Excellence Expected: Small Business Action - Define, Challenge & Conquer Your Biggest Issues!
Summary: Email: mark@excellence-expected.com | Twitter: @MrAsquith - get in touch with any feedback to be featured in the show! Define, challenge and conquer the BIGGEST issues facing the modern small business owner. With powerful episodes from the world's finest business experts, each episode challenges one specific issue and provides detailed, actionable takeaways that you can implement immediately within your business. Featuring John Lee Dumas, Guy Kawasaki, Rand Fishkin, Jeff Sanders and Dragons' Den's Doug Richard along with multiple thought leaders, global business people and numerous NY Times / Amazon best-selling authors, Excellence Expected exists to help you live the life you want by dominating the problems that face every entrepreneur on their journey. This isn't just another interview podcast, this is the straight-talking, accountable and actionable show that features one problem, one expert and multiple solutions every single episode. Don’t forget, the more you expect from yourself, the more you WILL excel!
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- Copyright: Mark Asquith, Excellence Expected 2014 - Present
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Are you fired up to go to work? Do you feel like you play an active role? Or do you feel like you just go to work, do your job, and get paid? Are you engaged as an employee? If your answer is “No,” you are not alone. What helps to create an effective company is employee engagement. Engagement for an employer is having more connection with employees than just what it says on their job descriptions. Relationships between employers and employees matter. Employees need to feel plugged in and more involved. Give them space to breathe and express their passion. Employers should create a positive culture that encourages engagement. Don’t stifle your employees. They should be excited about what they are doing. They want to be a part of something. A business owner or entrepreneur starts out as the hero for starting something. They attract people who want to follow them. Not only do they do what they are told, but they come up with new ideas. Then the entrepreneur/business owner is able to move from being the hero to being the host. Rather than them leading every step of the way, they let their employees take on some of that direction. Then, other people are “pushing the ball.” That can be scary, but also a relief! About Mark: Mark is an author, consultant, speaker, and founder of Host Leadership. For the past 25 years, he has brought new ideas to the world of management. Host Leadership focuses on the leader as the host to produce an effective mindset for engagement, performance, and results. Challenged Issue: Only 13 percent of employees worldwide are engaged. How can you, as a business owner or entrepreneur, engage your employees? That is vital to the success of your business! Mark’s Actionable Tips: * Think of yourself as a host, not a hero. You will entertain and receive guests (employees). You create a space for them to breathe, have freedom, and enjoy themselves. * Balance stepping forward and stepping back. Don’t always be the one to do something. Let others step forward and do the work. This lets other people become engaged. * Invite and influence rather than direct people. Describe what is happening, why the employee you invited should be there, and a choice to the employee whether they attend. Top Quotes: * “You wonder how the world manages to keep going. But it does.” * “Engagement is such a crucial thing.” * “What are we all trying to do here?” * “Engagement is…what’s this relationship…that helps us connect…that helps us make the most of what everyone is bringing?” * “Employee engagement is the secret sauce that makes everything else work.” * “If you want people just to be sheep and do what you tell them to do, well fine. But I think that’s not going to be building your business.” * “There are other ways that ideas and input can come into my business. And it can be through these people I am getting to know and trust.” Guest Links: * Host Leadership (hostleadership.com) * Host Six New Roles of Engagement (http://hostleadership.com/book/) Resources: * University of Bath (http://www.bath.ac.uk/) * The Essential 14–Day Guide to Cutting Your Working Hours and Increasing Your Impact (http://www.excellence-expected.com/cwh/) Key Timestamps: * 00:50 Challenged issue * 01:08 Introduction of guest * 02:00 Getting results and engagement * 02:54 Guest’s background and Host Leadership * 05:27 Engagement * 08:23 Black box study * 09:12 Cultural shift * 11:18 Mindsets * 16:43 Business results * 18:45 Actionable tips * 28:08 Guest’s links
