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The Obama factor – how will it affect your business? November 6, 2008

Posted by businessgrowthmastery in Economic Environment, General, Leadership.
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Yesterday, the world woke up a different place.

Barack Obama was elected President elect in the US with a clear mandate to implement his pledge to deliver change – change in the US and change in the way the US manages its affairs on a global scale.

So, how will this affect your business?

There is a new found sense of optimism coming out of the US. Will this last? It’s probably too early to tell but if Obama is able to ride this wave, and instill some confidence back into the US economy, then it is widely believed that the downturn won’t be as hard as first thought.

One of his early issues that neds to be resolved is the impact of the credit crunch – this hasn’t really been felt properly in the US at the moment – I was there last week and the amount of credit that is still being pushed is amazing. If Obama can prevent a real tightening of the credit availability – as presently being felt across Europe, he will successfully be able to keep the economy moving.

And this can only be good for business in the US and globally.

As we have found, when the US ecomomy catches a cold, the world starts to suffer. If Obama can apply the right medicine, the suffering felt across the world will be controlled.

So what do I recommend that you do to ensure that your business can ride out this period of economic downturn?

1. Remember that there is opportunity in every crisis – the business that adapt to the circumstances and look for the opportunities that are ther thrive and come out of the downturn much stronger

2. Keep a tight ship running – control your costs, manage your cashflow and chase down your debtors

3. Market, Market and Market yourself more than ever – make sure the world know your story. Whilst everybody else is keeping their heads down, make sure that you are constantly promoting yourself.

4. Enjoy the experience – remember, if you are constantly thinking negative thoughts about your circumstances, these are self fulfilling – Enjoy the experience and you’ll come out of this uncertainty much stronger both personally and in your business.

So, in summary, the Obama effect can and will have a positive impact on your business – if you believe that it will!

Ride the crest of the Obama wave and drive your business in the coming weeks and months.

Tony

Independent Contractors – how can you take advantage of their flexibility? October 21, 2008

Posted by businessgrowthmastery in Entrepreneurial, IT/ Technology, Leadership, Operations.
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Do you have a list of projects that you want to commence but never seem able to get around to starting?

For many small and medium sized businesses this is a real issue – there just never seems to be enought hours in the day to get everything done.

However, there may be an answer to these challenges and again it is something that we can learn from larger corporations. Many entrepreneurs manage to deliver quickly and efficiently by using a corps of independent contractors, who provide flexible, skilled help just when the business needs it and more importantly only when the business needs it!

Many entrepreneurs use professional contractors for two reasons – flexibility and variety. You can select a contractor with specific skills to undertake a specific projects and then once completed, end the contract and move onto the next one.You have no issues with hiring, firing and morale.

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The financial meltdown – recession proof your business… September 29, 2008

Posted by businessgrowthmastery in Financial Management, General, Leadership.
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So what are the top five things that you can do right now to ensure that your business can greet a recession successfully:

 1. Set, measure, and consistently monitor inventory targets, sales goals, and revenues. But make profit – net profit – the main overriding focus.

2. Weed out unprofitable accounts…

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500 interviews – distilled into 8 secrets of success… July 28, 2008

Posted by businessgrowthmastery in Entrepreneurial, Leadership, Uncategorized.
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I’m always on the lookout for good stuff to feed my mind and it helps when the material is presented in a light hearte way!

a week or so ago, a friend referred me to the following video and although it is just three minutes long, I’m sure that you will agree with me that it is worth every second of your time.

Apply these secrets to your business and you will be successful. These are the basics for all business growth.

8 Secrets of Success Video

 

Let me have your thoughts

How will the Credit Crunch affect your business? July 16, 2008

Posted by businessgrowthmastery in Economic Environment, Financial Management, General, Leadership, Mastermind Group, Operations.
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As always with this type of question, there is no straight answer, other than – it depends!

However, in economic downturns, there are as many winners as there are losers. The question you should be asking right now is – in which camp do I want to be?

 

 

There is a saying that “when the going gets tough, the tough get going” and this has to be your mantra if you want to be one of the winners.
It is no good complaining about the state of the economy – there are enough people doing that. It is no good blaming the banks -they’re still open for business and for good business propositions, there is always money available.

However, the days of cheap money and a queue of people waiting to help you refinance are long gone and good riddance I say.

