front of a panel of judges (Dragons’ Den style) and an audience of about 60 other business owners.
These four entrepreneurs weren’t pitching for money, but were none-the-less expected to do their best to convey their message and provide enough information (but not too much) about what they were offering. In exchange, they got some business advice to help them improve their pitch and further their ideas.
I was on the panel, along with James Stevens of Roses Only and the delightful Lindley Edwards of AFG Venture Group.
Four courageous women took the stage:
- Nikki Hills, founder and managing director, Mouths of Mums
- Michelle Teague, entrepreneur looking for her next venture (Invisible ink name badges!)
- Angela Elliss, founder and managing director, Australian Home Design Directory Group
- Julie Ankers, founder and managing director, Statement Pieces
Overall, they all did a great job pitching their ideas.They (obviously) knew their business and were very passionate.
Some of the areas that they could have done better at were clarity of message, succinctness and being specific about what the outcome of the pitch was.
Despite the evening event being a great networking night for a bit of fun, the women did get some great advice from the panel, including these four areas below:
Four Ways to Improve Your Business Pitch
Length of Pitch. How Long Should Your Pitch Be?
Most presenters exceeded the suggested time limit. If you have an audience (whether with your bank manager, investors or a potential business client) and they have allocated a certain amount of time for a meeting – then stay within the boundaries. It shows you respect their time.
It’s easier to speak for a long time than to speak succinctly for a short time. So, practise, practise, practise.
Say what you need to say with the most punch and fewest words.
If you’re compelling, you can ask for extra time to expand, but don’t take it without checking in or you risk losing people’s focus.
A Clear Message Cuts Through
Nikki Hills, Mouths of Mums
It was not always clear what the intentions was behind the pitch each woman gave.
What do you want the audience/panel to do? be very clear in your outcome and state it.
For example:
Today I’d like to tell you enough about our 2012 plans to convince you to share our message with you clients.
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I’m looking to raise $10,000 for marketing. Over the next 10 minutes, I’ll present our marketing plan and I’ll then ask for your input on our ideas.
Tell Your Story – Set the framework
Your personal story adds colour and life and allows us to see behind the person that is doing the pitch.
When I was a panelist on the Dragons Den TV show, we dragons signed up equally on the likability of the person as well as the message and numbers. People like to do business with those they know and trust, so let the audience know you.
Similar to the clarity of message point above, tell your story, but don’t get carried away. We don’t need to know your history and every detail – just enough to make a decision or follow a call to action.
Know your facts and study your competitors
If you’re going into a new market then learn about that market, your competitors and who your competition is. As much as we like to think sometimes that we have no competition, we always do. It just may not be obvious. If you’re bringing out a new telephone (I know – extreme example) then the iPhone is not your only competition – not is every other phone – it’s actually every other way that there is for people to connect with other people.
Also, the whole market is NOT your market. There’s usually a subset of the big group who you can effectively address. (This is your ‘addressable market’.)
When it comes to the numbers, get really crystal clear about what it will cost to implement a plan. If you’re not good with numbers then it’s difficult for investors to have confidence in you. Run the details past your accountant and, again, practise talking about them so that you’re comfortable if asked questions.
Remember, you may only have one opportunity to pitch in front of a particular person or group. Pitching is an art and a science, so look to improve your skills as a presenter, speaker and do your homework.
And, good luck.
Suzi
P.S. I recently interviewed Lindley Edwards about narrative in business storytelling. You can listen to the interview here on our website or tune in on iTunes.
About DWEN
The DWEN community is an invitation-only, global community established to bring together an influential group of female CEOs, presidents, founders and business leaders to share best practices within the unique and challenging world of running high-growth businesses.
With the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) and other related initiatives, Dell is spotlighting female entrepreneurial success and creating an atmosphere where women can connect with one another, share best practices, build business opportunities and recognise female influence in business and technology.
DWEN Annual Conference: Dehli, India
In 2012, Dell’s annual conference will be at the cultural mecca of Delhi, India from June 17-19. Attendance is by invitation-only.
