Tag Archives: business

The Gear Stick

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I remember when I was learning how to drive and the thought of changing gears used to fill me with dread. I prayed to God that the traffic lights will always be green so I could avoid the notorious biting-point when moving on. Oh the pain of learning how to drive! I was so elated when I passed my driving test. Guess what! I was also quick to forget my driving fear, the neck pain and throbbing headaches from concentrating so hard.

How do I go from Gear One to Six? 

Getting the kids ready to go back to school today got me thinking of why I need to change my business gear too.  Every now and then I get restless with my business goals and it is always an indication that I need to do more to grow my business.

Lately it seems I have been stuck in gear three for a while, business is not slow but my speed is limited to a certain level on the speedometer. You might be familiar with this – getting enough clients to keep you motivated but not enough to stretch you. I had my reasons for travelling at that speed, one being family commitments but that excuse is fading fast  as my little one starts school this week.

My driving instructor once told me that if I keep travelling in gears 1,2 and 3 only, I will do some damage to my car. The same goes for any business stuck in slow.  So I got my pen and paper out to consider what I need to do to raise the bar and travel in gear six. After all there is no way I can travel in gear six if I move at 20mph.

If I want to grow my business and make it as big as it can be, I better get ready to travel fast.  So as I write my list, I will implore you to do the same.

So what controls do you need to put in place to grow your business?

  • Do you need to wake up a bit earlier in the morning or add more hours at night?
  • Watch less TV?
  • Reduce the number of personal phone calls you answer during the day?
  • Read more books or publications about your industry?
  • Get qualified or training?
  • Take your to-do-list seriously?
  • Find a mentor, a consultant or someone you can share your ideas and brainstorm?
  • Exercise more to be fitter so you can think better?

If your business is stalling because you are stuck in gear one, isn’t it time you change gear so you can accelerate and reach your destination faster?  It is going to be a gradual process to travel at 80mph and beyond. But first thing is to gain control of your vehicle so you can at least increase your speed.  Once you can establish how to do that, then press down those pedals and change that gear stick. It is amazing how the car/business responds to that.

That is my plan for the next few months. I am going to get my head down and improve my business systems so I am more effective and efficient thereby producing more profitable results.  I hope you do the same and if you have other ideas of how we can accelerate to 100mph, do share.

If you need help with your business start-up or development, I can help you make sense of your ideas with my Business Brainstorming Sessions and other services.  Get in touch for more details.

I wish you good success.

Temi Koleowo

www.businessfirststeps.co.uk

Photos by runrunrun and buryosiol

Customers and Constant Communication

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Hello Business Owner,

I hope your business is doing what you want it to do. Are you developing better relationship with your customers which can translate into more sales?

Just one question for you though, how often do you communicate with your customers? 

  • Is it daily, weekly, monthly or never?
  • Once they contact your business or buy from you, is it bye-bye and chapter closed? 
  • Or is it – make sure you keep in touch so we can benefit from each other in the future?

Constant Communication

This is a key component in our world where we are bombarded on a daily basis with so much information.  You might say people receive so much information and I do not want to become part of the noise.  But it is the noisemakers that get the attention. 

Simple Scenario

Just follow me on this – You open your inbox to check your mail. All day you have been thinking of getting a fish tank. Though you remember asking for some information about fish tanks 8 months ago, you weren’t ready then and did not follow it up.  Now that you are ready, you are online anyway and Google is winking at you.  You type in fish tanks and tons of businesses compete for your attention. The company you got some information from is nowhere to be found. Customer Lost!

Just imagine if that company had been sending information about new fish tanks and special offers every month!!!

Let’s face it; it is hard to compete with every business online. There are the big guys with big budgets who are able to muscle their way into people’s hearts with fancy marketing gimmicks. 

So What Can I do?

If you provide your customers with exceptional service, they should come back to you for more.  But hey, you need to remind them that they need you and let them know how you can be of help.  You can do this through Constant Communication .

Keep in touch with your customers – it is that simply!  New Technology has made the job a lot easier so you do not have to sit in front of your computer all day typing email addresses every time you need to send information through. 

The format of your communication can be varied and equally interesting. You can write about your industry news, new inventions, new legislation, special offers, tips, benefits, how to look after products, what your services can do for your clients – the list is endless.

Use fancy emails, newsletters, blogs, one line statements, articles or even traditional emails.  Once you have got the information to hand, you can choose one of the following email marketing companies to do the hard work for you:

http://www.getresponse.com 

http://www.constantcontact.com

http://www.aweber.com

http://www.vistaprint.co.uk

I specifically choose these ones as most of the emails I receive from reputable businesses and Internet marketers use one of these three, that says a lot about them. 

So what’s next – fit weekly, fortnightly or monthly communication into your business schedule and see how things change for your business.

