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	<title>Megan Tough is the Sydney based director of Complete Potential. She has worked and managed all around Australia in the areas of general management, operations, HR, professional development, leadership, culture and change management. Megan has a Bachelor of Psychology (Hons), an MBA and is a graduate of CoachInc, a US based Coach Training School.</title>
	<link>http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/author/index/462/Megan-Tough.php</link>
	<description>Megan Tough is the Sydney based director of Complete Potential. She has worked and managed all around Australia in the areas of general management, operations, HR, professional development, leadership, culture and change management. Megan has a Bachelor of Psychology (Hons), an MBA and is a graduate of CoachInc, a US based Coach Training School. - Latest business
news &amp; management advice on how best to build your own business -
Free, independent business articles on Strategy, eBusiness, Change
Management &amp; much, much more.</description>
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	<pubDate>Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:31:46 +0000</pubDate>
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	<webMaster>admin@buildyourownbusiness.biz</webMaster>    
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      <title><strong>Your Business Success Checklist</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[As a business coach, I spend a lot of time working with people who want to improve different aspects of their business. Many times these aspects are merely symptoms of a more fundamental, underlying issue. 

If you want your business to truly shine, then there are some basic principles that, if not present, can lead to sub standard performance in other areas. And here they are: 

1. Crystal clear purpose 
The most common reason companies run into trouble is losing sight of the customer and their needs. Having a crystal clear purpose helps keep the focus from becoming too internally fixated, instead articulating why the business exists from the customer's perspective. A clear and inspiring purpose will also give your employees a reason to be connected with their hearts, not just their minds.

2. Discipline 
Sometimes this is an unpopular topic, but it is critical. Discipline means having a sharp and constant focus on your objectives, whether they be growth, profits or customer objectives. Successful businesses build continual monitoring into their processes, constantly aware of the gap between where they are and where they should be. 

3. Goals that compel action 
Most people are motivated to work for a cause of some sort. The business must continually paint a picture of what the future may hold. And it needs to be more compelling than 'surviving' or 'selling lots more'. Goals that challenge without being unrealistic, and that inspire people to go above and beyond, will reinforce a culture of innovation, effort and excitement.

4. Prepare for several futures 
Successful businesses are rarely taken by surprise. They spend time thinking about &amp;quot;what if&amp;quot; scenarios, and planning their responses. It's a fact that most business owners don't think beyond the next quarter or six month period. This can lead to sticking with products and services for too long and failing to identify shifts in the market - making change and innovation almost impossible.  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1841/Your-Business-Success-Checklist.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1841/Your-Business-Success-Checklist.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Winning Customer Experiences</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Much research has been done on what the makes a winning customer experience. What is it that makes customers come back to your business instead of going to someone else's? If your repeat business is low, what is it that you are doing to drive your customers away? There is a consistent theme that emerges across the research - winning customer experiences are built on consistency. Michael Gerber in his book &amp;quot;The E-Myth Revisited&amp;quot; calls this orchestration. &amp;quot;Orchestration is the glue that holds you fast to your customers' perceptions&amp;quot;. 

This may seem a glib response to a complex issue, but take a moment to consider it from the customer's viewpoint. When dealing with a business for the first time, the customer probably has no set expectations on what the experience will be like. With your first interaction, you set the standard in the customer's mind. If you set a positive standard, the customer will likely return. The next time they do, the customer will expect the same from you. Fail to deliver, and ultimately you will lose that customer.

So if consistency is the key, how should a business go about ensuring the consistent experience for the customer? First, start with the end state that you want to create. What experience do you want your customers to have (cheerful, professional or very fast service, friendly, feel valued etc).  With this in mind, think about all the ways that your customers interact with your business. Your business may have many touchpoints - telephone, face to face (single or multiple sites), email, web-site, snail mail and so on. Your business needs to be predictable at each touch point, and predictably the same. The customer notices when they get one experience  by walking into your shop, and a different experience when they speak to you on the phone.

Achieving consistency comes down to documenting exactly how you want your business to respond in each situation. If it's not documented then how will the people in your  ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>What Employees Really Want</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A major problem for business owners and employers today is getting the best employees and then keeping them. Sounds easy, but any employer will tell you that these activities take up the most time and have the biggest impact on business results. So how do you go about retaining the good people once youve found them?  

Understanding what your employees want from a workplace sounds like a logical place to start. After all, if you know what your employees are after, you simply need to provide it and all will be well. This is a great theory, but research shows that employers are not that successful at identifying what their employees actually want. In fact there is a significant disconnect between the things that employees say are important to them, and how highly employers rank those same things.

This survey first came out in 1946 in Foreman Facts, from the Labor Relations Institute of NY and was produced again by Lawrence Lindahl in Personnel magazine, in 1949. This study has since been replicated with similar results by Ken Kovach (1980); Valerie Wilson, Achievers International (1988); Bob Nelson, Blanchard Training &amp;amp; Development (1991); and Sheryl &amp;amp; Don Grimme, GHR Training Solutions (1997-2001).

When asked to rank a list of ten criteria, the employees and managers/owners ranked them very differently: 

	What Employees Want
1	Full appreciation for work done
2	Feeling part of things
3	Sympathetic help on personal issues
4	Job Security
5	Good wages
6	Interesting work
7	Promotion/growth opportunities
8	Personal loyalty to workers
9	Good working conditions
10	Tactful discipline

What Managers Think Their Employees Want
1       Good wages
2       Job Security
3       Promotion/growth opportunities
4       Good working conditions
5       Interesting work
6       Personal loyalty to workers
7       Tactful discipline
8       Full appreciation for work done
9       Sympathetic help with personal issues
10      Feeling part of things ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Using Articles to Increase your Exposure</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you are running your own business, then you have expertise in at least one area. And if you have expertise, other people will want to read about it.

Marketing your business using articles (like this one!) is one of the most cost effective ways of building profile and credibility that I know. If you have a newsletter of any kind, you may already have content that can be used for articles. If not, simply thinking about the problems you solve for customers will give you plenty of topics to think about.

So what are the advantages of article marketing, besides the low cost?

Increases the number of links pointing to your site
Every time you submit an article, you add a ˜resource box at the end, which contains a link to your site. The more links you have, the better your placement in the search engines. If you have 20 articles, and you submit them to 10 sites, thats 200 extra links for very little effort.

Your articles can be reprinted anywhere in the world
People searching for relevant content can contact you asking for permission to reprint your article in their own newsletter or magazine.  Last month I was contacted by the editor of a die-casting industry magazine in Illinois. After an exchange of emails, my article is being printed in hard copy in their next edition. 

Promote your Products and Services
The Resource box does more than provide an opportunity to place a link to your site. You get about 50 “ 100 words to write whatever you want. Smart marketers use that space to direct people their newsletters or product sales page. Theres an art to writing a great resource box, and if you search on the web youll find heaps of suggestions. 

Credibility 
You can tell the world that your articles have been published in international sites, accessed by people all around the world. This will boost peoples perceptions of you and the services you provide.

So if you are convinced, then you need to action two steps:

Firstly “ write some articles. Eve ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Profit Traps in your business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Its common knowledge that most small businesses fail within 5 years. These statistics are mindblowingly depressing for people looking to start up a new venture. So what goes wrong? No-one starts out with the intention of creating something that isnt sustainable. In fact most people would be adamant that they werent going to be one of those statistics. 

Most business owners start out as technical expert in their field. For example “ an engineer decides to start their own company after working for someone else for several years. He/she knows plenty about engineering, but not a lot about running a successful business. Most of us learn as we go, hence the high rate of business failure.

There are many things that can undermine a business. Here are a few:

Getting wedded to a single idea and sticking with it too long.
How long has it been since you updated your offer? That can be as simple as delivering your product or service in a new way. Those people who are married to the single, same idea for a along time will find themselves left behind in the marketplace. Remember, new ideas are the currency of entrepreneurs. Schedule time each quarter to brainstorm new ideas for your business. Keep it fresh and keep your customers interested.

Believing your own b.s.
Without wanting to burst your entrepreneurial bubble, sometimes we can believe so strongly in what we are doing that we ignore other (differing) opinions. There is a difference between following your instincts and going forwards with blinkers on. Generally, business owners are genetically wired to be optimistic. Just remember that an alternative view is also likely to be based on sound reason, and its a great idea to understand what those reasons are.

Ignoring your cash position.
Why dont the customers take up your products/services more quickly “ as you planned in the forecasts??? Welcome to the real world. Its often the case that business owners are overly optimistic about sales, particularly of a ne ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>The Use of Goals - Friend or Foe?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[As a society we are achievement driven, recognized for our tangible contributions to the world.  The examples of this are everywhere: At school we are praised for doing well at tests and reading to certain levels. At work we are rewarded for achieving specific objectives. On the sporting field our athletes are heralded for their victories. Public organisations are required to share their goals with the world. The penalties for failing to achieve them are collapsing share prices and reduced investment. The message is clear “ it is good to achieve.