Feel like you are in a rut? Is your business facing a plateau or roadblock? When you hit a plateau, how do you make progress and reach the next level? Symptoms of a plateau include being stressed out and anxious; not prioritising tasks but only dealing with urgent matters; having self-doubt and no one to talk to; and you do too much rather than delegating work to others. These are all common symptoms that take you on a road to failure. Let go of your control and perfection issues. You will have to deal with internal (retiring employees) and external issues (technological advancements). There may be things missing in your business that you have to fill in. You will be challenged. How are you going to deal with these issues? Be agile, respond, think, plan, and react. Understand what you are trying to create. What is your definition of success? Think as big as possible! About David: David is president of TEND Strategic Partners and host of the business podcast series, Smashing the Plateau. Challenged Issue: In this podcast, we challenge the issue of plateau. Get past that roadblock in your business and make progress! David’s Actionable Tips: * Define success for yourself before doing anything else. Do you want achieve a specific market share in your niche? Do you want a healthy work/life balance? Determine what success means to you! * Create an action plan and determine how often you need to refine it. You always need to be planning, and you need to take action. Identify what needs to be done! Don’t let your action plan go out-of-date. * Implement, measure, learn, and improve. Follow this 4-step system using metrics to determine how things are going with your business. Top Quotes: * “Our emotions will really prevent us from overcoming roadblocks.” * “The stress really manifests itself in a really apparent way.” * “Understand that perfection is the enemy of the good.” * “Different people will have different measures of that success.” * “That action plan is your kind of…roadmap to that success.” Guest Links: * TEND Strategic Partners (http://www.tendstrategicpartners.com/) * Smashing the Plateau (smashingtheplateau.com) * LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/davidshrinercahn) * Twitter (twitter.com/tendsp) Resources: * The Essential 14–Day Guide to Cutting Your Working Hours and Increasing Your Impact (http://www.excellence-expected.com/cwh/) Key Timestamps: * 00:48 Challenged issue * 01:01 Guest introduction * 01:34 Guest’s background * 03:36 TEND system * 06:04 Symptoms of a plateau * 10:08 Culture of positivity * 13:55 Reasons for roadblocks * 17:15 Actionable tips * 26:16 Guest’s links Don’t forget, the more you expect from yourself the more you WILL excel!
Scaling your business is a nice problem to have, yet it is still a problem. Entrepreneurs get so focused on delivering one thing that they can’t see other options. They need to learn how to pivot their businesses. How can they grow into something more? When scaling a business, entrepreneurs need to measure results and focus on what’s working and what’s not working. Listen to what the market is telling you. Continually review your systems and strategies. Also, practice smaller and slower progression in your business to make it sustainable. Ultimately, this is the right move to make. When scaling your business, make sure to maintain excellent customer service. Customers are aware when a business shifts direction. You want to consistently create a special experience and sense of place for your customers. About Katie: Katie started a bricks-and-mortar business specializing in sandwiches and craft beer. She took that business and scaled it up successfully using tried-and-tested methods. George Bowers Grocery is a walkable neighbourhood destination that serves food and other retail specialties. Katie wrote a book that focuses on various business pieces, including scale, systems, and strategies. It is titled, “Per-Money: Permaculture Thinking for Indie Biz Growth.” Challenged Issue: In this podcast, we challenge the issue of scaling your business safely. Katie’s Actionable Tips: * Look at your market, and pivot to fit your market. Focus on best sellers and listen to feedback! * Bigger is not always better! Instead, grow from within at a slow and steady pace. That protects your cash flow, and your sanity. * Systems and strategies should be interconnected. Build them so they support each other. How are your tactics interlocking? Top Quotes: * “What we started with vs. what we’ve become is a lot different. And it required that attention to scale.” * “Every piece of the puzzle needs to fit together and work for the other pieces of the puzzle.” * “Naturally, we’re a bit stubborn. We all have egos involved.” * “Rapid feedback is king.” * “Move into a direction that works.” * “When our customers come in the door, they know what to expect.” * “I’m pretty gung ho on Main Street businesses.” * “Indie businesses have such an awesome role to play as far as really creating ‘place’.” * “It’s true that you can buy almost anything online. But you can’t buy a sense of ‘place’.” Guest Links: * Katie McCaskey (http://katiemccaskey.com/) * George Bowers Grocery (http://www.georgebowersgrocery.com/) * Twitter (twitter.com/katiemccaskey) * Per-Money: Permaculture Thinking for Indie Biz Growth (http://katiemccaskey.com/permie/) Resources: * Amazon (amazon.com) * The Essential 14–Day Guide to Cutting Your Working Hours and Increasing Your Impact (http://www.excellence-expected.com/cwh/) Key Timestamps: * 00:36 Introduction of guest * 01:41 Guest’s background * 02:48 Bricks-and-mortar businesses * 03:15 George Bowers side projects * 03:41 Permaculture * 05:02 Actionable tip #1 * 05:31 Pivot your business * 07:25 Challenging of pivoting * 08:46 Actionable tip #2 * 11:33 Systems and strategies * 12:45 Experience * 14:35 George Bowers personality * 16:50 Actionable tip #3 * 20:18 Learning curves * 22:18 Bricks-and-mortar side of business * 26:40 Guest’s links Don’t forget, the more you expect from yourself the more you WILL excel!
