@Home.Biz

Another social network comes online - a little different this time

2009-06-27T10:05:00.003+02:00

It seems that the internet has really come into its own over the past year - almost everyone now has a Facebook profile, a MySpace page or a Twitter stream. People are using the web more and more to connect with one another and are harnessing its power both in business and in their personal lives.

Breaking into the social networking arena with a view to make a significant impact is tough assignment! A new kid on the block however aims to make its mark!

Welcome Vyoom - a social networking site with a difference!

What makes this different is their promise to reward users with prizes for activity. I do hope that their financial modelling allows for substantial growth - if not, I am not sure they will be able to sustain their giving of prizes to their users.

Let's see what happens!

Shares in a new online business

2009-03-08T17:02:00.003+02:00

Every so often an email enters my inbox that captures my imagination in amongst all the other email drivel that comes my way. My wife received an invitation to this opportunity and I dismissed it as yet another nonsense email. However I promised I would investigate and so I did. After reading through the site, I agreed to sign-up and give it a chance.

I just became a shareholder in me2everyone and I never had to pay a single penny for the shares! It can only be described as the gold-rush for 2009. This company is going to be huge and shares will soar in value over the coming months! You can register for free and it never has to cost you a single penny!

me2everyone is going to be a cool new virtual world where you can meet friends, chat, shop, play, watch videos, create an art gallery, open a virtual newspaper, play the free inworld lottery and make money from your own online store! You and everyone you know make the decisions, shape the world, create real incomes and share in the profits. It’s a new place where you meet new people or invite your friends. Learn new skills or expand your business. Find the love of your life or help the planet.

Membership is free and every member automatically becomes a shareholder in me2everyone Limited. Personally I have 1000 shares in the venture I'm going to increase my shares very soon. This is an excellent chance for all of us to make some real progress in 2009 and beyond! Please don't miss it.

If you are looking for something really good in 2009: something that changes your view on the world, then you really have to spend just one minute and look at this website.

Please click visit www.me2everyone.com/257209 for the details

Avoid These Entrepreneur Mistakes - Someone Else Has Already Made Them!

2008-12-16T22:14:00.002+02:00

It would be totally unrealistic to expect every entrepreneurial endeavour to have a completely happy ending. However if we learn from the mistakes of others we will be able to prevent some rather unhappy experiences of our own.

One of my favourite blogs is "The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur". I found this wonderful article entitled 31 Of The Biggest Entrepreneurial Mistakes That You Must Avoid At All Cost on the blog and wanted to share it with you.

Here are the top 10 biggest entrepreneurial mistakes according to the article :

1. Too Much Office Space

I made the mistake of getting more office space than I really needed.
It cost me too much money, which of course came from my pocket. I was way too caught up in the ego of having a nice space. These days, I am into virtual businesses and telecommuting–why waste money on rent?
Kathryn Korostoff, President, Sage Research

2. Not Knowing Costs Before Doing

When creating a direct response ad campaign in various national women’s magazines,
I failed to factor in the cost of producing and mailing catalogs to the thousands of respondents.
Gerhard Kramer, Marketing Director, Laura K Designs, Inc. www.Psalm23Jewelry.com

3. Hired The Wrong Bookeeper

Years ago, I made a couple of HUGE mistakes when I hired my first bookkeeper…Although I was referred to her by someone I knew, I didn’t really do my due diligence. And since I didn’t know my way around QuickBooks I also didn’t check very closely to see if she was doing her job as promised. After about 9 months I discovered she wasn’t. It took me two more bookkeepers, two years of time (a bunch of gray hairs) and about $3500 to get it reasonably straightened out so I could actually track revenues vs. expenses. Arrrgh!!
Stacy Karacostas Founder SuccessStream Sales & Marketing Solution

4. Moved Business Too Soon

I moved my business too soon… I loved the new location and space but it put more of a crunch on my cash flow than anticipated so I had a tough road for awhile.
Teajai ‘T J’ Kimsey, Internet Marketing Strategist, www.IdeasThatWork.net

5. Cutting It Close For Commitments

Initially gave all clients 24 hour turnaround on my virtual assistant services. That was great when I had one or two clients, but as I grew I couldn’t keep up. Plus, I didn’t limit how much work that would involve. Transcribing one tape takes a lot less time than transcribing three. And yes, some clients expected that 24 hour turnarond on everything!
Diana Ennen, President, Virtual Word Publishing

6. Not Knowing Local Building and Permit Codes

During the build out of our first children’s gym in Severna Park, MD, my business partner, Joe Dondero and I worked 3 straight weeks on building a giant foam pit to hold over 6000 foam blocks. We drew up our plans, loaded 20 pieces of plywood and other materials into a minivan and moved them into our gym to assemble. 3 weeks later after assembling, installing and wrapping the plywood with carpet our project was successfully completed in our eyes. Needless to say, the first inspector walked in and asked if the carpet met the vertical burn rates in commercial buildings, plus he asked if the plywood was fire retardant. It took us less than 3 hours to disassemble a project that took over 3 weeks to complete and not to mention the back breaking weight of moving the pieces around. A giant lesson was learned the hard way!
John Mann, President, Rolly Pollies International, Inc.

7. A Direct Mail Blunder

I bought a direct mail list for $5k without doing major research on the company, also purchased 10,000 postcards, and paid for bulk mail postage. Mailed out the first 5000 postcards and did not receive any inquiries, ouch.
Jenny Ford, President, Monkey-Toes

8. Paying Payroll Out Of Personal Account

I had the wrong bank account set up and paid an employee out of my personal account instead of the business account.
Janine Joi, Partner, Blue Sage Naturals, LLC

9. Not Getting Money Up Front

The biggest mistake I made as an entrepreneur is not to get money up front. I become a bill-collector, not a businessperson as a result and spend needless amounts of time following up on money owed. Dr. Linda Seger, Script Consultant (since 1981), Seminar Leader, Author

10. Not Researching Your PR Firm BEFORE Making A Commitment

Hired a PR firm based on their glowing pitch and promises without checking out their track record helping businesses like mine. $15k later, piddlling results.
Mike Van Horn, President, The Business Group http://www.businessownerstoolbox.com

For the remaining 21 you will have to check out the original post here.

It Can Wait - How Procrastination Can Be Cured

2008-10-27T20:36:00.002+02:00

A struggle for many who own their own businesses is to make the first step in a project or to complete the financial admin or to sort out the customer database - all tasks necessary for a successful business but not necessarily ones you wish to give up a morning for!

Luciano Passuello has written a fantastic article in which he shows how our inner-language, our self-talk, affects our attitude towards the task set before us.

“I have to finish this long, important project. It should already be done by now and I need to plow through it.”

becomes -

“I choose to start this task with a small, imperfect step. I’ll feel terrific and have plenty of time for play!”

There is a big difference between these two statements and yet the second will accomplish a task long before the first.

This article is well worth a visit if you need a method of re-energising yourself.

Click on the link here - now!

Cell-phone Messaging - Save Money And Increase Productivity

2008-04-10T14:38:00.005+02:00

Schools, businesses, churches, non-profit organisations and others have realised that sending SMS messages is a far more cost-effective way of managing correspondence. It certainly make sense to use an SMS message to send a short message to someone rather than pay for a potentially lengthy conversation.

WinSMS offers a package which I have now used for some time. It allows the user to send messages to bulk recipients and will allow for long messages to be sent. The user can set up recipients as one would email addresses and using the downloadable software is a cinch.

This is a really useful tool and I have found the service reliable and effective.

Take a look at the site by clicking on this link - sign up now for 10 free credits to test-drive the service!

Can Google Be Toppled? These Guys Think So!

2007-12-06T18:25:00.000+02:00

Have you ever "just missed" one of those *big* opportunities that you *knew* could've been BIG for you... if you'd just *acted*?

I'll tell you what... I sure have. And if you're like me at all, when you sit back and think about that lost opportunity, you know it doesn't feel very good, does it?
Well here's what I've got and I truly believe its going to become BIG!

So HOW big? I'm talking "Amazon" big. I'm talking "AOL" big... I'm talking "buying 50,000 shares at Microsoft's IPO" big. :-)

You know who Mike Glaspie is right? He's the guy who founded and runs sites like BannersGoMLM.com, BannerCo-op.com, FreelinksNetwork.com, FreeMarketingInfo.biz, NoBSZone.com, MySiteInc.com, NetMarketing2005.com, and several other sites, all of which are easily within the top 1% of all sites visited online.

As I read about his latest project, I got so excited! It seems that for the past several months, Mike G has been working quietly on a new project. This project is going to have every marketer on the planet clamoring for a piece. (And btw, YOU are literally one of the very first to hear about this, so if you want a piece, it is YOURS for the taking!)

So here it is, here is what Mike is working on that is so monstrously big... Mike is putting the final touches on a series of sites that are going to revolutionize the search engine business. The cornerstone site of this project is a "tier 1" search engine called Zabang.com, and it's ultimate goal is nothing less than to topple Google itself from the search-engine throne... and you know what? I fully believe it's going to do it. I just don't see any way it can't!

The technology is already in place. Everything is thought out and all the pieces put together. And soon, Mike G is going to launch this to the world. But before he does, YOU have the chance to get in on this NOW! I don't know what could be a more "ground floor" opportunity than this.
A brand new approach to search engines...

Now search engines have been done, but they all have one big problem for people like you and me... they don't provide any incentive to the marketer. For example, if you tell someone to go look something up on Google, who benefits from that? Why, Google does! Google gets the traffic, the viewer sees their ads that their advertisers pay them for, and so on. What do you get? Squat!

Mike has changed all of that. Zabang is built from the net marketer up, instead of from the "computer techs" down. (And yet, search results are blazingly fast... AND relevant. In fact, faster and more relevant than the other big names.)

See, Mike knows how to penetrate a market fast and big... reward others BIG TIME for doing it for you! Through ZabangSolutions.com (the site that manages the Zabang affiliate program), you'll get a FULL TEN PERCENT commission on every pay-per-click or sponsor purchase made by those you refer... for the LIFE of the customer. Yes, that's right, I said the entire life of that customer.

Refer someone just once (using banners, links, or the Zabang search bar on your site) and you could easily be paid over and over again for years!
But it doesn't stop there... you see, ZabangSolutions offers a two-tier affiliate program. (Now this isn't M.L.M or network marketing, it's just two tiers.) This means that whenever you refer someone to Zabang and that person then becomes an affiliate like you, anyone THEY refer goes under you also, and you'll both get commissions from that customer... the affiliate you referred gets 10%, and you get a 5% override commission! Again, for the life of the customer!
But not "just" a search engine!

And there is more! Zabang will offer first class hosting solutions featuring options from no-cost all the way up to extremely sophisticated hosting options. Each one guaranteeing indexing (listing) at Zabang.com. You would expect nothing less from Zabang. And when your referrals host with ZabangHost.com, you get 10% & 5% all over again for the life of the customer's account. And there's no selling, just refer people to Zabang.com to do their online searches and they'll take it from there. It's completely passive... and totally viral.

You know, I almost forgot to mention one of the best parts. (This is why I love Mike G, he is truly an unparalleled marketing genius!) Mike is also creating a companion site to Zabang called ZabangMail.

ZabangMail.com will offer 100% spam-free, free email accounts, the best this state of the art technology has to offer to-date. And they don't use filters. They have their own proprietary technology for eliminating spam from your in-box. Users of ZabangMail.com will never have to worry that mail they want to receive will be filtered just because it contains words or phrases that couldn't pass through. And because ZabangMail.com is their own ISP they give guaranteed whitelisting to all publishers.

Now remember (and this is important), ZabangMail.com is a companion to Zabang.com. Each one will promote the other. ZabangMail users will have a tag message at the bottom of their email just like Hotmail, just like Yahoo, etc. But this one will give a brief blurb about searching Zabang.com, but with a twist... are you ready? The URL in the tag message at the bottom of all user's email will also be (if elected) the affiliate's link for Zabang.com! Think about it... get just a few people to sign up for ZabangMail, and every single email they send out will track back to YOUR Zabang account earning you an override all over again! We're talking major cross promotion, and hyper viral marketing. It truly is going to be huge.

Just to give you an idea how big Zabang is destined to become... already their Alexa ranking is in the top 1/10 of 1% of all sites visited online... and this is only a private invitational pre-registration period! Wow!

So drop what you are doing right now and get pre-registered for the two-level affiliate program. At the very least, you get guaranteed "indexing" (i.e. listed in the search results at Zabang.com) as an affiliate (which is a HUGE benefit). Then, you'll be emailed an invitational letter with your link dropped in so you can send it along to your closest contacts. They'll keep accurate track of your referrals and when Zabang™ launches, you will have complete stats of all your referrals and commissions earned.

CLICK HERE NOW TO SIGN UP

Community For Online Marketers / Business Owners

2007-12-06T07:48:00.000+02:00

One of the challenges online marketers face is getting their message out in social networks, forums and so forth without coming across as spammers or desperate!

This week sees the launch of Zion5. This site will give business people who operate online the opportunity to network legitimately with others who are interested in business opportunities be they in network marketing, affiliate products, e-books, off-line opportunities or a myriad of other options.

The official launch of Zion5 is 9nd December 2007 . The top 100 members that have the most referrals at the time of launch will automatically get boosted to the top of the uplines ** FOR LIFE **.That means that the top 100 people will control everything that happens in Zion 5.

Zion5 promotes themselves with this phrase : This is Facebook for online money makers. Build contacts, send messages and promote your websites all in one place!

One of the biggest plus factors for me is the messaging system. Users can send their info to others through messages. This prevents your inbox becoming flooded with email you don't really want to read! For further info - click here.

A Powerful Free Marketing Tool Not To Be Overlooked

2007-11-20T07:40:00.000+02:00

There is a powerful marketing and networking tool right under your nose. Forums are not only fantastic resources for business advice, they enable you to help others by sharing your experiences and they allow you to market yourself to a highly targeted market. Read on to learn how to unleash the power of forum advertising and receive maximum results...

Forum advertising is frequently overlooked as a powerful tool to develop relationships and lifelong customers.

