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Find news here that helps your business as well as information to help you to stay at optimum health and have the stamina to master all business & home life challenges brilliantly.
5 Questions to Help You Design a Life You Love
Running a successful business goes hand in hand with running a successful and happy life. One without the other usually creates stress and unhappiness. So don’t forget to look after yourself physically, mentally and emotionally. 5 Questions To Help You Design A Life You Love an article by Raquel Vasallo There’s a big difference between living your life and designing the life that you want to live. I realized this six years ago, when I started to see that something was wrong with my marriage. I kept on going over what had gone wrong and how I had gotten to a place where I was living with so much pain and frustration. I’d spent months engaged in a daily mental game of analyzing, judging, and shaming myself was making me very unhappy. Sometimes you just have to hit rock bottom to see the light. One day, as I walked through Central Park, I decided I’d commit to only doing the things that made me happy. It sounded like a pretty good idea, but it was also very frightening because it meant making scary decisions, like leaving my marriage. Nonetheless, having that moment in nature gave me the clarity to see that the desire for happiness in my life was stronger than anything else. It allowed me to see through my fears and uncover what I needed. I needed to step out of that relationship, although I didn’t want all the difficulty and uncertainty that would result from leaving it. I started to invent strategies to muster up the courage to put this into action, the first one was to come up with a list of all the things I wanted in my life. Over the years, I’ve seen that sometimes, the business of life gets us into constantly doing, rather than being who we really are. When you step into the greatness of who you are, you choose to have what you want and need in order to share your gifts with others. In fact, the key to living a fulfilling life is to have a practice of checking into who we are being. If you don’t do it on a regular basis, it will sneak up on you as low energy, a feeling that something is off, arguments with people close to you, or needing an urgent vacation. This practice is about a moment of being in the now and allowing everything else to stop: all activity, responsibilities, to-do lists, judgments, deadlines stop. I had a sneak preview of this feeling last month during the yoga summer solstice event at Times Square. In one of the busiest intersections in the world, with traffic, noise, and tourists, I tapped into my inner silence. If you haven’t checked in with yourself lately, now is a great opportunity to look at who you are being, what obstacles you’re encountering, and who you want to be so that you can shine for the rest of the year. When make that shift, you realize that you can actually have what you want. How does this work? Allow for quiet time to ask yourself the following questions. After each one, journal about it freely, setting the intention to not allow your thinking mind interfere with the flow of your writing. 1. What...
read moreCrash Course to the Facebook News Feed
A few days ago, Facebook announced a plan to update users more frequently about how their News Feed works. Here is the latest information so you know exactly what’s going on and how these changes impact your business. On any given day, an average Facebook user’s News Feed filters about 1,500 possible stories. But because of Facebook’s News Feed algorithm, only 20% of these stories actually land in the user’s feed. Click on the link to find out more http://offers.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hub/53/file-248638054-pdf/offers/Crash-Course-on-the-Facebook-News-Feed.pdf Source: HubSpot ...
read moreSEO Tips
Optimize Your Page Titles Title tags of your website display in the top bar of internet browsers and on search result pages. Give every page of your site a unique title. Select one or two keywords per page and use them first in the title, as they could be cut off or adjusted in certain browsers. This simple improvement will ensure your page titles are optimized for search results. If you’re not happy with your SEO provider or your website just isn’t providing the leads you thought it would, contact us. We can show you how you can make your website provide you with the best return on investment ever. Don’t lock into any contracts or pay exorbitant fees. Be weary of SEO strategies that include pay for clicks. We’ll take the confusion and misconceptions out of SEO – take advantage of our totally obligation free...