To be successful in business, a university degree is not necessarily required! School is not for everyone, and entering the business world right away may be a better option. Get a job. Build your skills. Gain hands-on experience. Rather than taking the traditional route of going to university, it is education from another perspective. Getting a job at a young age will provide you with experience to call upon in the future. It offers guidance on how to approach and adapt to any situation. You will learn what it is like to be in the pressure cooker environment of the business world. Going to university is beneficial, as well. You gain valuable education and skills. However, by the time you are approaching 30 years of age, you have not had any serious experience with business decision making or understanding of risks and rewards. Also, you probably don’t know how to handle an office environment or how to interact with co-workers at all levels. What’s the best path for you to take? There is no right or wrong answer. Chose whatever best suits you! Education is key – whether you gain it at a university or a workplace. Don’t just stick with what you know. Challenge and better yourself. Be well-rounded: both personally and professionally. About Sam: Sam is a successful entrepreneur and the youngest externally appointed CEO in the United Kingdom. He runs a taxi company in London called Climate Cars, which uses hybrids and electric cars to drive people around. Sam decided not to go to university because that would have lobbied him with major debt. Instead, he chose to get a job and learn a skill. He picked up new skills with every job and role he took on. As a result, that helped him to land the job he has today. Challenged Issue: In this podcast, we challenge the issue of whether a university education equals entrepreneurial success. You can succeed in business without a university degree. Sam’s Actionable Tips: * Keep learning: Try to better yourself. There are so many resources available to continue your education and learn new skills. Keep your mind active! * Meet everyone that you possibly can. Interact with people. You can discover new things and make new connections. * Believe in yourself. Don’t have a fear of failure. Believe that you can do things. Keep trying until you succeed. Top Quotes: * “It was a conscious decision not to go to university.” * “I’ve apparently transformed myself into a fairly rounded business person.” * “By not going to university and diving straight into the world of work, I think I gained experience at a much younger age than most would otherwise have done.” * “A lot of university students come out there with the skills but not necessarily the commercial attributes that they need to be able to dive into that (business) environment.” * “One of the main things that graduates tend to struggle with is being comfortable around senior management.” * “We’ve never lived in a more connected world. It’s a great time to be alive, and everything is at your fingertips online on the Internet.” * “Everyone you meet is an opportunity.” * “If you close the door on yourself, you will never go through it.” Guest Links: * Climate Cars (https://www.climatecars.com/) * LinkedIn (http://uk.linkedin.com/in/samuelcropper) Resources: * TED (http://www.ted.com/) * Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/) * Coursera (https://www.coursera.org/) * Wikipedia (wikipedia.org) * The Economist (
Gratitude is rarely spoken about and often overlooked in business. In business, be grateful for any opportunity that comes your way. Be grateful for getting a job interview, be grateful for finding new clients, be grateful for your staff of employees. Show gratitude in your voice and actions. You want to create a culture of positivity in your business. However, maintain a balance and do not focus entirely on work. Otherwise, you will burn out or get into a rut. Be grateful for all kinds of things from family and friends to a parking space. From business opportunities to cheese curls and Yorkshire Tea. Start a gratitude journal. Document what you are grateful for: people, places, experience, things, feelings, and tangible items. You start to focus on being grateful and things you take for granted. We don’t always feel grateful for what we have, so get into the habit of being grateful. There are so many things that happen during the day, so there is for surely something to be grateful for each and every day. About Russ: Russ is based in New York City and works with more than 75 clients. As a business, life, and career coach, he helps so many people realize their dreams and passions through gratitude. He is the author of, “My Gratitude Journal,” in which he documented different expression of gratitude every day. Challenged Issue: In this podcast, we are challenging you to be more gracious in your approach to business; and look at what that karma can bring to you and your