To learn more join the DWEN “Women Powering Business” Linkedin Community: visit www.dell.com/dwen
Being part of the DWEN community creates unique opportunities to connect, share best practices, build business opportunities and recognise female influence in business and technology. In addition to the annual DWEN Conference, the community holds webinars, Tweetchats and face-to-face networking events throughout Australia.
Masterclass: More Effective Website Copywriting
December 22, 2011
By Belinda Weaver, Copywrite Matters
The ABN Masterclasses are small-group sessions that focus on specific member issues and offer practical advice in a hands-on way. I was honoured to present the very first Masterclass in December 2011, focusing on how to use copywriting to improve the performance of business websites.
If you couldn’t log into the live Masterclass or you haven’t watched the recording, here are the best tips on making your website copywriting more effective and engaging.
Copywriting Health Check Stage 1: Your credibility
When someone lands at your website, they get an instant impression about how reputable your business is. The look and feel of your website plays a big part in that critical first impression, but the types of pages you have also communicate a lot about your credibility.
To create the right impression, your website should have:
- Pages about your products or services
- An About page introducing yourself and/or your business
- Pages that show you’ve worked with other clients (like testimonials or case studies pages)
- A reasonably detailed contact page
All of these pages work together to tell me that you are a real and credible business.
Copywriting Health Check Stage 2: Every page essentials
Every page needs: to back up your value proportion
I call this your simple truth and it is the real benefit you offer your customers (when you get past the marketing speak and industry jargon). To work out your simple truth, imagine describing your business to someone you’ve never met. In response to your fantastically detailed explanation they say, “so what?” You dig a bit deeper. They say, “so what?” When you continue this imaginary conversation, you will eventually get to the simple truth behind what you offer the world.
Every page needs: to answer “what’s in it for me?”
This is the question your website visitors are asking from the moment they arrive on your website. Rather than simply describing what your business does, remember to link your services back to the reasons your website visitor is looking for a solution. How are you making their life better?
Every page needs: a headline
Your headline is the attention grabber for your page. As prime real estate, it’s useful to focus on the key benefit you offer and your main keywords. Imagine if your visitor read nothing else on the page, what is the most important thing they need to know? Another great tip is to make your page headline specific. If your headline would make sense in any other industry, there is an opportunity to make it more specific to your business.
Every page needs: a call to action
A call to action simply instructs your website visitor to perform an action. While you might think it’s obvious that you want people to email you for more information, register for your event or download your free report – a specific call to action will improve your response rate. Make your call to action clearly visible and actionable.
Copywriting Health Check Stage 3: Language and Readability
Once you know your key marketing messages and the benefits your target audience will care about, you can look at the way you communicate those messages. How well your audience understands your message is the key to action and fancy, formal language can sometimes do you more harm than good.
Here are some tips on making your copywriting easy to read and understand:
- Imagine speaking directly to a single person and write like you speak
- Keep your paragraphs relatively short and focused on one idea
- Vary the lengths of your sentences to create a changing rhythm
- Use whitespace to some breathing room around your copy
- Break up long sections of copy with subheadings and lists
Remember, always keep your simple truth in mind and make sure your website copywriting answers the question: what’s in it for me? Oh, and don’t forget those headlines and call to actions!
You can download the live Masterclass now and see my Copywriting Health Check applied to three member sites (along with more tips for effective website copywriting).
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Belinda Weaver – Copywrite MattersBelinda is a professional marketing copywriter who confidently walks the line between writing effective copy and creating an engaging brand personality. You don’t have to choose between them! The words you use really do make a difference and offline or online, you will get more clicks, calls and sales with the right words. It’s that simple. Belinda also empowers business owners to write great copy and the Copywrite Matters Facebook & Twitter pages have FREE weekly tips on copywriting and marketing. She loves to chat about SEO, websites, good business and all things marketing. Say hi and join the conversation!