Intrinsic in our achievement driven approach is the use of goals to articulate and define what our achievements are to be. We can all think of our own goals, even if we have not taken the trouble to write them down (this is a sin in the world of goal achievement!). And for the most part, setting and striving for goals is a widely used and useful process. It does drive behaviour and encourage people to do things that they may otherwise not. Setting goals can provide clarity and direction, focus efforts and harness the power of groups.

But the inevitable result of goals not being achieved is a sense of failure “ we did not do what we committed to, we have personally failed in our efforts. This feeling may persist even when factors outside of our control influenced the outcome of the goal. For many, our internal definitions of success are bound up in our achievement of goals. If I get this job or buy this house or make this team then I am a success. Therefore not reaching a goal makes us unsuccessful.   It is this aspect of goals that causes the most damage.  All of us at some time will fail to achieve a goal. Is there a different approach to take?

Perhaps the most powerful framework to change is your definition of success. If you currently measure your level of success against benchmarks such as what work you do and/or what you have, try the following exercise. Complete this sentence: I know I am successful when¦¦..  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1836/The-Use-of-Goals--Friend-or-Foe.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1836/The-Use-of-Goals--Friend-or-Foe.php</link>
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      <title><strong>The Fundamentals of Motivation</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Have you ever wondered why the people in your team dont seem as motivated as you do? Or why some people do their jobs with enthusiasm and vigor, and others barely get through the day without taking the frown off their faces?

You are not alone. The topic of human motivation has been studied for hundreds of years. So its a topic we know a lot about. Unfortunately its not often taught to managers as part of their training.

There are things you can do to influence how much energy people are willing to put into their jobs. Below are 5 critical things to know about motivation. 

1.	We cant motivate other people
Motivation is not something we ˜do to others. It has to come from within. All we can do is create an environment which encourages motivation. So to some extent we are let off the hook. Our responsibility as managers only goes so far “after that, its up to the individual to get on board.

2.	Some people just wont ever be motivated
I think we all know the truth of this. Some people are just in the wrong space, and have no interest in being part of a team, or working any harder than they absolutely have to. It can be very difficult to manage the performance of these individuals, particularly if they are doing just enough to get by. Usually the solution is to include behaviors and attitudes as part of required performance. Then their attitude becomes a tangible performance issue which can be coached and managed through the performance review system.

3.	One size definitely does not fit all
The fun thing about motivation is that we are all different, so you need to employ multiple strategies and approaches. Different generations, different stages of life, different needs from a career “ these are all things that will influence what people desire as a motivator during their lives. The best way to find out what will motivate people is to simply ask them. Most people will happily tell you. And if youre looking for some ideas “ here are 8 to get you started: ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1835/The-Fundamentals-of-Motivation.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1835/The-Fundamentals-of-Motivation.php</link>
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      <title><strong>The Ideal Job Fantasy</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Most people would agree that the concept of a job today is vastly different from that of 20 years ago. Organisations are changing at speed, technology has changed the face and pace of work, and globalisation is pushing every business to examine it's operations in a totally different context. 

How do we, the people that work within this changing environment, manage our own needs and wants. 

Over the last 10 years I have had contact with many individuals searching for their place in the working world. For many, a growing sense of dissatisfaction with their work, or a general feeling that things aren't as they should be, has left them with two questions to answer - &amp;quot;Why am I here?&amp;quot;, and &amp;quot;What would I really love to do for a job?&amp;quot;. 

The concept of the ideal job is, I believe, fraught with danger. As long as we believe that there is a single job that will make us truly happy, then we are immediately limiting our actions and beliefs in searching for it. We set ourselves up for failure with expectations that the answer will &amp;quot;come&amp;quot; to us, or that a job needs to be perfect. 

The truth is that there is rarely a single outcome in the search for the ideal job. A career is only a part of a lifestyle - a lifestyle encompasses all aspects of our life. Those who consider their career in isolation of their desired lifestyle may end up making less than ideal job-related choices.  

So is it really about planning a career, or is it more about planning a lifestyle, of which work/career is one component? 

A clearly structured process will help you to define the parameters of work that are important for you, rather than specific jobs. For example, preferred industries, work type (full or part time etc), working hours, travel, level of autonomy or team work, desired income, responsibility, skills you want to use, location and so on. Once you are clear on your parameters, perhaps have even prioitised them for their importance to you, you can e ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1834/The-Ideal-Job-Fantasy.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1834/The-Ideal-Job-Fantasy.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Starting Your New Employees off Right</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[You may not realize, but when you bring a new employee into your business you only have one chance to make a good first impression. Research confirms that a poor (or lack of) induction is a major contributor to how engaged that person is. The more engaged they are, the harder they will try and the more effort they will put in. 

The best companies have standardized induction processes that can span several weeks, involving building tours, meetings with key individuals, training programs on company history, introduction to systems and so on. 

Starting a new job can be an anxious time. Not only are you unsure of yourself, you also have yet to truly evaluate the company now employing you. Day 1 is an employers best opportunity to make a new employee feel confident that they have made the right decision.

So what happens in your business? Its not necessary to go have a program that extensive if your business is smaller, but there are some basics. 
 

Before they Start
ïµ	Make sure there is a desk and chair for them before they start. Arranging it on their first day makes it seem like you forgot they were coming (and maybe you did¦.)
ïµ	Arrange any computer equipment and telephones before they get there. Dont forget to issue any passwords or logons they might need.
ïµ	Let the team know what day they will be starting, and what their responsibilities will be. 

On their First Day
ïµ	Be there to welcome them
ïµ	Finish off any outstanding paperwork
ïµ	Give them a tour of the office
ïµ	Introduce them to the team and discuss relevant team processes (eg “ weekly meetings etc)
ïµ	Take time to explain other significant company processes and how they work. For example, how their performance will be monitored and managed, and how they will be rewarded.
ïµ	Go over their key responsibilities and what you expect from them in their first 3 months.
ïµ	Provide them with an outline of the training they will receive and when (eg “ on specific business or com ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Setting Job Performance Standards</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The success of your business is directly related to the commitment and productivity of the people who work in your business. And yet it is generally recognized that 60% of employees, or more, are underutilized in their roles at work.  

So what are the factors that contribute to low performance standards and expectations? 

Communication, or mis-communciation, is one of the major sources of low productivity.  The messages that move between the owner, employees, managers and even customers are not understood in the same way. One classic example is that business owners tend to assume that employees and managers see things the same way they do.

Managers tend to lower their expectations (unconsciously) so that they will not have to confront employees. Most people dislike discussing declining performance with their employees, and so actively avoid having to do so by reducing heir expectations of whats required.

Employees have a tendency to protect themselves from possible failure by pushing back on what is expected. They will often negotiate/bargain the job down to a more comfortable level.

Business owners often have difficulty separating what they want done from how they want it done. Telling employees exactly how to achieve a certain goal leaves no room for the employee to think or use their own initiative. Consequently they often stop trying to contribute and become ˜sheep “ just doing what they are told. In this catch-22 situation, the owner is forced into a position where they must constantly be telling everyone exactly what to do.

Some owners may not understand the concept of person/job matching, and so have the wrong people in the wrong positions.  This situation can be extremely demotivating for the employee.

So how do you go about setting performance standards and expectations?

The owner and employee must collaborate together.
They must work together on the fact that the role the employee is performing can be improved in a way where everyb ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Selling Essentials</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The success of your business is inextricably linked to the success of your marketing. And one critical component of marketing is your sales process. Its not something we often consider at great length, but well thought out practices and consistency can be the difference between moderate and significant profits.

How do you know if you are making the most of your sales and pre-sales processes?

Try this mini assessment and see how you go. Out of 10 questions, you can decide how many you ought to be scoring on (70% sounds good to me).  

Sales and pre-Sales Assessment

We have effective and attractive risk-reversal strategies and guarantees in place. We make it easy for prospects to buy from us because we take the risk out of it for them to do so.

We have documented our effective pre-sales process (i.e, scripts, checklists, etc.). Everyone who is involved in the presales process knows how our process works and their part in it.

We only let those who have been trained in our sales process engage in sales conversations with prospects.
     
The steps in our sales conversation are clearly understood. We do not move on to the next step until it is time.

Each sale is recognized and celebrated. We keep our sales folks motivated, happy, and inspired.

We have upselling strategies and our sales folks are trained in using them.

We have both front-end (i.e., primary services/products) and back-end (follow-up or upselling) sales opportunities.

Everyone knows how and when to close a sale. And we close in accordance with our client-satisfaction policies.

Everyone knows our credit and payment policies.

We have made maximum use of technology in our sales and payment systems (i.e., credit card payments, ecommerce sales, etc.)