enterprise. Russ’s Actionable Tips: * Start a gratitude journal. Use whatever format you prefer – pen and paper, Word document, Excel spreadsheet, etc. Your life will be changed for the better! * Encourage and inspire others to document what they are grateful for every day. * Support Russ’s mission to change the world to become more grateful. Buy his books or contact him. Top Quotes: * “When you open your mind and think of different things to be grateful for, the examples keep flowing like a bountiful river.” * “You become a lot more positive as a person.” * “Even though I was angry, I was able to find something to be grateful for.” * “My biggest thing with gratitude is grateful for things, people, places, experiences, feelings and intangible items.” * “In life, the more balanced you are, the more at peace you are.” * “When you start down this path, you will be amazed.” * “You can go out there and create situations to be grateful for.” * “Gratitude helps increase confidence.” Guest Links: * Russ Terry Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/RussTerryLifeCoach) * Russ Terry (http://www.russterrylifecoach.com/) * Amazon (http://amzn.to/1bYQB66) * Email (gratitude@russterrylifecoach.com) Resources: * Jacqueline Wales (http://www.thefearlessfactor.com/) * Jacqueline Wales on Russ Terry Podcast (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/chixtalkradio/2012/12/11/the-russ-terry-show-live-your-best-life–be-fearless) * Jim Rohn (http://www.jimrohn.com/) * Google (google.com) * The Essential 14–Day Guide to Cutting Your Working Hours and Increasing Your Impact (http://www.excellence-expected.com/cwh/) Key Timestamps: * 00:47 Challenged issue * 00:56 Guest introduction * 02:18 My Gratitude Journal
Innovation is a word that most businesses use, but don’t really “get”. So, what is innovation? Well, according to Dominic Irvine – innovation is creativity with a job to do. But why innovate? Don’t stand still or you are going backwards. Innovation is a process that includes several steps. You need to continue to evolve, improve, and develop. Otherwise, your business will eventually collapse. You need to innovate because you are in competition not only with other companies, but with the latest technology and devices. You can innovate around social media, marketing, finance, supply chain, etc. Think outside of the “product” box. Constant innovation includes figuring out what people want, not what they need. These days, people expect extra value and customer service – yet another reason to be innovative! You can even include customers by engaging them in the journey of product development. Make them a part of the creativity process. Then they have a much more vested interest in your company. Embrace innovation. Your customers benefit by getting a much better product. And you benefit as a business owner. It is a win for everyone! About Dominic: Dominic is a founding partner of Epiphanies LLP, a people development consult company that focuses on leadership, performance, and innovation. Challenged Issue: In this podcast, we challenge the use of innovation. How can we integrate innovation and how can we move forward in our businesses by being innovative? Dominic’s Actionable Tips: * Follow the Process: Start from the beginning through to the implementation phase. What can go wrong and when? Determine how to avoid failure and reach success. * Failure is a really important part of innovation. Learn from failure! * What if we couldn’t do it that way? As that question because it forces a different way of thinking to solve problems. Top Quotes: * “We are about challenging the way people think.” * “If it doesn’t deliver change in business reports, doesn’t result in you doing something, it’s not innovation. It’s just creativity.” * “We don’t stand still. We are constantly evolving. We are constantly developing.” * “We often end up very, very focused on the product. But sometimes, it is what sits around the product that offers us the greatest opportunity for innovation.” * “What else can I do that’s going to drive value into my business?” * “We have to think about the whole world in which we engage with.” * “Bringing the customer into the process early is really vital.” * “Every single time we come across a new idea that comes aboard, there is a degree of resistance.” * “The hardest challenge you will face is escaping from the old ideas.” * “Innovation loves constraint.” Guest Links: * Epiphanies LLP (http://epiphaniesllp.com/) Resources: * M&S (http://www.marksandspencer.com/) * Royal Mail (http://www.royalmail.com/) * Centrica (http://www.centrica.com/) * Tetra Pak (http://www.tetrapak.com/) * Apple Inc. (apple.com) * Harvard Business Review (https://hbr.org/) * Pat Flynn (http://patflynn.com/) * Michael Hyatt (http://michaelhyatt.com/) * John Lee Dumas (http://www.entrepreneuronfire.com/) * Tim Ferriss (http://fourhourworkweek.com/podcast/) * Lockheed Martin (http://www.