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Are you ready to take your business to the next level?
December 15, 2011
MentorNet will help you get there!
Consider the Top 10 Benefits of the MentorNet mentoring and training program for businesswomen:
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Comprehensive Training in Core Business Skills |
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Over a six-month period (with a small time commitment of 1 to 2 hours per week), you will learn the core skills required for growing your business, including Business Planning, Finances, Marketing, Human Resources, Information Technology and Business Performance Management. |
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A Detailed Business Plan |
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Whether you already have a business plan or need help in formulating one, by the end of the program you will have a detailed plan that has been analysed and revised based on input from several trusted professionals. |
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Mentor and Peer Support |
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Over a six-month period (with a small time commitment of 1 to 2 hours per week), you will learn the core skills required for growing your business, including Business Planning, Finances, Marketing, Human Resources, Information Technology and Business Performance Management. |
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Increase Confidence |
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For many participants, the most valuable benefit of MentorNet is their increased sense of confidence as a business leader. Although it’s normal for novice businesswomen to second-guess their daily decisions, a lack of self-confidence often hinders progress. With the clear direction and assurance provided by MentorNet, you can forge ahead with confidence. |
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Maximise Profit |
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A line-by-line review of your budget will eliminate waste and maximise profitability. And don’t worry about privacy when it comes to your budget; all mentors sign a confidentiality agreement. What happens in MentorNet stays in MentorNet. |
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Overcome Obstacles |
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Sometimes all it takes is a fresh point of view to solve long-standing problems (and sometimes we don’t recognise our problems until others point them out). Expert advice from industry leaders and experienced mentors will help you to overcome all obstacles to business growth. |
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Never Leave Your Desk |
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The pioneering MentorNet program was designed for your convenience. Using our innovative web applications, you can view presentations and webinars, interact with mentors and peers, and advance through your training modules — all from the comfort of your home or office! |
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Cutting-Edge Technology |
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As long as you have the Internet, then you’ll have access to our interactive webinars, teleconferences, and MentorNet resources (templates, checklists, private MentorNet website) that will keep you up-to-date on best practices in all areas of business. |
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Community Building |
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Collaboration is key to MentorNet. You will not only collaborate with your mentor and peers, but you will also become part of a larger community of like-minded businesswomen. Many participants leave the program with invaluable contacts for future vendors, employees, or partners. MentorNet makes networking easy. |
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Prepare for Growth |
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MentorNet is much more than a guide for establishing your business. Growth is the goal. By the end of the program, you will be ready to take your business to the next level! |
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You will study the best practises in marketing, business planning, finances, human resources, technology and business development (learning from expert presenters) in a collaborative program designed specifically for women business owners.
The 2012 MentorNet program starts 12 June.
Applications are now being accepted. Learn more about the program here.
ABN Members save a significant amount of $$$ towards their MentorNet tuition.
Not sure if you’re MentorNet ready?
Register now for a free consultation to find out if the program is right for you.
Watch the Me & My Mentor information session webinar.
Get your time back. Productivity tips for business owners.
December 12, 2011
Does it ever feel like time evaporates? As it gets closer to Christmas, I’m feeling the pressure of ‘too little time’ more than usual.
But, with two weeks until we close the office for Christmas, I’m determined to continue to have focused and productive time in the office.
That’s why I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s webinar with Angie Spiteri of Time Equals Money.
This event, which is free for premium members of the Australian Businesswomen’s Network (i.e. StartUp and Growth members) is called: The 7 Pillars to the Ultimate Efficient Business – National Webinar.
Angie promises to shows you how to recover time and work super efficiently, so that you and your team can get on with your work… and enjoy life!
I’m looking forward to picking up some tips! And I know that sometimes being more productive is a matter of being reminded of the strategies that work.
Here’s what she’ll cover:
- Create uninterrupted focus in the workplace (Oh, yeah!)