So what can you do to ensure that you are one of the winners and that you continue to deliver exceptional growth within your business?

For one, take these five simple steps;

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it depends!Undoubtedly, the impact of the credit squeeze, the increasing price of borrowing and the continued hikes in the cost of raw materials are having a big impact on business globally.

9 ways to improve cashflow in your business! July 11, 2008

Posted by businessgrowthmastery in Entrepreneurial, Financial Management, Leadership, Mastermind Group.
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Of all the business tips I’m asked about, one of the most frequest realtes to how to improve cashflow. As you will realise, cash is king – without it, you’re dead! So it is vital that you implement a structured approach to improving the cash position within your business.

Incidentally, my response to the question is to point clients in the direction of the “9 steps to improving cashflow” – see below;

Implement the following 9 ideas to improve the cashflow within your business;

1. Use cashflow sales checklists.

For sales people, get them to ask every single customer to make another add-on purchase with the one they’ve already made. A great way to do this is to have a shopping checklist of what the customer could buy.

2. Use cashflow payment checklists

. For your administration team. Have a checklist of your customers and when their payments are due. Set up reminder e-mails/SMSs/and faxes for each customer to ensure their payment is received on time…. Read more

 

Thriving in a Downturn – Part 3 – getting your head right! July 11, 2008

Posted by businessgrowthmastery in Entrepreneurial, General, Leadership, Mastermind Group.
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I recently held a tele-seminar on this topic and was amazed at how many people in the audience didn’t grasp the importance of “getting their head right” when looking to succeed in business and drive growth within their business.

The seminar considered the impact of the ‘Law of Attraction’ on buiness sucess and highlighted a four step process to improving your future prospects – I’m in the process of setting up a download of this seminar via the website – www.businessgrowthmastery.com – so if you’re interested – keep an eye out.

It is probably wort reiterating the four step process here so that you can all start to implement it now;

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How to manage excessive pay demands June 18, 2008

Posted by businessgrowthmastery in Entrepreneurial, Financial Management, Leadership, Mastermind Group, Vision & Strategy.
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Alastair Darling, the UK Chancellor has come out today warning that trade unions guard against a ‘disastrous return to 1970’s style inflationary pay demands.

He is right to be concerned as the global economy is feeling the impact of inflationary pressures on oil prices, the cost of food and increasing energy costs. Although the official inflation rate in the UK is quoted at just 3.3%, it is well established that if you take just these three core items, the the rate would be well north of 8%.

So as a business owner, how can you guard against excessive pay demands?

On the one hand, you need to ensure that you pay a fare salary, otherwise you are likely to struggle to retain top talent. Having said that all the research that I have seen is that money is lower in the priorities of the employee than it is in the perception of management.

Let me explain.

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Thriving in a Downturn – Part 2 – 10 steps to enable you to exploit new opportunities in global markets June 18, 2008

Posted by businessgrowthmastery in General, Leadership, Vision & Strategy.
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In the June 2008 edition of Director Magazine, Jane Simms highlighted the need for UK Directors to seize the chance to exploit new opportunities in global markets.
I, like her wholeheartedly believe that there are amazing opportunities for even the smallest operator to take advantage of the perspection of UK business in overseas markets.

However, the biggest hurdle that you will have to overcome in doing so is not the red tape, the long distances or even the time differences. No, the biggest hurdle that you will no doubt have to overcome is your own self doubt.

There are 10 simple steps that you can take today to ensure that you take control of these doubts

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Thriving in a Downturn – Part 1 – How would you like this next year to be 14 months long? June 12, 2008

Posted by businessgrowthmastery in Entrepreneurial, Leadership, Mastermind Group.
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Time is something that we all have equality in. No one has any more time than anyone else. However, what if I can show you a way to give you an extra 2 months in every year – what do you think you’d do with this extra time?Successful people in all walks of life put a high value on time – it is after all, the one thing that once lost can never be reclaimed.

So, if you are to thrive in the coming weeks, months and years it follows that you need to really maximise the time that you have available. Success tends to come from working smarter rather than harder. I’m not a strong believer in burning the candle at both ends – you need to get a good balance between focused effort and recuperation. The question is how you can improve your time management skills to allow you to achieve this.

Before we look at a proven way to improve your time management skills, let’s look at the 7 key time wasters;…

 

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