PPC. SEO. What do those stand for? If you don’t know, then you need to familiarise yourself with digital marketing for your business! PPC means pay-per-click, and SEO is search engine optimization. PPC is a way for businesses to pay for putting them at the top of search results as “Ads.” While SEO is free and centres on where your business appears in search engine page rankings. Digital marketing is a rapidly changing landscape. However, its purpose does not change: How do you get the right message to the right person at the right time using the most cost-effective medium? Developing digital marketing for your business can be overwhelming. So, get help from experts and specialists. Kurve is a great option! It is a digital marketing agency that creates engaging content to help clients succeed. About Oren: Oren was one of the first “SEO guys” in the United Kingdom. He founded Kurve and specializes in digital marketing in large enterprise and has worked with numerous start-up companies. He spends a lot of time talking to like-minded specialists and reading content to become a knowledge worker. He tests things for clients in certain markets to get the best results possible. Challenged Issue: In this episode, we challenge the issue of digital marketing. Digital marketing gives us the opportunity to work with industry standard metrics to create our own metrics to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Oren’s Actionable Tips: * Measure, measure, measure! Are you measuring traffic, likes, leads…? Be very clear on what you are defining for channels and set milestones. You can’t improve on what you’re not measuring. * Conflicting Content: Many businesses do not know how to do social marketing the “right” way. They push their products rather than offering engaging and high-quality content. They need to partner with experts/specialists who know what they are doing. Take time to find the best help! * Marketing Misconceptions: There are three different types of marketing: Traditional, digital, and growth-hacking. You need to understand what kind of marketing type and content works best for your business. Top Quotes: * “There is a huge community internationally for search marketing.” * “Knowledge is power.” * “Some of the things I do haven’t changed for the past 10 years.” * “Some people say SEO is dead.” * “When I started SEO, there weren’t many SEO guys around. Now, everyone is an SEO expert.” * “Just because someone says they are an expert, doesn’t mean that they are.” Guest Links: * Kurve (http://www.kurve.co.uk/) * Twitter ( twitter.com/Orengreen) * LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/orengreen) Resources: * Pat Flynn (http://patflynn.com/) * John Lee Dumas (http://www.entrepreneuronfire.com/) * Touch Local (http://www.touchlocal.com/) * Wink Bingo (http://www.winkbingo.com/) * Wonga (https://www.wonga.com/) * BBC (http://www.bbc.com/) * Tiger Aspect Productions (http://www.tigeraspect.co.uk/) * LinkedIn (linkedin.com) * Facebook (facebook.com) * Twitter (twitter.com) * Google AdWords (adwords.google.com) * Dropbox (dropbox.com) * The Essential 14–Day Guide to Cutting Your Working Hours and Increasing Your Impact (
Everyone has problems and struggles. No one is perfect. Yet, sometimes many people cannot overcome the imposter syndrome. They present this false confidence and bravado. They pretend to be someone they are not. We live in a world that is becoming so much more exposed due to social media and other outlets. You have an open window to people’s worlds and lives. Most people are putting their best foot forward on social media in order to keep up with a particular image. However, what’s online is not all rainbows and unicorns! You would never guess that someone who appears confident and self-assured is actually struggling. How can you and others use transparency to overcome imposter syndrome. You can use outlets like blogs and podcasts to call attention to and express brokenness. Rather than being an imposter, take the first step and do something. About April: April MacLean has dealt with many struggles. She experienced sexual and emotional abuse. Then she went into foster care and became pregnant when 15 years old. However, dance changed her life. She fell in love with it and got a degree in dance. She opened a studio just for adults to dance. It turns out that dance provided therapy that she and others were not able to get elsewhere. Also, April’s Messy Warrior brand was born out of interactions with people at the dance studio. They encouraged her to share and talk about her experiences and struggles. So she started blogging, writing a book, and so forth. Challenged Issue: In this podcast, we challenge the old issue of imposter syndrome. April’s Actionable Tips: * Start with the why: Why are you doing what you are doing? What are you offering to the world that makes you excited? Write down your answers. But don’t make it about you. Who are you trying to serve? Make it about them. * Focus: Read the book, The One Thing. You will discover what it means to really focus and manage your time. Dedicate yourself to only the work you can do, that matters the most, and has the most impact. * Educate yourself on personality styles. This will help you understand how different personalities work, how they communicate, how they need to be motivated, and how you can relate to them. Start having