So how did your business shape up? Take the time to complete all of these activities so that your sales process becomes as automated and successful as possible. It's equally as important to do this if you are a solo operator.  ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Reducing Friction and Delay</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Sometimes delays are important, but if you're not adding value, then it is not good. 
Some level of friction and delay are prevalent in virtually every business.  Depending on what you are trying to achieve, they are not automatically bad things.  There are times when deliberately slowing down (introducing delay to) an activity is the right thing to do. But where they are a result of poorly evolved processes, lack of training or resources, or lack of knowledge -  it's time to take action and remove them from your life!  

How can we define Friction and Delay? Friction is whatever gets in the way of a smooth and uninterrupted flow of events. Think of sliding along a bench covered in sandpaper versus one covered with oil.  Delay is adding time without adding value.
High levels of these in any business are expensive, leading to lower productivity, and higher costs.

Why do businesses tolerate these levels of friction and delay??

They are considered a cost of doing business. 
Many business owners dont know or realize that there is another way of doing things “ a way that could really improve their business 

The business suffers from inertia when it comes to improvements.
Inefficiencies cause significantly lower productivity as employees create workarounds to get the job done. Over time, the workarounds become the accepted process, and the opportunity for taking action on the source of the problem is forgotten

Too much time is wasted on dealing with the symptoms.
Many owners spend tremendous time and energy dealing with the results of delay and friction in their organizations without striking at the cause of the problems 

They don't know what to do.
Often when owners do identify the cause of friction and delay, they do not know how to reduce or eliminate the friction and delay 

So how do you identify areas of delay and friction?
Ask people what drives them crazy about their job.
Ask people what they know irritates their customers, both external ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1830/Reducing-Friction-and-Delay.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1830/Reducing-Friction-and-Delay.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Radical Thinking</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When was the last time you thought about taking your business to new and heady heights, but didnt actually get any further? Dont worry, you are not alone. 

Theres plenty of business owners out there who let their brains stand in the way of fundamental changes in their business. We either think that we cant do it, or we dont know how to do it. Sound familiar?

If you want to do more than grow incrementally then you need to get into some radical thinking. Its pretty easy to set a goal of selling 10% more, or getting 5 more customers. This is what I call an incremental target (meaning¦.just a little bit more than last time). This is better than not having any targets, but it does tend to leave you well inside your comfort zone.

Lets talk about radical targets. 

To achieve a radical target implies completely altering the ways things are done, and potentially introducing a new paradigm into the business. To set a radical target you need to make a leap of faith and suspend the part of your brain that reminds you you dont know how to achieve it. 

Setting radical targets that you dont know how to meet can result in creative and out of the box solutions. Its unlikely that youll achieve them without major changes to the way the business is run. And thats the whole point. This ongoing search for innovation and different approaches can keep the business fresh and a step ahead of your competitors. 

Heres some examples of radical targets to inspire you:

ï‚„	Double the net profit of the business within 12 months
ï‚„	Become internationally known as a specialist in your field
ï‚„	Shift the business model from 100% face to face to 80% web enabled
ï‚„	Create a product set that generates enough passive income to sustain you and is completely automated and on-line 

Now that youve set your radical targets you can start imagining how to make them happen.
This will force you to totally rethink aspects of how your provide your product or service.
 
Start with an ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Pricing Your Consulting Services</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In case you hadnt noticed, people can react very differently when faced with the same price for a product or service. In fact in most cases, well never actually know what is in their minds when they consider a price and then decide to respond to it in certain way. So what does that mean for those of us pricing and selling our services out there in the market?

Typically, people who sell services go for an hourly rate. They use a process called reverse competition to determine what their rate should be. This is where you take a look at what your geographical competitors are charging, and you decide where in the range you want to fit on the spectrum of hourly rates. Inevitably, we choose a rate somewhere in the middle, so we can say that were not the most expensive, but neither are we the cheapest! 

What kind of message are we sending out to our clients with this approach?

Were showing absolutely no differentiation from any other company “ just sticking ourselves straight down the line. In other words, we compete with everyone! Not a very prudent marketing decision. 
So pricing simply using an hourly rate that sits in the middle of the spectrum is, in my view, a wasted opportunity to create a point of difference with your offering. Lets think more broadly for a minute about what we are actually offering to your clients:
Regardless of what our specific offering is, we all offer some combination of:
¢	Quality 
¢	Price and
¢	Service 
QUALITY
Quality has become an expectation - the minimum you need to be in the game. It is similar to a high school degree - no one cares if you have one, but watch out if you do not. Quality is no longer an effective differentiator. So if you are going on about the exceptional quality of your service in your promotional material and sales pitch, just realize that in your customers eyes, you are not differentiating yourself in any way.

After all, no sane company is going to advertise the fact that the work they do is of aver ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1828/Pricing-Your-Consulting-Services.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1828/Pricing-Your-Consulting-Services.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Performance Management gone Haywire</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When you ask employees about their impressions of Performance Management processes, the answer is invariably negative or neutral. Its not often that the process is positively endorsed by those who use it. So where are we going wrong?
	
As managers, we know we need a management system of some kind for all the components of performance:

¢	getting people to work on things that will help the business achieve its goals
¢	identifying and overcoming obstacles that might prevent success
¢	understand and checking our progress regularly
¢	giving people a forum for talking about what they are doing and how its going
¢	providing the appropriate checks and balances
¢	recognising and rewarding performance

I believe there are 5 fundamental reasons why Performance Management is not viewed positively. 

1. Reviewers dont have the skills or confidence to give feedback appropriately
Giving feedback constructively is a learned skill. Unfortunately for their team members, many managers havent had any training or support in learning this critical skill. So when it comes to review time, feedback is either:
1.	blunt and delivered with no thought for the impact or consequence, 
2.	not provided at all because the manager wants to avoid disagreement or conflict, or
3.	is given in such a wishy washy way that the reviewee actually misses the fact they are being given feedback!

This is one of the most critical capabilities a manager can have, with far-reaching positive or negative consequences. Providing ongoing coaching and support should be part of the approach to managing performance. 

2. Employees dont see Performance Management (PM) as a 2 way street
Is PM something that is ˜done to employees, or is it jointly owned with equal responsibility between the reviewer and the reviewee?

Imagine a review session where the employee turns up having evaluated their own performance, provided examples of how and when they achieved each objective, had references from other pe ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1827/Performance-Management-gone-Haywire.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1827/Performance-Management-gone-Haywire.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Managing the human being behind the business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Its a common problem and weve all seen it - business owners that are just ˜too busy all of the time, and as a result, do not enjoy the success in business they had hoped for. Lets not kid ourselves, there is a lot to focus on: technology, employees, sales, marketing and so on. These functions are essential and need to be well organised and managed.

But there is a second aspect to business success that is often overlooked “ the effectiveness of the person running the show. Businesses are a reflection of the people who run them. If those people are ˜too busy, stressed, or poorly organised,  then these characteristics are reflected back in the business. The underlying behaviour and values of the business owner drive how much control they need, how they will delegate and how they use their time. 

Growth of the business and the business owner need to match up  
Any business that does not grow will ultimately decline. This may sound black and white but it is true. Growth can mean different things depending on the owner. For some it may be growth in revenues, for others it may be expanding product lines, or increasing the distribution channels. Whatever the definition of growth is, if it is not well thought out and planned, the business will soon become marginal and eventually fail, dragging the owner with it.

If the business is to grow, then the owner has to take the necessary time to learn the new roles and skills that a growing business will demand. Imagine for one moment where you would like your business to be in 5 years time. Then ask yourself: Is it possible that I can be exactly the same person in 5 years that I am today and fulfil that growth strategy for my business? The answer has to be no. Business owners need to be prepared for new learning and taking on new, different, and bigger responsibilities - without fear or hesitation. The reality is the owner will be the limiting factor in growth - the business can only grow to the extent to which the owner  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1826/Managing-the-human-being-behind-the-business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1826/Managing-the-human-being-behind-the-business.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Managing for Best Performance</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In its simplest form, performance management is a common sense set of discussions that make sure people are clear about what they need to do, have the support to do it and get open and honest feedback on their performance.

Any performance management process should answer 4 important questions for your employees:
¢	What do I need to do and how well?  (Direction)
¢	How am I doing?  (Feedback)
¢	What happens when I do well?  (Reward/Recognition)
¢	What happens when I need/want help?  (Support/Development)

Lets look more closely at each of these:

Direction
Employees are not mind readers. Just because it is clear to the manager exactly what is expected, doesnt mean the employee has the same understanding. Having a detailed discussion about exactly what the job requires and any specific priorities is the first step in good performance management. Key points to cover include:
¢	what needs to be achieved throughout the year
¢	what data or information (evidence) will be used to measure performance
¢	the key actions needed to achieve the desired outcomes 

 Both parties should have a written record of this discussion either in the form of a job description or a set of specific objectives for the next 6 or 12 months. Written documentation leaves little room for misunderstandings or confusion between manager and employee about the expectations of the job.