You likely already know the social benefit of online chat rooms and forums. Social networking has grown by leaps and bounds in the past few years and offers many people the opportunity to connect over a shared interest. Business forums are just as useful for people to connect on a professional level.

What you may not consider when posting or reading comments in a forum, is that they can also be a valuable place to find customers and clients.

Here are 3 tips to unleash the power of forum advertising and receive maximum results

1. Start Small.

Find a forum or two, no more than three, that cater to your niche or target market and register to become a member of the community. Why not register with more? Many reasons, it will take too much time, you'll be reaching many of the same people, and your content/posts can begin to sound repetitive.

Begin by posting in the forum introductions section (most good forums will have one) and tell people about yourself. Talk about your business, but don't just drop a sales pitch. Let people know what your interests are in the topic beyond your business.

2. Post regularly.

Your goal is to become an active member of your chosen forums, which means that you must post regularly. Set aside time each week to visit your chosen forum. To make sure that you stay on task, give yourself an hour and begin reviewing recent posts, and providing answers/help where appropriate.

In time, the members will see you as an expert in the topic. With more posts, your site/business will have more exposure, and you will see results.

3. Choose appropriate forums.

In addition to searching for forums that are relevant to your business, you can find these by using your favorite search engine and entering your topic, product, or service keyword with the keyword 'forum'.

Look for forums that have:

A large number of members. This information is usually available on the home page, which means that you don't have to register to have access to it.

You'll also want to look for a forum has an area for members to advertise in. If an advertiser's area is not available, don't blatantly post ads in your posts. This is considered extremely rude and can get you banned from the forum.

Make sure that your chosen forum allows you to create a signature. Your signature should include your name, website/business name, web address, contact info, and a detailed description of your business.

There is a lot to be said about the benefits of forum advertising. They cannot all be fit into this article, of course. For reall great forum marketing tips, I highly recommend the free e-book:

Forum Marketing SuperTips, grab this great resource here: http://www.mindyrecommends.com/forum-marketing.php

Mindy Benkert is a successful internet marketer and mom. She is the owner of multiple websites including Business Promotion Unleashed - Want to discover 10 Quick & Easy Power-Packed Formulas For Promoting Your Business To Success? Stop by today

Article Source: ArticleCube.com - Free Articles Directory

Are Leaders Born Or Made?

2007-10-16T07:57:00.000+02:00

Have you ever fallen into the trap of wishing that you were like someone else? Imagining what it would be like to have the business acumen of Warren Buffet or the marketing savvy of Richard Branson? Do you wish that you were able to present your product in the compelling manner of Steve Jobs? Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you had the leadership ability of Jack Welch or Carly Fiorina?

These questions beg of us the answer to a deeper question - Are we born into greatness? Do some people just 'have what it takes' and others not?

According to experts in performance management the only people who are born with an advantage are some sportsmen and women whose body size may give them an advantage in their chosen sport.

Every other achiever. in business or elsewhere, has had to work extremely hard to achieve success. However there are certain characteristics that these outstanding achievers share. Here are some of them :

1) They put in more practice than others and do so strategically while seeking feedback from those around them. They know that how you practice is as important as the practicing itself.

2) They focus on building on their strengths and don't worry too much about things that don't matter.

3) Instead of just trying to get the job done, they seek out ways to improve the results of each task each time it is completed. They review constantly and are not satisfied with the status quo.

4) They seek positive criticism and learn from it.

5) They never stop stretching beyond what comes easily.

Small business owners compete in a crowded market. In order to stand out from the crowd they need to show the market that what they offer is far better than their competitors - be that product quality, customer service, after-sales support or whatever. To gain this advantage takes clear strategic planning and a willingness to implement the habits and strategies outlined above.

Bring More Traffic To Your Business Blog

2007-09-18T14:16:00.000+02:00

Say hello to "BlogRush" - a free traffic generator that works by displaying your latest blog headlines on a desktop widget. You install the widget on your page and see the headlines of blogs related to your particular subject matter.

The system also has a referral component which means you earn traffic credits off 10 levels!

As the system is brand new this is a great time to come aboard. Every site needs traffic and it seems to me that this is a great way to generate traffic that is already interested in the subjects you write about.

Sign up by clicking here.

To see other traffic generating tools - click here.

Are You Bored With Your Job? - 5 Strategies To Overcome Work Fatigue

2007-09-18T13:25:00.000+02:00

For some people even the excitement and challenges of owning and developing their own business can become tedious. The long hours, paperwork, marketing, strategic planning and product development can become too much for some. All is not lost however as there are strategies that can be employed to prevent burn-out and the onset of "job boredom".

Here are some ideas :

1) Do it differently! It is said that variety is the spice of life so why then do we insist on always doing things the same way? Find new ways to complete old tasks and develop new systems that will enhance job satisfaction

2) Change the order! Combine tasks or do them in a different setting. Sometimes it is as simple as just choosing to order your day differently that can make a difference.

3) Take a time-out! Take short breaks throughout the day to "reboot" your brain and reinvigorate your muscles. Walk around the block or in the carpark, go out into the garden - simply put - "Get out of the office!" Scheduling regular weekends off and holiday time is also key.

4) Pass it on! Learn to delegate well. This is a learnt skill that is essential to develop as your business grows. You need to be comfortable with the fact that others can do just as well, or better, at tasks you have always done yourself.

5) Evaluate your busyness! Sometimes our lack of time is indicative of avoidance behaviour. We occupy ourselves with irrelevant tasks so that avoid working on those which are truly important. Spend some time checking your diary. If necessary keep a personal time sheet for a few weeks. Check where your time is going - you may be surprised at the result!

Quote Of The Week #15

2007-09-17T07:31:00.000+02:00

Great people, not great strategies, are what made it all work. We spent extraordinary time recruiting, training, developing and rewarding the best. Our reach and success would have been limited without the best people stretching out to become better. - Jack Welch in Jack: Straight from the Gut

Just Like Facebook- But Get Paid This Time!

2007-09-11T14:55:00.000+02:00

Social networking online has fast become the darling of the internet. It had to happen sooner than later that some bright spark realised that with millions of people logging in every day and the resultant advertising revenue increasing, those who were making use of tools such as Facebook and MySpace should be benefitting too. After all, it is the users who make these sites so successful - why not reward regular users for their efforts?

Enter Yuwie - a Web 2.0 social networking site that pays users for their normal everyday activities and links this to network marketing model that pays 10 levels down!

Think of how many times you log into Facebook during the course of a week. Imagine getting paid every time you altered your profile, invited friends, left messages on your friend's walls, participated in a group... Not only that - what if you were paid every time one of your friends participated in activities such as these as well - down to 10 levels? This is the magic of Yuwie.

Some questions answered :

1) Is it legal? Yes Yuwie is completely legal.Yuwie is marketed as a Social Networking site with a Multi Level Marketing business structure. You see Pyramid schemes involve users paying a fee to join, and that fee gets divided up and paid to the users above them...and Yuwie is not one of these. Yuwie is free to join. It costs nothing, so there is no way it can be considered illegal, or a pyramid scheme.Yuwie gets it's revenue from advertising

2) How is my income calculated? Your income is determined by the Yuwie - Revenue Sharing Rate (RSR). Here's how it works. After each month, a report will be generated in your earnings area...See your "Control Panel" and look for the money bag. It will show exactly how many views your referral tree accumulated on each level. It will also show your earnings for each level. Here's the actual calculation:

RSR x (Page Views/1000) x Level Percentage = Your Earnings

3) How long has this been around? The Yuwie.com Domain was Created on May 21, 2007 and the business is run by a gentleman (Korry Rogers) out of Norman, Oklahoma

This is a great tool for buiding a business network with the benefit of being paid at the same time! Its like having an advertising agency pay you for using their services!

Why not head over to my Yuwie profile and get the ball rolling! I really do believe that this tool will be become as popular as Facebook over time - get in now! Sign-ups are over 1000 per day - you really don't want to miss this opportunity!

Check it out now...

Quote Of The Week #14

2007-09-10T08:17:00.000+02:00

Only 17 percent of workers surveyed feel that communication in their organizations is truly open, candid and respectful. - quoted in The 8th Habit by Stephen Covey.

To see Stephen Covey teaching "The 8th Habit" live, you will need to purchase this DVD - a great personal and corporate resource:

Ideas To Save Money In Your Home Business

2007-09-06T21:34:00.000+02:00

Every business, big or small, is in the business of turning a profit. Obviously it is important to maximise profit without cost-cutting reducing the quality of the product or service. How then can we go about reducing overheads to maximise profit?

I recently came across a list of 50 ways to save money in your business which makes for interesting and challenging reading. These ideas are both simple and creative and can be implemented by virtually any business.

The list can be found here at WomenEntrepreneur.com.

It should be noted that the examples given are from the United States but can quite easily be localised.

The methods in which you can save money are listed under these categories -

1) Penny-Pinching Promotions
2) Internet Ideas
3) Location Logic
4) Office Overhead
5) Insurance Intelligence
6) Employee Economics
7) Shipping Savings
8) Tax Tactics
9) Financial Focus
10)Professional Policies
11)Buying Brainpower

Lots of ideas - lots of money to be saved!

The Success Factor

2007-09-04T16:50:00.000+02:00

The National Speakers' Association of Southern Africa is presenting a one-day course entitled "The Success Factor - Success in South African Business".

This really looks like a great investment of time and money as you will be exposed to some of South Africa's top speakers, trainers and coaches. Each speaker explores the fundamentals of success in South African business from a different perspective. From Billy Selekane who will "Awaken our spirit of Tribal Consciousness" and Ian Rheeder who explains "The Seven
Deadliest Marketing Sins" to Clive Simpkins who will "Change our Thinking" and Arthur Goldstuck who describes "The Internet Earthquake" This conference promises to be an information overload that will expand your mind and help grow your business and yourself.

During the breaks the experts will be available to chat with you and share their expertise. It will be up to you how much you get out of the day.

The morning session will offer four keynote presentations that will blow your business mind. In the afternoon we will have two breakout sessions where you can choose from six different experts in fields such as psychology, motivation, technical developments and persuasion skills.

The day will wind up with a lively question and answer session with the speakers.
This is a day not to be missed.

However numbers are limited, so book now!

For a detailed program and to book on line go to the NSASA site by clicking here.

Quote of the Week #13

2007-09-03T14:36:00.000+02:00

A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault. - John Henry Cardinal Newman

The 7 Greatest Lies In Network Marketing (E-book)

2007-08-29T08:50:00.000+02:00

Over the past year or so I have become a convert to network marketing. While understanding the role of traditional business models I am convinced that network marketing, done ethically and properly, is a tremendous vehicle for the ordinary man in the street to begin their own business and achieve success.

Don't misunderstand me - I am not saying this is a 'get-rich-quick' model nor am I saying that success does not come with very hard work. It is the power of leverage and residual income coupled with the low start-up cost that makes this a powerful model.

It is unfortunate that there have been many charlatans and scam artists who have misused network marketing to their own ends and who have used shady business practices to promote their own ends. Last month I posted "Network Marketing - Do I Smell A Rat?" which explained more about this and gave a list of the hidden values of this business model.

The network marketing companies themselves are also to blame at times. I have posted an e-book entitled "The 7 Greatest Lies In Network Marketing" for you to download and read in your own time. This e-book explains how so many people are fed misinformation about network marketing and then struggle to succeed. This breeds dissatisfaction with the model which continues to break down the excellent work so many are doing within the industry.

The top three lies are :

1) Everyone is your prospect!

2) This really isn't sales. We just share products with people.

3) Anyone can do this!

These lies and the remaining 4 continue to destroy the image of network marketing and lead to the dreams of financial security and an enhanced lifestyle lying scattered at the feet of many disillusioned people.

If you are involved in network marketing or wish to know more before you get involved, you really should read this book. It will give you a great heads-up so you know what to expect and can set yourself up for success.

Another recommended resource for planning your action steps is here - Strategic Planning Outline for Small Businesses

Your Children Are Watching - Your Business Depends On It

2007-08-28T08:32:00.000+02:00

In a world where the new generation is inheriting a planet which is in a worse state of health than ever before in history, small business owners needs to asking what they are doing to limit further environmental damage and repair damage already done. This is not only imperative from an environmental angle but also for future business. Our youngsters, Generation Y, are now very aware of environmental concerns and will choose to associate with those products and services which honour their need for a healthy planet.

This awareness among children is best shown through the Nickelodeon 2015 campaign being flighted around the world - take a look at the Nick 2015 site. Our children are more aware of the environment that we ever were and they are beginning at a young age to think about choices related to the environment. These are our future customers. If we don't get our act together now, what choice will they make about our product or service when they are economically independent?

Some questions to ask :

1) Are you recycling? Does your office have a recycling program? Even home offices can implement this.

2) Are you leveraging technology in a way that reduces the number of trips you need to make in your car or by plane? A round trip from Joburg to Cape Town releases 0.3 metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere! (Go to BeGreenNow to calculate your travel emissions)

3) Do you switch off your PC and other office equipment when you are finished working?

4) Do you use recycled paper for your stationery?

5) Do you screen your suppliers to ensure that they too are adhering to environmentally friendly practices?

Once you have established yourself as an environmentally friendly business, market yourself as such. Use your position as an earth-friendly enterprise to your advantage in your marketing material. Let your customers know that you have made some changes to your business practice and allow them to tell their friends.

Your future customers are watching you - they don't really care what you offer, so many others offer similar products, they care about how you conduct your business and how you relate to your customers. Positioning your business as environmentally friendly is a great way to win them as your customers.

Quote of the Week #12

2007-08-21T12:12:00.000+02:00

Ideas have a short shelf life. You must act on them before expiration date.
- John C. Maxwell in Thinking For A Change

Other books by John C.Maxwell -

Looking For A Movie And A Massage!

2007-08-21T08:28:00.001+02:00

South Africa's largest movie chain, Ster Kinekor, has made a large error of judgement in its efforts to cut back on advertising costs - an error that may prove more costly than the money saved on it advertising spend.

