Earth Hour started in Sydney in 2007, caught the worlds attention and has now gone global. It is on again this Saturday, March 28th. So from 8.30pm where ever you are in the world, switch off your lights for 60 minutes and help make a difference.
For more information and to register for Earth Hour 2009, visit here.
Lights out!
Samantha
A great lesson I was reminded of recently was “He who hesitates is lost”. The ‘lost’ part of the equation may be many things - lost income, lost happiness, lost opportunity, lost time, lost sales etc, etc. And usually the loss results in statements beginning with “if only” – “If only I’d bought that beachfront shack 20 years ago”, “If only I’d bought the fabulous red shoes on special when I saw them”, “If only I’d trained a little bit harder”.
This type of hesitation or procrastination can be a paralysing thing in many aspects of life, including business. It is not always a good thing to wait and see if something better comes along or to wait until the time is right. Often it won’t and the end result is you may not end up with your first choice if anything at all.
Now, I’m not suggesting that everyone take up all the opportunities that are presented to them. It still needs to be a calculated assessment of whether or not this will benefit you in some way. But remember, if it’s looking good, take action.
In business these opportunities abound every day – hot deals from suppliers, new sales leads, new product opportunities, new marketing tools etc.
In the words of Carl von Clausewitz - “It is even better to act quickly and err than to hesitate until the time of action is past.”
So don’t miss your time of action and live by the following simple formula:
Opportunity + Action = Success
Until next time
Samantha
Today is the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel , better known as Dr Seuss. Some of his most loved books include The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish and Horton Hears a Who!.
“Oh Me! Oh My!
Oh Me! Oh My!
What a lot
Of funny things go by”
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
I’m particularly fond of Dr Seuss. Firstly, because I have always loved reading and his books were some of my favourites as a little girl (I Had Trouble in Getting To Solla Sollew rates highly). Secondly, he is now making a resurgence in my life through my children who all literally devour his books. Santa delivered a Dr Seuss library at Christmas and we have been reading them daily since. In fact, the first book my eldest son read himself was Green Eggs and Ham.
At the time of his death in September 1991, Dr Seuss had sold 200 million copies of his books in 15 different languages. We now also enjoy some of these books as movies – The Cat in the Hat, Horton Hears a Who, How The Grinch Stole Christmas.
The greatest legacy of Dr Seuss was improving children’s literacy and encouraging a love of reading. While perhaps we can’t all leave a legacy as lasting and far reaching as his, we can certainly all strive to leave a legacy fitting with our life’s passion and values.
As the final line in his final book says (Oh, The Places You’ll Go!), “You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So … get on your way!”
What will your legacy be?
Happy Birthday and thankyou Dr Seuss
Samantha
Following the devastating bushfires in Victoria over the weekend, several donation points have been set up. If people can help in any small way, please visit the following sites:
Australian Red Cross - donate online or call 1800 811 700.
NAB - Donations can be made directly at NAB branches, or via the internet using the following details:
Victoria Bushfire Relief Fund
BSB: 082-001, Account: 860 046 797
Bendigo and Adelaide Bank - Donate online or visit your nearest branch of Bendigo and Adelaide Bank.
ANZ and Commonwealth Bank - Donations can be made at all branches.
Bunnings Stores - Donations can be made at stores.
Let’s also send all our hopes and prayers to the people who have been affected by this disaster.
Until next time
Samantha
This week has been monumental in our house with the 2 kids going back to school (Prep, Grade 1) and a 5th birthday. I always loved the excitement and anticipation of a new school year as a child, and still do as a parent.
But not only is it time for the kids to get back into learning, it’s also a good time for us as well. Do you have some books, old seminar notes and learning material lying around that hasn’t been looked at in a while? Maybe never at all?
Now is a great time to pull out some of this stuff, dust it off and see what can be freshly applied to your business for the year ahead. Some material that may not have been relevant before may now be useful in providing new insights and ideas. Things are always changing, and often we have all the tools and resources we need right at our fingertips and fail to use it.
So go and have a look around your bookshelf, office and cupboards and see what you can find. Get back to school - brush up on the basics and try something new.
Until next time
Samantha
Hello and welcome to the first blog for 2009. After a prolonged break to restore my health and energy, I’m back on deck.
2009 is already shaping up to be a big, interesting, challenging and pivotal year in modern history. One of the biggest events of the year has already taken place – the inauguration of America’s 44th president, Barack Obama. The images of this event are everywhere and from these you can sense the real hope, (not only in the USA but worldwide) that this man can deliver on his promises. And Obama is asking everyone to believe he can deliver as the following message on the top of his official website says:
There is also great hope for small business in America. Barack Obama and Joe Biden have outlined a plan that will help small businesses by cutting health care costs, improving access to capital and investing in innovation and development. With small business playing such a vital role in the American economy (over 25 million enterprise and 99% of employers), this plan could prove pivotal in helping the country get back on its feet.