read moreSocial Media 101 – Avoid the most common mistakes made on social media
You’ve finally decided to embrace Social Media; you’ve realised its importance and how it can work for you and your business. You’re starting to get the hang of it. Congratulations! There’s not much you can do wrong, however, below is a list of the five most common mistakes “Newbies” to social media make. 1. Being self-absorbed: Remember, social media is like a social gathering – no one wants to spend time with the bore who only talks about themselves or things that matter to them. Find ways to help others, answer their questions, comment on or share their posts. Make your page primarily about THEM; not YOU! 2. Talk too much: Again, no one likes a conversation hog. Sharing too much information all at once goes very quickly from interesting to irritating. Be selective. Think about what you would like to see show up in your social feed. Share accordingly. 3. Wildly erratic presence: Not being on your network for days and then bombarding your network with updates is no way to connect with people. Space out your contributions and if you need to look into using tools such as Sendible, Tweetdeck, Hootsuite and Buffer that can help with content scheduling. Facebook itself has a basic scheduling tool as well. 4. Not reciprocating: You should always follow back anyone who is relevant to your goals in social media, thank people who share your content and, most importantly, reply to anyone who talks to or mentions you. 5. Being impatient: Don’t get anxious about the size of your network. A quality network takes time to grow and eventually it will grow exponentially. Target who you would like to be part of your network. It’s not about quantity but quality. You don’t want to appear desperate either. Follow and invite like-minded companies or people who share your goals, explaining the benefit of sharing information amongst one another’s networks. The person who is desperate for friends or followers is somewhat unattractive on social media. It has to be a WIN...
read moreUse Body Language to Improve Customer Communication
I found this interesting article/video today which I thought I’d share with you. It’s nothing new but a good reminder that people subliminally respond more to body language than the spoken word. Studies show that women tend to nod when they are listening, while men nod to show agreement. And men prefer to sit next to someone when they have a conversation, while women prefer to sit across and have eye contact. Understanding these nuances can help you become a more effective communicator. >> Watch this video Weigh in: How much do you know about body language? Souce: Manta...
read moreEnjoy your Xmas & Holiday without losing touch with your Social Media Fans & Followers
Here’s a little Christmas ‘poem’ by James Anderson. Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the work place, the keyboards are silent, and monitors blank. With the excitement of the season and the holiday cheer, you forget about your social media, thinking “We can catch up next year!” Your social silence was noticed and caused such a clatter, your followers sprang into action to see what was the matter. Away to their computers they flew like a flash, clicked open their browsers and saw posts from the past. Sad and disappointed, away they did run, searching for another company that would fill their social obsession. Of course you and your staff deserve some time off to spend with your family and friends and have a few days to recharge your batteries. The irony is that your social media followers and fans are also on holidays and, guess what, they now have more time to spend on line and on their smart phones! Your fans & followers, especially those that participate/contribute with comments on your pages are well, quite frankly, addicted to social media. No new posts from you during this time means that you’re sending them to other pages where there is activity. If your competitors are active and you are not it’s not good for you and your business. But don’t worry, there are easy and very affordable ways to manage your social media activities so that you can still take and enjoy your well deserved break. We can help you source the right social media management software and teach you how to use it. We promise, it won’t impact your budget in a big way and that it will provide you with glorious freedom to enjoy your Christmas and your holiday. All you need to do is think ahead: Think about the types of messages you want to post during the Christmas and holiday period and how many per day you would like to schedule. Don’t forget you’ll want to include an image that relates to the post you want to upload. You can source appropriate images on line via photo stock sites such as Shutterstock, if they are product photos you could ask your suppliers for images and the permission to use them (they’ll be happy for the additional exposure) or take your own photos. You then choose which of your social media pages and/or Groups [e.g. LinkedIn Groups] you would like the post the ‘article’ to. Some posts may be appropriate for some but not all platforms. Most Social Media Management Software also allows you to monitor any mentions of your business on the internet, notifies you of any comments made to any of your posts via one easy ‘inbox’ and allows you to respond to them without having to access your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn Accounts. If you have a Smart Phone you can access your Social Media Management Account ‘remotely’ and respond to any comments while lying by the pool enjoying an ice cold drink. Just check in once or twice a day and spend a couple of minutes on corresponding with your customers. They’ll be impressed with your level of dedication and service. We have trialled a couple of different Social Media Management platforms. To our mind one stood...
