Every business needs goals and SMART goals ensure that your goals are specific, measureable, attainable, relevant and timely.  While my previous article looked at how to set achievable goals using the SMART goal system, here I explain how to turn these goals into reality.

Using a…

I’m currently looking at my investment portfolio and deciding how much of my wealth I want tied up in businesses… my own and others.  Investing in business is a high risk strategy as so much depends on the people running the business and their understanding of what business really is.  I’m always on my soap box about small business owner operators needing to grasp the basics of what makes their business valuable.  I know what I think, but I wanted to see if other business experts think the…

I have just been working on a talk I am giving this Wednesday on an entrepreneur’s perspective of the role of a Board of Directors.  I only have 5 minutes to speak so has been a very good exercise in making it short but real.  So here it is… you can have a sneak preview of my 5 minutes of fame:

The purpose of an entrepreneur is twofold:

1.  To build a company with a higher purpose (think Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Anita Roddick and others such…

Why do people get into business for themselves?  When I present to business groups I often ask people why they decided to start a business.  The answers are always the same.  To be my own boss/to be free to choose how I work/I’m good at what I do… so why should I line someone else’s pockets/I’ve got a great idea, I know it will work…

The reality of owning your own business is that it is hard work, it is high risk, it takes its toll on your time, your pocket and your energy.  In the…

These days, providing consistent,…

Many successful businesses employ the resources of training agencies to further develop their staff. Most often these trainings either require sending employees to head offices or they utilise the internet for training seminars in effort to minimize costs. With the use of online trainings, new areas of training are reached as they offered innovative platforms for instructing and education. This also ensures easier access for convenience and making life easier for individuals with…

Powerpoint presentations can be amazing, if you have the time.  With multimedia you can turn your tired presentation into a YouTube sensation or save directly to Sharepoint as I have done with the presentations below.

I receive a lot of content heavy, unformatted slides which, with a bit of time can be turned into stunning, professional looking presentations guaranteed to keep the audience awake and engaged.  Often I receive a…

Providing customer service is something you should do before, during and after a customer or potential customer makes a purchase. By creating a connection with customers and potential customers you will automatically develop a relationship with them that will make purchasing and repeat purchasing more likely.

 Here are ten amazing tips to improve your customer service.

1.  Anticipate customer needs --  You should know your customer inside and out. Conducting…

2012.  It's a year where social media is coming into it's own and a year where, more than ever, the future of your business is in the hands of your customers.  Customers have a voice online and are demanding transparency, information and delivered superior service.

With this in mind the days of a static site are over.  Your website today is the hub which pulls in all information on the web about you and/or your company.  Your website content should constantly be changing as your…

When you think of "opening day" you usually think about sporting events. Opening day is usually one of the most anticipated days in sports, so people bring their families and friends and pack the stadium. What many people do not realize, however, is that getting these people interested took time. The team had to…

Having a coffee this afternoon the the deck with the iPad on my lap (a quick catch-up with social media activities) I had a moment!  You know, one of those moments where you wished the undo button worked in real life.

In checking my LinkedIn profile views I saw a connection from another platform whose opinion I value and quickly pressed connect.  Argh…

Making a mistake sucks, doesn’t it.  You didn’t want or intend it and it hurts. Sometimes it’s hard to bounce back and regain your confidence.  But it can be done.  Gabby Douglas and the women’s gymnastics team comes to mind.  It’s about what you do after failing that makes you great.  So let me share my secret for crawling back up when I slip on the climb to success.

How To Rebalance after a Mistake

Did you ever notice that the toughest questions to answer are also the…

Customer Relationship Management is more than just a type of software but it is also a way of caring for customers. It is a business strategy that will reduce costs, increase sales and improve profits  through relationships. By making CRM your most important business strategy you'll see huge improvements quickly. Not only will you increase your profits, but you'll increase customer loyalty, as well as better employee relations too. People like working for companies who are customer centric…

In the not so distant past, it was hard for a small business to compete with large corporations due to the lack of access they had to effective software such as, project management software, collaborative software, accounting software, sales force automation software, and large storage solutions.…

It's so simple to provide good customer service and make customers not just happy, but thrilled.

The best advertisement for your company is a fan base of happy clients who sing your praises.

As a modern business owner, there is no reason you can't make this come true. There are so

many different cloud-based applications available for you to use to ramp up your customer

service…

Ever since I stumbled across this little skill called SEO, I witnessed the growth of the Internet from a side most still have no clue about. I was also able to expand my knowledge beyond just an SEO and step into the world of Internet Marketing. A whole different ball game that my SEO skills meshed with well. Upon arriving to the dance, I began to notice the change from traditional marketing channels used to inform the masses. A new age of marketing now placed businesses at the fingertips of…

Worry that clients will reject or leave them after hearing the price was the number one concern of service entrepreneurs in a recent study conducted by SpeakupPowerfully.com. There are a lot of scared business owners out there who’d rather not hear the answer when they say their price. You told me you worry about being seen as:

• greedy

• aggressive

• not worthy

• a fraud

That bugs me. A lot. Because you can’t run…

Basic Economic Principle: Only a fool replaces short-term debt with long-term debt.

Wow, that's quite a harsh statement, but a statement that will stick in your mind when the financial pressure is so high and there just doesn't seem to be a way out.



Consolidating your debt into your mortgage loan just seems to make so much sense when you're under pressure to pay the bills, but is this a wise…