Even though they are legitimate and legal, the popular press is all over it because of their recent declaration of a share buy back and establishing a dividend payment to shareholders.

Even though it makes for great headlines and sells newspapers and now online advertising, the reality is that these strategies are impossible if you can’t do what financial managers call Cash Pooling.

It’s quite sophisticated and all multi-billion corporations do it. Simply put, it’s knowing where your cash is so you can place and use it in the most effective place which usually involves tax considerations. As a business owner, it’s just another reminder that the practices of the “big boys” still applies to small business – especially those in high growth mode. Knowing where you cash is and having it where and when you need it can be the difference between growth and believe it or not – going bust.

Many high growth businesses (even profitable) ones run out of cash due to irregular cash flows and their timing. If you’re struggling with Excel spreadsheets to figure out where your cash is, you might want to consider an online cash management solution that goes well beyond your accounting and bookkeeping tasks.

Disclaimer: I am currently LONG on APPLE stock. I figure with $100 Billion in cash reserves, they have more than enough cash to deal with any competitors and technological challenges that will come up.

Easier said than done.

In fact, for most owner operators, it’s a transition they can never make.

The reason is simple: The personality traits that got them to go INTO business are exactly the ones that will keep them chained to the business, day in, day out.

Those personality traits create behaviours and habits that unfortunately most entrepreneurs can’t break. Sorry to be so pessimistic. It’s just the way it is.

Are you wondering if you’re one of the FEW who can make the transition?

If you are, you need to be:

• Open minded
• Flexible
• Self aware

Otherwise you’re kidding yourself and will waste a lot of time money and effort on trying to change something that’s not going to change – YOU.

If you’re stubborn, intractable and think you’ve got it all figured out – “goodonya mate”. You’re all set and have “no worries”. She’ll be right mate.

If you’re open minded, flexible and self aware and want to work ON your business to grow it with less effort, have a look at my coaching and mentoring philosophy page. If it resonates with you, then contact us.

In this instance it’s the singular focus on benefits rather than features. In our Killer Kopywriting System, we explain this in full detail, but for today’s blog post ‘exercise’, just watch this video and see if you can do the same for ONE of your products and/or services.

You’ll quickly realise that you revert to FEATURES rather than benefits, which is one of the reasons why Apple outsells its competitors. The other is because their products are way, way better!\

Here’s the thing you really need to fully grasp – people BUY BENEFITS – NOT features. If you want to sell more, you simply need to translate the technical merits of your product or service into “What’s in it for me?”

Easier said than done, but well worth the investment. It’s the single most effective way to increase sales.

But the word prehensive is not so well known – the opposite of what accountants are…

So if you ever wondered why there is often a conflict between entrepreneurs and their accounts – look no further than the dictionary!

Now you might thinks this is superfluous, but it’s not. We are all molded, trained and formed into a pre-defined ‘model’ by our education, training and experiences. To think otherwise is childishly immature.

However, as adults, we do have the power to determine our own destinies, but we can only exercise it by knowing where we ARE if we want to get to where we want to BE.

That’s a discussion well beyond today’s blog post, but I thought I would at the very least trigger the thought and enlighten you with a slightly expanded vocabulary!

* There are great accountants out there who are pro business growth and are not apprehensive about creating momentum. They are a minority, so you have to seek them out carefully. Of course be aware that if they don’t counter-balance your desire for ‘unlimited’ growth, you’ll need to get that balance elsewhere…!

Now there’s a special tool to help you grow your business – it’s called a Marc-Ka-Ching Kube!

CARPERPETUATION (kar’ pur pet u a shun) n. The act, when vacuuming, of running over a string or a piece of lint at least a dozen times, reaching over and picking it up, examining it, then putting it back down to give the vacuum one more chance.

DISCONFECT (dis kon fekt’) v. To sterilize the piece of candy you dropped on the floor by blowing on it, somehow assuming this will “remove” all the germs.

