Strategy – Page 7 – Pauline Bright Business Coach

The “money side” of business – is it an optional extra?

How do you make financial decisions for your business? Gut instinct? Look at the bank account? Or check your financial reports and cashflow statements?

If you just cringed at the thought of actually reading financial statements then you may need to start thinking differently about the money side of your business if you want it to actually flourish. It’s nowhere near as hard as you think it is – and it is very EMPOWERING!

I’m always puzzled when I hear business owners say they don’t like the money side of business. Running a company and hating numbers strikes me as a little like being a massage therapist and hating to touch people

If you could overcome some of your money habits, skills and current thinking, what would give you the most confidence in running your business?

What would, you need to know for peace of mind that things are working as they should?

Money in the bank?
Forward orders?
Work in progress?
Your regular bills/debts taken care of?
Invoices done properly and timely?
Debt reduction – you are making headway?
Paying yourself regularly – and paying what you are worth?
Never having to scratch around for money?
Play money for holidays, toys, treats?
Money to give to others?

If it’s time you got to grips with money and business, hop onto this free “Business Money Maximiser Webinar”
It’s a Warts-n-all Expose: The Reality of Running a Six Figure Business for people who think they don’t like numbers but know they are missing something really important in their business around the money side of things.

http://brightbusiness.net.au/the-business-money-maximiser

BUSINESS

Are we still the Lucky Country?

A couple of days ago, after the American Thanksgiving Holiday, I was flying back to Perth from Sydney.

It was late and I was tired; I had been at an intense 2 day seminar and would have been grateful for some sleep. I sat next to a small wiry man in dirty work clothes and well-worn work boots. He had paint on his hands, his arms and his clothes.

Shortly after take-off he struck up a conversation “You from Perth?” I didn’t recognise his accent so I asked where he was from.

“Yugoslavia – I come to Australia 17 years ago. Never go back”.

I don’t know what his name was – we didn’t get to that bit. But over the next couple of hours he told me his story.

He cannot believe his luck in ending up in Australia. He is so grateful for the opportunities he has here. He came as an immigrant with his wife and two children, choosing Australia because he has a brother living here. He “lost’ his wife. She chose to go back to Yugoslavia to be with her parents. He stayed here with his children.

He had been an electrician in Yugoslavia but in his own words… “No work.”

“Very hungry, always hungry.”

“When I was kid, my family no food, no work always hungry.”

“Always fighting, always war; Milosovic no good. People killing”.

He settled in a small town in rural WA. He is so incredibly grateful for everything he has; grateful to be able to work hard. “Always work – never run out of work – I go knock doors get work, always”. “No work there, I go knock more doors”. “I do anything, paint, build, fix… I go night school, I learn English after work”.

He bought some land and built a house – so incredibly grateful that he could do here what he could never do in his birth country.

Then he proceeded to tell me about how he was going to subdivide his block, sell half and buy more blocks to grow his personal wealth. “But not too much, just enough. Too much make people greedy. I see it”.

He has a business idea for a food van – he has it all mapped out who his customers will be and how he will sell to them.

He was so incredibly grateful for being able to live in peace “No war here” and for being able to work and earn and enjoy his life. He had built such a good reputation that his employer had flown him to Sydney to do some work for him. He was in his work clothes because he wanted to get home to his family and his next job as soon as he could. “No time to wash before fly”.

Sometimes we forget how lucky we are “Very lucky” he said “Very luck here”.

Have we forgotten how lucky we are? Have we forgotten that we used to call ourselves “The Lucky Country ”?

Have we forgotten to be grateful for every amazing advantage we have here?

Not me – I’m giving thanks every day.

As I left the airport, I had to chuckle at the young teenage girl of Indian descent with younger sister in tow, whinging loudly about something… “First word problem” she said to her “First world problem!”

My gratitude…

Thank you to everyone who taught me something this year. A considerable list of people and lessons! Some I didn’t anticipate and some I jumped into boots and all – knowing I was going to be working hard and loving every minute of it.

Thank you to my clients; past present and future. I’m so lucky to be doing work I love with you!

Thank you to my family and friends and colleagues, to my trusted advisors, to my network of incredibly talented business associates. It would be so much harder doing it without you.