Feedback
Observing the performance of your employees and providing feedback about it should be a routine part of the performance management process. Feedback is most effective in making a difference in work performance when the employee has confidence in the basis of that feedback. And you as the manager will be more confident if your feedback is based on information that you can support. 

For this reason the most useful feedback should be based on observed and/or verifiable work-related behaviours, actions, statements, and results. If you can provide specific examples of good and not so good performa ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1825/Managing-for-Best-Performance.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1825/Managing-for-Best-Performance.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Making more of your Article Marketing Strategy</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Its all well and good to write a great article. If youve done that then you are half way there. The next step is getting it published. Having your articles published on line in different places can build your credibility and increase the number of links pointing to your site “ all great things. But they can actually do a lot more than that. 

You can use them to legitimately help sell your products and services by creating a high quality Resource Box.

A Resource Box is the short biography you get to put at the end of your article “ also known as your SIG (signature).To make your resource box really work for you, youll want to include the following items. 

Resource Box Essentials
ï‚§	Your name: I know it sounds simple “ but it has been known to be forgotten!  This goes first.
ï‚§	Your Title or Job: If its important, let people know what you do
ï‚§	Your website address: Lots of people click through to the URL you put in your resource box, especially if theyve liked what they read and what to learn some more about you. You need to include the whole address (http://www.yourcompany.com¦.etc) to make it work.
ï‚§	Your sound-bite: You will usually have two to three lines to explain what you do. This is best used to describe what makes you unique “ why someone would buy from you instead of anyone else in your field. 
ï‚§	Ask them to do something: Always include a call to action. The research is clear that you get the best results when you ask people to take a specific action. In my own resource box, I ask people to click through and sign up for my newsletter.

Some article publishers give you more space than others, so if youve got extra room, you might also like to include some bonus information to help them take the action you want. For example, mentioning that if they sign up for your newsletter they will receive a free report (or similar) often gets great results.

What Not to Do
Dont list more than one url. People get turned off when they see a long l ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1824/Making-more-of-your-Article-Marketing-Strategy.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1824/Making-more-of-your-Article-Marketing-Strategy.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Leveraging your Existing Customer Base</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[For many of us “ especially those in service businesses “ our existing and previous customers are vital for three reasons:

1.	They have already bought from us, so providing they had a good experience, they might buy from us again. We also know that getting a new customer is much more expensive than selling to an existing customer, so by continuing to sell to them, we are really saving ourselves some money.

2.	They can give us invaluable feedback on how we did. Was our service good enough? Did we delight them or were we ˜just ok. Did our product meet their expectations? Was it good value for money? And so on.

3.	They continue to save us money because they should be our major source of referrals and new business. So through them, we get access to new clients who already know about us and have a positive opinion of what we do.

Most clients I meet are not leveraging their existing customer database, and by not doing so, are losing out on a cost effective source of potential new business. Many receive referrals - for which they are grateful - but its not because they actively sought the referral, or had a strategy in place to ask for it.

Here are  8 ways to maximize the value from your most valuable asset:

Delight your Clients.
Anyone with half a brain can satisfy a customer. But only when you continually delight customers will they keep coming back. You should aim to exceed your customers expectations on every interaction that they have with you. Do this consistently, and you will have a customer for life. For example, you think your loyal client could benefit from reading a section of your ebook or an article youve written? Surprise them and make it a gift. Sure, you could say, &amp;quot;Ill give you a fifty percent discount.&amp;quot; Forego the money. Give your client a reason to stick around and spend a thousand dollars instead. 

Personalise, personalise, personalise
We are entering an era where one size no longer fits all”or even a few. We are enteri ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1823/Leveraging-your-Existing-Customer-Base.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1823/Leveraging-your-Existing-Customer-Base.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Kicking Winning Goals</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The competition for business is hotting up. The advances in new technology, ease of communication, and increasing expectations from customers have combined to make the marketplace more competitive than ever. In this world it is critical for small and medium businesses to be proactive about creating their future. Without proactivity, things just seem to ˜happen without your control.

A management system that is centred around goals is one tool that the business can use to craft its future. This is a system of deciding what you are going to do everyday based on the goals you are working toward. 

It sounds simple enough, but the research clearly shows that most businesses dont set goals “ at all. The goal setting process can seem daunting if its unfamiliar territory, or if you have so much on your mind that you dont know where to start. This process will help you to sort through your key issues by setting goals that are innovative, resolve problems and improve results. 

A goal-centred management system has 3 elements:
1. The goal or the objective you want to achieve
2. The activities required to achieve the goals, and
3. The review or evaluation process. 

Here are the 5 steps required to put your goal management system in place.

1. Identifying your Goals
Start by asking yourself these three questions. If you have employees, often they have a different view about issues in the business. Including them in this process can be really valuable. 
ï‚§	What are the three things that irritate me the most about my business right now? 
ï‚§	What have I been putting off, that I know will have a positive impact on my business?
ï‚§	What is working pretty well, but could be improved? 

It might help you to think in terms of some common categories such as:

Employees:		skill levels, right people in right jobs
Managers:		management style, experience
Customers:		strength of customer base, number, loyalty etc
Financial:		cash flow, capital, low debt, profit mar ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1822/Kicking-Winning-Goals.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1822/Kicking-Winning-Goals.php</link>
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      <title><strong>How to Find One More Hour in Every Day</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In September 2006 (for reasons too long to explain here), I had no internet or email access for 26 days. We all know how much we rely on these for running our business (and our lives), but it's not until it's actually taken away from you for an extended period that you realize the full extent of your dependence. 

Needless to say for the first 2 weeks I was feeling very pressured about my inability to respond to client enquiries, communicate with people and generally get things done.

But what I did discover very quickly was how much actual work I was getting done because I didn't have the email or internet to distract me! In fact, by the time 3 weeks had passed, I was really enjoying my extra freedom - yes freedom. 

This experience truly opened my eyes to my own inefficiencies. Once you get over the feeling of being out of control you realize that you are actually very much in control. In today's world we're led to believe that we always need to be accessible - to our clients, our suppliers, family and friends. Not so. By choosing to control how frequently we communicate, and at what time, we put ourselves in the driver's seat. 

So now that I am back on line, I've made some significant changes. I would highly recommend them to anyone, particularly if you are strapped for time. 

Turn off automatic send/receive on your email program
I used to have Outlook set up so it would check for new emails every 10 minutes. Really, I was just asking to be distracted. To turn this off (in Outlook) click on Tools, Mail Set Up, Send/Receive. Then uncheck the box &amp;quot;schedule an automatic send/receive every x minutes&amp;quot;. Now you can decide when you want to read your emails. 

Download emails no more than 3 times per day (2 is even better)
Now that you are in control, pick 2-3 times a day when you choose to hit the send/receive button and get all your emails delivered. Do this at the same time every day - make it a habit. 

Schedule time to respond to emails,  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1821/How-to-Find-One-More-Hour-in-Every-Day.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1821/How-to-Find-One-More-Hour-in-Every-Day.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Hourly Rates - No Thanks</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When was the last time you gave a passing thought to your pricing? Its no secret that how you charge for your services can either make or break you. It can mean the difference between a mediocre and a successful business. In my experience, most people dont spend enough time thinking strategically about what pricing strategy they should use.

The majority of people in service businesses - and especially people who work independently - establish an hourly rate. They use a process called reverse competition to determine what their rate should be. This involves taking a look at what your geographical competitors are charging, and deciding where in the range you want to fit on the spectrum of hourly rates. Inevitably, we choose a rate somewhere in the middle, so we can say that were not the most expensive, but neither are we the cheapest! 

With this approach we are showing absolutely no differentiation from any other company “ just sticking ourselves straight down the middle. In other words, we compete with everyone! Not a very prudent marketing decision. 
So pricing simply using an hourly rate that sits in the middle of the spectrum is, in my view, a wasted opportunity to create a point of difference. 
Getting Away from the Hourly Rate Mentality
Before you do business with a new customer, you hold all the leverage in the relationship.  After the services have been performed, the customer possesses the leverage. The lesson is that you want to set your prices when you possess the leverage - before the engagement begins. 

The minute you quote an hourly rate, you put a fixed limit on your earning potential. Its hard to increase an hourly rate once it has been set. The most successful service providers charge for the job as a whole, and then dont specify exactly how many hours it will take to complete the job. 

Customers are value conscious, not price conscious.  They look to do business with people they feel give them more than they are paying for. So your goa ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1820/Hourly-Rates--No-Thanks.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1820/Hourly-Rates--No-Thanks.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Hiring for Success</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Hiring someone new to work in your business is one of the most critical decisions a business owner makes, although it is not always given the justice it deserves.  If a position is vacant, or additional staff are needed, recruitment decisions are often driven by the pressure to get someone in quickly, rather than waiting for the best person to fill the job. Lack of proper and systematic recruitment process can also result in a high cost to the business.