ECNALUBMA (ek na lub’ ma) n. A rescue vehicle which can only be seen in the rearview mirror.

EIFFELITES (eye’ ful eyetz) n. Gangly people sitting in front of you at the movies who, no matter what direction you lean, follow suit.

ELBONICS (el bon’ iks) n. The actions of two people maneuvering for one armrest at a movie theater.

ELECELLERATION (el a cel er ay’ shun) n. The mistaken notion that the more you press an elevator button the faster it will arrive.

FRUST (frust) n. The small line of debris that refuses to be swept onto the dust pan and keeps backing a person across the room until he finally decides to give up and sweep it under the rug.

LACTOMANGULATION (lak’ to man gyu lay’ shun) n. Manhandling the “open here” spout on a milk container so badly that one has to resort to the “illegal side “.

PEPPIER (pehp ee ay’) n. The waiter at a fancy restaurant whose sole purpose seems to be walking around asking diners if they want ground pepper.

PHONESIA (fo nee’ zhuh) n. The affliction of dialing a phone number and forgetting whom you were calling just as they answer.

PUPKUS (pup’ kus) n. The moist residue left on a window after a dog presses its nose to it.

TELECRASTINATION (tel e kras tin ay’ shun) n. The act of always letting the phone ring at least twice before you pick it up, even when you’re only six inches away.

Writing good copy is easier said than done, which is why we developed a system to teach you the most important elements of writing copy that sells – we call it Killer Kopywriting.

Even if you don’t end up writing all your sales copy, at least you’ll avoid the most damaging blunders that can cost you thousands of dollars in lost sales and new leads…

Jargon consists of technical terminology that makes perfect sense to your colleagues and co-workers but is annoying, useless and even confusing to outsiders like your clients, prospects and suspects.

The #1 culprits are politicians who babble forever never saying anything and technical “consultants” who use big words to sound self-important.

Many doctors, engineers, bankers and retailers have great ideas but struggle to make them ‘sell’ simply because their language is saturated with buzz words and jargon.

If you want to close more sales and attract more business then stick to plain English that a typical customer with an average IQ and without a dictionary can easily understand.

What’s interesting is the research involved Dr Daniel Oppenheimer, from New Jersey’s Princeton University, who found that students rated the intelligence of authors who used simple language and easy-to-read fonts as higher than those who over-egged the prose.

Here is a list of useful tips to help you communicate more effectively…

• Get clear on your outcome.What do you want the other person to do as a result of your email, letter or discussion? Clarity means making it easy for them to do what you want them to.

• Communicate your thoughts in simple, digestive ways. Put your thoughts forward using simple and clear language, ideally in short sentences while avoiding the use of buzzwords and clichés.

• Focus on your listener.Focus on what the listener needs to hear to buy your idea or get on your side.

Like seriously, The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion like has released its annual list of like the most annoying words of 2011 after conducting a public survey. Whatever.

Avoid annoying words and phrases like:

• Actionable
• Ball park figure
• Best of breed
• Dynamic
• Empowerment
• Experience
• High-end
• Integrated
• Unique
• Solutions
• Incentivising
• Passionate
• Customer-focused/facing
• Strategic
• Integrity
• Mindshare
• Outside the box
• Revolutionary
• State of the art
• Synergy
• Quality
• Service
• Upscale
• Value-add
• Whatever
• World-class
• Innovative
• Leading
• We guarantee complete satisfaction.
• We follow the highest standards
• Well, at the end of the day…
• LOL (laugh out laud) or OMG (oh my god)
• To be perfectly honest

Click on the hyperlinks below to access various lists of words you want to avoid:

LIST OF FINANCIAL BUZZ WORDS

LIST OF BUZZ WORDS – WIKIPEDIA

LIST OF BUSINESS BUZZWORDS – WIKIPEDIA

COMPREHENSIVE LISTS OF OVERUSED WORDS

Daniel Lizurek of Fast Profits also has a list of words to avoid on his copywriting blog.