So here’s to hope and believing that each of us can bring about our own personal change in 2009.
Samantha
It’s been a little while since my last blog. The reason - glandular fever! The cure - rest. Not an easy option with several businesses, 3 small children and a household to run. To me it was a clear sign from my body to slow down, give it some attention and TLC.
So rest I have been - as much as possible. However during that time, it got me thinking about how many small businesses just would not be able to function if the owner were not there. I am lucky that my businesses are capable of running without me for a short period of time, but certainly not if it was necessary to take an extended break.
How about your business? If unexpectedly you had to take more than a couple of weeks off due to illness or some other unforeseen event, would your business survive?
I know at this point, mine couldn’t. So my first point of business on return will be to set plans in place for my businesses to run on auto-pilot if required.
This is a useful strategy for other reasons too. If your business can run on auto-pilot, it will allow you to take time away from the business to do other things in your life such as spend more time with the family, go on an extended holiday (not just a few days over Christmas) or revisit favourite hobbies and leisure activities.
This can only be a good thing and give you a more balanced lifestyle. Something you (and your body) will not regret.
Action Step: Get a plan in place for your business to run on auto-pilot.
Here’s to more time for you.
Samantha
Following on from last time, another area to review in marketing during a recession is your product range. Your current offer may not be suitable any more as people watch their budget and reduce spending on luxuries or non essential items.
To illustrate why this is important, let’s look at a couple of examples.
Example 1:
You currently sell a cup of coffee for $4 and have built a loyal customer base, many whom purchase one cup per day. However, their hip pocket has been hit badly – more money is needed for petrol, groceries and rent. So, instead of buying one cup a day, they now buy one cup every other day or once a week (people still like some small indulgences). These people are still drinking coffee every day, they just make it themselves and it’s cheaper. So what can you do to capture their ‘coffee’ dollar and not have it going elsewhere? Product additions may include economical take-home packs or a smaller cup at a smaller price (so they can still afford it regularly).
Example 2:
Many high ticket items, such as whitegoods, suffer a decline in sales during tougher times. Customers will postpone major purchases, and when they do buy, they are likely to research well and negotiate hard. During such times, a focus on base models is a good strategy. Remove the bells and whistles, offer people the basics, sell the product benefits and sales will still flow.
Action Step: Review your product range. Will it be impacted by the downturn? If so, brainstorm product range changes that can be made to prevent a decline in sales.
Until next time
Samantha
Now that everyone is talking ‘recession’ in the US and a period of economic downturn is upon us, it is time to review your marketing plans.
Many businesses will bunker down during this period and focus on surviving. Typically, costs are reviewed and marketing is one of the first to be reduced. Many businesses simply don’t know what their marketing is returning and it is just seen as another cost.
Don’t make this mistake; it is not the time to cut marketing efforts, quite the opposite. Marketing is what brings you customers, if you don’t do it now when your business is likely to need it the most, will your business survive?
Two more reasons why you shouldn’t cut your marketing are there are less noise and less competition in the recession marketing environment.
Less Noise
With fewers advertisers, there will be less advertising ‘noise’ in the marketplace, which gives your marketing a greater chance to stand out. This also means there will be greater opportunities to get paid advertising for cheaper rates, as the media still have spots to fill and less people willing to do it. So negotiate for better rates.
Less competition
It is likely your competitors will reduce their spending – so it is a great time to pick up some of their customers. By increasing the ‘noise’ you are making in the market you will in term increase your market share. In times like this, small businesses can really excel against their larger, slower and less flexible competitors.
Action Step: Review your marketing today and assess how you will increase your marketing efforts.
More on recession marketing next time.
Samantha
Unless you’ve been hiding somewhere with no contact to the outside world over the last few weeks, you will be aware of the current economic turbulence in the world.
Of course the main offender is the USA, but the flow on effect to the rest of the world has been swift and generally painful. Particularly if you have investments directly impacted by these events eg shares.
Business owners too are feeling the effects. I know in one of my businesses, one supplier has just sent me another price increase notification – the second in a month! This is because their entire product range is imported and costs have been significantly impacted by the falling $AUD. Of course, in turn, I have to pass this on to my customers and we all feel the pain. That, my friends, is the current economic reality.
However, I see there is little point complaining about this as we are all pretty much in the same boat. The key as I wrote last time is to “focus on your own backyard and concentrate on your business, what you do best and do lots of it”.
If you have to put up prices, it is likely your competitors do to. So find added extras you can do to enhance the customer experience. Improve customer service levels (eg faster delivery), offer additional services (eg gift wrapping), revamp loyalty programs and create some excitement around your business.
If you have not experienced any flow on effect yet, it is important to take the time and assess how it may affect your business in the near future. From here, you can put plans in place to minimise the effect and keep your business moving forward.
There will be very few businesses that won’t feel an impact in some way. Good management and planning are critical, now more than ever.
Until next time
Samantha