The direct and indirect costs of this recruitment process are many, and have been estimated to be at least 30% of the new persons salary on average:

¢	Recruitment costs “ include advertising and agency fees (if used), travel
¢	Cost of time “ for everyone involved in the interview process
¢	Cost of having the job unfilled if the process is lengthy
¢	Cost of lost productivity “ the show must go on!  Co-workers are picking up extra workload and completing unfinished projects. The reduced productivity of managers who lose key staff can be a big issue
¢	Cost of training “ on average it takes 20 weeks for new employees to become fully productive. Consider also the costs of orientation, learning materials and lost productivity of the manager overseeing the new employee.
¢	Costs of person filling in “ this may be a current employee, in which case their own job suffers, or a temporary person.

Further costs are incurred when the process is inefficient and time-consuming, and when the process does not result in the best person for the job being hired.

So there is a great incentive to hire the right people and keep them for as long as possible. 

So what approach to recruitment gives the best chance of long-term success?

Job Definition
You need to have a clear understanding of what the job involves in terms of its main activities, responsibilities and priorities. There are a plethora of Job Definition templates out there to use if your need help with this aspect.

Once the nature of the job has been clea ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1819/Hiring-for-Success.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1819/Hiring-for-Success.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Haven't done a Business Plan?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A Business Plan is the essential document we are all meant to have “ right? So why do so many of us not have one?  

The principle behind having a business plan is to think strategically about how to grow our business, create new direction and organise our thoughts:

What am I going to do?
Why? 
When does it all have to happen?
What resources will I need?
What could get in the way of success?
How can I minimise the chances of that happening?

The principal challenge with traditional business plans lies not in the subject matter or the content, but in their format. 

The majority of business plans are static documents, comprised of lists and columns with actions and dates. There is a proportion of the population that like to manage their work in this way “ and they thrive on using the traditional business plan format. But the reality is that most entrepreneurs are entrepreneurial (funny that!) “ and most entrepreneurs hate using lists! Lists dont really reflect our way of thinking, creating or managing information. 

We need a process that reflects the flexible and dynamic way we approach business. It is this ability that sets us apart from our larger, slower competitors. 

The Project Management Approach
The project management based approach to business planning represents information in a much more flexible way, using mind maps or dynamic lists. Essentially your thinking is represented in small and large chunks, and grouped by area or ˜project. 

Let me demonstrate with a genuine example. My whiteboard contains all of my current and planned activities split into 3 areas “ this week, medium term and long term.


My overall aims and goals for the business are listed on the right side. These dont change much “ but they are always there in front of me to keep me focused on what is important.  The middle of the board contains my longer term projects (3 months or more ), such as developing alliances and approaching magazines to write for articles.  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1818/Havent-done-a-Business-Plan.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1818/Havent-done-a-Business-Plan.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Getting the Marketing Groove</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Wouldnt it be great to have a year where your marketing efforts were streamlined and got the results you were after? None of us want to struggle with marketing, and yet this is the one topic that continues to be highest in the minds of small business professionals. Lets really consider some of the reasons that can sabotage our marketing efforts, and how we can turn that around.

Lack of a marketing mindset “ we dont see ourselves as in the marketing game. 
The truth is, if you are out there running a business, thinking like a marketer has to become your priority. Its no use having a great service if nobody knows about it, or you. Lack of knowledge is your enemy. Start by reading whatever you can. Speak to successful people in your field and ask them what strategies they use. The information you need is out there for you to take. 

Lack of investment
For many small business owners, the focus on cost control prohibits them from ever investing enough money into marketing and promotion. These activities are seen as costs rather than as an investment. So this year I encourage you to reframe your attitude towards marketing. Once you know what marketing activity to do, and have confidence that it will bring results, spend the money enthusiastically.

Lack of focus 
Perhaps you do spend time and money on marketing, but you arent happy with the results. Or your efforts are ad-hoc rather than carefully planned. Whatever it is, 2005 is the year to take charge. If what you are doing isnt working “ stop doing it! Ask a professional for help (not your friends or associates!). Or put yourself in your customers shoes and work out whats going to attract them to your business. If an ad-hoc approach is the problem, take the time to complete the marketing plan in the ˜How to¦ section and become ruthlessly systematic this year.

Lack of over-riding marketing strategy
Marketing activity and tactics are all well and good but it is like driving a rudderless ship if there is no  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1817/Getting-the-Marketing-Groove.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1817/Getting-the-Marketing-Groove.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Getting off the Treadmill</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Have you ever had one of those days when youve asked yourself: Why am I doing this?  Do you hate Mondays and hang out for Fridays? Or do you say to yourself: its not forever, and the money is good.  If work has lost its meaning for you, and your care factor is hovering close to zero, then you can join the thousands of other people who are endlessly running on the treadmill.

Being on the treadmill is an insidious condition “ people are endurance athletes when it comes to running on this particular machine. Its not hard to build up stamina, in fact there is a simple 3-step formula that will guarantee your ongoing success:

Step 1: 	go to work each day
Step 2: 	complete all activities and tasks 
Step 3: 	show all the acceptable outward signs of participation and enthusiasm 

then repeat ad infinitum¦¦

Inwardly you might be having a conversation like: Are you serious? This is so boring, or No, not again!

The problem with the treadmill is that it never slows down or turns off unless the person operating it presses the Stop button (or fails to complete Steps 1 to 3 successfully). Its the same with our lives “ nothing changes unless we actively choose to do something different.

The ability to jump off the treadmill takes work, and courage. Often we think its easier to keep doing what we are doing than to think about how to make a change. But each of us has the power to make a different reality “ after all, we made the one that were in now didnt we?.

Recognise that youre on the treadmill.
This is the first and most important step. Being on the treadmill often means doing things on autopilot. By ignoring how we feel, we are able to continue with our endurance session. Once you allow yourself to acknowledge that youre not that crazy about where you are, then you will be motivated to make a change.

Get some support
Human beings dont like change, so jumping off the treadmill into an uncertain place is usually not an option. In todays world there are al ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1816/Getting-off-the-Treadmill.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1816/Getting-off-the-Treadmill.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Every Business Needs a BHAG</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In the heady arena of strategy, the consultants of the world find wonderful acronyms for the work they do. Today let me introduce one of those to you.

Its the BHAG “ the Big Hairy Audacious Goal!

This is the goal that really stretches you to think differently about how you do business. Its the goal that going to help you transform your business, rather than being satisfied with incremental change. Its the goal thats going to inspire you to do your best work and outshine your competition.

So how do you go about making your own BHAG? 

The first step is to shake off any beliefs about what is possible in your business. If you already have mindset that limits your achievements youll never get serious about a BHAG.

So - anything is possible (right?).

Next, pose some Very Hairy Challenges “ like these ones¦.

I want to triple my revenue in the next 12 months.
I want the best known brand in Australia
I want to work 1 day per week and still earn the same amount of money.

You get the idea.

Now you have to work backwards from this endpoint in 3 steps. Lets take the triple your revenue example. 

Step 1: Brainstorm ideas for making more money (no limits remember “ everything is possible)
ï®	Charge a lot more
ï®	Speak for money
ï®	Create a high-end wicked product to sell (or multiple wicked products)
ï®	Work with different clients who expect you to charge a lot more
ï®	Sell someone elses related product for a commission
ï®	Go totally online and remove your overheads
Etc.

Step 2: Make a list of obstacles and ways of getting around them
ï®	Dont have any product ideas (easily fixed “ get some friends and have a brainstorming session)
ï®	Not a great speaker (write the workshop and get someone else to give it, or become a great speaker)
ï®	Nobody will hire me if I charge more (if your work is great, thats usually not the case “ but you will need to reposition yourself and adopt a different mindset)
ï®	Work with different clients ( ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1815/Every-Business-Needs-a-BHAG.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1815/Every-Business-Needs-a-BHAG.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Exit Your Rate Race</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[We can all get in a rut from time to time. Who hasnt had a moment in their lives where youve asked yourself the question: Why am I doing this?  Whether it's who you've become, the business you are in, your career, relationships, where you live or all of the above - sometimes you realise you're just not where you want to be “ and youre not sure how you got there! It sure feels like your own version of a rat race though.
If where you want to be in your life is not where you are, then maybe it's time for you to drop out of your very own rat race. We are conditioned into believing that we must continue to strive, to take more on, and to do more, in order to be successful. But this is a limited and ultimately self-defeating definition. If we can only be more successful by what and how much we do, then we have created our own treadmills to run on. 
1.	Redefine Success
Redefining success for yourself can be the first step in taking a fresh perspective. Try this exercise by completing the following sentence.  I know I am successful when¦¦. You may not complete the sentence with anything to do with work or material goods. Here are some examples.  I know I am successful when¦.
¦I laugh every day with my children
¦I bounce out of bed enthusiastically every morning 
¦all of my relationships give me great joy
¦I inspire others to make positive changes

By redefining what we believe makes us successful, we begin to strive for different things in our lives. This can be instrumental in slowing down the treadmill enough for us to take stock of where we are.