They recently decided not to have the movie listings in the entertainment section of the Star newspaper but rather to have them printed in the classifieds section. So far, so good although I do question whether people would think about going to the classifieds when looking for the movie listings - there seems to be a disconnect in that logic.

However the problem is that the movie listings now find themselves opposite the adult services! Can you imagine a parent asking his 9-year old to see what movie is showing and then having his child exposed to massage services, escort agencies and the like and then having to deal with the resultant questions. It is tantamount to having adult sites advertising on the Ster Kinekor website. Clearly this is inappropriate advertising placement and Ster Kinekor and the Star are going to have to deal with this issue immediately to avoid fall-out. 702 Talk Radio was already receiving calls this morning about this issue.

I expect a company such as Ster Kinekor to take immediate action to rectify this situation. What are you doing in your business to ensure your advertising placement aligns with your business values and ethics?

Girls Taught About Construction

2007-08-16T10:01:00.000+02:00

The economic empowerment of women is high on the agenda of the South African government. Businesses from large corporates to the SME sector have been urged to provide a platform for this to happen.

My belief is that this must begin to happen at school level. Teaching entrepreneurship is great but it must be linked to educating learners about the various needs of the overall economy. They must be shown which sectors of the economy present the greatest challenges yet also the greatest opportunities.

On BuaNews I came across this article which is very encouraging in this regard. It is wonderful to see government beginning to act on this. Here is the article :

-----

North West points pupils to careers in construction
---------------------------------------------------

By Lehuma Ntuane

Mafikeng - A construction industry expert has urged high school pupils, especially girls, to pursue careers in construction as the industry is booming and presenting rewarding opportunities.

Addressing a National Construction Week event organized by the North West Department of Public Works, Marianus De Jager said enrollments into the construction industry would also help address the skills shortage faced by the sector around the country.

More than 30 Grade 12 learners from Khayalethu High School, near Rustenburg, were taken to a project site visit to the R200 million Moses Kotane Hospital Wednesday.

"They should take advantage of the opportunities provided by government through bursaries, internships and learnerships. There are a lot of rewarding and attractive career opportunities in this sector," he said.

Mr De Jager said due to government's increased infrastructure spending as part of the Accelerated Skills Growth Initiative of South Africa (AsgiSA), the constructions sector has become one of the key beneficiaries but "there is a shortage of professional personnel."

He said the industry was already experiencing a need for more professionals to take part in major projects such as building stadia for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa and construction projects for the Gautrain.

North West Public Works spokesperson Matshube Mfoloe, said the campaign was aimed at encouraging learners to pursue careers in the construction sector and also present study in the field of construction as an attractive option to potential students.

"We are promoting the sector to young people. This is a way to promote the seemingly 'unattractive and uninspiring' image of the construction sector," he said.

National Construction Week is meant to give learners the opportunity to experience and learn about opportunities available in the sector, "and also to dispel the belief that the industry was the domain for men only."

A 16 year-old pupil Ivy Leshetla said she wanted to study architecture.

"Careers in these fields are very possible and we appreciate the opportunities that the department is providing to create an interest and an awareness about the rewards in the building industry,'' she said.

The department will be holding similar project site visits around the other three districts in the province.

The National Construction Week seeks to showcase the meaning and the value of construction as a powerful institution in the reconstruction and development of the country.- BuaNews

------------------

I would love to see SME's and entrepreneurs beginning to engage with this issue at lot more intentionally. As good as this initiative in the North West is, I believe that we cannot leave it up to government entirely.

100 Greatest Leadership Principles - New Book Available For Pre-Order

2007-08-13T15:13:00.000+02:00

To celebrate this 100th post on @Home.Biz I could have written some really inspirational piece about setting goals, visioning and other leadership principles. However while browsing through Amazon today I came across a book entitled The 100 Greatest Leadership Principles of All Time which is only due for release on 31 August this year.

Now obviously I have not read this book but I wanted to link it to this 100th post! So here it is :

According to Amazon this book is for anyone preparing to step into a leadership role and is a unique collection of quotes from 100 great leaders of armies, social movements, political revolutions, fashion revolutions, businesses, and nations is sure to inspire. From Abraham Lincoln to Martin Luther King, Jr. ,from Napoleon to Coco Chanel, readers will encounter such inspiring words to lead by as: "It is not fair to ask of others what
you are not willing to do yourself." (Eleanor Roosevelt); "You do not lead by hitting people over the head--that's assault, not leadership." (Dwight D. Eisenhower); and "What you cannot enforce, do not command." (Sophocles). The essential and eloquently expressed principles in this book will motivate readers to lead with passion and compassion and teach them how to identify and achieve what is best for the group.

I like these kind of easy-read books for inspiration when I am not in the right head-space to get me teeth stuck into anything meatier. I am open to anything that will help me to raise my leadership bar even if it means spending ten minutes a day contemplating a quote or two from a recognised great leader.

My order is in - at under $10 its a steal!

Quote of the Week #11

2007-08-13T08:54:00.000+02:00

"I am not satisfied." This is the mantra of the leader. As a leader you are never satisfied with the present, because in your head you can see a better future, and the friction between the "what is" and the "what could be" burns you, stirs you up, propels you forward. This is leadership. - Marcus Buckingham in The One Thing You Need To Know

Bringing Targeted Traffic To Your Site

2007-08-09T20:48:00.000+02:00

Anyone who owns a business today has to have an online presence. It is an absolute essential. However it is no good spending a fortune on web design if nobody visits your site! There are some excellente Search Engine Optimisation resources on the market and many companies will provide this service to you. However, professional SEO can be extremely expensive and beyond the reach of many start-up home businesses. There seem to be hundreds of link-exchange and traffic referral sites on the net but to be honest, none have grabbed me as a resource worth investing time or money in.

Today this changed as I discovered a site known as "LinkReferrals". According to the site, traffic is generated to your site in the following ways :

* Members directory traffic - By joining, you will be included in our members directory which is visited by our community of over 100,000 members, and thousands of outside visitors on a daily basis. You'll have the opportunity to earn a ranking at the top of your category, absolutely free! Receive valuable feedback from visitors of your website, network with your peers, and give your opinion on other websites in the directory. The more you participate, the more you get in return!

* Referral based traffic - You are probably familiar with the concept of network marketing, well this is a free version of that marketing method - by registering and promoting your linkreferral affiliate link, an exponential growth of 5 levels of referrals can be created (ex. you refer 10 people who refer 10 people each who refer 10 each....), potentially 10,000s of visitors/day all viewing your link prominently in the top spot of our 'Featured Sites' section on our home page for your referral ID. It works because its free, fast to register, easy to implement and no risk. People that are referred from your site will have nothing to lose and everything to gain, just like you.

* Search engine traffic - By registering, you'll benefit several ways, including,
1) having your webpage listing indexed more quickly - the major search engines continously spider our site, and the sites listed in our directory.
2) Improved search engine rankings and SEO optimization.
3) Indirect search engine traffic via linkreferral.com. Pages such as your directory listing and your affiliate page listing feature your link and description, are picked up by all the major search engines. Your sign-up description, combined with our strong traffic base (a prime ranking factor for most major search engines) can pull in a significant immediate steady stream of traffic to your listing on linkreferral.com and then on to your web site.

* Linkreferral forums traffic - By participating in our forums on a daily basis, you'll build relationships and your reputation within the linkreferral community and improve the odds of successfully converting visitors to your end goal. Promote your listing by asking questions and giving comments, each post you make actively displays your link, category and member profile.

Your home-business site requires visitors - this tool seems as good as any to make that happen.

Dreamers And Visionaries

2007-08-07T19:25:00.000+02:00

For years I have told teams to "dream big", "dream the impossible and make it happen" and "dream the dreams of champions". I have lead folks through exercises where they write down their dreams and begin to discover what it will take to make those dreams a reality.

The problem has come with those teams who leave the exercise purely at the dreaming stage. No clear action plans are put in place, no commitment is made to ensuring that the dreams of the team become a reality. Over the past year I have been convicted of the need to change my wording as I lead these type of workshops. It has become necessary to differentiate between those who dream and those who have a vision. Vision is such an over-worked word in business leadership circles but it has its place. The most helpful definition of vision I have come across is this :

Vision is a picture of the future that produces passion in the present.

It is the passion that brings energy to the process of working towards the vision. I have discovered that if our thoughts remain only at the 'dream' stage, they are seldom realised.

There is nothing wrong with dreaming - it is a creative exercise which allows us to think beyond the immediate. However, in order for progress to be made these dreams have to morphed into a clear picture of the future that produces passion in the present - a vision of what could be.

Micah Davis in the blog Food Forethought lists these differences between dreamers and visionaries -

It seems to me that entrepreneurs are visionaries while those content to work for others while trying achieve their goals are dreamers. Which are you?

Business Card Design

2007-08-06T21:00:00.000+02:00

Many times I have seen a notice-board in a busy shopping centre covered in business cards. It is almost impossible to be drawn to any of them as they cover each other and seem to jostle for the viewers' attention. Every now and again one card stands out from the crowd. This is normally the one that is different in some way - bright colour, unusual shape, stand-out printing or in 3-D.

What about the business card that is stuffed into a prospective client's pocket or wallet? How can your business card stand out from the crowd?

Your business card is your silent salesman. In a world where information is readily available on a computer or cell-phone, what is going to make a person remember your business card so that they refer to it when they need information for a product or service your business offers?

Take a look at this collection of 574 interesting business cards for some inspiration.

Let me know through the comments if you have come across any unusual business cards from South African companies.

Quote of the Week #10

2007-08-06T08:20:00.001+02:00

In every interaction, pursue points of connection. This is where communication begins.
Don't fake it. Seek connection only as far as you sincerely desire to know and relate to another. If you must, settle for a connection that is less strong rather than pretend. - Jedd Medefind and Erik Lokkesmoe in The Revolutionary Communicator

No BS - Inappropriate Names For Your Business

2007-08-03T08:33:00.000+02:00

This morning I picked up an advertisement for BS Corporate Wear. Now really, we all know that BS is short for B...S...! Why on earth would you want your company name linked to this abbreviation? I just don't get it!

Naming your company is an essential part of developing your small business. Take a look at this outstanding post by Michael McDerment on the process of discovering a name for your business. Another interesting article is this one from Riches Communication which offers more assistance.

Have you got any local examples of strange / funny / inappropriate business names? Please post them here in the comments...

Book recommendation :

Stop Moaning - Sort It Out or Get Out!

2007-08-02T08:06:00.000+02:00

Running your own business is hard work - period!

I am tired of hearing the moans of those who have taken the decision to start their own business and then discover that long hours and plain old hard work is required to make it profitable.

This post was precipitated by a conversation I overheard in an office yesterday. The gentleman concerned was on his cell-phone to a person who had cancelled an appointment and wanted to reschedule. This gentleman's words went something like this,

Do you know that I am self-employed? I can't just leave to come to a meeting. Do you know what time I worked to last night? Ten past one in the morning! Yes, that's what time I went to bed. And do you know I was up at five this morning. I haven't got time to be messed around - I'm self-employed you know.

Come on... Get a life! Business owners are not the only ones who work long hours. Self-management and better use of time is needed when you begin to live for work, not work to live.

When deciding to start your own business you need to be sure of the sacrifices required. The most successful start-ups are those that have been thoroughly thought through by the business owner.

So stop moaning - sort yourself out or get out!

Increase Productivity With Keyboard Shortcuts

2007-07-30T16:04:00.000+02:00

Keep computer time productive - take a look at this extremely comprehensive list of keyboard shortcuts all designed to enhance productivity while sitting behind your computer screen.

Applications listed include Firefox, Thunderbird, Windows, Outlook, Winamp and many more.

My suggestion is that you print this out and cut out the section pertaining to the software you use. Get to know these shortcuts - paste them up near your monitor or keyboard, make them visible and practice using them. In a short space of time you will find yourself automatically using the keyboard instead of the mouse and you will discover how much easier things become!

The Internet Explorer shortcuts include these :

1) Open link in new background tab CTRL+left mouse button or middle mouse button

2) Open link in new foreground tab CTRL+SHIFT+left mouse button or CTRL+SHIFT+middle mouse button

3) Open Quick Tab View CTRL+Q

4) View list of opened tabs CTRL+SHIFT+Q

5) Select the Address bar Alt + D

6) Open the website address that is typed in the Address Bar in new tab Alt + Enter

7) Jump to Search Bar Ctrl + E

8) Open New Tab Ctrl + T (keyboard), Double Click on Tab Bar (mouse)

9) Close Current Tab Ctrl + W (keyboard), Middle Click on Tab (mouse)

10) Jump To Next Tab Ctrl + Tab

11) Jump To Previous Tab Ctrl + Shift + Tab

12) Select a Tab Ctrl + [1 - 9]

13) Open feeds CTRL+J

14) Move to a next link Tab

15) Move to a previous link Shift + Tab

Take a look at the list here for a whole lot more.

Quote of the Week #9

2007-07-30T08:26:00.000+02:00

So a leader must learn to lead down, up, and laterally. But perhaps the most overlooked leadership challenge is the one in the middle. - Bill Hybels in "Courageous Leadership"

Strategic Planning E-book Download

2007-07-25T14:18:00.000+02:00

I recently came across Lulu which gives one the opportunity to self-publish any books, brochures, e-books, video files and so on. It is a really great way to get your work into the view of the public at next to no cost. The FAQ section is very comprehensive and is a good way to get a feel for what the company offers.

I decided to give it a go and publish an document online - Strategic Planning Outline For Small Businesses. This is my first attempt at online publishing (besides my blogs!).

I do believe that this strategic planning strategy outline will add value to small businesses and so I invite you to download it here for the low cost of $1.

Once you have bought this document go ahead and take a look at the rest of the Lulu site - what a fantastic site for those wishing to be published!

Statistics Show More South Africans Entering The Job Market

2007-07-25T08:50:00.000+02:00

A report released yesterday by Statistics South Africa shows a decline in the category described as "not economically active" - from 13,6 million in July 2005 to less than 13,2 million last July. This implies that more people have entered the labour force.