Our May Newsletter provides more tips on keeping in touch with your clients – Business First Steps May 2011 Newsletter

I wish you every success…Temi.

Photos courtesy of OmirOnia and Djayo – Sxc.hu.

Before the Business Plan

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In the Beginning of Business Start-up

At the start of the year you probably decided you wanted to start your own venture.  After contributing to your employer for so long and not being fulfilled, you are about to take a leap into the world of self-employment.

 As stated by the Prime Minister and the Start-up Britain initiative, http://www.startupbritain.org/ this might be the best time to start a business. This is good news, at least there is a guarantee you are not alone on this quest for self –expression.   

So pardon me as I jolt you out of your entrepreneurial dream for a short while and ask you these two important questions:  

Can You Cope Without A Regular Income?

If you intend to say goodbye to your employer, be ready to say goodbye to a regular income – ok maybe for a short while.  Before the money starts rolling in there is a lot of ground work that might be required as well as many sacrifices – including financial ones. 

You certainly can’t continue to spend money like you used to after all it is now about effort in = profit out.  So if you have got some savings stashed away somewhere, now might be a good time to revisit your household budget and find out how you can survive for the next 6 months or so.

How Much Time Can You Dedicate To This Venture?

If you are serious about growing a business, you can be rest assured that your time will no longer be your own. If you have a family there is every possibility that you will be torn between two parties – trying to meet your family obligations and spending time developing your concept.                        

Starting off a new venture can be tough in the beginning as you try to get off to a successful start.  You should be realistic about your commitments, explain to your nearest and dearest how your life will change.  Rearrange your schedule so your building process does not impinge so much on other commitments.

We won’t discuss social engagements as they may be non-existent for a while!

 

Despair or Inspire

If the above questions have not been able to dissolve your resolve, maybe just maybe you have what it takes for such a huge leap!

Don’t despair if this sounds daunting, if you do your homework properly the initial drought season might not last long though it may occur again at some point during the life span of your business.  Once you conclude that you intend to make the business work, you will find the determination and strength to push through every obstacle.  

The good news is if you work really hard, the money you earn is not to pay someone else’s salary.  It’s for you to decide what you want to do with it – even reinvest it in your business.

Maybe now I have got you thinking a little bit deeper or help you banish the doubts and the fears (ok maybe temporarily!).  Next stop… let’s think about the viability of your business idea.

At www.businessfirststeps.co.uk, we are passionate about concept development and business start-ups.

My Business in a Parking Space

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Identify the Markings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        About a week ago, I found myself in the parking lot of one of the main supermarkets.  I needed a few groceries and just wanted to dash in and out with minimal fuss.  I decided to park my car next to a Taxi.  Normally I will use the car park markings as my guide as I do not like to obstruct another person’s parking space.  But this time in my haste I decided to use the Taxi next to my car as my parking guide.  I ensured my car was parked parallel to the Taxi.  Our front was well aligned with each other, so was our mirrors and everything else.  Feeling satisfied I got out of the car and burst out laughing.                                

 

Errors all in a Row

Why was I laughing so much in a parking lot all by myself?  I bet a few people who saw me thought it was a bit early in the day to be that high! Anyway I discovered that the Taxi was overlapping the parking space behind it by a large margin, leaving an even larger margin away from the front markings. I also realised that 5 other drivers (that includes me!) had parked their cars exactly the same way. The car on the other side of the taxi must have used the taxi as a guide and the next car and the next car… What a sight it was!

Upgrade My Parking Skills

As I walked into the supermarket, I thought to myself – this is the way a lot of us operate in life and in business.  We use others as a guide as to how things should be done.  Even though sometimes the competitor/person might have got it wrong from the start, we still follow suit  – consciously or unconsciously.  I know competitor analysis has its place but as long as we continue to conform to the norm, results will always be average. 

Being a pacesetter takes a lot of hard work and dedication.  If I had taken time to use the car park markings as I normally do, then how and where the Taxi was parked will make no difference to me.  I would have done my own thing, my own way and probably get different results. This same rule applies in business and life, where I choose to park my career or business e.g. market my products or services, determine my clients, choose a career should be based on MY OWN OBJECTIVES AND GOALS. 

Individual Race and Individual Goals

We all set out with business/life goals but sometimes we get side-tracked by what others are doing and before we know it, we get carried away with the norm – we become one of them!

There is a saying in Yoruba – a Nigerian language that states “you can’t work by looking at someone else’s watch”.   When money stops being the motivation for what we do, something more precious sets in – the need to be different and make an impact. 

Whatever type of business/profession you engage in – be it an IT consultant, fashion designer, childcare provider, nail technician, car dealer, estate agent etc – can you dare Stand Up and Be Different?

My motto for now is – Identify my unique selling point, know my market, let my service stand out and BE DIFFERENT!

Photos courtesy of sxc.hu – Freyda, Lusi & Matox