real conversations with people! Top Quotes: * “Yes, I did overcome some obstacles. But, let’s talk about the fact that I’m still not a super hero.” * “I’m still just as much of a mess as the next person.” * “That was the consistent message that I was receiving; is that people were struggling with self-worth.” * “How scary it is to say. ‘Who am I to do something like that?’” * “The one person that is negative, is the only person you listen to.” * “You will never please everybody. It’s absolutely impossible.” * “People put their best selves on social media.” * “No one can do this like me. No one can talk in my voice. No one can walk in my shoes.” Guest Links: * Messy Warrior (http://www.messywarrior.com) * Room to Dance Studio (http://www.roomtodancestudio.com/#!) Resources: * Marianne Williamson (http://www.marianne.com/) * Start With Why – Simon Sinek (https://www.startwithwhy.com) * The One Thing (http://the1thing.com/) * Wired That Way (http://www.amazon.com/Wired-that-Way-Comprehensive-Personality/dp/0830738401) * The Essential 14–Day Guide to Cutting Your Working Hours and Increasing Your Impact (http://www.excellence-expected.com/cwh/)
In business, you can’t do everything yourself. That’s where partners and collaborators come into play. You need people that you can trust and rely on. Also, you need to understand what and who you truly need. Your ingrained preferences and beliefs may not be the best way to base decisions. You may be very different from those you work with, but that’s ok! Determine what’s important to you. Find people who share similar values. Building a relationship based on values, rather than skills and competencies, will help it succeed and last. Identify what characteristics and qualities you need in your ideal employee, collaborator and/or partner. Characteristics may include requiring excellence, ownership, and responsibility for their work. Take action to find the people you need. Go to networking events and participate in social media outlets. Put your need out there and be clear about what and who you are looking for. Then the right people will apply. About Bettina: Bettina helps people understand themselves and helps them to break through any debilitating habits they may have to achieve the success they want. Habits include having your own ideas about how things should run, what works and what doesn’t, what you think of yourself, and what you think of others. She is the founder and director of Aronagh, and co-founder of Evolve Beyond Redundancy. Challenged Issue: This week’s challenge is to find business partners and collaborators who you can trust and rely on. Bettina’s Actionable Tips: * Know your values. What’s truly important to you? How do you know when you got it? * Be clear about your expectations. Are your expectations unsaid? Are you getting what you expected? What do you need? What are the boundaries? * Form an agreement/contract with the other party. Write down your actual words about what you need and expect. Top Quotes: * “We tend to always go for the same people when we look for suppliers, when we look for business partners…” * “This person’s now contacted me, why don’t I give this a go?” * “We grew stronger, as a team.” * “At times, we all want people just like ourselves, which is very often…the entirely wrong way to look at things.” * “The key thing was excellence. They absolutely required excellence.” * “It saves time, cost, energy.” * “This is the place. I’m fitting in. I can succeed. I can make this work.” * “Confidence comes through competence.” * “Most people are absolutely happy to provide you with a referral.” Guest Links: * Aronagh (aronagh.com) * Evolve Beyond Redundancy (http://www.evolvebeyondredundancy.com/) * LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/bettinapickering) * Facebook (facebook.com/bettina.pickering) * Google + (https://plus.google.com/+BettinaPickering/posts) Resources: * Facebook (facebook.com) * Google + (http://plus.google.com) * Google (google.com) * Twitter (twitter.com) * Bizcrowd (https://bizcrowd.com/) * The Essential 14–Day Guide to Cutting Your Working Hours and Increasing Your Impact (http://www.excellence-expected.com/cwh/) Key Timestamps: * 01:04 Challenged issue * 01:14 Guest introduction * 03:16 Recruitment and pictures of people * 04:50 Guest’s success and enterprises
For start-ups and entrepreneurs, social media = marketing. Have a social media marketing goal and work hard to achieve it. That should be your strategy! Guy Kawasaki provides some practical tips on how to utilize social media: * You do not need to hire consultants and experts to do it. * Add videos and graphics to your social media. * Use the social media sites that your potential and existing customers use. If your audience is not on Twitter, then don’t tweet! The smaller the business, the more important social media is – it is your avenue to differentiate yourself, build a brand, and dominate a niche. Many businesses are afraid of social media because they don’t have anything to say. However, it is about what your potential and existing customers/followers want to hear, not about what you have to say! You’re providing a valuable service via social media. Customers/followers get information they want – whether it is content you create or content you share from other places. If your business does create original content, make sure it is written