Want a sample of verbal vomit? Try the Online Buzzword Generator!

Here’s a sample:

I am an energetic self starter with a deep respect for engaging resources and getting deep buy-in. I’m always interested in being a key player and helping you gain synergistic value on your mission-critical project. It’s important to think outside of the box, shift paradigms and push the envelope when bringing user-centric change to an organization. When I’m involved it’s about the value-add and creating a win-win proposition. In this economic climate you have to right size but remain scalable and always deliver service that is world class.

In conclusion, if you can’t describe your own products in 30 seconds or less without resorting to clichés or buzzwords you’re losing sales and market share.

Bookmark this list of most annoying words and
keep it handy the next time you sit down
to write a sales letter, email or presentation.

That being said, sometimes contrast is needed to fully grasp the power of words to communicate a message, as these explains illustrate so clearly.

In an office:
TOILET OUT OF ORDER…… PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW

In a Laundromat:
AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT

In a London department store:
BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS

In an office:
WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN

In an office:
AFTER TEA BREAK STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE DRAINING BOARD

Outside a secondhand shop:
WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING – BICYCLES, WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN?

Notice in health food shop window:
CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS

Spotted in a safari park:
ELEPHANTS PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR

Seen during a conference:
FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN’T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR

Notice in a farmer’s field:
THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES.

On a repair shop door:
WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING. (PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR – THE BELL DOESN’T WORK)

Dr Marc Dussault

Why is that?

One simple reason is that most people forget that decisions are made every minute of every day and they add up at the end of the week/month/year. Non-decisions are the same – the decision NOT made to put your runners on to go for a run. The decision NOT to turn down the (extra) piece of pie. The decision NOT to get up early.

“It is in the moments of INdecision
that dreams are destroyed.”
– Dr Marc Dussault

If you made a list of New Year’s Resolutions for 2012 – take them out right now and re-commit yourself to following through.

If you’re not motivated – the problem is you have impotent goals and dreams.

You need something that will MOTIVATE, INSPIRE and MOVE YOU TO ACTION.

Pick something exciting, but within the realm of possibility – something you can really get enthused about – something that would CHANGE you and your life.

I know too many “people who end up where they don’t want to be” simply through lack of planning and commitment.

No decision IS a decision – it’s the worst one of all – one made by someone else for all the wrong reasons.

There is no joy in living a life by default. To live a life by design, you need to know what YOU want and desire.

You decide.

By NOT deciding, all you’re doing is letting yourself down – no one cares that you don’t make a decision. That’s why it’s so easy.

One day leads to a week then to a month and before you know it, another year has passed.

If you get lulled into complacency, a whole decade can pass you buy.

That’s tragic.

Don’t just sit there – do something!

Anything! If you didn’t create a list of New Year’s Resolutions – do it now!

New Year’s Resolutions… they are aspirational, yet often vague and almost always corrective. People promise to spend more time with family, get fit, lose weight, quit smoking, reduce debt, consume less alcohol… yet just end up cataloguing the failings of the past year. As with most customs, New Year’s Resolutions are observed in gesture only, not followed up nor followed through. It’s a reflexive act rather than one of resolution or commitment.

People have been making New Year’s Resolutions since the time of ancient Rome, when the Julian Calendar was adopted in 45 BC. January 1 was introduced as the first day of the year after the Roman God, Janus (pictured left). Janus was the God of beginnings and endings, represented with two faces looking toward the future as well as the past.

Romans, believing that the gods witnessed the failures and shortcomings of the past year made promises to rectify the situation in the next year ahead.

Not surprisingly, 88 percent of New Year’s Resolutions fail.

One of the reasons is that people tend to make the same ones over and over and over again without conviction or belief they can really change. Statistically, it takes up to 10 attempts to change which is well beyond most people’s attention span let alone level of discipline to make the change a reality.