- Resolve conflicting priorities
- Formulate the BEST solutions to create a REAL sense of urgency
- Keep in the direction of your targets (WITHOUT stress)
- Uncover personal time-stealing habits – and create unique solutions to resolve them
- Lose the team habits that STEAL your time and MONEY
I hope you’ll join me. Call 1300 720 120 today to register or register online here.
Webinar Details:
| Date: | Tuesday, 13 December 2011 |   |
| Time: | 10.15am for 10.30am – 11.30am AEDT | |
| Venue: | Webinar, from your home or office | |
| Price: | Growth Members: FREE | |
| StartUp Members: FREE | ||
| CommunityPlus Members: $35 | ||
| Community Members: $39 | ||
| Non-Members: $39 |
Suzi
Charity: Water – “Technology Changes Everything”
December 8, 2011
By Amy Lyden, Australian Businesswomen’s Network Advocacy Advisor
I had the pleasure of attending a Charity: Water event last week. Paull Young, the young passionate Aussie who just HAD to work for this organisation when he came across them, presented to a group of about 50 people in Sydney.
You may have heard of Charity: Water, especially if you are active on Twitter and other social media. Charity: Water has very successfully trail blazed new ways of fundraising and getting their story out to millions of people globally through the clever use of technology and social media strategies. Whether you are working for a charity or own your own business, there is much to be learnt from how they do things.
How Charity: Water Started
Charity: Water started five years ago when its young founder, Scott Harrison travelled to Africa and saw first hand the terrible plight of so many without the most basic of human needs – water. When he returned to NYC and a friend bought him a $16 martini, he realised that that same $16 could have fed a family in Africa or built a well. He then decided that if more people understood what was needed, the world could be changed. He then founded Charity: Water.
The facts about water
- Out of the seven billion people living on the planet, one billion people do not have access to drinking water. Without seeing and experiencing this, it is hard for the people who do have water (and always have) to imagine what life would be like for these one billion people.
- 2.6 billion people lack access to basic sanitation – toilets, running water, etc
- This is a major cause of preventable disease. 40,000 kids die every day because of lack of access to clean water and sanitation. Not having a “tap and toilet” kills more people than all the wars around the world every year.
- In Africa alone, people spend 40 billion hours every year just walking for water. Usually it is women and children walking many kilometres to the nearest water source, and this water will likely make them sick.
- Charity: Water’s motto is “Water Changes Everything”. Simple, yet true. Not only does access to clean water (through taps and toilets) eliminate much disease, but also kids are able to go to school and entire communities can be transformed.
- $19 will fund a well. This is such small amount that will make such a huge difference to people without access to water – the price of a cocktail or two in a major city.
Online Philanthropy
“Technology changes everything”. Charity: Water does almost all of its fundraising online. It’s clever use of social media to raise money has certainly been its strong suit. In February 2009, they raised $250,000 through Twestival. This was the largest amount ever raised by a charity online.
Twitter: Charity: Water was first on twitter in 2007 with a few hundred followers (that was like rock-star status in those days), and now they have over 1.3 million followers!
Facebook: Over 200,000 likes.
Online Campaigns
Charity: Water doesn’t ask for money, it asks for fundraisers – people to raise money for them. And they have clever campaigns around this premise. One example is the “Give up your birthday for clean water” campaign. People raise money on their birthday and ask friends and family to make a donation instead of buying them a gift. Genius.
We already have more than we need – right? This is all done online and the technology makes it easy to set this up. We are seeing a lot of charities making use of this now, for example “Everyday Hero”, whereby a fundraiser (individual) can set up an online presence to track the donations etc. This is becoming very common particularly for fun runs and other events like “Movember”.
Stats for Charity: Water’s Online Campaigns
Average amount raised by a fundraiser: $1,000
Average campaign: 13 donors, average donation $80.
Charity: Water then emails all donors to show where and when the wells went. They send them links to googlemaps which actually shows the locations of the wells. Their model is that for every $1 spent, $8 is raised. That’s leverage.