by subject matter experts – not unqualified people. Just because Janice the admin assistant or Ian the intern has a Facebook page, it does not mean they should be writing your businesses’ social media posts! About Guy: Guy has a diverse background. According to Guy, he “worked for Apple Inc. – a few times, Google, started some companies, became a speaker/writer, and is now chief evangelist for Canva”. Canva is an online graphic design service that allows anyone to make awesome graphics. And Guy knows how to use social media for his business! He co-wrote the book, The Art of Social Media, which is an essential guide to get the most bang for your time, effort, and money. Challenged Issue: Implement social media marketing as a core part of your business! Guy’s Actionable Tips: * Every posting should have a graphic or video. * If you shoot video, upload it natively to Facebook. * On Twitter, include a graphic and up to four pictures. Top Quotes: * “Canva is kind of life changing if you’ve been struggling with graphics.” * “Basically, if I am breathing, I am on social media.” * “You really have to learn by doing.” * “There is no loser in this!” * “Most CEOs suck at social media.” * “If you feel you are at a particular level, to be honest, you are probably wrong.” Guest Links: * Guy Kawasaki (guykawasaki.com) * Canva (canva.com) * The Art of Social Media (http://guykawasaki.com/books/the-art-of-social-media/) * The Art of the Start (http://guykawasaki.com/books/the-art-of-the-start/) Resources: * Facebook (facebook.com) * Twitter (twitter.com) * Pinterest (pinterest.com) * LinkedIn (linkedin.com) * Nike (nike.com) * General Motors (gm.com) * Proctor & Gamble (http://www.pg.com/ ) * Google Plus (www.plus.google.com) * Instagram (instagram.com) * Richard Branson (http://www.virgin.com/richard-branson) * Rand Paul (http://www.paul.senate.gov/) * The Essential 14–Day Guide to Cutting Your Working Hours and Increasing Your Im...
In today’s world of social media, accountability, and transparency – being a brand means so much more than the products a business puts out. Brand or image is manufactured to create an impression in customers’ minds. A brand is something businesses can manage – their image, what you say and don’t, etc. However, reputation is something that businesses can’t really manage – what is said behind their backs. All businesses need to consider, understand, and focus on their reputation. Therefore, reputation is far more important now than brand. As customers and employees, we demand that businesses behave properly. People can quickly identify when they are being duped or tricked by a business. Businesses should create a culture of service and value for both customers and employees. They have to combine all components – branding, reputation, staff, culture, and so on. Businesses need to think about all of the pieces and understand the “Big Picture.” Google, Apple and other businesses are known for their culture. Those are companies with reputations that make people want to work there – and where customers go for products and services! About Neil: Neil specializes in reputation management with some of the world’s biggest brands. He had a background in graphic design when he started getting requests about the importance of image for businesses – this is otherwise known as branding. However, in today’s world, branding has given way to something else – reputation! So now he helps organizations think about their reputation. He helps them understand the importance of reputation and to create strategies that build the best reputations possible – based on the truth. Challenged Issue: In a world built on reputation, what are you doing to make sure you stay on top of that? Neil’s Actionable Tips: * Reputation: Sit back and think about reputation. How does it play a role? Why is it important? * Use Independent Resource: Find someone you trust who can go out and discover the truth about your organization. * Understand Timeframe: Building your reputation takes time, and you need to put in the necessary effort and time. Top Quotes: * “Brand has changed, in a lot of ways, into reputation.” * “Your reputation – can’t manage at all.” * “People are cynical about brand.” * “You can very, very quickly share your thoughts about an organization or brand.” * “The thing about reputation is that it has to be based on the truth.” * “It (reputation) affects the bottom line.” * “There is a very clear understanding of what they are in the business of doing, and how each and every one of them contributes to that – for a positive reason.” * “They want to work for those companies because they are cool!” Guest Links: * Neil Gaught & Associates (http://neilgaught.com/) Resources: * Merrill Lynch (ml.com) * Google (google.com) * Apple (apple.com) * The Essential 14–Day Guide to Cutting Your Working Hours and Increasing Your Impact (http://www.excellence-expected.com/cwh/) Key Timestamps: * 00:28 Podcast introduction * 00:40 Challenged issue * 00:47 Guest introduction * 03:05 Difference between brand and reputation * 05:13 Reputation and truth * 06:32 Which companies need to consider reputation * 08:20 Reputation in the marketplace * 11:53 Culture of service and value * 15:14 Internal impact * 18:46 Changing culture * 20:00 Actionable tips * 24:05 Guest’s links Don’t forget, the more you expect from yourself the more you WILL excel!