Alarmingly, research shows that 25% of 1 out of every 4 people give up in the first WEEK.

Most people, quizzed today would not even be able to list all of their New Year’s Resolutions… and we’re not even at the end of January!

So why is the prognosis so poor? One reason is that success is limited, yet most people (wrongly) believe it is achievable (when statistically it’s not – only 1 person can win a Gold Medal amongst hundreds of competitors).

Take quitting smoking as an example: It takes 6 to 12 attempts to stop smoking. One survey in 2008 reported that only 11%, 1 out of 9, people who set that as a New Year’s Resolution achieved their goal and stopped smoking.

There is hope – people who did achieve their New Year’s Resolutions did so, on average after 6 attempts.

To achieve your New Year’s Resolutions, you need a plan, simple as that. Ideally, you write a PLEDGE to yourself and you marshal help from others close to you who can help you.

For example, if you want to get fit, get a buddy to walk or run with you, play a sport… If you want to lose weight, have family members help by reducing fatty or high calorie foods in your meals.

Without a plan, nothing’s going to change.
The odds are stacked against you.

Of course as you’d expect, there is a way to stack the odds in your favour… CLICK HERE -> To Make Next Year Your Best Year Ever.

New Year’s Resolutions are one of the easiest ways to set the wheels of success in motion. They can be the catalyst to create your ultimate dream destiny…

“What if…”

What if… your childhood dreams actually came true…

What if… you could wave a magic wand and get anything you want…

What if… you could rub Aladdin’s Lamp and get any 3 wishes granted…

What if…

Those are two very powerful words.

Here’s the thing.

Some people get what they want while others don’t.

• It’s infuriating to know someone dumber than you is out-performing you in business or school.
• It’s aggravating to have someone less physically capable beat you at your favorite sport.
• It’s perplexing to see someone who started with less money than you build a ‘fortune’ that allows them to have the luxurious, stress-free lifestyle you’d like to have.

What if… you could learn how to accomplish all your goals?

What if… it took less than 5 minutes a week to implement?

What if… the strategies were proven and tested?

What if… they cost LESS than going to McDonald’s?

Just let yourself imagine those words.

Let your thoughts wander.

Listen to what you would say in the privacy of your own mind.

Feel what it would be like to have those things most important to you.

What if… You believed it was possible.

What if… You learned the strategies, techniques and tips you need.

What if… You applied them, one day at a time.

What if… You achieved one goal, then another, then another.

How different would your life be?

How much more could you do and contribute to others?

What if… you had a system to make them all come true?

What if… I gave you the link – would you make 2012 your best year ever?

Why not give yourself this gift?

* This is why New Year’s Resolutions are so important to me…

In less than 1 minute, I am able to introduce myself as The Exponential Growth Strategist, promote my 1 Percent Improvement Doctrine to help you get more done with less effort, and make sure your business gets noticed by going from Bland To Brand.

And that’s just 20 seconds into the 48 second video!

Then I explain that you can increase conversions and sales with our Killer Kopywriting System as well as get news leads for a fraction of the cost with our brand new Internet Sales Lead Generation Toolkit so you can acquire the Mindset Of A Champion and win in business!

All of that in less than a minute!

The reason this video is on my Business Coaching And Mentoring blog is because all of our Internet Marketing Strategies are geared for REAL businesses who want to sell more of their products and/or services.

The Internet and its multimedia capabilities enable you to do that at a fraction of the cost, with minimum effort.

This entire campaign took me about 1 hour and cost less than $100 in total.

That’s hard to beat with ‘traditional advertising’.

Determining the right business insurance for your startup business requires careful analysis and thoughtful reflection.

With the proper investment of time and effort, you can figure out the most essential insurance products for your particular situation. As a matter of principle, you should review your needs with an experienced insurance representative so you can tap into his/her expertise and experience.

First, as a business owner, you need to accept you need insurance. The question is what kind?

