Thursday, April 28, 2011

Down and up

There’s so much in the media about all the 40/50 somethings that are out of work, but it’s a great place to be if you know what to do about it.

We know lots of these people that are now in the market place and there has never been a better time to set up and run a business from home. The single most important thing to do is to find out what particular expertise you would like to take to market. It never ceases to amaze me how many people do not know the answer to the question: “What is it that makes you special?” It may be the journey of a lifetime to find the exact answer, but we don’t need to be that precise. At this stage we are just finding out where the direction of the business is likely to be.

Secondly we have to start developing great relationships with colleagues, (and this could be the person you sleep with) stakeholders and ultimately customers and or clients. We have to get closer than ever before to these people – we are looking for people that are on a similar journey towards excellence that we need to be on. And excellence is all around us when we look for it.

We need to get over a lack of regular money. There are different ways of looking at money in this context. We sometimes have to start to think differently, do things differently and behave differently. The battery hen gets regular feed, but now you are about to metamorphose into a free range chicken with all the liberation and excitement that means for many. It might be the first time in your life that you are in a position to determine the work life parameters for yourself and your family.

And what could be better than that?

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Finding your level

We aspire to excellence; we have to in this global economic climate. So we work hard, we do the learning, we do the personal development, get the results and maybe some publicity and ......and then.......someone notices.

I remember Dr Taylor. When I was a boy he worked as a GP in a surgery on a local council estate. He was a very well spoken, tall and dignified man. People said he was a wonderful doctor and that he could relate to, and help literally anybody that walked through his door.
The local press reported that he had won awards for his work and that he had been invited to form part of a practice in Harley Street. The press insisted that Dr Taylor was interviewed at length; he was asked about this new opportunity in London. He smiled, he was very patient with the reporters who asked all sorts of questions. Finally Dr Taylor was asked how he would enjoy the commuting, every day from Redhill in Surrey to London Victoria and then the tube. It was then that he replied that he was not going to do any commuting. And there was silence in the room.

He added quietly, “Thank you for inviting me to discuss this recognition, and I am grateful for the awards, but I intend to stay here in Merstham, working as a GP on the council estate until I retire.”

So yes, we do indeed have to continue to try and get better at what we do. But that doesn’t have to mean pastures new. We can carry on doing what we do, where we are, right now.

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Friday, April 22, 2011

In House

The world is so complex that there will always be limits to the knowledge we have, but there may be no limit to the knowledge we need.

I was interviewing the MD of an award winning internet / retail business that has doubled its High Street presence in the last couple of years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJFC8_yu5hg

I asked about the advice he would give to the many people out there that are looking to set up a similar business model. He replied that he had chosen to take the necessary expertise in house; he has people on the payroll that know how to create, develop and run an internet business. The alternative he added is to use external support, but these people are not and can not be up to speed with what is actually going on, on a day to day basis. This means there is always expensive ‘catch up’ time to pay.

So what do we do? Well it depends on your business model, it depends on how often you need the expertise. I prefer to ‘pay as you go’ because there is no day to day requirement for support in our business.

We make a list of internet based things we would like advice on over a period of weeks and then have a day’s worth with our adviser.

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Thursday, April 14, 2011

Simplicity

In a world where complexity seems to advance upon us from many sides, there is genuine value in simplicity

As if it is not sufficiently challenging to conduct the internal affairs of a business. From outside we may also need to consider political and economic factors. Some businesses are subject to regulatory and legislative controls; yet others need to be aware of social and environmental considerations. And all of us are trying in one way or another, to work with the sheer speed and intensity of technological developments.

So simplicity when we look for it, and when we find it, can feel like a breath of fresh air. Innovation and creativity are sources of simplicity; sometimes we can find quicker, simpler and more effective ways of doing things. For example:
* our dentist no longer phones to remind us, she now sends an auto text with the date and time of the appointment
* some organisations understand that people learn in three different ways, so they make sure that all communications with and between people are made visually (seeing), auditorily (hearing) and kinaesthetically (feeling).
* other organisations recognise that a superb route to market is for a talented speaker, speaking to potential customers, is one of the fastest and most direct ways of creating new business.
* openness, honesty and transparency is the way to develop great relationships with colleagues, staff, stakeholders and customers. The better the quality of these relationships, the better will be the performance of the business.

Simplicity, like excellence, is all around us if we look for it.

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