The General Household Survey showed that 348 000 jobs were added to the economy in the same time period. It would be interesting to discover how many of these were in the formal sector and how many in the informal sector. A drive around many of South Africa's cities shows how many ordinary South Africans have been self-employed. Roadside "shopping malls" are becoming the norm and at every building site in Johannesburg some enterprising entrepreneur from the informal sector has set up a small shop to provide snacks and lunch for the workers.

The provision of jobs in our country is not solely the work of government. Our education system must teach entrepreneurship, financial intellegience, critical thinking and basic marketing skills to ensure that every young person leaving school can begin to add value not only to his/her life, but to the broader economy as well. Almost 5 million South Africans are unemployed adding to the burden on social grants, family units and society in general. As more and more young people are added to the working population each year the need for entrepreneurial skills development is increasingly important.

It has become a national imperative to increase South Africa's job market through entrepreneurial development and support to the informal sector. Is this the government's responsibility? Perhaps. But isn't there also validity in looking to the formal sector, corporate South Africa, to assist in this process? I believe so. Ordinary South Africans can also assist by giving time, resources and expertise to those who need it to set up their own enterprise.

There is an old proverb that says that if you give a man a fish you feed him for a day, but if you teach him how to fish you feed him for a lifetime. This may be an old proverb but it certainly rings true for us in South Africa today. We need to be very intentional about how we are teaching the people around us "to fish". It is everyone's best interest that this happens and happens soon.

Is A 4 Hour Work Week Possible - Maybe So ...

2007-07-23T09:04:00.000+02:00

Could you change your current working reality so that instead of a 60-70 hour work week, you spent 4 hours a week working your business?

It seems that this may just be possible!

While listening to the Internet Business Mastery podcast I was introduced to the concept of a Four Hour Work Week. This was put forward by Tim Ferris who has made this his lifestyle and heads up a very successful business. Does this seem impossible to you? It certainly did to me. However take a look at these case studies of people who have implemented a reduced hour work week posted on YouTube. See this post on eSoup to read another account of how a reduced hour work week has changed the author's life.

The website of Tim Ferris, author of The Four Hour Work Week, espouses the idea of "outsourcing your life". The site gives great insight into this concept and is well worth a visit. There are also chapter samples available to read to get an idea of what Tim's book is about. The book has been a New York Times bestseller and is based on a series of controversial lectures at Princeton University.

It is clear though that embarking on the journey towards chronological freedom entails risk taking, making sacrifices initially and the willingness to back yourself to win. That all seems perfectly acceptable to me - short term sacrifice, long term gain. Isn't that a principle of life? It seems that all successful people understand that.

I must confess that I have not read this book but having heard about it, listened to the testimonies around it and having explored the website, I am now dead keen to go out and purchase it!

Once I have read the book I will post my review. If you've already read it, please send me a review to publish as well.

If you know of any South Africans who utilise this type of work lifestyle, please do let me know. I would love to feature them (interview them) for this blog.

To find out more about the book or to purchase your own copy, please click on the cover below.

Quote of the Week #9

2007-07-23T07:58:00.000+02:00

Energy is the currency of your leadership. It is also the currency of your team. Good personal stewardship of energy will inspire your team to do the same. - Dave Fleming (Author of Leadership Wisdom From Unlikely Voices)

Pamphlet Hand-outs - Does This Advertising Work?

2007-07-19T08:19:00.000+02:00

I wonder how many of us take the time to read the myriad of pamphlets foisted upon us by distributors at traffic intersections? I, for one, will take the pamphlet to assist the chap who is earning his living from doing this thankless task, but I very seldom read it and even less often will I act on it.

This morning I was handed a large A4 booklet containing a number of advertisements and a glossy 23 page magazine on collecting antiques. I took this booklet because it looked different to anything I had seen before. On closer inspection I could see that this booklet was nothing more than a large collection of advertisements.

I do wonder at the efficacy of this advertising medium. It seems to me like fishing for one sardine in the Atlantic Ocean. The reward vs. effort / expense does not seem worth it for a small or home-based business. Now this is purely a subjective opinion. I do not have stats to back this up so I would welcome any comments from those who have utilised this methodology.

The company putting out this booklet of ads is Rainbow Pamphlets - I will let them know of this post and give them right of reply. I would be interested to see if they have statistics to back up their particular advertising medium. If so, I will publish them on this blog.

My intuition tells me that if the company distributes 45 000 pamphlets a month they must have sufficient satisfied customers who keep paying fees to them! I am still a little sceptical though!

10 Commandments of Human Relations

2007-07-18T15:09:00.000+02:00

I recently attended a business leadership presentation where the presenter gave each of the participants the 10 Commandments of Human Relations. I had never come across these before but I am led to believe they have been around for some time.

If we are serious about business then we have to be serious about people. These commandments give us a great platform on which to build a successful business.

The 10 Commandments of Human Relations - author unknown

1. Speak to People.
There is nothing as nice as a cheerful word of greeting.

2. Smile at People.
It takes 72 muscles to frown, but only 14 to smile!

3. Call People by Name.
The sweetest music to anyone's ear is the sound of his or her own name.

4. Be Friendly and Helpful.
If you would have friends, be friendly.

5. Be Cordial.
Speak and act as if everything you do were a real pleasure.

6. Be Genuinely Interested in People.
You can like everyone if you try.

7. Be Generous with Praise, Cautious with Criticism.
Praise will win out when it comes to gaining friends.

8. Be Considerate of the Feelings of Others.
It will be appreciated.

9. Be Thoughtful of the Opinions of Others.
People love their opinions as they do their own children, calling them ugly won't get you anything but anger.

10. Be Alert to Give Service.
What counts most in life is what we do for others!

Mango Growers Take Flight! - Using the mistakes of others to raise some money!

2007-07-17T09:44:00.000+02:00

Using the internet as a marketing tool is not always an exact science. Sometimes it requires some experimentation to figure out exactly how to make SEO work or how to ensure higher CTR and so on. On occasion using the fact that your name sounds much like anothers can work to your advantage in the online world.

This morning I wanted to find an airfare for Mango Airlines. I typed in mango.co.za and would you believe, I arrived at the South African Mango Growers' Association and not Mango Airlines!

I am sure that I am not the first to have done this - something which the designers of the site have obviously noticed. So instead of just expressing frustration at all their misdirected visitors, they have decided to be pro-active and use this to their advantage.

They signed up with Traffic Synergy - an affiliate marketing company and placed a large ad on their home page for TravelStart which allows one to search for low-cost fares in South Africa. The Mango Growers Association will receive R80 for each booking made from this site.

People like myself who were actually wanting Mango Airlines are obviously looking for cheap flights and may well be tempted to click on the banner and discover more.

Well done to the Mango Growers Association and their web team for this initiative.

Quote of the Week #8

2007-07-16T07:47:00.000+02:00

If you're not learning while you're earning, you're cheating yourself out of the better portion of your compensation. - Napoleon Hill

Personal Touch In A Digital World

2007-07-13T11:09:00.001+02:00

In June I posted a blog entitled Effective Email Communication. In this post I mentioned AWeber as a service provider of email newsletters.

I recently signed on as an affiliate of AWeber as I have done with other affiliate marketing companies over the past year or two. Imagine my surprise when I received in the mail a letter from the company welcoming me as a new affiliate. No other affiliate company I know of has ever sent me a physical acknowledgement of signing up with them.

This strategy is brilliant for the following reasons :

1) It shows recognition of the importance of relationship
2) It is a reminder to the new affiliate of his/her link with AWeber
3) All the contact information is available on the letter in the form of a small block which can be cut out and placed in a visible spot
4) It is indicative of the efforts to which the company will go to ensure customer satisfaction

I am really impressed by this!

Can you, a small business owner, learn from this? Of course you can! Perhaps these lessons stand out :

1) In a digital world a personal touch is always very well received
2) Your relationship with the client/customer is paramount
3) Set up your customers to win
4) Show your customers/clients that you are prepared to do things differently/better than the rest
5) A little bit of effort can go a long way in retaining customer loyalty

Are you giving your business a personal touch? It doesn't matter how big you are, its the small things that count!

Outstanding Youth Market Online Advertising

2007-07-12T10:57:00.000+02:00

It has been said that one of the keys to successful marketing is a good understanding of your target demographic.

The Fly PenTop Computer site is a fantastic example of a website clearly in touch with its target market. I believe it is a truly great example of understanding who it is you wish to sell your product to and then utilising technology to 'speak' to that audience.

Any examples of South African companies doing the same type of marketing online? Let me know...

Online Video Advertising Works!

2007-07-11T16:03:00.000+02:00

The Online Publishers Association recently released a report which showed that 80% of all video viewers online have watched a video ad online and 52% have taken some sort of action, whether it's checking out a website (31%), searching for more info (22%), going into a store (15%), or making a purchase (16%).

It is clear that video advertising works! Home business owners however may feel that they do not have the resources to put together fancy video advertising and they are probably correct! Television advertising is prohibitively expensive. Is there an alternative?

Most people today have some form of video camera. Heck, even cell-phones take video these days! Some creativity, hard work and out-of-the-box thinking could result in a very effective video advert. Published to YouTube, Zoopy and others, together with some creative marketing (think viral marketing through an email campaign) this could become an extremely effective advertising medium.

One caveat : if the ad looks amateurish it can also do damage to your brand so be careful. Some online ads are designed to look like home videos and are effective as such. The copy for such ads is well written so that the viewer understands the context.

Network Marketing - Do I Smell A Rat?

2007-07-09T16:01:00.000+02:00

There are many business models in the marketplace for those wishing to start their own businesses. The one that has probably generated the most discussion and debate has been network marketing.

About a year ago I began to investigate this phenomenon and I was amazed at the negativity surrounding the industry. What was most surprising was that many of these companies had superb product offerings - high-quality with reasonable pricing. I could not understand why there was a problem! Then I came across Robert Kiyosaki's comment on network marketing :

If I had to do it all over again, rather
than build an old style type of business,
I would have started building a
network marketing business.

In his book, Business School, Kiyosaki lists these eight hidden values of network marketing :

#1 True Equal Opportunity.

#2 Life-Changing Business Education.

#3 Friends Who Will Pull You Up, Not Push You Down.

#4 What is the Value of A Network?

#5 Developing Your Most Important Business Skill.

#6 Leadership

#7 Not Working for Money.

#8 Living Your Dreams

When I realised that this was a legitimate business and not some illegal pyramid scheme I became hooked. I now run my own network marketing business and love it!

Thanks to Scott Bradley I found this outstanding article which spells out the differences between network marketing and other schemes - if you have any doubts about this type of business opportunity then you really must read this article from Entrepreneur.com

Network marketing requires skill, hard work, perseverance and a willingness to move out of your comfort zone. I believe that it is a phenomenal means of growing yourself as well as providing an ongoing source of residual income.

If you are unsure of any business opportunity that advertises itself as a network marketing company, read this article which gives tips on how to spot a scam.

Quote of the Week #7

2007-07-09T08:03:00.000+02:00

Understand that character is not essential to leadership, but character is what sets you apart as a leader worth following. Talent and determination determine your potential; character determines your legacy. - Andy Stanley (The Next Generation Leader)

Free Marketing Resource From South African Company

2007-07-06T14:07:00.000+02:00

I recently came across the ZA Group (Pty) Ltd. This is a company who describe themselves as -

a team of marketing and communication strategists, writers, graphic designers and other creative professionals, passionately concerned about the well-being of South Africa.

They offer a fantastic resource for the small/home business owner - a free e-book called "Three Marketing Essentials Without Which Your Business May Not Survive". It is written by the company's CEO, Theresa Muller who has three decades of experience in this field and has taught and written extensively on this subject.

This is not your run of the mill marketing exercise to give you a useless e-book in return for your email address. This is a valuable resource to which you will return often especially if you are new to running your own business.

Please let me know if you find any other e-books of this ilk - I am looking for quality here as there is an awful lot of junk out there masquerading as valuable material for the small business owner.

Tom Peters - Top To Bottom

2007-07-02T23:08:00.000+02:00

Go on offense.
Give everybody a shot.
Decentralize.
Try a bunch of stuff.
Make it up as you go along.
Get some stuff wrong.
Laugh a lot.
Get some stuff right.
Become a "success."

Extract "lessons learned" or "best practices."
Thicken the Book of Rules.
Become evermore serious.
Enforce the rules to increasingly tight tolerances.
Go on defense.
Install walls.
Protect-at-all-costs today's franchise.
Centralize.
Calcify.
Install taller walls.
Write more rules.
Become irrelevant and-or die.

This list is what Tom Peters calls the essence of his life's work and is a sobering reminder to retain our personal and business identity as our organisation grows. It also reminds us to remember to have the courage to fail at trying something new. Developing a culture of experimentation in your business is critical if you are to be successful in the long-term.

It was Eleanor Roosevelt who said,

Do one thing everyday that scares you.

There are few things as disheartening as seeing a business grow to be successful and then begin to atrophy as the owner/CEO decides to maintain the status-quo instead of continually striving to improve what the business offers. An unwillingness to experiment with new business models, improved product offering, more efficient distribution methods and out-of-the-box marketing, is destined to bring eventual failure.

Be brave - do something different today!

Is Netflix behind SA online DVD initiative?

2007-07-02T00:00:00.000+02:00

It was with excitement that I heard of South Africa's online DVD rental option. I had seen such a service offered by Netflix on several trips to the USA and was waiting with anticipation for this option to be available to South Africans.

My good friend Eish! recently blogged about PushPlay, South Africa's answer to online DVD rentals. After some investigation I began to question what connection PushPlay had with Netflix in the USA. I reported on my findings in another blog I author known as Online Trek.

See my post on PushPlay here - Is Netflix behind SA online DVD initiative?

(Update - PushPlay's reply came to me the very next day. Impressive customer service - see their reply here)

Quote of the Week #6

2007-07-01T22:59:00.000+02:00

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. - Walt Disney

10 Tips For Effective Email Writing

2007-06-28T21:46:00.000+02:00

In my post on Effective Email Communication I mentioned that I would follow-up with a post on the art of writing effective emails.