You have to consider all of the aspects of your business activities to make sure you get the proper and adequate coverage. One way to make sure you do that properly is to have a detailed business plan.

Writing every past, current, and future task down in a business plan is necessary so you can quickly and easily explain what your business does to a complete stranger – the insurance representative.

Your business plan can consist of one page or dozens of pages but the business’ activities have to be clearly laid out so the company’s risks are brought to the surface.

For example,

• Businesses that own property will require property insurance protection.
• Even if you rent or lease your premises, you may be liable for other people’s property and need appropriate insurance. This includes leasehold items as well as plant and equipment purchased or leased from third party suppliers.
• Since you use computers you need to consider special computer insurance (theft, vandalism).
• Auto liability insurance is made for people who rent, lease or own cars in the name of the business.
• Of course there is also workers compensation insurance to protect the well-being of employees.
• One of the least well understood types of insurance is business income insurance for business people who do not have the cash flow or personal wealth to keep a business in operation should there be an interruption in business activity. It’s a form of disability insurance for the owner or key person in the business.
• Then there’s general liability insurance needed for people who develop and sell products. Products or services that could inflict physical or psychological damage on a person should be covered by liability insurance in the case of a lawsuit. It’s also called professional liability insurance wherein specific professions and trades have detailed provisions, guidelines and/or regulations stipulating the minimum coverage required by law.

If you’re getting a little overwhelmed by all this – don’t despair. That’s what an insurance professional does for a living – make sense of all the options and possibilities to make sure you have enough coverage for your level of activity and risk profile.

Running a successful business always involves insurance. As the dictum goes, “expect the best, but plan for the worst”.

Any responsible business executive or entrepreneur who needs assistance can contact businessinsurance.org for a collection of reliable business insurance quotes.

No one can predict the future which is why insurance is so important and necessary.

Even the most prepared company can suffer from any number of emergencies at a moment’s notice – insurance is designed to provide peace of mind and financial protection and compensation should anything adverse happen.

‪“A lie gets halfway around the world
before the truth has a chance to get its pants on. ” ‬
‪Winston Churchill‬

Examples of companies that are perceived as a ‘cost’

• Lawyers
• Dentists
• Plumbers
• Gym
• Search consultants/headhunters

Examples of companies that are perceived as a ‘benefit’

• Restaurants that you want to eat at (non fast food)
• Jeweller
• Concerts and events
• Zoo and other attractions
• Pubs, bars and other entertainment

Here’s the thing – UNLESS you transform yourself from a cost to a benefit, you’ll remain stuck in the vortex of price matching and discounting – BECAUSE the prospects SEE you as a cost and not as a benefit.

I know you think you offer a benefit… think again.

• A Lawyer will settle your lawsuit, but at a substantial emotional and financial cost.
• Dentists will fix your teeth, repair a cavity, but again it’s expensive, sometimes leaving a bad taste in your mouth .
• Plumbers will fix your clogged drain, but it ain’t gonna be cheap and chances are they will still be a mess leftover when they leave.

You get the point.

What I teach my clients in my business coaching and mentoring programs is how to

• Transform an intangible benefit to something the prospect can grasp, understand and fully value.
• Shift the focus away from the cost or price to something specific that is tied to their Unique Selling Proposition.
• Systematically engage in Killer Konversations™ that emboldens their value in their suspects and prospects’ eyes – with integrity and legitimacy.

If you’d like to get over the primary objections that are preventing people from buying from you, contact us. We’ve transformed companies in hundreds of industries with remarkable results, but don’t take our word for it – listen to or watch what our clients have to say.

Just for the record, I used this particular strategy to sell CAD/CAM systems, printing services and sophisticated IT systems. It’s not a template, but a philosophy and approach, that once adopted, will completely transform how people see your role in their lives and/or businesses. Simply stated, they will, if deployed effectively never consider an alternative to what you have to offer.

How valuable would that be? Hmmm…. Now I have you thinking!