read moreWise words from Mr Branson
Five top tips to starting a successful business Richard Branson October 02, 2012 I found this Richard Branson post on LinkedIn and just had to share. “As LinkedIn is a business that started in a living room, much like Virgin began in a basement, I thought my first blog on the site should be about how to simply start a successful business. Here are five top tips I’ve picked up over the years”. 1. Listen more than you talk We have two ears and one mouth, using them in proportion is not a bad idea! To be a good leader you have to be a great listener. Brilliant ideas can spring from the most unlikely places, so you should always keep your ears open for some shrewd advice. This can mean following online comments as closely as board meeting notes, or asking the frontline staff for their opinions as often as the CEOs. Get out there, listen to people, draw people out and learn from them. 2. Keep it simple You have to do something radically different to stand out in business. But nobody ever said different has to be complex. There are thousands of simple business solutions to problems out there, just waiting to be solved by the next big thing in business. Maintain a focus upon innovation, but don’t try to reinvent the wheel. A simple change for the better is far more effective than five complicated changes for the worse. 3. Take pride in your work Last week I enjoyed my favourite night of the year, the Virgin Stars of the Year Awards, where we celebrated some of those people who have gone the extra mile for us around the Virgin world. With so many different companies, nationalities and personalities represented under one roof, it was interesting to see what qualities they all have in common. One was pride in their work, and in the company they represent. Remember your staff are your biggest brand advocates, and focusing on helping them take pride will shine through in how they treat your customers. 4. Have fun, success will follow If you aren’t having fun, you are doing it wrong. If you feel like getting up in the morning to work on your business is a chore, then it’s time to try something else. If you are having a good time, there is a far greater chance a positive, innovative atmosphere will be nurtured and your business will fluorish. A smile and a joke can go a long way, so be quick to see the lighter side of life. 5. Rip it up and start again If you are an entrepreneur and your first venture isn’t a success, welcome to the club! Every successful businessperson has experienced a few failures along the way – the important thing is how you learn from them. Don’t allow yourself to get disheartened by a setback or two, instead dust yourself off and work out what went wrong. Then you can find the positives, analyse where you can improve, rip it up and start again....
read moreBe Happier: 10 things to Stop Doing Right Now
Sometimes the route to happiness depends more on what you don’t do Happiness–in your business life and your personal life–is often a matter of subtraction, not addition Consider, for example, what happens when you stop doing the following 10 things: 1. Blaming. People make mistakes. Employees don’t meet your expectations. Vendors don’t deliver on time. So you blame them for your problems. But you’re also to blame. Maybe you didn’t provide enough training. Maybe you didn’t build in enough of a buffer. Maybe you asked too much, too soon. Taking responsibility when things go wrong instead of blaming others isn’t masochistic, it’s empowering–because then you focus on doing things better or smarter next time. And when you get better or smarter, you also get happier. 2. Impressing. No one likes you for your clothes, your car, your possessions, your title, or your accomplishments. Those are all “things.” People may like your things–but that doesn’t mean they like you. Sure, superficially they might seem to, but superficial is also insubstantial, and a relationship that is not based on substance is not a real relationship. Genuine relationships make you happier, and you’ll only form genuine relationships when you stop trying to impress and start trying to just be yourself. 3. Clinging. When you’re afraid or insecure, you hold on tightly to what you know, even if what you know isn’t particularly good for you. An absence of fear or insecurity isn’t happiness: It’s just an absence of fear or insecurity. Holding on to what you think you need won’t make you happier; letting go so you can reach for and try to earn what you want will. Even if you don’t succeed in earning what you want, the act of trying alone will make you feel better about yourself. 4. Interrupting. Interrupting isn’t just rude. When you interrupt someone, what you’re really saying is, “I’m not listening to you so I can understand what you’re saying; I’m listening to you so I can decide what I want to say.” Want people to like you? Listen to what they say. Focus on what they say. Ask questions to make sure you understand what they say. They’ll love you for it–and you’ll love how that makes you feel. 5. Whining. Your words have power, especially over you. Whining about your problems makes you feel worse, not better. If something is wrong, don’t waste time complaining. Put that effort into making the situation better. Unless you want to whine about it forever, eventually you’ll have to do that. So why waste time? Fix it now. Don’t talk about what’s wrong. Talk about how you’ll make things better, even if that conversation is only with yourself. And do the same with your friends or colleagues. Don’t just be the shoulder they cry on. Friends don’t let friends whine–friends help friends make their lives better. 6. Controlling. Yeah, you’re the boss. Yeah, you’re the titan of industry. Yeah, you’re the small tail that wags a huge dog. Still, the only thing you really control is you. If you find yourself trying hard to control other people, you’ve decided that you, your goals, your dreams, or even just your opinions are more important than theirs. Plus, control is short term at best, because it often requires force, or fear, or authority, or some form of pressure–none of...