I found a really great article on the Clickz.com site. It lists 20 Rules Of Writing Effective Business Emails. I like this list because all the rules are common-sense and easy to implement.

The 20 Rules are :

1) Be accurate. Whatever claims you make, benefits you offer, or statistics you quote, make sure they are true and not inflated. Nothing is worse than starting off a relationship with exaggerated or even false information.

2) Be brief. Your job with B2B email is to capture interest, then provide more information if it's wanted. You need to identify the most important benefit to the recipient and sum it up in a short paragraph. Think of it as the 30-second "elevator pitch" in email form.

3) Be clear. Most business people are turned off by email messages with bad grammar, misspellings, and/or unintelligible content. If you personally struggle with writing, hiring a professional writer to prepare your messages is a worthwhile investment.

4) Be genuine. Forget the hype that works with consumers. The B2B relationship is built on trust. Make sure everything you say conveys you are a genuine, upstanding, honest person running a reputable business.

5) Speak their language. Whatever you're going to say, write in words they understand and are comfortable with. Don't write down to them or above their comprehension level. People tend to understand and react better to words they use in everyday conversations.

6) Put yourself in their shoes. Try to picture the daily routine of the people you're contacting and reflect that in your writing: "I know you're busy, so I'll get right to the point."

7) Watch out for a "knowledge gap." Don't assume recipients have the same knowledge about your product or service you do. After you've captured their interest and have reached the "additional information" stage, try offering a step-by-step walkthrough of whatever you're marketing to help them understand what you're trying to say.

8) Write business emails as letters, not as ads. In the B2B world, a forthright communication in letter format is much more effective than an email that looks and smells like an ad.

9) Take your time. As you would with B2C (and any other communication, for that matter), let your B2B email message sit for a day or two after you complete it. Show it to colleagues and other business people, and get their opinions. In almost every case, the passage of time and other people's input will help you improve your messaging and writing.

10) Remember your email is likely to be passed around. Because it's so easy for email to be forwarded, assume your message will be sent to others if the initial recipient has any interest. You may want to include links to information that is relevant to others, including technical details, operations info, and financial data.

For the remaining 10 rules, please go along to the Clickz.com site - here.

Agloco - follow-up post

2007-06-28T09:25:00.000+02:00

Earlier this year I blogged about Agloco - a company that promised to leverage the internet for those who signed up with them.

There has been much written about Agloco over the past two months - particularly as they seemed to take a very long time to get going. Chris Pirillo has written an interesting article on Agloco which is worth reading. Just make sure you read the comments to get an idea of what others are saying as well.

I am in two minds about this opportunity. Part of me says that it sounds too good to be true. Another part of me says why not give it a go - there's nothing to lose other than a bit of screen real estate. I'm currently using the viewbar and find it unobtrusive. Agloco assures us the viewbar is 100% safe.

I will keep you posted. If you would like to sign up as well to give it a try - go here

Agloco Banner by AglocoBanners.com

Art Of The Start - Essential Viewing

2007-06-27T22:03:00.000+02:00

Every now and again one comes across a piece of teaching that is so valuable it cannot be kept to oneself. This is certainly the case with this video of Guy Kawasaki teaching about "The Art Of The Start".

It can be found on Guy's blog and I highly recommend any person in business to watch it and take notes. It is highly entertaining and informative. The slides used in the presentation are also available for download - all for free!

Enjoy . . .

Effective Email Communication

2007-06-26T13:58:00.001+02:00

There can be nothing worse for clients than a poorly conceived email campaign from a local business owner. Receiving unsolicited email with no opt-out (about to become illegal in South Africa), repetitive information, bad design and poor content are some of the reasons many clients do not wish to be placed on an email circulation register.

From a business owner's perspective though, email can be a very powerful tool. Reaching your target market with relevant, thought-provoking and useful content is very important. The writing of these emails is a skill all of its own and this blog will address this issue in the coming days.

Managing email lists and responding to client's return emails is also important as it speaks to the professionalism of your business. Just because your company operates out of a home office does not mean that you can be slack with this vital communication tool.

Over the years I have spent online I have come across numerous companies that offer email newsletter services. They offer to manage your lists, set up auto-responders, generate reports and deliver your content timeously. I have used GraphicMail in the past and they seem to deliver a good service. They also offer free use for non-profit organisations.

A company whose name I often see is AWeber. In fact, I subscribe to a few lists managed by them. These guys have been around for a while and seem to know their business well. According to their website they offer these benefits :

* Unlimited autoresponders.
* Unlimited personalized follow up messages.
* Unlimited message length, unlimited changes, and full integrated HTML creator and/or plain text message capability.
* Unlimited campaigns.
* Templates pre-designed HTML to allow larger fonts, bold, colors, and images. Fully customizable.
* Unlimited personalized broadcast newsletters and segmented broadcast capability.
* Easy web form generator allows easy addition of opt-in forms to your website, pop-ups, pop-overs, hover pops, and exit pops along with split testing of different forms.
* Name, date, geographical, 25 custom fields, and more personalization features.
* Graphical account statistics and reporting with automatic emailing of reports.
* Automatic undeliverable email handling.
* Automated ad tracking features.
* Complete 24/7 control over your own account, via an online control panel.
* Integrated CAN-SPAM compliance checks with SPF & Sender ID email authentication included.
* FREE unlimited customer support.

I am sure you will agree that this is a fairly comprehensive list! Their website offers much more information as well as video tutorials and a demo.

The cost ranges from around R140 per month to R1200 per year. I don't believe that this is excessive for the value you are receiving.

Go and take a look - AWeber - you'll be glad you did!

Economic Empowerment In A Box

2007-06-26T08:21:00.000+02:00

As the regular readers of this blog already know, I am always on the look-out for good news stories about economic empowerment (see my post on the power of peanut-butter)so I was excited when I came across this wonderful company called South Africa In A Box.

They create great South African gifts consisting of a box (made of wire, tin or card) containing products that are uniquely South African. What I love most about these guys is that they partner with economic empowerment initiatives across the country who provide some of the contents for the boxes.

Imagine this - there are previously disadvantaged communities out there being fed through the proceeds of their effort to fill boxes with creative craft that is being sent around the country and overseas promoting our country which may well lead to further economic investment and future growth! Now that's what I call a business with its feet strongly rooted in the reality of the present but also with a keen eye on the future. Of course they are making these boxes for profit, they are a business after all, but the repercussions of their efforts will be felt for a long time in those communities which benefit from this initiative.

Well done to the team at South Africa In A Box - you make us proud to be South African!

Revisiting The Basics

2007-06-25T08:49:00.000+02:00

It is so easy to become ungulfed in the reality of running your own business that you begin to neglect those basic principles that made you successful in the first place! Like a good sportsman, it is important to be grounded in the basic skills and principles so that when the going is tough you can continue to make progress.

Here then are 10 principles of business basics that we would do well to remember :

1) Know what you don't do - be clear on those things that your business is not offering clients. It is too easy to try to be all to all - a sure shortcut to business failure.

2) Know your market - understand who your business is serving - what is your target market? Write this down and be specific - age, gender, class, location, language etc.

3) Differentiate your service - be prepared to do something different to stand out from the crowd.

4) Watch the pennies - keep a very close watch on the comings and goings of your bank balance.

5) Truly care for your employees - a happy, cared for and affirmed work force is your greatest asset - look after them and they will look after you.

6) Under promise, over deliver - you cannot afford the advertising value of good word-of-mouth referrals (neither can you afford the negative publicity linked to a client's bad experience!)

7) Set goals and go after them - Write down your goals and share them with others

8) Make your business known - explore all options to let the market know what you offer - some creative thought and minimal expense can reap great dividends.

9) Stick it out! - every business will have rough patches - how we choose to react to them can be the difference between success and failure.

10) Always maintain your integrity - have a clear moral compass and ethical values in your business at all times.

- This blog post is adapted from an article by Greg Fisher in the May 2007 edition of Entrepreneur magazine.

Quote of the Week #5

2007-06-25T08:33:00.000+02:00

A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business. - Henry Ford

Lead Where You Are

2007-06-22T11:55:00.001+02:00

Following on yesterday's post about training I would like to draw your attention to what is fast becoming the leadership training event of the year - The Global Leadership Summit presented by the Willow Creek Association.

At very affordable pricing (from as little as R300 for the day) this event features speakers such as Colin Powell (former US Secretary of State), Jimmy Carter (39th President of the US), Richard Curtis (award-winning screenwriter and producer of films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral), Carly Fiorina (former CEO of Hewlett-Packard) and Bill Hybels (senior pastor and founder of Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago).

The US event happens earlier in the year and the best sessions are recorded in very high quality onto DVD. The conference package is then taken to a further 193 cities in 31 countries around the world and broadcast to local audiences at individual summits. I have attended the last two of these in Johannesburg and have been blown away at the quality of broadcast and, of course, the quality of the leadership input.

This year the Summit will be taken to the following venues in South Africa :

1) Johannesburg - 5/6 October
2) Durban - 12/13 October
3) Port Elizabeth - 12/13 October
4) Cape Town - 19/20 October
5) Jeffrey's Bay - 19/20 October
6) Nelspruit - 26/27 October

You can download a brochure by clicking here.

For further information you will need to visit the Willow Creek South Africa site - click here

Can You Afford To Be Trained?

2007-06-21T08:17:00.000+02:00

There are two great one-day seminars for business owners coming up during this month and next. However there is a huge discrepancy in the pricing and therefore affordability.

The first is one called "How To Turn Your Idea Into A Profitable Business" presented by Imagin8. This one-day event will reveal why 90% of businesses fail within the first five years and will teach attendees essential skills for giving your new business idea the best chance possible. It takes places on 23 June at Gallagher Estate in Midrand and costs R699 per day.

The second is an event entitled "The Leadership Habits Of South Africa's Business Champions". This is presented by Leadership Works. The conference will feature Ricardo Semler, President of Semco SA and Professor Gary Hamel of the London Business School as well as a host of other leading South African business executives. The conference takes place at the Sandton Convention Centre on 10 July and will cost each participant R6994.

There is no doubt that each of these events will have great speakers, inspiring and challenging content and that those attending will leave having felt that they have spent the day well. I also have no doubt that those who implement their learnings will find benefit to their businesses.

What I do question however is the huge discrepancy in pricing - R699 / R6994. I would think that a small business owner would hesitate to spend almost R7000 on a one day seminar even though there may be long term benefit to his/her business. In an economy so desperate for competent, well-trained entrepreneurs and small business owners surely effort must be made to keep the cost of training as affordable as possible? Perhaps bringing in overseas speakers is not such a good idea when our own country has so many superb speakers who understand the South African economy, the complexity of our cultural melting pot and who are able to get into the mind of the South African business owner.

Increasing the skills base of our small business owners must be top priority and therefore affordable training is key to future success.

Quote of the Week #4

2007-06-21T07:48:00.000+02:00

Life skills are often best learned through experience. These are important lessons not taught in school. Formal education is really for those seeking to be employees or self-employed individuals. To obtain true financial freedom, you must be either a business owner or an investor, generating passive income. - Robert Kiyosaki

The Real Story Behind Franchising In South Africa

2007-06-14T14:35:00.000+02:00

Franchising occupies about 12% of South Africa's retail and services market. Those wishing to enter this market would do well to consider the pros and cons of such and move. It would be good to be able to hear from those who have been both successful and unsuccessful and entering the world of the franchise.

Franchising in South Africa: The Real Story takes the reader behind the scenes of the franchising world. Using examples from South Africa's well-known businesses such as Spur, Nando's, Pick 'n Pay and Mugg&Bean, this book reveals the realities of actual franchisors and franchisees.

The authors are Eric Parker and Kurt Illetschko. Parker is a well-known speaker and business strategist and Illetschko has lectured for 30 years on the subject of franchising.

Crime does pay - for some!

2007-06-12T08:14:00.000+02:00

The Democratic Alliance has released a report which states that the South African government spent R269,5m on private security last year with the biggest spender being the justice department with a spend of R137m. This indicates a 78.5% increase over 2005.

It seems that if you are in the private security business and can secure a government contract, you are sitting on a lucrative deal! Those who were ahead of the curve on this one are now smiling all the way to the bank!

Of course the other question to be asked is this: If all this money is being spent on private security (even at police stations) to release our police service to be more actively engaged in street level crime fighting, is it paying dividends? Are we seeing a reduction in crime given that there should now be more policemen and women on patrol? If taxpayers' money is being used to fund this expenditure, are we seeing the benefits?

Quote of the Week #3

2007-06-12T07:58:00.000+02:00

Life is pretty simple: You do some stuff. Most fails. Some works. You do more of what works. If it works big, others quickly copy it. Then you do something else. - Tom Peters

Discover MyGenius! - Business Networking

2007-06-07T10:01:00.000+02:00

I recently came across a unique social and business networking site known as MyGenius. This is a fantastic opportunity to develop mutually beneficial networks in an environment that acknlowedges your uniqueness and your willingness to be an active participant.

Part of the dynamic of this site is the opportunity to meet with business coaches in the real world who are able to offer assistance and further networking opportunities. On signing up you are listed as a "Dabbler" and through meeting various requirements which are all based on interactivity on the site, you progress through the rankings which each have their own benefits.

At the moment I am working at meeting the requirements for the status of "Networker" and as a result I have been able to network with many people who I may otherwise not have come into contact with.

This is a site with a tremendous future. I am confident that it is going to assist me in my business and I am sure you will find it beneficial too.

If you would like to know more, send an email to admin@roadtohealth.biz with MyGius in the subject line and I will send you an invite.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Where Did My Time Go?

2007-06-06T11:27:00.000+02:00

Working at home provides many benefits but at the same time allows one to fall into the trap of time-mismanagement. It becomes very easy to say, "I'll do it later after I've watched TV or had coffee or read this chapter in my book." and so on.

We have all heard it said that time is our most valuable commodity. If this is so, how do we spend it? Are we being wise in our time allocations? Does our family see enough of us at home away from the home-office?

Take some time today to check your priorities. Our allocation of time is often a reflection of our priorities! Use this Time Tabulator to see visually what is happening with your time. If necessary keep a time diary for a week to see where your time is going.