A Winning Model
Paull Young says the culture of Charity: Water “Feels more like a tech start up than a charity.” They have raised $26 million so far, and 75% was raised through digital models, more than any other charity using these models. They are experiencing 100%+ growth. And they are just warming up. They have a big hairy audacious goal to raise $2 billion by 2020 (yes, $2 BILLION).
Some tips from Charity: Water
Start with your story and make it their story.- Show them where there money goes. Charity: Water uses googlemaps with GPS to show exactly where the wells were built.
- Use pictures. Charity: Water posts a “picture a day.” Pictures showing the sheer joy that water can bring to people. Real people. They believe in showing people the impact of their giving. Show by photos and share the stories of the people they impact. Show them where their money goes.
- Use narrative – sharing stories. One African woman named Helen said that now that she has water she feels beautiful, because for the first time in her life she can wash herself. Now THAT is powerful story sharing.
- Demonstrate the impact to the donor. Because you donated $30, this well (picture) was built in this location (googlemaps). Helen’s family (picture of Helen’s family) now has access to running water.
We are lucky enough to live in an age where our message can be reached by millions (and potentially billions) of people. Before the ubiquitous use of technology, mobile phones etc this simply was not possible without spending ungodly amounts of money. Today anyone can do this by utilising technology. The key is to have a compelling message that truly speaks to people around the world.
Charity: Water has done this well so far in their short life. And I would bet that with passionate people like Paull Young involved they will get their big hairy audacious goal of raising $2 billion by 2020 and then some.
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY AMY LYDEN
- Developing an Asia Plan for Your Future
- Make Care Fair – the cost of not having affordable and flexible childcare
- “Balance is B*llsh*t”
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Amy Lyden – Advocacy Advisor – Australian Businesswomen’s NetworkAn entrepreneur and specialist in ecommerce and online strategy, Amy has had over 13 years of practical experience in these areas. Launching her first website in 1998 Amy was at the forefront of an online revolution without even realizing it. Within a year this site became and remains today a #1 ranking site and global community of pet lovers that attracts over 4 million visitors a year. This Australia-based business, Bow Wow Meow, now sells product online to over 100 countries worldwide. Amy sold this business in 2007 and turned her energy to the nonprofit sector. Amy is currently the CEO of Australian Scholarships Foundation, an organisation that facilitates scholarships for education and training for people who work in the nonprofit sector. Amy is the recipient of numerous business awards including the 2006 NSW Telstra Business Women’s Awards for Innovation, the 2002 National Telstra Business Award and the Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World Grant. Amy is an Ambassador and former Chairperson for the Australian Businesswomen’s Network, an organisation that supports female entrepreneurs. Amy was also invited to serve on the Commonwealth Small Business Council, an initiative by the Federal minister for Small Business. Amy has been profiled in the following books: “Women’s Business, Women’s Wealth” by Amanda Ellis, “Female Entrepreneurs,” by Leiza Clark and “Secrets of Female Entrepreneurs Exposed!” by Dale Beaumont. Amy is passionate about using technology to connect people globally for positive change.
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Business Mentoring for the 21st Century
November 24, 2011
By Suzi Dafnis, Australian Businesswomen’s Network
When I first started my business, I was 26-years-old and didn’t have a lot of business experience. I was lucky enough to have a one-on-one, face-to-face business mentor. At the Australian Businesswomen’s Network, we have taken the traditional business mentor model and brought it into the 21st century.
We offer a six-month mentoring program, MentorNet. Our program has won awards due to the way we use technology to facilitate collaboration. We have one mentor who could be situated anywhere in Australia (or anywhere in the world) and a mentoree who can similarly be in a small country town in Australia in a rural area or in a big city. Each mentor mentors a small pod of mentorees.
The program delivers not only mentoring
…but training in key business areas — and we use online collaborative tools in order to do that. Over six months, participants learn how to put together a business plan that includes finances, marketing, HR and all the core elements of a solid business plan. Further, we have an online, closed-door community that’s hosted in the cloud, where they go to read case studies, answer questions and post on their own blog about their findings.