2.	Springclean your mind
If you feel as though you dont have time for anything, especially thinking about ways to do things differently, its time for a time-out. When we are busy and occupied all the time, we are usually reacting to things going on around us, rather than acting out of choice.  So make an active choice to take a rest, a vacation, talk it out with someone you trust, blow off steam, do whatever it takes ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1814/Exit-Your-Rate-Race.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1814/Exit-Your-Rate-Race.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Driving without a Road Map</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[For any business to succeed it must know what it is about. It must be able to explain
what it is there to achieve, and where it ultimately wants to end up. Unfortunately the majority of businesses cant describe, or dont have a picture of what they are trying to become. Either its just not considered important enough, or they get so caught up in the daily running of the business that theres no time for thinking beyond the next cycle. 

Having a vision and long term goals is essential. After all, if you dont know where you are going, youll never know when you get there.

How Up To Date is your Street Map?
Think of it this way. When you get into a car, turn on the engine and roll out of the driveway, 99.9% of the time you always have a destination in mind. Whether its the office, the fast food drive through or a town that is miles away, you know exactly where you are going. And because you know where you are going, you can choose from several routes to get there. Each route will take you where you want to go, but there may be pros and cons associated with choosing one over the other (traffic considerations, length of the trip and so on). Still, you can consciously choose a specific path, to meet your needs on that particular day.

Now imagine getting into your car with no destination in mind. You wouldnt know when to turn right or left, or when to stop altogether. You could go forwards or in reverse “ depending on your mood. You could keep driving around aimlessly forever - until you run out of petrol or the car breaks down.

Not having a long term destination for your business puts many business owners in the aimless driving category. If you dont know where you are heading, then you can make any choice and go in any direction (including backwards). Plans are made based only on the current situation and short term goals. Decisions are taken without having a broader context. 

The value in knowing your final destination (your vision) is that you can choose t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1813/Driving-without-a-Road-Map.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1813/Driving-without-a-Road-Map.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Delegate or Die</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There is not a single management skill more critical to your personal and professional success as an entrepreneur than learning to delegate. But delegating successfully is much more than simply handing out assignments. It is more an exercise in understanding and accepting our own strengths and limitations. 

In this fast paced world, we must choose what activities it makes sense for us to do ourselves, and what it makes sense to let go of. None of us can be an expert in everything - not because of any lack of intellectual ability, but more because we lack specific exposure or experience. We must learn to accept this fact and be OK with it. 

How do you fill the gaps in your expertise?
Let's consider a real life example. My own areas of expertise lie in business and operational management, understanding people and coaching. This is my business. When I wanted to create a single web-page to market a workshop I was developing I had to make a decision. I have (very) rudimentary skills in web page creation. While all of the software I need is at my fingertips, the question is &amp;quot;Do I really have time to learn it?&amp;quot; 

I ask myself: &amp;quot;Should I spend several hours - probably a whole day if I'm being honest - learning to grasp the software and design my own web-page&amp;quot; Or should I spend some money and hire somebody who already knows the software?&amp;quot; Then all I need to do is supply the content. 

I am tempted to go it alone - after all, I love technology and knowing how to use it (that's my ego talking!). But at the end of the day, my time is better spent working on other aspects of the business. So I outsourced the job.

In making your own decisions, the key is in determining what you need to know, want to know, must know, and already know. And how your time would best be spent.

Find Experts and Build Partnerships
Jack of all trades, master of none. The old adage holds a lot of weight in today's entrepreneurial environment. No one can possibly  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1812/Delegate-or-Die.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1812/Delegate-or-Die.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Dealing with Problem Behaviour in the Workplace</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I personally struggle with the term managing people, because I firmly believe that people cannot be managed “ only processes and systems can. How many times have you heard it said “ Why wont my employees just do as they are asked? 

Despite all our best efforts at managing, we have very little control over other peoples actions, including the people that work with or for us. We can inspire, motivate, guide or threaten them, but the choice to act in a certain way is up to the individual. 

Todays workplaces are complex environments “ it is a rare occasion when all employees get on together and work enthusiastically and constructively to achieve the goals of the business.  Problem behavior on the part of employees can erupt for a variety of reasons. Here are ten tips for dealing with it.

Recognize that problem behavior usually has a history
It usually develops over time and seldom from a single incident. As a manager, it is your responsibility to be alert to the early warning signs and deal with the underlying causes before the situation reaches a crisis.

Ask yourself: &amp;quot;Am I partly or wholly responsible?&amp;quot;
If the problem is in your team, then you are at least partly responsible for it. Perhaps you were blind to the signs the individual was undoubtedly leaving you, or you chose to ignore them and hope they would go away. Perhaps you hadnt been managing that individuals performance on a regular basis, and so missed an opportunity to discover the problem earlier. Whatever the reason, responsibility lies with you in some part.

You would be surprised how frequently it is the manager who has created, or at least contributed to problems of employee behavior. Having an abrasive style, being unwilling to listen, and being inattentive to the nuances of employee behavior are all factors that contribute to the manager's need to thoroughly examine what is going on.

Don't focus only on the overt behavior
When confronted by an angry or upset employee, it' ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1811/Dealing-with-Problem-Behaviour-in-the-Workplace.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1811/Dealing-with-Problem-Behaviour-in-the-Workplace.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Creating content for Articles or Ezines Effortlessly</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The benefits of writing as a marketing strategy have been well documented. Articles build credibility, provide lots of links back to your website, and can generate business for you. All good stuff. This is all well and good as long as you have something to write about “ right?

Finding content ideas can be one of the dilemmas that stops us from making the most of  writing as a marketing opportunity. But I can assure you that each on you has enough content already on hand to write dozens of articles. You just need to know where to look.

Here are 5 areas you can look

Client questions
Any client who has ever asked you: How would I ¦¦ is giving you the basis for an article. Answering how to questions provides real world solutions to real situations, exactly what the reading public want to know about. 

To turn a short answer into a longer article, simply:
¢	Begin with the background or context to the situation
¢	describe when and how the situation occurs
¢	how to address the problem (your ˜how to response)
¢	how to make ensure the issue doesnt recur

The problems you solve
Write a list of the 5 to 10 key problems that you solve for your clients. Every one of these can for the basis of one or more articles. If the problem is a complex one, break it down into its components, and use each component as the basis for an article. Often the process for resolving one complex problem can become a series of related articles that you can publish over a series of weeks or months.

Workshops or seminars
If you are running workshops or seminars then you have enough article content to last you a long time. Break your seminar down into manageable pieces and create one or more articles for each piece.

Processes you follow:
Do you use a proprietary process in your business? Or a clearly established series of steps that you follow? Again, use these as the basis for an article on how to approach a problem.

Industry trends
Keeping abreast of the latest happening ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1810/Creating-content-for-Articles-or-Ezines-Effortlessly.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1810/Creating-content-for-Articles-or-Ezines-Effortlessly.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Creating A Vision and Mission</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[For any business to succeed, it must know what it is about.  It must be able to clearly describe why it is there, and what it is there to achieve. Developing a vision and mission statement is a way of articulating these ideas to yourself, your customers, your employees, and to the world at large.

A Business Vision that Inspires!
If you dont know where you are heading, then you can make any choice and go in any direction (including backwards). The value in knowing your final destination (your vision) is that you can choose to take the specific paths that lead you there. Your action is intentional and keeps you pointed in the right direction.

Vision statements can take many forms. They answer the question: What will success look like?  Their main purpose is to articulate the dream state of the business. If your business could be everything you dreamed, how would it be? To help you to craft your vision statement, try writing your answers to the following questions:

¢	Why did I start this business?
¢	When I move on from this business, what do I want to leave behind?
¢	What am I really providing for my customers beyond products and services?
¢	If my business could be everything I dreamed, how would it be?

Here are a few examples of powerful vision statements from the real world:

eHam.net - To build the largest and most complete Amateur Radio community site on the Internet

Coachville - Everyone is a coach

Bill Gates - There will be a personal computer on every desk running Microsoft software 

Once you have created the long-term vision for your business, it creates the context in which all other decisions are made. Your statement should stretch expectations, aspirations, and performance. Without that powerful, attractive, valuable vision, why bother?


A Clear Mission that describes what you do
For any business to succeed, even a business consisting of one individual, it (he/she) needs to know what they're about - what, precisely, it is that ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1809/Creating-A-Vision-and-Mission.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1809/Creating-A-Vision-and-Mission.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Create more Headspace - the art of Simplification</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
Peoples lives today are jam-packed with great projects, ideas, to-do lists, errands, things we should do, things we could do, duties and obligations. No surprise then, that many of us feel we barely have time to do the things we have to do (or think we have to do), let alone spare time for fitting in anything extra.