If we look at email versus direct mail, you’d think the physical mailing would be on its way out, but there has been a resurgence of direct mail BECAUSE of the overload of electronic media. Most people sign up for every email subscription and don’t manage their inbox very well.

Recent research estimates the number of emails sent per day to be around 294 billion which means more than 2.8 million emails are sent every second and some 90 trillion emails are sent per year. Even though most are spam and viruses, emails are sent by around 2.5 billion genuine email users.

Regardless of the Internet Statistics, they all point to electronic information overload with the average professional receiving more than 100 e-mails every day. That’s enough to load up your inbox quicker than you can clean it out.

That’s why the physical mailing has not only become an attractive alternative to email and online marketing, but a source of pre-screened and highly qualified visitors.

The Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA, USA) report that consumers are most motivated to begin an online search after viewing advertisements in magazines followed by ads on television and then newspapers.

Offline Consumers Come Online Via Magazines

What print media publishers need to recognise and appreciate
is the tactile aspect of their product

Nothing beats having a newspaper, magazine or book in hand. I totally understand the sexiness of an iPad, but it’s NOT the same experience. It’s a DIFFERENT ONE.

That’s the point I’m trying to make.

Print is print is print.

When publishers forget that, the game is over.

So what is a print publisher to do?

1. Embrace digital technology to complement, supplement and enhance the print medium with additional features and benefits.
2. Link the print medium to online alternatives with polls, surveys, feedback, audio and video components. A print article can easily be an introduction to a full in-depth interview or book chapter available online as an opt-in download.
3. Print-exclusive promotions such as tear-out coupons (identified as such) can bolster subscriptions and/or increase distribution.
4. Physical distribution costs can be shared with partners who have a vested interest in the publication’s increased reach.
5. Want to know more ideas and suggestions, contact us – it’s what we do for our clients!

A recent study showed that about 8 in 10 Canadians read a newspaper each week with American weekly and British daily readership at 64 and 49% respectively.

Magazines Canada reports that magazines are read by all age groups, and an average of 78 % read a magazine within the last 30 days.

An analysis by the Magazine Media Fact Book reveals American magazine reading habits include 93% of adults reading magazines for an average of 42 minutes per issue.

If you think it’s only the senior demographic that is holding on to physical print media, you’re dead wrong!

A recent study discovered that North American consumers, aged 18-34, prefer direct mail over online media for many types of marketing communications.

Examples of consumer preferences for offline versus online are:

But there’s a condition for the young generation to hold on to traditional print media.it’s vital that there be a cross-channel synergy between digital and direct mail for it to be effective.

So there you have it, if you want to get more sales in 2012, you need to go back to traditional offline marketing and leverage it with online ‘web enabled’ benefits.

Nepotism

So what do you think?

Let me preface my answers by stating that I’ve worked in Family Businesses (not my family’s) AND Family Business dynamics was one of my Ph.D. research themes – so I have a lot of opinions on the subject, just not the ones you might think!

Let’s start the dialogue and I’ll voice my opinions in response to your points of view!

Add your comment below.

It’s because of your opportunity costs that keep rising as you get more and more successful mixed with a short term focus on “making deals” and taking care of emergencies instead of working “on” the business…

It’s quite a dilemma that paralyses many entrepreneurs. They know they could do better, but remain stuck in the Vortex Of Mediocrity™.

So how do you break out of this stranglehold?

Simple – MAKE time to get away from the business. It can be a long weekend or ideally a whole week. PLAN for it so you’re not stressed and you don’t cheat.

Remove yourself COMPLETELY from the day-to-day pressures and DISCONNECT completely.

Then ask yourself the following questions:

• If I was to start over again, what would I do differently? What would I change?
• If I was a competitor, how would I exploit me/us?
• What are we really good at?
• What could we be really good at (or better at)?
• If I knew I could not fail, what would I try?
• What is the #1 complaint of the industry/marketplace that I can solve?\
• What am I not doing that I should be doing?