The world will continue to rush around us. Why not be the calm place in the storm? Be strategic about how you allocate time to the demands of work, family and down-time for yourself. Invest in a daily planner and use it daily. Use time-management software or Post-It notes - whatever you need to make a system work, do it and stick to it.

GetMoreDone.com has this list of Top 10 Time Tamers - it makes for excellent reading :

1) Write down your long-term goals. Use the SMART formula; make them Specific, Measurable, Appropriate, Realistic and Time-bound.

2) Every day, divide your tasks into A, B and C priorities. Always start with a high priority "A" task, even if you can only accomplish a small part of it.

3) Block off time for activities that are important. Make an appointment with yourself, and don’t let anyone schedule anything for the time you’ve put aside.

4) Stop spending time on trivia. You don't need a new voice mail message every day. Don't spend hours preparing a high tech presentation when a good conversation will suffice. And stop fussing over routine administrative tasks. Delegate or automate them.

5) Have the courage to say no. Don't try to please others all the time. Create personal policies that make it easy to say no and stick to your plan.

6) Always start meetings on time. Don't punish those who show up on time and reward those who are late. Do something however minor, but get started.

7) Slow down. Productivity isn't about going fast. It's about doing the right things. Stop rushing around, driving too fast and getting upset at things you can't control. A couple of minutes gained aren't worth the added stress.

8) Avoid procrastination by completing unpleasant tasks first. The tough stuff usually turns out to be not so bad. Break complex tasks into easy pieces and give yourself a reward for getting something done.

9) Don't be a slave to technology. Communication devices are simply adding more and more ways to be out of touch with each other. Simplify your life and leave your phone at home. Plan for people to reach you some of the time, not all of the time.

10) Create time for balance in your life. Set aside time for family, fitness, social, educational and spiritual needs. Plan for balance the way you plan for work.

Quote of the Week #2

2007-06-04T14:51:00.000+02:00

Most of us would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism. -Norman Vincent Peale

How to earn customers who stick

2007-06-04T14:26:00.001+02:00

Last week I signed up with TrafficSynergy.com - an affiliate marketing company which is now also based in South Africa. When I signed up I had to give contact information which is the norm for most online registrations. The information asked for also included an option to fill-in my Skype contact details.

Usually I fill in the required information simply because the registration will not proceed without it. I enter the info and I never expect it to be used - ever.

I was very pleasantly surprised when I was contacted through a text message on Skype by the TrafficSynergy representative who is now my personal contact at the company. She informed me that her role was to be available to answer any questions I may have and to be of any assistance she could to me.

What a nice personal touch! I now have Shelley on my Skype list and when next I have a question all I have to do is give her a call or text her.

Entrepreneurs and small business owners take note - the personal touch from your company is critical as you build relationships with clients. Personally I do not like standard email responses from a company with which I have just signed up. The message I receive is "Thanks for helping us make money" rather than "Thanks for partnering with us. How can we help you?".

We need to ensure that relationships are the top priority in our business - it is the new economic model. Relationships are key - work hard at developing and maintaining them.

It's The Weekend - #8 (Fancy A Round Of Golf?)

2007-06-01T13:20:00.000+02:00

Stuck at home with bad weather or a bad back? Can't get to the course this weekend? Perhaps an online game of golf would help ease the withdrawal!

3D 18-hole Golf is an online representation of a game of golf - do not be fooled - it is very difficult indeed (at least I thought so!).

If this doesn't take your fancy then head on over to SciGolf for some interesting thoughts on the game. Perhaps you could pop into here for some interesting golf history.

On the other hand perhaps you just want to be driving - click here!

Enjoy your weekend!

Fishy Customer Service

2007-05-31T07:48:00.000+02:00

My family and I visited the Cape Town Fish Market in Lonehill last night. Our experiences with this chain have always been excellent and it has a great reputation. However, last night was not quite what it could have been . . .

After perusing the menu, we placed our order which included a fried egg for our 4 year old. As the egg was not on the menu I asked the waitress if this could be done. Without a thought her response was, "We don't have eggs." My wife then pointed out that there must be eggs in the kitchen as there was an egg salad on the menu. Our dear waitress then told us she may be able to speak to the manager. This she duly did and came back to inform us that they could do a fried egg but we shouldn't expect it to taste very nice as the kitchen staff only knew how to fry fish! I then offered to visit the kitchen and teach them how to fry an egg!

The food eventually arrived at the table (with a fried egg) and we all enjoyed our meals. However it would have been that much nicer had our waitress' response to our fried egg request been "I am sure we can make a plan for you sir. Let me check with the kitchen." Our attitude to the waitress and the restuarant would have been that much more friendly had the waitress thought about her reply before opening her mouth.

A customer-centric approach is always going to win more friends (read: loyal customer base) than enemies. This is true for any size business. Business owners will find that word-of-mouth referrals often come from satisfied customers who have been impressed by customer service.

The other lesson from this experience is simply that we need to think what we say to our customers before we open our mouths! This is true for ourselves and any staff we may employ. Our words reflect our business' values and so we need to be very careful with our words - perhaps more so than what logo we have or what our stationery looks like!

We will return to this restuarant and see if there is a different approach - I certainly hope so!

Consumer Trends

2007-05-30T11:08:00.000+02:00

This is worth a look for those who have a product or service to offer to the under-35's. Take a look at this and then decide if your marketing, or indeed product, is suitable for your targeted demographic.

A Personal Birthday Touch

2007-05-30T10:09:00.000+02:00

Today is a special day - it is my birthday!

Since early this morning I have had numerous SMS messages and phonecalls from businesses with whom I have relationship. Some have been simply "Happy Birthday" while others have offered a special birthday discount on a product or service.

This little personal touch is so welcome in an era where customers are often treated as numbers or just a means to a greater profit margin. I do realise of course that most of these messages are sent from automated systems but nonetheless they come across as a nice personal touch.

Small business owners would do well do sit up and take notice of this personal approach. It could mean the difference between keeping and losing a customer.

PS - Click on one the affiliate links on this blog to see what there is on offer. Think of it has helping me out on my birthday!

Answering Service For Small Business

2007-05-29T12:40:00.000+02:00

Picture this - a small business owner runs a sales-based business and needs to be out in the market place visiting new and existing clients. He carries a cell-phone but cannot answer it in the middle of his sales pitch. It is an economic impossibility for him to have a secretary in an office taking his calls and yet he knows that he may lose business if calls are not answered. What is he to do?

The answer could lie with a company such as Work With Me Call Centre.

Taken from their website, this is what they offer :

This is how the Call Center works:

* You will receive a dedicated land line phone number. TIP: To receive all your calls, even from your existing number, just forward calls from your existing line to the new number.

* You will also receive a fax number and email address.

* Our professional staff will answer incoming calls, record messages and pass them onto you. For example: If a client calls and wishes to speak with a consultant, we will take his/her details and SMS them to you immediately. You can return the call at your convenience!

* If a client requires info, and we have it on file (e.g. a standard price list) given by yourself, we will fax or email it to them immediately, again reducing your workload.

* We will also receive emails and faxes on your behalf and forward them when you are ready to receive it.

* An answering service is set up to record any calls received after hours. You will never miss out on those all important calls again!

* At month end you will receive a full report on your Call Center activity.

This certainly seems an attractive offer. Their rates range from R400 to R2100. This is still cheaper than having your own secretary! Another benefit is that your messages and communications can still be taken while you are away on holiday allowing you to pick up the business on your return to the office.

A potential pitfall though is that the person answering the phone has no stake in your business and therefore has no incentive to represent your company as you would like.

It is worth taking a look at the services offered though and I would be willing to give this a try if the need was there. This is not something I would sign up for just because it seems like a nice idea.

If you sign up please let me know how it works out for you.

Advertising Opportunity On New Site

2007-05-29T08:15:00.000+02:00

At the Joburg 27Dinner I had the privilege of meeting up with Merle who is the creator and visionary behind Jozikids. This is a new site packed to the brim with ideas and opportunities for parents and their children (from birth to 14).

What differentiates this site is that it is based solely on Johannesburg and surrounds. This makes it a niche site and one which I believe could become the number one site for parents, teachers and care-givers. As a parent of two small boys I will certainly be visiting it often!

A knock-on effect of a site such as this is that service providers will be checking to see what their competitors are advertising and what prices are being offered. There is also opportunity for each service provider to be indepedently reviewed so that users will be able to gauge opportunities and services ahead of time.This will definitely help to keep the market competitive and attractive to parents already burdened with household expenses, school fees and so on (could there be a lesson here for Telkom I wonder?!).

Businesses can either list their services for a minimal fee and manage their own content via password access or advertise in the special column reserved for adverts on the site.

As the site is still very new the advertising rate card has not yet been published but Merle did assure me it was coming in the next two weeks. Why not make contact with her and ask her for her rates (let her know I sent you!).

Registration on the site is free - always a great way to attract new business!

I have no doubt this site will be a success - those who are able to get in early to advertise will no doubt reap the benefit. The only question now is who is going to get in to begin the same style of site for other cities in South Africa!

Quote of the Week #1

2007-05-28T09:03:00.000+02:00

My advice to salesmen is this: Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, "Make me feel important." Not only will you succeed in sales, you will suceed in life.- Mary Kay Ash

The World Is Ruled By "C" Students

2007-05-28T08:22:00.000+02:00

Let me start by saying that I am a great believer in education. I believe that essential skills such as critical and strategic thinking are borne out of further education. Sometimes it is not so much the content of the courses but the journey towards the diploma, certificate or degree that is significant.

That said I was fascinated to read a great blog post written by Scott Bradley, a young Boston-based entrepreneur. His assertion is that those who sit as average "C" students have a far better chance at succeeding in entrepreneurial ventures than those who consistently top the "A" student list. His arguments are sound and seem to make good sense. However I would still not want this argument to be an excuse for steering clear of furthering your education.

What I do think is that as small business owners looking to increase staff complement, we should be careful of falling into the trap of hiring based on the number of letters behind an applicant's name. Our hiring of staff should also be taking into consideration issues such as competence, chemistry with the existing team, character and so forth.

Take a look at Scott's post and leave your comments for others to consider.

Practical Marketing Newsletter

2007-05-22T20:39:00.000+02:00

2B Marketing's electronic newsletter, The B2Be-zine, is a free fortnightly publication produced with the aim of assisting the smaller company or organisation with their marketing endeavors.

What's in it?

Each edition is uniquely aimed at the South African entrepreneur and is packed with interesting articles, ideas and insights including :

- Observations from the editor.
- An article written on practical marketing for the smaller business
- Practical article/s written by contributing writers.
- Links to the 2B Marketing Blog entries
- A book review or summary.
- A link to a website with useful information, programme or other resource.
- Loads of useful information, from what's happening, relevant links, and applicable directory listings.

This is a great resource. I urge you to subscribe and explore their website. I am sure you will some great ideas, insights and opportunities.

And no, I receive no commission for this blog entry! I just believe it is a really good resource!

Crazy Auctions

2007-05-22T10:18:00.000+02:00

In March I posted an article about South Africa's answer to EBay. You can read it here.

Each Wednesday is Crazy Auction day. These auctions start at R1 with no reserve. If you are prepared to wade through the numerous e-books offers and other junk, you may find some real value-for-money items that people are selling off as excess stock from their businesses.

It is worth spending 30 minutes each week taking a browse through what is on offer - you never know what you might find!

This is the feed from the Crazy Auctions listings - it is a live update so if you access this page after today's date you needn't worry, you are looking at the current listings.

Please update your browser to at least IE 5.5 or equivalent. Bid, Buy or Sell any product or service securely online in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban and throughout South Africa using Standard and Buy Now Online Auctions.

Bid or Buy - South Africa's answer to EBay

7 Habits of Highly Ineffective Communication

2007-05-21T13:48:00.000+02:00

Jamie S. Walters, author of Big Vision, Small Business: 4 Keys to Success Without Growing Bigwrites in The CEO Refresher about the importance of excellent communications in business.

I have listed what he calls The Big Seven Mistakes in Communication here :

1) Contacting others only when you need something.

2) Not following up, or closing the loop.

3) Not returning telephone calls or email messages.

4) Foregoing basic courtesy.

5) Not listening.

6) Telling lies.

7) Spewing chronic negativity.

The entire post, along with explanations of the above may be found on The CEO Refresher site here.

Mobile Spam

2007-05-21T10:21:00.000+02:00

First it was junk mail clogging up our mail boxes, then came email spam and with it advertisements shouting at us to enlarge various parts of our anatomy and details of how to make $1million in two weeks. Now we have mobile spam - unsolicited text messages on our mobile phones exhorting us to visit a clothing sale, encouraging us to visit a particular online store or inviting us to enter competitions from a varieyt of commercial enterprises.

I do not want this on my cellphone! I want the freedom to decide what advertisements to receive via SMS and I want the option of not receiving further mobile communications from a company.

At the recent Mobile Industry Briefing held in Sandton on Thursday 17 May, Brendan Hughes, senior associate of the Michalsons Attorneys, was quoted as saying the following :

“Even though there is no specific legislation that currently deals with this issue in South Africa, the provisions of data protection mechanisms can be found in the Constitution (section 14d), the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECT Act – section 45 and 89), the National Credit Act (section 68 and 74(6)) and the Industry code of conduct”

So without the legalese, what does this mean for us as consumer and business owner?

The following applies :

1) If you send unsolicited SMS's to consumers you must give them an option to cancel their subscription to your mailing list.
2) On request, you have to be able to provide particulars of where you sourced the particular consumer's communication details.
3) You may not give out any confidential information of any person whose details you have procured other than to an authorised party.
4) A customer has the right to demand that their cellphone number be removed from your database. If you do not comply with the consumer's request to stop receiving mobile communications, you could be fined or receive a jail term not exceeding 12 months.

Between September 2005 and February 2007 1077 complaints regarding mobile spam were received by Wireless Application Service Provider Association (WASPA) This resulted in 67 fines totaling R1,5 million.