Why do we insist on keeping ourselves so busy? We have trained ourselves to believe that to be busy improves our chances of success in this world. The no pain, no gain mentality. Also, our minds love to be active. For many high achieving types, taking mental time out is tantamount to laziness!

Being busy is not necessarily a bad thing “ often we accomplish a lot in our busy lives. But when we get to a point where the level of activity is running our lives, its time to take some action!  Ask yourself:

Why do I choose to take on all the things I do?
Do I really understand what is driving these choices?
What are the things I cant do that I would like to, because I am too busy?

Enter the simplification process.  It sounds deceptively easy but the reality is usually different. Its hard to let go of things that you have invested time, money and emotions into.

I suggest people look at 3 areas:

Firstly, stop doing things “ just stop. Pick 2 or 3 activities (like projects, committee memberships or DIY home activities) and decide not to do them. Thats the first big step.

Second, examine all the great ideas you have in your head “ the things you keep thinking about that take up mental space (financial goals that have yet to come true, becoming a size ten,
pipe dreams). Youve done OK in your life without those things so far, and chances are that youll continue to survive. Give them up.

Third, reduce or eliminate your errands. These sneaky timewasters chew up a lot of physical and mental energy. If you havent done them, you are thinking about doing them, and once they are done, you often need to repeat them from month to month! With the t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1808/Create-more-Headspace--the-art-of-Simplification.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1808/Create-more-Headspace--the-art-of-Simplification.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Coaching the new word in Management</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Although workplaces and management styles have come a long way in the last decade, the command and control style of management behaviour remains common practice in many companies. This management approach basically means that employees are told exactly what to do, when to do it and even how it should be done. The manager is in charge, has all the answers, and fixes all the problems.

It's no surprise that plenty of people find this approach demotivating, and that workplaces with a command-control style are rated as pretty unsatisfying. When it comes down to it, none of us really enjoys being told exactly what to do, and neither do our employees. When people feel as though they have no say and are given no opportunity to contribute outside of their work tasks, then they switch off and become &amp;quot;disengaged&amp;quot;. 

The command and control approach is being phased out for a more collaborative and engaging style - a &amp;quot;Coach&amp;quot; approach or being a &amp;quot;manager-coach&amp;quot;. This is a positive shift - as long as we support our managers in understanding what on earth is meant by a &amp;quot;coach approach&amp;quot;, and how expectations of them are changing. 

Coaching - What does it really mean?
The coaching profession has exploded in recent years, diversifying across many different fields and industries. All of these people are dedicated to helping others achieve their goals, improve aspects of themselves or their business, or move forwards from where they are today. 

In a work environment, the role of a manager-coach can be described as :
¢achieving results and excellence through others rather than personally taking care of things, and 
¢focusing on developing employees in order to achieve business results rather than micro-managing their every move.

Adopting coaching as a management style requires managers to help other people unlock their potential and enhance their own performance. It's about supporting people to learn instead of telling them what th ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1807/Coaching-the-new-word-in-Management.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1807/Coaching-the-new-word-in-Management.php</link>
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      <title><strong>8 Ways to Get More from your Exiting Customers</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[For many of us - especially those in service businesses - our existing and previous customers are vital for three reasons:

1. They have already bought from us, so providing they had a good experience, they might buy from us again. We also know that getting a new customer is much more expensive than selling to an existing customer, so by continuing to sell to them, we are really saving ourselves some money.

2. They can give us invaluable feedback on how we did.  Was our service good enough? Did we delight them or were we 'just ok'. Did our product meet their expectations? Was it good value for money? And so on.

3. They continue to save us money because they should be our major source of referrals and new business. So through them, we get access to new clients who already know about us and have a positive opinion of what we do. 


Most clients I meet are not leveraging their existing customer database, and by not doing so, are losing out on a cost effective source of potential new business. Many receive referrals - for which they are grateful - but it's not because they actively sought the referral, or had a strategy in place to ask for it.

Here are 8 ways to maximize the value from your most valuable asset:

Delight your Clients
Anyone with half a brain can satisfy a customer. But only when you continually delight customers will they keep coming back. You should aim to exceed your customers expectations on every interaction that they have with you. Do this consistently, and you will have a customer for life. 

For example, you think your loyal client could benefit from reading a section of your ebook or an article you've written? Surprise them and make it a gift. Sure, you could say, &amp;quot;I'll give you a fifty percent discount.&amp;quot; Forego the money. Give your client a reason to stick around and spend a thousand dollars instead. 

Personalise, personalise, personalise
&amp;quot;We are entering an era where one size no longer fits all-or even a fe ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1806/8-Ways-to-Get-More-from-your-Exiting-Customers.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1806/8-Ways-to-Get-More-from-your-Exiting-Customers.php</link>
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      <title><strong>7 Sanity Saving  Business Boundaries</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The lack of strong boundaries is one of the chief causes of stress, overwork and overwhelm in the business environment. 

Clearly set boundaries help other people to understand how you want to be treated. They are the rules, if you like, that apply when others deal with you and your business. Many of us arent good at establishing boundaries, something that probably stems from way back in our childhoods. 

As children we are often taught that other peoples needs are more important than ours. That we should obey others without question. And we were rewarded for pleasing other people and sacrificing our own needs. Sometimes we do not set boundaries because we dislike confrontation or anger, or because we think we will hurt other peoples feelings. If this behaviour of putting ourselves last carries over into our adult lives, its likely to stop us from telling other people what we want.

The good news is that setting boundaries is a learnable skill, and one that can make a huge positive difference to the quality of your life.

The first step is to identify which boundaries you need to set. These seven are suggested for easing the pressure on you in your business life:

1.	Learn to say no
Dont feel uncomfortable about saying no to an unreasonable request. If it is going to have a negative impact on you, or you dont really want to do something, then just say no. And dont feel as thought you need to explain why. After all, we dont offer an explanation when we say yes.

2.	Be clear about what you do and what you dont do
If something is outside the bounds of your normal scope of work, then simply say so.  It is easy to get caught up agreeing to do unusual things or one-offs that take up a lot of extra time. Your time is valuable and you want to spend it accordingly.

3.	When its OK for people to contact you
If you get customers and suppliers calling you at all hours then you need to establish this boundary. You can take control in this situation by looking fo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1805/7-Sanity-Saving--Business-Boundaries.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1805/7-Sanity-Saving--Business-Boundaries.php</link>
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      <title><strong>10 Ways to Boost Your Profitability</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[So many business owners work hard - really hard - just to break even or keep afloat. Each one of us deserves reward for our efforts, whether that be financial or personal. The question to ask yourself is whether you are directing your effort in the right places, to get the reward you want? 
Of the businesses Ive seen and worked in, there are plenty of ways to mis-spend effort - that is, to work hard - but on the wrong things. Here are ten of the most common areas where the return on your efforts can really be ramped up.

Marketing Inconsistently
Once you have committed to owning and running a business you must be equally committed to marketing and selling the products and services of that business. It is difficult, if not impossible, to stay and remain profitable without a commitment to ongoing concerted marketing. 
To get more out of your marketing, create a simple marketing plan that includes marketing activity every day, every week and every month. Marketing plans combine formal activities (such as advertising, promotions and writing) with informal activities (such as making new contacts) . Dont underestimate the power of talking to people about what you do. Use every opportunity, every time. 

Fear of Asking for the Sale
Isnt it true that we think asking directly for someones business means coming across as pushy or obnoxious.  But if we have this attitude, we are letting profit-producing opportunities pass us by. Worrying more about what someone thinks of you than bringing more money into the business is an all too common mistake. If you find it difficult to &amp;quot;ask for the sale&amp;quot;, you can be sure that you're not bringing in as much money as you could be. 
The most effective way to address this issue it to practice asking for the sale in language that you are comfortable with (not too wishy-washy please). Write down what you want to say first, then practice it over and over. There is also plenty of stuff out there on handling objections. Prepare  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1804/10-Ways-to-Boost-Your-Profitability.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1804/10-Ways-to-Boost-Your-Profitability.php</link>
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      <title><strong>10 Ways to Beef up Your Leadership Skills</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Have you ever heard someone say, Actually, I have to admit that I think I am really bad at managing other people. My staff all hate me and Im incapable of doing my job.

The answer is no, of course. No one says this either because they dont believe it, or because they dont want to appear incompetent. Unfortunately research tells us that from the employees perspective, there arent that many terrific managers out there. 

What should we take out of this dichotomy? Perhaps at the least, we could all admit to ourselves that there is room for some improvement in the way we lead others. After all, its not the sort of skill that is easy to get 100% right all of the time. It might just be that we dont specifically know what improvements to make, so heres 10 ways to start:

1.	Get a reality check
Finding out what others think of our leadership style can be  real eye-opener, and is often the most powerful driver for change. Using a 360 survey where you receive feedback from your staff, peers and manager, gives you some concrete information on a sometimes intangible subject. Use an existing tool (and there are some highly regarded ones out there) or else simply let your staff know that you are seeking feedback from them in order to improve your style.