Every two weeks, we conduct a web-based seminar using GoToWebinar by Citrix — we have an expert presenter who delivers information and interacts with the other people on the call. For example, when we enter the marketing module of the MentorNet program, the expert presenter asks participants to share their key marketing strategies.
Information exchanged in real-time
The Citrix GoToWebinar tool allows users to exchange information in real-time, link to their business websites and even share desktops. The chat function lets other participants give their impression of websites and other marketing materials. In this collaborative, interactive environment, participants can tell each other, “I’m lost when I arrive at your home page” or “The wording in this section is really complex and hard to understand.” The ability to get the input of other successful and aspiring businesswomen has been very helpful and made our MentorNet program a success.
The 2012 MentorNet program begins on 12 June. Learn more about the program. Registration is now open.
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY SUZI DAFNIS
- What Should I Write about on My Business Blog?
- How Guy Kawasaki Enchanted Me
- Make Telephone Interviews Work: Tips for Preparing and Conducting Virtual Interviews
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Suzi Dafnis – Australian Businesswomen’s NetworkSuzi Dafnis is the Australian Businesswomen’s Network’s Community Director and Chairperson of the Advisory Board. Suzi has been involved with the network since 1995. In 1998, she took over the network from its founder and has since managed and grown the network. She remains its media spokesperson and a champion of women in business. She is also the editor of the ABN’s newsletters, author of the herBusiness blog and presents the In Her Shoes video series and herBusiness podcast.
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Thinking Outside the Box: How to Prosper in a Candidate-Short Market
November 21, 2011
By Kristy-Lee Johnston, Footprint Recruitment
I seem to have spent a lot of time lately discussing with clients the pitfalls and frustrations of a marketplace that seems void of quality talent.
Business owners, managers and decision makers have been questioning whether it’s their business, their culture, what they have to offer, their clients, projects, salaries, benefits or any other tiny detail that has caused them to be in a situation where they are finding top quality talent hard to attract.
In most cases, the simple reason is: there are not enough quality candidates in the market to fill available positions.
In our local marketplace, we see this in many technical, specialist and professional areas, such as engineers, chartered accountants and technical managers. But the same situation could apply to any market at any point in time – it’s a matter of pure supply/demand economics.
So how do you attract candidates to your business in this market?
In my opinion, there are two key things to look at:
- Rule out the obvious; you need to look really carefully at your business, and attitudes, to make sure it’s not in fact you and your pre-set ideas which are excluding your ideal candidate. What I mean by this is:
- Are you paying a fair market salary which would attract your ideal candidate?
- Are you looking for a candidate with ‘all the bells and whistles,’ but in fact are not allowing this applicant to use all of these on the job?
- Are you looking for more in a candidate than what the role really needs?
- Are you looking for someone who actually doesn’t really exist?
- Once you have ruled this out, you now need to think about how you can attract the candidates you want in a market that is not on your side. And my simple solution is this – think outside the box.
The reality is that it’s not going to be easy, but if you fight on the same grounds as every other employer, you’ll probably lose in one way or another. So think laterally, think like a candidate and think left field!
Like when assessing your sales and marketing mix, you look for your Unique Selling Point, do the same as an employer.
What can you offer a candidate that’s better, different or more exciting than other employers in your marketplace?
While salary is always important to candidates, it’s often not the deal breaker, and many candidates are happy to ‘trade’ a little on salary if their other desires are met within a role.
So can you offer more exciting projects, creative outlets within work time, other non-monetary benefits like flexible work hours or multiple locations? Get creative, think outside the box and get your applicants attention!
MORE GREAT POSTS BY KRISTY-LEE JOHNSTON:
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Kristy-Lee Johnston – Footprint RecruitmentKristy-Lee Johnston is the Director of Footprint Recruitment, a Central Coast based Recruitment and HR agency which is run by locals, for locals.