Small businesses should not be taking chances with this form of communication. Ensure that you have a method of collecting customers' information in an honest, ethical manner and ensure that any communications with customers gives them an 'opt-out' option.

Need help identifying the owner of a commercial SMS or short code? Go to SMSCode and enter the offending details.

Telephone Manner

2007-05-18T09:16:00.004+02:00

Telephone manner is vital in business as it is often the first impression of your business a potential client will receive. Here is a great training article by Jeff Mowatt on this vital aspect of your business.

1. How long does it take you and/or your switchboard operator to answer the phone?

a) 5 rings or less
b) 3 rings or less
c) under 3 rings

After two rings, callers are wondering what’s going on. Your phone should be answered in-person by the second ring or by your voice-mail system by the fourth ring.

2. Do you answer your phone with any of the following?

a) “Hello.”
b) “(Company name only)”
c) “(last name only)”
d) “Good afternoon, this is (your full name), how can I help you?”

All of these greetings have flaws. A, B, and C are too abrupt and don’t provide enough information. D is too wordy and dissuades callers from identifying themselves because it encourages them to get to the point rather than saying their name. Plus it forces you to check the clock to see if it’s before or after noon. A better greeting is, “Thank you for calling ABC Company. This is John.” If you are taking a call that’s transferred to you, then always identify yourself as you wished to be addressed. Whether you choose to identify the department is optional.

3. Have you ever said, “Please hold” to a caller?

a) yes
b) no

Never put a caller on-hold without asking for their permission, and then waiting for their response. Putting customers on hold without their consent is a sure-fire formula to lose customers.

4. How long does it take a person on hold to become annoyed?

a) 2 minutes
b) 30 seconds
c) 1 minute
d) 17 seconds

Studies show that after only 17 seconds, callers on hold become annoyed. The exception is when the greeter explains why the caller is being asked to hold and provides the estimated time required. Knowing beforehand how long they can expect to wait reduces the chance of annoyance, particularly among long distance and cellular phone callers. Another option to prevent frustration is to offer the caller the option of either holding or hanging up and having their call returned within a brief, specific time period.

5. When you’re talking on the phone while a visitor walks in, who gets priority?

a) the visitor
b) the caller

The person who made the effort to show up in-person gets priority. That means you need to interrupt the caller. The quickest way to get that caller’s attention is to call their name. “George, I have someone who just walked in, can I ask you to hold for a moment?” Wait for their agreement. Then acknowledged the visitor, tell them you’ll be a moment, and wrap-up your telephone conversation.

If you’re talking to customer in person when the phone rings, then get someone else to answer the phone, or use voice mail. Abandoning customers to answer the phone is downright rude and is a guaranteed way to lose customers. As obvious as this seems, it’s one of the most common blunders in customer service.

6. When receiving a call for a co-worker, how are you most likely to respond?

a) “Susan’s not in right now, so I’ll have to take a message.”
b) “Susan’s still at lunch. Can I take a message?”
c) “Susan’s should be back soon. Could you call back in about 15 minutes”

All of these statements have flaws that make the greeter sound unhelpful and unprofessional. Consider each response.

a) The statement, “I’ll have to take a message,” makes it sound like an inconvenient chore. Instead, change two words: “I’ll be happy to take a message.” The bonus is that you don’t work any harder but you convey the impression of someone with a terrific customer service attitude.

b) It’s completely irrelevant that the co-worker is at lunch. The caller might be thinking, “That’s a long time to be at lunch!” It’s also irrelevant whether your coworker is “in a meeting” or “with a customer” or “busy”. The only relevant information is they’re not coming to the phone. Therefore, “Susan is not available right now” is the most appropriate response, followed by, “I’d be happy to take a message.”

c) asking a caller to phone back later gives the impression that you’re too lazy or disorganized to take a message. This gives a potential customer a terrific excuse to call your competitor. ‘Nuff said.

The training solution
If you’re like most managers and business owners, you’ll probably find that when you assess the phone practices within your organization, there’s room for improvement. The good news is that with just a little training, it’s easy to develop the skills that ensure that your customers keep coming back.

The article in its original form may be found at BusinessKnowHow.com

Its The Weekend #7 - (Your Name In The Papers)

2007-05-11T11:45:00.000+02:00

Fancy seeing a headline with your name on it? You can make it happen with GetClippings.com

Use this site to make great graphics for birthday cards or fun emails.

You have the choice of two styles of clippings. Once the basic information (headline, date and newspaper name) is entered you can write your own article and then save the resultant image. Your clipping is also saved automatically to its own URL to which you can direct friends and family!

Have fun ...

Local ad network spices up marketing

2007-05-10T07:57:00.000+02:00

Advertising for small- to medium-sized companies is often prohibitive due to the extremely high costs involved and poor results. With Peppor.com you can now advertise to a huge number of potential customers at a tiny fraction of the normal cost while setting your own daily budget. Your adverts will be placed on a wide range of participating and screened websites, guaranteeing your product or service a far wider audience than you could normally reach while restricting them to the South African market, for relevance and convenience.

Decide whether you want to pay for your advertising per clicks received per ad, or the number of leads or sales generated per ad. You can also decide how much you want to pay per ad!

If yours is an electronic product (e-books, audio, software, etc.) you can now rely on Peppor.com to take care of the advertising, electronic payment and delivery. All you need is a website.

I have been using this network for some time now and have already received income from advertising on this site. This is a legitimate South African opportunity and I applaud its creators for making this opportunity available in a local format. It makes a change from the US-based ad networks we are so accustomed to seeing.

Your Teachers Were Right - Spelling Does Count!

2007-05-08T12:33:00.000+02:00

Over the past few weeks I have become very aware of how little attention is paid to accuracy of spelling or use of language in the blogosphere. Now don't get me wrong - if your blog is one of a personal nature or one which is a personal commentary on the world around us, I can live with the use of poor spelling or bad grammar - after all, its your blog!

Where I do have a problem though is with those blogs which deem themselves to be authoritative on a particular subject. These are blogs which tend to have a theme or who market themselves as 'experts' or 'commentators' on a particular subject.

Some authors of these blogs seem to think that their spelling doesn't matter. I want to say that it does. I can be very impressed with the aesthetics of a blog. When thought and planning have gone into the presentation of the template or design, I am impressed. However it is the content that will make me want to come back again and again. When the posts are riddled with poor spelling and grammar I am less inclined to do so. A quick spell check on the computer would suffice and for those professional bloggers out there I am sure a dictionary on the desk (or a visit to Dictionary.com) would be part of their work tools.

Professional presentation in our business correspondence is as important. A letter sent from your business which is filled with incorrect grammar and poor spelling sends the message that the recipient was so unimportant that you could not be bothered to take time to run a spell check or have the letter proof-read. It needs to be remembered that the presentation of your business runs much deeper than just the way your office is laid out, your dress code or the presentation of your product or service. Everything that comes from your business, including correspondence, needs to reflect a level of professionalism.

So if you don't know the difference between "stationery" and "stationary" I suggest you start finding out sooner than later!

Dressed For Success - Even At Home!

2007-05-06T20:23:00.000+02:00

I have long held onto the belief that our dress-code speaks volumes about how we perceive ourselves and how we are perceived by others.

Way too many home-business owners fall into the trap of thinking that because their office is a small step from their bedroom, they can get stuck into work each day looking like they fell out of bed!

I was delighted therefore to come across a post entitled "Dressed To Bill" from a favourite blog of mine - Ideate.co.za

The book referenced in this post is Spare Room Tycoon: The Seventy Lessons of Sane Self-Employment written by James Chan.

Home-business owners take note - while your business success is not solely based on how you present yourself, you owe it to yourself and your customers to be professional in your dress-code and personal presentation.

It's The Weekend - #6 (Create A Chain Reaction!)

2007-05-04T20:53:00.000+02:00

Another weekend = another internet diversion!

This week's time-waster = Boomshine

This flash-based game has 12 levels increasing in difficulty. The task is to set off a chain reaction with bouncing balls in a fixed area. The number of balls increases with each level and the number of balls required for each chain reaction increases accordingly.

This is a highly addictive game - you have been warned!

My first attempt yielded a score of 259. Can you beat that at your first attempt? Post your results in the comments!

SmallBizPod - podcast for small business

2007-05-03T21:41:00.000+02:00

A UK venture, this podcast describes itself as "The UK's first small business podcast. Interviews and practical advice for small business, startups and entrepreneurs podcast to the UK and the rest of the world."

This appears to be quite a comprehensive podcast filled with interviews, insights and tools for the small business owner and entrepreneur. It has an obvious UK emphasis but there is plenty for the South African listener.

Download the podcast from iTunes by clicking here.

A nifty value-add is the addition of a video blog from this year.

Home site - SmallBizPod

I invite you to leave a comment on this post giving South African business podcasts. I will then write a post listing these for the readers.

Franchise Expo starts tomorrow

2007-05-03T15:16:00.000+02:00

A quick heads-up to those living within driving distance of Sandton - the International Franchise and Entrepreneurs Expo starts tomorrow at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Presented by the Franchise Association of South Africa, the expo promises :

* Exciting business opportunities
* Opportunities with well-known franchise brands
* Expert advice
* Daily talks at the speaker’s corner

There will be over 100 opportunities to suit all pockets available for the potential business owner.

Save R10 on your entrance fee by registering online here - REGISTER

A free South African marketing and advertising opportunity

2007-05-02T20:46:00.000+02:00

Many home-businesses, particularly in the early days, struggle with the costs associated with marketing their product or service. Enter Freebees.co.za

I really do like the creativity of this concept! For a minimal fee you get great exposure and the opportunity to really grow your business.

You can also enter your product/service in a give-away competition which gives you great exposure but you also get the entire database of people who entered your give-away. The winner of the give-away is also exposed to what your business offers. While you are checking out that page, why not enter some of the amazing give-aways yourself?

This South African site gives home-business owners the opportunity to advertise to a really large potential client base. Go check it out now . . .

Sex bias - political correctness in your business

2007-05-02T09:12:00.000+02:00

I was recently taken to task because I had used the term "man's ideas" in a piece of correspondence. I was told that I should have written "humanity's ideas" instead.

Now as a male I find "man's ideas" non-offensive and yet I do realise that this term is fraught with political, social and gender bias. It occurred to me that as we correspond with existing and potential clients we need to be so careful about the words we choose. We can lose business from one incorrectly phrased sentence!

In South Africa there is, for good reason, an enormous amount of sensitity to race and gender. It would be in our best interest to be very careful in our choice of words in our correspondence and in our face-to-face dealings with people.

Do you check your correspondence carefully before it is sent?

Learning from Curious George

2007-05-01T20:05:00.000+02:00

Remember Curious George, the curious little monkey? When I was much younger I read about Curious George in books from our local library - nowadays Curious George has his own TV show!

Enough of the trip down memory lane! I was reading an interview with Jim Collins today. You most probably know Jim as the author of the fantastically successful book Good To Great. He is credited with the following quote :

Be like Curious George, start with a question and look under the yellow hat to find what's there.

It is said that as Jim Collins began research into Level 5 Leadership, he assembled a team of young researchers which he called the "Chimps". They were given this name as chimps are unruly, irreverent, energetic, creative and, most of all, inquisitive. The team began pasting pictures of Curious George all over the board room as a reminder to keep asking questions and to keep open minds. Altogether, 21 Chimps worked on the job, usually five per year, performing such tasks as analyzing stock-price statistics, gathering articles, scheduling and conducting interviews, doing massive amounts of coding, and fact checking the numbers in the book. They read and coded every published article they could find about the 11 good-to-great companies, while researching 17 other companies they had selected for comparison. This team of Chimps held collective responsibility for decisions made and were totally committed to the task.

I believe two major issues raise themselves here :

1) Entrepreneurs who desire to build successful businesses need to keep asking questions. They need to have an intrinsic discontent for the status quo. They also require an open mind for solutions that may not fit into their paradigms.

2) Business owners need to surround themselves with a team of key people who are also not afraid of asking the difficult questions and who are open to new ideas and solutions.

What questions are you asking? Are you open to new suggestions, ideas, criticism? Is the idea of a team of "Curious Georges" a little scary for you? Are there questions you are avoiding because you know you won't like the answers?

Its For Free - You Must Be Kidding!

2007-05-01T07:55:00.000+02:00

Generically, open source refers to a program in which the source code is available to the general public for use and/or modification from its original design free of charge, i.e., open. Open source code is typically created as a collaborative effort in which programmers improve upon the code and share the changes within the community. Open source sprouted in the technological community as a response to proprietary software owned by corporations. - Webopedia

Keeping operating expenses to a minimum is an important part of setting up a home office. Today's business world is reliant on computers for a vast array of functions from CRM to email client to databases and so forth. For many years the small business owner had to spend a fortune purchasing and licencing software. That has all changed over the past number of years thanks to the increase in excellent open-source software.

The standard of many of these programs is excellent and most have excellent support from the developers or through public forums. Many tutorials and support documentation have been posted to the internet and are freely available.

The days of monopolisation of the office PC by one or two massive corporations are over! A quick Google search reveals a myriad of wonderful open-source applications for small business owners.

OpenOffice is an absolute must for those seeking an alternative to the MS Office behemoth. (At time of writing the OpenOffice site was undergoing maintenance)

This suite contains all the software you would need to set up your basic home office -

An increasingly credible rival to MS Office, OpenOffice.org includes powerful applications for making text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, diagrams, and databases, as well as HTML and XML documents. Not only does it let you edit basic documents, such as letters and faxes, it also handles complex and multipart documents with bibliographies, reference tables, and indexes.

The interface is similar to that of MS Office users, and even advanced Office users will find almost everything they're used to: templates, collaborative features (versions, recording changes), macros, and even a programming language. OpenOffice.org lets you open and save documents in formats as diverse as MS Office, PDF, HTML, and XML. However, it normally saves files in the open-standard Oasis OpenDocument XML format, for maximum compatibility with other applications. We were pleased to find that stability has improved too. No doubt about it, OpenOffice.org is a compelling option for anyone in search of an alternative office suite. - review from Download.com

I have been using this package for about a year now and am delighted with its performance.