And a little gratitude gift from me to you. Thanks for reading – click here to download

More coming in the New Year

Wishing you a wonderfully relaxing Christmas with all the love that it brings…

Cheers,
Pauline

3 Easy Steps To Write A Blog Or Social Media Post Now!

Quick and simple guidelines to create content

Here are the rules…

Don’t be generic – don’t write for everyone , write just for one person
You need to get inside their head to get to the HOT Buttons – make it personal.
Keep great notes on conversations with clients or customers – these are your source materials

Here are the steps:

Step #1

Identify a specific person

Write a list of the clients you’ve dealt with over the few weeks or few months – Name them. Some will stand out more than others because of the conversations you’ve had – choose the ones you’d most like to write for and that you have the most to contribute to

Step #2

Find their HOT Buttons

Under each name write down all the problems they have – real and perceived. Dig deep – find their fears and frustrations; what irks them, what keeps them awake at night, what they would do if they had a magic wand; what they most want your help with; their horror stories and their dreams and desires. Be very specific; not “needs more money” but “Needs to generate $5000 by Monday”

Step #3

Write the article in a particular style

Once you have the list, write an article for that person – just that person, because if one person has that problem or desire you can bet your boots others do too. Make it interesting to read – choose a style to write it in. It could be a case study, a rant, a “how to”, common myths… it could even be a checklist, FAQs or 3 Steps to do something.

You now have page full of ideas for articles, blogs, and social media posts – no more staring at a blank page. You can even turn these into videos or podcasts.

Enjoy!

The harder you work the worse it gets

Some days it feels like you’re digging yourself a deeper hole.

You have the best of intentions but it just doesn’t feel right. There’s a distinct lack of joy and sense of achievement in the day to day running of your business.

So – my best advice: STOP right now, put your head up and look around. You might be heading in the wrong direction.

Is what you are doing now getting closer to the kind of business – and lifestyle – you really want?
Honestly, if it’s not, what’s your reaction to it?

Some people keep on digging because they’re stuck – they don’t know what else to do. They’ve committed to a course of action and don’t have an alternative plan.

Some keep digging because they’re afraid of what people will say if they give up.

And some people have the courage to overcome their fears and change direction.

It takes a lot of guts to change – not just to recognise that something has to change but to actually make the changes. It also takes guidance and encouragement – and often a lot of hard work, doing things you might never have done before.

You’ll know when you’re on the right track – you will work hard and you’ll actually enjoy it. You’ll see progress. Like the Wright brothers when they were building their first aeroplane. They said “we could hardly wait to get there each day”.

I think business should be like that – if yours is not, then you’re responsible, what would you like to do about it?

Would a 10 Minute Pinpoint the Problem Find the Solution phone call help? Click here to book a free call .

5 Steps to develop your good business ideas

If you’re a creative person you’ve probably generated more business ideas than you can ever implement.

In your mind your latest idea could be the best thing since sliced bread, but if you don’t put in enough strategic thinking BEFORE you get started, it could just lead you down a deep dark rabbit hole…

This 5 Step Strategy to Develop New Ideas will help you sort the “good ideas” from the “time wasters that look good on the surface” and show you how to get the outcome you really want.

Try this:

Capture the ideas – it doesn’t matter how crazy they might seem – just get them down in a journal of some sort. Use words, pictures, links… anything that sparks off the original idea and intention.
What is the problem that THIS is the Solution to? You’ll need a framework to assess the idea. What is your greatest need – your “Burning Desire” right now? Is it to make more money, to get better customers, to have better structure in your business? Whatever that burning desire is write it down at the top of a page. “I need to make more money” (remember to state exactly how much money that is – e.g. $500 more in turnover each week”) You’re going to brainstorm the strategies.
Take each idea you came up with and run it by the Burning Desire. If the idea can help you achieve that exact outcome, without spending too much money or wasting too much time, then it’s time to develop the idea. All other ideas have been captured in the journal so you can come back to them later. Work on ONE idea at a time – go deep.
If you have more than one idea or strategy, assess the idea for ease of implementation. Ask yourself qualifying questions: “Can it be done, by me (or can I pay someone else to do it)? What tools, people, skills will I need to make it successful? How long would it take to implement? How much will it cost? What return do I want for my time and effort?” Write it down. Can you do a “test run” before you throw lots of money at it?
Start the test run – run it by people who would use it or buy it – get some feedback. Don’t try to develop the idea and build a new product / service / system until you know there is a genuine need or market for it or that people actually want what you’ve created.

How do I know this works?

Because I’m a super-high Creator. Without structure to assess and implement ideas Creator types can create chaos. I know it seems like “hard work” from the outside but if you take a little time to plan it out first you’ll save yourself vast amounts of time and energy and money – and you’ll end up with a much better creation from your brilliant ideas.

Good luck. Let me know how it goes.

Evolutionary Business Design

Category: Strategy