You can’t have the thoughts to start to answer these questions while you’re knee deep in the intellectual quicksand of day-to-day operations.

You need distance.

You need your personal journal (you might even give MindMapping a go!)

You need to do this otherwise you’ll stagnate.

I do this exercise every year at Christmas time which conveniently coincides with my New Year’s Resolutions.

If you have a business trip planned, consider extending it by a day or two and take those unfamiliar surroundings to start the process. Once your business is done – check out of THAT hotel and check into another one t0 completely shift your mindset. I mean it. Pick a hotel near the beach, mountains or go upscale or totally rough and tough.

Make sure there is CONTRAST so that your brain registers the new impulses.

It’s necessary to jolt your system into a new realm, to get a new perspective.

Give it a go and see what happens!

Paddington Pups is raising money and awareness for the Millan Foundation setup up by world renowned dog whisperer, Cesar Millan to provide financial support for animal shelters and groups engaged in the rescuing, rehabilitation and re-homing of abused and abandoned dogs.

Locals are invited to bring their puppies pooches for a $10 hydrobath tomorrow from 10 AM to 1 PM in Milton / Paddington (Brisbane) Queensland. All the money raised will be donated to the Millan Foundation and passed on to the RSPCA shelter at Wacol.

It gets better.

Anyone who has their dog washed will go into a draw
to win two tickets (valued at $290) to see
Cesar Millan Live at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Thursday November 17 – courtesy of Paddington Pups!

The reason I’m blogging about this is because Paddington Pups is not just a doggy day care. It’s owner, Bree Robbins cares about her clients – dogs (and their owners). She makes sure her team takes a proactive role in community based activities as part of their holistic approach to dog care and education.

As I blogged about previously on the Paddington Pups blog, there is a lot to be learned from The Dog Whisperer, but if you want to grow your business, you also need to learn to give back to the community because it’ll come back to you tens time over.

Don’t do it to get something back – pay it forward and let the ripple of positivity make it’s way through ‘the universe’.

If we all do our share, this will be a much better place for all – INCLUDING dogs and puppies!

Listen to one of our Platinum Program Members
who explains this philosophy in his own words:

When we started, we were aiming to assist smaller businesses, those with less
than 20 employees.  This is because 55% of all employment income in this
country is paid by those businesses.  The multinationals only provide 2%.

So wanting to help Australia be a more prosperous and competitive economy
meant helping those smaller businesses to really become successful,
particularly in export markets.

So we started as a small, lower cost base business able to serve smaller
clients cost effectively.  Since then I have grown less enamoured with this
position over time.  There is a reason companies remain small.  Sometimes it
is because that is what they want.  Less.  Less is easier and can involve
reduced risk, though not always.  But often it is because they don’t have
the mindset, skill or vision to be anything else.

It is clear that for us to grow, I have to have the resources to do more work
and the income to pay for those resources.  So our business model doesn’t
scale if we want to move up in size.  Particularly with the type of clients we
have generally been working with.

This year I’m thinking about how to take what we are doing and push it past
the $1,000,000 mark.  So what I’ve started doing is pricing our quotes as if
we already were that size.  Sometimes this means the price is double what it
might have previously been.  But I’m also looking at the delivery side and
making sure it also looks like it should for the size of business I want to
be.

And it is working!  We are changing.  We are looking at moving to commercial
premises before the end of the financial year.  A new class of clients are
being attracted to us (and us to them) because our value proposition makes
sense to them.  Some of these clients are larger than our previous target
companies.  Some are wanting to grow and know they need the right
partnerships to get there.  There is a long way to go yet but the progress
is encouraging.

So my distinction is a simple one.  Start acting like who and what you want
to be.  Don’t wait for the growth and then respond.  Change first.  Be the
catalyst yourself.  Make it happen first in you and then it will flow out to
the rest of the world.

Steve Jobs would be proud.