The only piece missing from OpenOffice is a decent replacement for MS Outlook. In my opinion the best alternative is Thunderbird -

Thunderbird makes e-mailing safer, faster, and easier than ever before with the industry's best implementations of features, such as intelligent spam filters, a built-in RSS reader, and quick search.

Thunderbird gives you a faster, safer, and more productive e-mail experience. Thunderbird was designed to prevent viruses and to stop junk mail so you can get back to reading your mail. Thunderbird provides the most effective tools for detecting junk mail. Our tools analyze your e-mail and identify those that are most likely to be junk. You can automatically have your junk mail deleted or you can put it in a folder you specify, just in case you like reading junk mail. View your e-mail the way you want it. Access your e-mail with Thunderbird's new three-column view. Customize your toolbar, change its look with themes, and use Mail Views to quickly sort through your messages.

Version 2.0 adds message tags, and new visual theme, session-history navigation, advanced folder views, and a variety of other new features. - review from Download.com

Using OpenOffice in combination with Thunderbird will give your home office a great start to productivity - and its for free!

I love the fact that even if your clients use the commercially available office suites, you will be able to save in various file formats to send to them and you will be able to read almost all the file formats they send to you.

I suggest you download this superb software and get your home office PC productive for free!

Know Your Competition - And Survive

2007-04-30T23:31:00.000+02:00

When I travel around our beautiful country I often stay at hotels belonging to the City Lodge Group. The group has shown tremendous growth over the past year (2006) increasing headline earnings by 18%, turning a R144 million profit and maintaining an occupancy rate of 79%.

The group was founded in 1985 by Hans Ederle and since 1996 has been managed by Clifford Ross. In a recent interview with Monique Verduyn of Entrepreneur magazine, Ross makes a comment which I believe any business owner should take heed of :

Our operations directors and I always stay in competitor hotels when we visit the regions. We look at what they are doing and assess our standards against theirs.
You have to know your competition so that you can be a cut above them.

There is so much wisdom wrapped up this quote! Knowing what your competitors are doing is essential if you are to position yourself positively in your market.

Knowing what your competition is about allows you to do the following :

1) Develop an offering that will meet a need that is unmet by your competition
2) Upgrade your offering so that customers will prefer you to your competitors
3) Remain humble as you see that some of your competitors do certain things better than you do
4) Rectify what you noticed from point 3!

In my humble opinion there is nothing more unattractive in an entrepreneur than an arrogant "I have all the answers" attitude. This never bodes well for future long-term success.

John F Kennedy said, "Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other." - we cannot suppose to be leaders in our business if we cannot make the time to learn. It is often from our competitors that we learn so much about ourselves!

The stark reality of business is that intense competition is a fact. If you have a client, someone else is trying to take them away from you. If a prospect has a need, someone else is trying to beat you to the deal. New competitors are popping up all the time, and old competitors are constantly changing their products, strategies, messaging, and pricing. It is in your best interest not to be arrogant but to engage your competition and get to know them well.

It's The Weekend - #5 (Release Your Inner Spielberg)

2007-04-28T09:54:00.000+02:00

Ever wanted to be able to create your own digital animated movie? Well, here is your chance!

DigitalFilms.com gives you the chance to make your own digital movie online. You can choose a background scene, characters, animated actions, dialog, introduction, and ending credits. Put your name as the producer and email the movie to your friends! You can also signup for free as a registered user, which gives you access to more advanced features, such as being able to save or edit the movies that you create.

This is a really fun way to spend some time online this weekend. Once you have made your masterpiece, why not post it on your site and leave the URL in the comments of this post? Let's see if the readers of this blog can give the Academy Award winners a run for their money!

Free link competition - Making Money Online

2007-04-27T17:49:00.000+02:00

The power of the Internet is vast. Thousands have turned to it to market their businesses and to showcase their products or services to thousands of potential customers who may never see their brick and mortar store or have sight of a business card.

More recently many have turned to the Internet as their sole source of income. They rely of well-maintained, well-coded and well-developed websites to draw the masses to their monetized site. Knowing how to do this is critical and most of us require assistance in this regard.

Through my travels in the blogosphere I recently came across an excellent resource for those wishing to use the internet as a way to earn money online. Learn to earn being a webtrepreneur is a website geared to teach bloggers and site authors how to make some extra money online.

Webtrepreneur.co.za is giving away a free link, go take a look!

This is a fascinating site filled with wonderful ideas and insights. If you have any thoughts of using your site to make money then this is a site you do not want to miss visiting

Entrepreneurship in South Africa - up or down?

2007-04-26T15:21:00.000+02:00

My blog post for April 17 was entitled "Entrepreneurship on the decline in South Africa". As you can read in that post, this was the conclusion of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2006.

This morning I find on the IOL Jobs site the following headline - "More South Africans Working For Themselves" ! According to Mike Schüssler in his South African Unemployment Report, entrepreneurship is on the increase!

How was this data researched and recorded? Why the discrepancy? Surely there is an empirically proven data-set from which these conclusions are drawn?
I am not a statistician nor do I have actuarial experience but what I do know is that both of these conclusions cannot be correct. Or can they??

Any useful comments would be welcome...

A Woman of Courage, Conviction and Passion

2007-04-25T09:22:00.000+02:00

Catherine Mahubane is a name not known to the vast majority of South Africans and yet she stands tall as an example to all of courage, conviction, faith and vision.

The small village of Puleng is home to about eighty inhabitants and lies approximately 230 km northeast of Johannesburg. It is here that Catherine Mahubane decided to carve out a new future for herself and her family. She made the decision that spending time away from family and friends working as a domestic worker for those wealthier than herself in far away cities was not an acceptable option in her life. She had a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) : Open a peanut butter factory.

Armed with only a Grade 10 education this remarkable woman set about casting the vision to the people of her village, preparing the soil using only picks and shovels and preparing to harvest her first crop of peanuts to make into peanut butter. Lacking basic farm machinery and factory equipment the roasted nuts were ground using the traditional back-breaking method of hand-grinding. Despite these obstacles the first jar of Kono Kono Peanut Butter was produced to great celebration.

The story from then on is even more remarkable. Now the legally registered Kodumela Trading Cooperative boasts six hectares of farmland, a factory building with store and sales office, flushing toilets, a generator for electricity, a maching for removing peanut shells without damaging the nuts, a grinder and a mixer. This success is due in part to the help given to Catherine by Africare SA, the US Department of Agriculture and the South African Department of Agriculture.

Today Catherine is the General Manager and a shareholder of Kodumela Trading Cooperative. She has secured the rights for 70 hectares of farming land and this year alone plans to clear and plant 20 hectares of peanuts and 6 hectares of vegetables.

The Kodumela Trading Cooperative has been an inspiration to many of the villagers and those in surrounding areas. Their success has enabled other enterprising rural entrepreneurs to start up their own concerns. One local villager has acquired a tractor which he hires, along with himself, to the Kodumela Trading Cooperative and other budding farmers in the area.

Catherine's story is an inspiration. She shows us the power of a dream and personal determination. Hers is a story of economic upliftment through entrepreneurship and of rising above one's circumstances to improve the lives of others.
To hear an audio clip about this wonderful story click here. http://www.justicetalking.org/mp3/061016_PBReport.mp3

Any exporters, wholesale traders or other interested parties are welcome to contact me and I will connect you with the cooperative.

Integrity in Business

2007-04-23T14:23:00.000+02:00

Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not. - Oprah Winfrey

According to Steven Covey in the book Everyday Greatness integrity is the common denominator that sustains every other principle of everyday greatness. He states that without the foundation of integrity, all other principles are greatly diminished.

In a world of confused values business owners are tempted to take moral shortcuts to increase their profit margins. This may seem like a quick fix to a financial bind but in the long term it is a moral and ethical compromise.

Socrates stated that the way to gain a good reputation is to endeavour to be what you desire to appear. If you are wanting a good reputation in your chosen field of business, make sure you keep the moral high ground and maintain your own personal integrity in your business dealings. Make sure any staff you may have understand that any breaching of your business' code of ethics will be dealt with severely. (Make sure they know beforehand what that code of ethics is - even better, engage them in a staff workshop to develop the code of ethics for your business).

Taking shortcuts in business is never worth it, especially when it comes to the integrity of your business - just don't do it!

It's The Weekend - #4 (Remember the Rubik's Cube?)

2007-04-22T20:34:00.000+02:00

Oops! One busy weekend later and I one missing weekend diversion post!

So I'll make this quick before Sunday is over!

During the 1980's many of us were to be found pondering the solution to the Rubik's Cube. Invented in 1974, some 300 million have been sold worldwide and it is said to be the world's best-selling toy.

Now you can revisit the 80's with a virtual Rubik's Cube - register and get solving!

You can also visit the official homepage of the Rubik's Cube at Rubiks.com.

A search online for Rubik's cube solutions will yield great results for those of you sitting with unsolved cubes in your home - see here for some sites to help you.

Colour, colour on the wall . . .

2007-04-20T07:39:00.000+02:00

Have you considered the ambience of your home office? Is your desk neatly organised, papers neatly stored and stationery within easy reach of where you sit? This topic is worth 1000 words on its own but I would like us to consider the general colour scheme of the room.

I recently came across a wonderful post in Freshome.com which helps us choose the correct colours for our home office. Apparently each colour has a particular effect on us. Ever wondered why doctor's rooms are so often blue or green? This post may help explain this!

Here is a summary for you to consider :

Red is the colour of energy and has been shown to increase blood pressure and increase respiration. It is not a good colour for your office as it tends to make people more tense. How many customer service centres are painted in a red colour scheme?! Red has also been shown to stimulate conversation and draw people together.

Yellow is the colour of happiness and joy. It can make a room feel inviting. However it has been shown that people are prone to losing their temper in a yellow room so don't use it for a main cololur scheme in your office. Apparently yellow is also the most fatiguing on the eyes.

Blue is the colour of calm and relaxation and has been shown to bring down blood pressure and respiration rate. However dark blue evokes feelings of sadness so avoid using this over large areas. Pastel blues can also look chilly when painted over large areas so balance this with warm hues in furnishings in the room.

Green is considered the most restful colour on the eye and is believed to relieve stress by helping people relax. This is a great colour to combine with yellows and blues in a home office - keeps you focused but unstressed!

Neutral shades are always coming in and out of fashion as they are extremely versatile. Most interior designers agree that every room needs a touch of black to ground the colour. Use the neutral shades of black, white, brown and grey to add variety and accent to your home office. Given that most home offices will already have office equipment in these colours, I would avoid using them on the walls.

This comments are but guidelines - you are the one who will have to enter your home office more than most and you are the one who will spend the most time there. Your choice of colour is an intensely personal one so choose a colour you enjoy most.

Deciding to change the colour of your home office once a year is a great way to keep things fresh. It is a project the family could help you with and will be a great time to reorganise your desk, filing cabinet and general office space. Good luck!

DVD Vending Machine business opportunity

2007-04-17T19:18:00.000+02:00

Vending machines have been around for a number of years. Usually the content consists of fast foods, junk foods and cooldrink. Lately there has been a rise in vending machines offering a number of new services. The latest I have come across is from ARL Trading.

Their offering is a DVD Rental Vending machine. What a novel concept! I would love to able to pick up my DVD at my place of work on my way out rather than have to go out of my way to visit the DVD store on my way home. Imagine a chain of these at townhouse complexes, office parks, golf courses, convenience stores and so on. This is a great investment opportunity for those willing and able to invest the R185 000 needed upfront.

Income is generated in four ways :

1. The rental of DVD’s and video games
2. Late fees from overdue movies
3. The sale of advertisements (onscreen and positioned within the DVD jewel case)
4. The sale of previously viewed DVD’s

I am meeting with the folks who have brought this concept to South Africa and will be able to report further on this opportunity once I know more. At first glance though it does look like a great gap for an entrepreneur!

Entrepreneurship on the decline in South Africa

2007-04-17T07:28:00.000+02:00

According to the recently released report on entrepreneurship in South Africa (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2006), only 5% of South African adults are starting new businesses. This is way below the world average of close to 10%.

Some other interesting stats are :

1) 40% of South African entrepreneurs start a business out of necessity. This in contrast to Australia where 10% start businesses because they feel they have to. I would imagine this is largely due to the fact that we live in a country struggling with a high unemployment rate.

2) Almost half of South African entrepreneurs have only a matric (Grade 12) while 25% have only some level of high school education. Although qualifications are not the be all and end all of business savvy, there can be no doubt that the skills and training received in tertiary education are of great assistance in starting a new business especially in the fields of engineering and information technology.

3) Only 9% of women believe they have the personality traits of an entrepreneur while only 4,8% are actually starting their own businesses. This against the global average of 7.7%! Why this should be so I do not know - could it be the fight many women have in South Africa against a very male dominated economy and traditional views of women in society?

Given that the most likely age-group for start-up entrepreneurs is 25-35, the issue of emigration becomes a cause for huge concern as this is also the age-group most likely to be moving overseas to what they perceive as greener pastures. The latest issue of Succeed magazine puts it like this:

New research suggests that there is a nationwide shortage of mid-career or
management staff in critical industries. This is driving up the numbers of
unemployed graduates as there is now an absence of people with skills and
experience to train new entrants into the workforce.

The statistics show that these graduates are not likely to start their own businesses either and it is these skilled graduates the country needs most. With a high unemployment rate South Africa needs new businesses to create the job opportunities so badly needed, whether that be in a small bakery or a giant manufacturing plant.

Dr Gidoen Maas, the principle researcher for the South African leg of the GEM remains positive though. Quoted in Succeed magazine, he says,

If coordinated and focused ways of supporting entrepreneurship can be
developed and maintained over time, the chances of creating a sustainable
entrepreneurial South Africa should be high.

The future of South African entrepreneurship hangs in the balance. Many primary and high schools now offer entrepreneurship as part of their curriculum. This is exciting and I believe will create the self-belief in our young people that they can begin a new business and make it successful.

What are you doing to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship in your neighbourhood / suburb / city / country? You and I are where it starts. We cannot expect government or big
business to do it - it is up to us!