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Five Lessons from Business Mums
November 16, 2011
By Johanna Baker-Dowdell, Strawberry Communications
In writing my book, Business & Baby on Board, I’ve had the privilege to interview some amazing women who have combined their entrepreneurial traits with motherhood, so I thought I’d share some of the lessons we have in common.
Like many ‘mumpreneurs,’ I started my business after I became a mum (don’t ask me why I thought starting a new business while I was getting used to having a baby would be a good idea). I was looking for a way to combine my professional experience with being at home — and freelancing seemed the way to make it all work.
Some of the women I’ve interviewed had already established a business before throwing children and step-children into the mix, but there were still common threads. This started with wanting to find a career where we felt valued for our contribution, even if it meant working with a child on our lap, taking a sleeping baby to meetings or working at midnight when the house was quiet.
Here are five of the lessons we shared:
- Flexibility – is one of the main drivers for self-employment, whether it’s being available for your child’s sports carnival or simply working when it suits you.
- Be social – working alone with only a child/ren for company can be a lonely existence, so attend meetings with clients, go to work events and find a community where you feel comfortable, whether online or off, so you can share experiences and let off a bit of steam when needed. Not only do you get to exercise your adult communication skills, but you also stay in the loop for industry updates.
- Perfection is elusive – striving to be the perfect parent or the perfect business owner is hard enough because it’s not really possible, but when you try to be the best at both jobs, it can be very stressful. Find what works best for you and stick with it. If that is a combination of childcare/school and work, great; if it’s waiting until all children have started school and working school hours only, great; or if it’s only working on the business when the children are asleep, that’s great too. The point is to find the place where business and motherhood combine and then make it yours.
- Some days are write-offs – this goes for anyone doing anything, but it came up in my interviews a lot. Some days just don’t go to plan and there is no point fighting them. There’s always tomorrow.
- Parenting opens up new skills – how are your boardroom negotiation skills? Now think about brokering a deal with a two year old and answer the question again. Being a parent arms you with a whole host of skills that are vital in business. Don’t underrate them.
What lessons have you learned as a mum in business?
MORE GREAT POSTS BY JOHANNA BAKER-DOWDELL
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Johanna Baker-Dowdell - Strawberry CommunicationsJohanna owns and runs writing and public relations service Strawberry Communications. The agency builds relationships with the media and key stakeholders on behalf of its SME clients. This service is provided through careful research and strategic communication, then maintained by telling the business’s story through amazing publicity and expertly crafted words. Strawberry Communications is based in Launceston and was launched in 2007. Johanna has more than 16 years experience in the media industry and is also a freelance journalist and blogger.
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Alycia Edgar Helps Business Owners Reach ‘Systems Nirvana’
November 10, 2011
Member Alycia Edgar is making the news with her business program Bizfficiency.
Systems can be the making of a small business, but without them everything falters. When it comes to driving their businesses, some owners can be the roadblocks.
As a small business owner and innovator, Alycia Edgar knows this situation very well, but she also found the solution and created the Bizfficiency program to help others achieve complete business systemisation.
The five-week Bizfficiency – Discover the Business of Business teleseminar series reveals the secrets behind business efficiency, based on techniques tried and tested by Alycia herself.
“I run my business using a number of different systems that all work together to drive efficiency and productivity, making me a much better – and happier – business owner. I have reached systems nirvana and want to share my tips with others,” Alycia, who created the award-winning small business accounting system Bookzkeeper, explained.
Bizfficiency graduate Kelly Exeter from Swish Design said she now understood the need for firm systems in business after completing the program last year.
“Creating these systems allowed me to outsource all the jobs I hated the most and freed me up to spend more time doing what I love, and that is being creative. Being creative makes for happy days,” Kelly said.
“In fact, I have applied many of the principles I learned from Alycia to my everyday life and am now using that increased productivity to free up time to spend on myself and with my family, rather than to just ‘do more stuff’. This has given me a better quality of life, and if I am honest, has made me a nicer person!” she added.