read moreCustomer Complaints a Valuable Opportunity
An example of how a business can easily turn a negative customer experience into a positive:Without going into detail my husband and I returned to one of our favourite ‘eateries’ (lovely waterfront aspect) after a 2 months pause only to find that the normally excellent service and consistently good food was no longer in existence … or so it seemed. We left hungry, out of pocket and bitterly disappointed. We could have left it at that to never return again and, of course, tell our friends about the bad experience, who in turn would have also talked abut this place negatively to others. However, having spent a past life in hospitality management I decided to contact the manager thinking it was only fair for him to know about all that had transpired on that evening. Without awareness there can be no change. I have to say, to receive a response within 24 hours left me suitably impressed. Not only did we receive a phone call where it was obvious that the manager had taken the time to actually investigate every incident (and there were several … what could go wrong did go wrong!), he made no excuses but apologised profusely. He shared the results of his investigations and assured me that steps had been taken to ensure there would be no repetition. He hoped that we would give them another chance and return. He also asked for our address. The manager spent a good 30 minutes on the phone with me – I’m sure valuable time out of his busy day. A further pleasant surprised came in the form of a letter the next day. See attached I’m happy to say we did return and enjoyed a good meal. Some of the staff were obviously new and a little unsure of themselves, however, extremely friendly and helpful. My Fettuccini Marinara with prawns, muscles, scallops and bug meat was delicious. My husband’s smoked salmon Caesar salad was also good. To date we have not used the generous voucher received but still enjoyed a good night out and are glad that we did return. We highly commend Martin for the way in which he handled the situation. Many businesses owners/managers can learn from...
read moreThe Single Most Important Thing For Your Facebook Business Page
Written by David Wells in Marketing, Social Media. There are a lot of tips and tricks out there for optimizing your facebook fan page. While most are dead on and contain bits and pieces to make your overall facebook fan page a better experience few mention the single most important bit about why businesses are even on Facebook. Here it is: You are on Facebook to engage with people with the ultimate goal of getting those people back into your site. There are some spillover benefits to FB fan pages of course, like branding, customer service, & fun. But at the end of the day if you are a Business on Facebook, you primary goal should be lead generation. So how do you generate leads from facebook? Well start by optimizing the single most important piece of your facebook fan page. The Single Most Important Part of Your Facebook Fan Page Have a live link back into your site! It’s probably the most overlooked spot on fan pages and most people simply include text about their company in this section. Make sure you start your about us section with a live link back to your site. It’s a no brain-er. Do it. If you have already done this and are saying to yourself, “no duh David, this is kids stuff.” Kudos! You are ready for some more advanced facebook tips. If you haven’t done this… Come on Meow! It’s easy, I will show you below. How to add live link to about us section on facebook Click into your about us section from your timeline and then click the edit button. Then make the simple change! In the about section, drop in your full http://www.yoursite.com link. If you want to be all “marketery” about it you could use bit.ly or another link shortener to track click throughs on the link. Bottom line: if you don’t make this simple change, it’s that much harder for a person to leave facebook and visit your site. People no longer have the patience to type full URLs in their browser. Don’t make...
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