Marketing Eye

Expert Marketing Blog - Small Business Marketing - Page 10

Is business as usual, killing your brand?

I am on a very personal journey right now with my business. 8 years ago, I had a dream and after years of fine tuning the business, I am ready to make it come to life. To reach the next level.

What that means is continually putting myself out there, sharing my experiences and taking my business to a level that no-one else in the industry has been able to achieve to date.

Basically, my dream or more precisely, something that is on my bucket list, is to build a company valued at $100 million.
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Why fake balls can weigh you down - women be warned!

Over the years, I have met many inspirational women who have had some impact on my life in one way or another.

When I was just 25 years old, the then Chairman of Citibank in Australia organised for me to meet Wendy McCarthy, who at that time was on numerous boards including John McGrath's, McGraths Real Estate board and acted as a mentor to senior managers in many of Australia's top companies.
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Is working hard a crime?

If one more person has the conversation with me this week, that I need to stop working hard, I will SCREAM.

This built up emotion from people with all the good intentions of the world, opting to tell me that I should not be working so hard. I am frustrated, confronted and in desperate need of explaining myself so that hopefully good natured people understand that some things require work.
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What we can learn from relationships that helps us retain employees

John Gray has written quite a few books on relationships and millions of women around the world have read them avidly. No wonder women tend to be better leaders statistically when they actually reach the top jobs, then their male counterparts.

Gray has a book, Mars and Venus on a Date which basically is a guide to navigating the 5 stages of dating to create lasting relationships.

If you bare with me, you will see how this can relate to relationships with employees that are looking for the perfect job. Particularly essential reading for small business owners.
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How to inspire your team

How to inspire your team

Most entrepreneurs know when they can 'turn it on' and become an inspirational leader, but for many, there are a select few employees that actually get to see you 'live' telling your story. Afterall, your entire team often do not accompany you to a public speaking events and usually only management get to know your new ideas when its raw and at its most exciting point - you know when haven't been battered down by reality like financials or ability to execute.
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Why Start-up's Fail - 10 Reasons To Consider

Today, I am reminded yet again why start-ups fail.

I met with a lovely couple a few weeks ago who wanted to open a retail store. They have a dream to work for themselves and the wife wanted to be in fashion.

They are new to the market and have never owned a fashion outlet, but they both have passion and are determined to do it.

I asked all the normal questions;

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Favourite drink + Brand

Favourite drink + Brand

Do you remember where you were sitting when you decided a particular drink was your favourite? I bet you do! Favourite drinks often are the biggest way venues can promote their wears because if you like a particular drink at a said club, bar, restaurant - chances are that you will talk about it for years to come.

Mine = Apple Martini @ FOG, Prahran, Melbourne, Australia.

What's yours?
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Are entrepreneurs missing the point?

Are entrepreneurs missing the point?

We think we have it all - a good business, people who follow us and even some who say they are inspired by us, yet have we really got it all sorted?

Entrepreneurs are unique. They have drive that comes from an inner place that very few people understand. Instead of laying in front of the television every night, entrepreneurs usually pick up their ipads or a good book and learn about how other entrepreneur became successful. Coffee on the go is essential and sitting still for too long usually means that there is something going wrong - or at least entrepreneurs think this is the case.
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Why being a young entrepreneur is easier

When I was younger, things were so much easier. I started my first business, Insomnia, when I was just 25 years old. I didn't have a care in the world and I had way more confidence in my capabilities than what perhaps was a reality. I truly believed that I could do anything, go anywhere and achieve what others may think is unachievable.

As you ride the wave of being an entrepreneur, one thing sticks out. No matter how enthusiastic and positive you are, there is a wave of excitement that at times diminishes. That does not mean that you give up or even want to give up - but it does mean that life is not all a rosy 100% of the time.
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How to recession proof your business

After chatting to one of the top Hedge Fund Managers in Australia last week about the state of the economy and where it is heading... I got thinking – is my business recession proof?

 The European market isn’t getting any better and in fact, it is expected to get a lot worse. Greece is battered by recession, debt and now a snow storm and the recession in the Eurozone is one of the deepest recessions on record.

 The US – well that’s another story. But debt levels are higher now than they were in the 1920’s recession. Much higher. No wonder people are stopping their shopping sprees and thinking twice before buying a new set of golf clubs or another pair of Jimmy Choos.

As small business owners, we have a lot to think about. If you are anything like me, I think about what I should do and often only get to do a few things off my list because there is always something else that pops up. Thinking about your business and how equipped it is to survive a further downturn is not only smart, but critical if you want to survive- yet while many of us think about these things, how many of us actually do something about it?

 While over-hyped valuations are still going crazy in the market similar to the dot com boom (Instagram!!), the property and the mining booms – we all know that what goes up must come down. But as small business owners we cannot afford to go down with the economy.

 Here are some things all small business owners should look at:

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The dreaded "Unfollow" on Twitter - is it you?

Once I lost 1000 followers in a day. I quickly looked back at all my Twitter posts only to find that I didn't write anything that was particularly offensive or would warrant this type of dramatic reaction from my followers.

I genuinely thought someone had hacked my account but couldn't understand why. Who would waste that much time deleting followers.

But the culprit was someone I did not suspect. Someone I had a lot of trust in. It was...
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