Using her own experiences as a small business owner who struggled to keep all the balls in the air before systemising with great results, Alycia launched Bizfficiency with a free call on 2 November 2011.
The series starts on 8 November and covers a different aspect of system implementation every week:
- Weeks One and Two – Personal Productivity System
- Weeks Three and Four – Marketing Systems and Client Systems
- Week Five – Financial Systems, Strategy and Measurement Systems
“Small business owners who commit to systemising their operations now will start 2012 ready to thrive, because they understand the link between their business goals and financial numbers and are armed with productivity tools to drive that success,” Alycia added.
The Bizfficiency program includes five weekly teleseminars, checklists and templates for $397.
For more information about Bizfficiency visit www.bizfficiency.com.
To find our more about Alycia Edgar go to www.bookzkeeper.com.au and www.numbersarelife.com.
Alycia Edgar is one of our herBusiness bloggers.
Enjoy these great posts written by Alycia:
- This year is nearly over… but not yet
- Take a Chance
- Stop! Let me off this train, this wasn’t the ticket I bought!
- I don’t know enough.
- What can you achieve in 90 days?
- Can you care too much about clients?
Business: A Jigsaw Puzzle
November 8, 2011
By Cat Matson, Alito
When I was younger, my mum and I used to do jigsaw puzzles in the school holidays – you know the ones – thousands of pieces, where half of them are all the same shade of blue sky or green grass and over weeks, you piece together a few more until the final picture is revealed.
Business is not that different.
There are so many parts to put together… so many of those parts that actually look like they fit… they just don’t quite… Unlike boxed puzzles that you buy in the hobby shops, it’s often hard to get such a crystal-clear picture of your business, like you get on a puzzle box, to guide how you put it all together. And unlike the puzzles I used to do with my mum, there’s consequences if you settle for a ‘near-enough’ fit rather than a perfect fit – missed opportunities, lost sales, ineffective marketing and often just a feeling of things not quite working.
So how do you pull together your unique jigsaw puzzle?
- Recognise there are universal pieces to a business puzzle – a bit like placing the the corners and edge pieces first in a 2,500 piece picture puzzle. For example, each business needs to have a strong marketing framework, a profitable business model, an informative scoreboard and financial management system and effective and efficient process – they create the ‘edges’ of your business puzzle… how you colour it in will be different for each individual business.
- Understand that even though all the pieces may look the same (e.g., I often found it hard to distinguish between the shades of blue in the sky), there are always subtle differences between each piece. Don’t try and take pieces from your friends’ or competitors’ business puzzles… they might look like they’re a fit… but they won’t be a perfect fit.
- Recognise that not only is your business jigsaw not a static picture on a box, but a 3-dimensional inter-related system of pieces – a bit like cogs and wheels in a Swiss-watch. The pieces of your puzzle need to not only fit, but they need to inter-relate, integrate and synergise with each other to produce the lifestyle returns you went into business for.
- Accept that sometimes the final picture will change before you’ve got all the pieces in place, so you need to be flexible in finding new pieces that complete the picture; the edges and the frameworks are likely to remain constant.
- Remember, like jigsaw puzzles, building a business takes patience. Forcing a ‘fit’ might give you immediate gratification, but it will make the picture look weird in the end… so just keep moving pieces around until they all fit perfectly.
What do you think?
Does running your business feel like piecing together a giant jigsaw puzzle? Do you take the time to get the right pieces or are there a few ‘forced fits’ making an awkward picture?
MORE GREAT POSTS BY CAT MATSON
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Cat Matson - catmatson.comCat is a Business CATalyst, sparking ideas for peak business performance. With a keen interest in strategy, marketing, social media and personal effectiveness, Cat works with clients to have their business firing on all cylinders. Appalled by the notion of ‘silver-bullet’, ‘one-size-fits-all’ approaches to business success, Cat works with savvy business owners to connect the RIGHT resources with the RIGHT strategy to produce the desired business outcomes.
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