Small Business Revitalization Blog

I work from the philosophy that it's faster, easier and cheaper to learn from the mistakes and insights of others rather than learning everything the hard way by myself!  As a result I read around a book a week! Here's my top picks from 2008.... in no particular order!

Make it Big!  - Frank McKinney
Simple, straightforward roadmap for achieving what you really want in your life - read it and become more productive, more vision focused and more truly yourself.

Prosperity Consciousness - Chutisa & Steven Bowman
A new perspective on prosperity - forget the recession and immerse yourself in this groundbreaking book instead.

The 4 Hour Work Week - Timothy Ferriss
Look at your work from a completely new point of view!  Your vision may take a little more than 4 hours a week to achieve, but if you save a few hours, you'll get closer to your vision faster.

The Artist Within - Julia Cameron
It wasn't written as a business book, but if you are feeling overworked, overwhelmed or lacking in creative ideas, then this book will save your life and your business! Probably my #1 favourite for the year...

Ready, Fire, Aim - Michael Masterson
One of the best 'business basics' books I've ever read - it focuses on the essentials of how to make money, as fast as you want! No matter what level your business is at, this book will help you take it to the next level.

Made to Stick - Chip & Dan Heath
These guys are the 'idea gurus' - if you want to delve into viral marketing, word of mouth marketing or any activity that relies on a really amazing idea, then this book will give you the anatomy of sticky ideas!

Awakening the Entrepreneur Within - Michael Gerber
Great if you are still developing your grand vision!

Enjoy your holiday reading!  Speaking of which, Revive Coaching will be closed between 22 December and 2 January.  I hope you have a lovely summer break!

cheers
Lisa

So what can small business owners learn from scientists? One of the greatest constraints in a small business can be the lack of collaboration, expertise and idea sharing available to you within your own structure. Here’s my top three coaching questions for strategically expanding your expertise, alliances, partnerships and collaborations – scientifically!!

How much time do you allocate towards building the ‘intellectual capital’ of your business? It has been said that if you study the best in your field for one hour a day for three years (ie just over 1000 hours), you’ll be an expert in your field. If you study the best for one hour a day for five years (ie just over 1800 hours), you’ll become a world-class expert! For a small business, that level of national or international recognition can catapult your results much further than any marketing campaign! So, what’s on your iPod?

Do you use the 80/20 rule in developing your collaborations and networks? 80% of your results will come from 20% of your interactions with others. Are you strategic in identifying and choosing the 20% that can make the most difference to you and your business? Think visibility through influence!

What does your support team look like? Does your business structure look more like Wonder Woman or Superman (ie you need superpowers real bad!!) rather than a finely tuned Grand Prix Racing Team (ie everyone knows exactly what they are doing, why and when)? Even if you are the only person in your business, your support team is critical – start outsourcing anything that does not best reflect your talents or expertise: e.g use people who offer expert mentoring, coaching, technical support, bookkeeping, administration, marketing, cleaning… etc.

Combine the answers to these three questions for your business, take action and you’ll achieve expert status much faster than the average – that’s called leverage and all small business owners need to know how to achieve it!

Which shoulders would you like to stand on (or have you stood on)? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

This is a long but highly insightful video by the Zen Monk, Marc Lesser - definitely worth a watch if you are overworked or overwhelmed!!




A few interesting questions from Marc:

• What are you doing in your life that is extraneous?  (Or, what should be at the top of your 'NOT to do' list?!!)
• What do you measure in your life by its level of pain?  (e.g. your cashflow??)
• Where are you allowing things to be 'satisfactory' rather than letting creativity and chaos show you the (easier) way?
• What routines and structures have you got that help you achieve more but do less?
• Where in your life can you experiment and try a different solution? 

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve had at least 4 energy companies do the door-to-door ‘I’m not selling anything’ spiel and then immediately trying to get me to convert my account to their company, all the while pretending they are just trying to save me money - one of them went so far as to suggest I would not be changing companies, when clearly I would have been!  Each one has had some type of creative excuse as to why I should consider this, and not one of them has got me anywhere near filling in the form!  And herein lies the lesson for all aspiring marketers…

1. Your offer must be believable.  Every single one of them has offered a discount on my current electricity prices, but not one of them could prove that it would actually cost me less.  For a service based on usage, a discount offer is not believable - there is nothing to base it on.  Not one of them even tried to prove that they charge an equal or lesser price than their competitors (Too hard perhaps??  Or maybe simply not true?)
2. Your offer must be meaningful and desirable to the prospect.  I work from home – I figure that it will take at least 30 minutes to change this over.  Once my hourly rate is factored into the equation, by my maths, it would be costing me money to change electricity suppliers!  No one has yet offered to reimburse me for my time!! 
3. Your sales pitch must be honest.  If you are in business and you’re not trying to sell me something, then why are you interrupting me?  If I can’t believe what you’ve just said, I’m certainly not going to believe that you’ll save me money…

Have a think about your own sales pitches and marketing efforts – from your prospective customers’ perspective.  You may be surprised by what you see!

I'm off to get a 'No canvassers, No Hawkers' sign!!

Does your marketing approach need fresh eyes?  Call the Resuscitation Experts - we offer a free 30 minute consultation!

Today is a good news post! The Legatum Institute has ranked Australia number 1 in the world in its prosperity index! In terms of economic competitiveness and comparative liveability we rule the world!  What an incredible opportunity for every Australian business - in those moments when you are tempted to think how tough things are, remember that we are leading the rest of the world. 

What can you do today that will make your business a world beater?  It may only take one brilliant idea!

Here's a few simple ideas to help keep you focused on all that is good whilst the world is in turmoil...
+ Whatever happens, hold onto the belief: 'I will be in the right place at the right time doing the right thing."
+ Know your values: What really matters to you?  What really makes a difference to your quality of life? What makes you happy? Your power lies in focusing on what you choose to control in your life.
+ You will experience abundance if you are true to yourself and your passion - take small steps and move steadily towards your ideal life.