A word of caution though, your staff may not feel safe in giving feedback if they believe you are going to use it against them, or become defensive about what they say. Its up to you to create a safe environment so they feel comfortable in being open and honest with you.

2.	Dont use the power of your position to get things done
If people are questioning why certain things are done, or the logic of decisions, never pull rank in response.  A critical component of effective leadership is getting  the buy-in from your team and colleagues. You dont get buy-in by telling them that the decision is the right one because you are the boss and you made it. Your team may not always agree with what is being done, but they are mo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1803/10-Ways-to-Beef-up-Your-Leadership-Skills.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1803/10-Ways-to-Beef-up-Your-Leadership-Skills.php</link>
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      <title><strong>10 Critical Elements of a Successful Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The rules that a successful business operate by today are very different from the rules of 20 to 30 years ago. The widespread use of technology has dramatically cut response times and elevated customer expectations of service. Competitive advantage is the catch cry, but most business owners struggle to articulate what their point of difference is. The statistics are well known: a staggering 40% of all new businesses fail within the first 12 months. Within 5 years, more than 80% will have failed.  And yet, people are flocking to start up new businesses in ever increasing numbers.

What is it then, that sets apart the successful businesses from the unsuccessful ones? Here are my top ten tips for creating and maintaining a successful business. As you read, think to yourself “ how does my business stack up?

1. Successful businesses have repeatable, scalable systems
The processes in the business are clear, usually documented and followed religiously by all. This ensures the customer gets the same experience, every time they deal with the company.

2. They dont depend on one person
 If all the knowledge and skill resides in one persons hands or head, then the business is in serious trouble when that person wants to take a holiday, has to go to hospital, breaks an arm or leg etc.

3. Successful businesses can articulate what makes them different from others in their field
Businesses that can do this run the risk of competing on price alone, a war that nobody wins (except the customer)

4.  They always add value to the customers experience
The customer perceives that value has been added either through service, product features, distribution etc. The customers perception is whats important “ find out whats of value to them

5. Use strategies that recognize and reward their employees 
Reward and incentive programs should be based on performance, not just years of service or other demographic criteria. Employees are human; they respond to recognition - both  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1802/10-Critical-Elements-of-a-Successful-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1802/10-Critical-Elements-of-a-Successful-Business.php</link>
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      <title><strong>10 Strategies for Avoiding Overwhelm in your Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[How many of us have been in a position where we have more to do than can realistically fit into one day, or week. So we spend all of our time feeling rushed, being rushed, and wondering how on earth we are going to manage. If you are having that feeling of overwhelm in your business, it's time to take stock of what's going on.

How well you manage yourself and the time you have, is crucial to your success. Wasted time equals lost opportunities. Lost opportunities equal lost business and profits.

Time can't be &amp;quot;saved&amp;quot; - it's an impossibility. You can't find more of it - it's a fixed commodity. You can only manage your activities as time passes. So how are you spending the 60 seconds in each minute - the 60 minutes in each hour - the 1,440 minutes in each day?

What you need is to achieve is working on your top priorities in the most effective way. Here are 10 great strategies for doing just that.

Lesson 1: Prioritize Aside from just listing what needs to be done, rank them from most important to least important. And then complete them in that order. Too often we start with the easy stuff or the quick stuff, regardless of how important it is. Look at the list of things that need to be done. Hi-light the activities that you could put on hold if you had to. How much time could you free up if you put some of those activities on hold?

Be realistic about the number of priorities you have. Most of the activities we are involved in are things we want to do. The problem with overwhelm is that there are many more things we want to do, than we physically have time for. So create some space by telling yourself that you are just putting some activities on hold for now. You are not giving them up forever, but you are giving yourself permission to put some activities on hold - so you can focus on the most important priorities. This may force you to make some tough choices - but it's a pretty empowering thing to do.|

Lesson 2: Be ruthless with e-mail. What  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/57/973/10-Strategies-for-Avoiding-Overwhelm-in-your-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/57/973/10-Strategies-for-Avoiding-Overwhelm-in-your-Business.php</link>
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      <title><strong>How to Establish a Goal-Centered Management System</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The start of a new year is an ideal time to rethink what you want to achieve in your business this year. It's true to say that small and medium businesses must be proactive about creating their future. Without this, things just seem to &amp;quot;happen&amp;quot; without your control. A management system that is &amp;quot;goals-centred&amp;quot; is one tool that the small business can use to craft their future. This is a system of deciding what you are going to do everyday based on the goals you are working toward.

It sounds simple enough, but the research clearly shows that most small businesses don't set goals - at all. The goal setting process can seem daunting if it's unfamiliar territory, or if you have so much on your mind that you don't know where to start. This process will help you to sort through your key issues create forwards by setting goals that are innovative, resolve problems and improve results.

A goal-centred management system has 3 elements:
1. The goal or the objective you want to achieve
2. The activities required to achieve the goals, and
3. The review or evaluation process.

Here are the 5 steps required to put your goal management system in place.

1. Identifying your Goals
Start by asking yourself these three questions. If you have employees, often they have a different view about issues in the business. Including them in this process can be really valuable.
What are the three things that irritate me the most about my business right now?
What have I been putting off, that I know will have a positive impact on my business?
What is working pretty well, but could be improved?

It might help you to think in terms of some common categories such as:
Employees: skill levels, right people in right jobs
Managers: management style, experience
Customers: strength of customer base, number, loyalty etc
Financial: cash flow, capital, low debt, profit margins etc
Reputation: well-known brand, well regarded
Products/Services: leading edge, innovativ ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Management Style in the 21st Century</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The Old Way - Command and Control
Although workplaces and management styles have come a long way in the last decade, the command and control style of management behaviour remains common practice in many companies. This management approach basically means that employees are told exactly what to do, when to do it and even how it should be done. The manager is in charge, has all the answers, and fixes all the problems.

It's no surprise that plenty of people find this approach demotivating, and that workplaces with a command-control style are rated as pretty unsatisfying. When it comes down to it, none of us really enjoys being told exactly what to do, and neither do our employees. When people feel as though they have no say and are given no opportunity to contribute outside of their work tasks, then they switch off and become &amp;quot;disengaged&amp;quot;.

The command and control approach is being phased out for a more collaborative and engaging style - a &amp;quot;Coach&amp;quot; approach or being a &amp;quot;manager-coach&amp;quot;. This is a positive shift - as long as we support our managers in understanding what on earth is meant by a &amp;quot;coach approach&amp;quot;, and how expectations of them are changing.

Coaching - What does it really mean?
The coaching profession has exploded in recent years, diversifying across many different fields and industries. All of these people are dedicated to helping others achieve their goals, improve aspects of themselves or their business, or move forwards from where they are today.

In a work environment, the role of a manager-coach can be described as :
* achieving results and excellence through others rather than personally taking care of things, and
* focusing on developing employees in order to achieve business results rather than micro-managing their every move.

Adopting coaching as a management style requires managers to help other people unlock their potential and enhance their own performance. It's about supporting people to lear ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/971/Management-Style-in-the-21st-Century.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/971/Management-Style-in-the-21st-Century.php</link>
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      <title><strong>6 Steps to Making Centres of Influence Work</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A Centre of Influence is a fancy way of identifying people that have a hugely positive impact on your business. They often refer people and business to you, and are actively glowing about what you provide and how you provide it. Every business needs a couple of these gems, and once you have them, you should bend over backwards to make sure they continue to think positively about you.

But how do you find and connect with these people? Here's an Action Plan that will help make things move faster.

1. Let them know they are special Tell them they are a top client, and let them know about any special treatment or offers that entitles them to.

2. Keep them updated about your business If you want them to continue to refer ideal business to you then you need to let them know what a perfect client or opportunity looks like. If you take on a new direction, or change your products and services, why not take them out for coffee and update them on what's happening.

3. Surprise them regularly Always give them a reason to love your business. Find ways to add value to their business at no or low cost. Send relevant articles or information. Identify web sites of interest. Send them some free product for no reason.

4. Expand their networks Arrange for them to meet others in your network, or invite them to a workshop, seminar or function where they can make valuable new contacts themselves.

5. Design a 'Stay in Touch' system Once you've established the foundations with a Center of Influence, you need to keep your ideas and value in front of them. How will you do that? An eZine, personal mailings, telephone calls or in-person get-togethers?

6. Reward them for referrals When a Center of Influence sends you a lead to a new potential client, make sure you show your appreciation. A phone call, a hand written note and even an appropriate gift lets them know you that you don't take their assistance for granted. Also, keep them in the loop with your progress with this lea ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/57/970/6-Steps-to-Making-Centres-of-Influence-Work.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/57/970/6-Steps-to-Making-Centres-of-Influence-Work.php</link>
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