We live in a world of technology, and start-ups are so prominent. There are many different challenges, and things can scale very fast. Start-ups are very serious business. Here’s how you can learn from one of the tech industry’s brightest ventures and scale your business quickly, effectively and for longevity. Most of us have the notion that start-ups are wildly successful and make people millionaires. However, AJ says that is nothing farther from the truth. Instead, if you plan to create or participate in a start-up business, you will be working long hours, not making much money, and be stressed out. It is a wild ride with a tough learning curve. Yet, AJ finds it fulfilling. People involved with start-ups need to take risks, be prepared to absorb as much information as possible, be a part of everything, and have a willingness to learn. Go with your eyes wide open! AJ never envisioned the fast growth of his company. It took a lot of hard work and dedication. Also, there was a lot of fear of the unknown, in trepidation, and concern. What lies ahead? Are we making the right decision? But you can’t slow down and take time off if you want grow your business fast and be successful! About AJ: In 2010, AJ founded iCracked in his college dorm room out of necessity. He kept breaking and cracking his cell phones, so he would take them apart and fix them. iCracked offers on-demand repair and trade-in network services for iOS devices. Now, his company features more than 1,885 certified iTechs across the United States (and 11 other countries). Challenged Issue: We challenged the issue of how to grow a young business extremely fast and more importantly, how to do it properly. AJ’s Actionable Tips: How to grow your business fast! * Hiring Employees: Is this the best person in the world for this job right now? Wait for the right person! And remove existing employees who are not right for the company. * Capital: Every company goes out of the business the same way. Scale each department according to revenue. * International/New Markets: What may work in one market wildly fails in another market. Make sure to change your business plan as needed. Top Quotes: * “I think one of the important things of being a founder is really putting yourself in the shoes (of your customers).” * “We’re servicing hundreds of thousands of customers a year, which was not even in our wildest dreams three years ago.” * “We’re kind of going down that dark, winding path of starting a company where we know 90 percent of the start-ups that we’re involved with will probably not be around in five years.” * “You are probably going to work harder than you ever have in your life.” * “You have incredibly high highs, but even lower lows where you start doubting yourself.” * “If you’re going to take money from people, make sure you research and know exactly who they are and what their expectations are.” * “Fail fast, move fast, and make sure your company doesn’t die while iterating and trying new things.” * “It’s just been a wild ride. I don’t think I’ve slept very much over the last three years.” * “You have to diversify quickly and you have to stop doing things that aren’t making sense very, very quickly.” Guest Links: * iCracked (icracked.com) Resources: * WhatsApp (http://www.whatsapp.com/) * Uber (https://www.uber.com/) * Instagram (instagram.com) * Facebook (facebook.com) * Y Combinator (http://www.ycombinator.com/) * iTunes (itunes.com)
Welcome to the renaissance of podcasting! Well, it is not actually a renaissance – which is how many people see it. In reality, podcasting has continued to grow year after year. It just seemed like last year, the world finally noticed and paid attention to podcasting! Podcasting is a great way to consume very accessible and value-added content. People can listen to podcasts when they are driving their car, mowing the lawn, exercising – anywhere, anytime. Podcasting is great way for businesses to build relationships with customers! The barrier of entry into podcasting has been lowered to make it possible for anyone to host podcasts. You don’t have to be a technical whiz and have the most expensive equipment. All you need is a good microphone and a Web site; and then work on your presentation skills. Podcasting reveals your knowledge and skills. Then listeners begin to know, like, and trust you because you are communicating with your own unique voice. Daniel J. Lewis is a veteran podcaster who wants to help others enter the fun and exciting world of podcasting! About Daniel: Daniel has been a part of the podcasting industry for years! In 2007, he launched his first podcast series – The Ramen Noodle. Then he got focused and serious about his efforts. In 2010, he launched The Audacity to Podcast series. He helps people launch and improve their own podcasts to share their passion and to find success. He focuses on products and services for podcasters to help them do what they do! Challenged Issue: We are challenging our podcast listeners to integrate podcasts into their marketing mix to gain powerful business positioning! Daniel’s Actionable Tips: * Plan in order to succeed! Make a list of at least 20 topics you want to address in your podcasts, so you have a roadmap to follow. * Don’t forget to do something! Start and don’t stop. Once you take that first step, you already have momentum. It’s scary, but you won’t regret it. * Repeat consistently. Don’t do too much or try to make each podcast perfect. Just be consistent over time. For example, do a podcast once per week, not just whenever you feel like it. Top Quotes: * “I’m always excited to talk about podcasting!” * “I have something to say in this space.” * “I was blown away by the great reception and by the feedback I was receiving from people.” * “This was the missing piece. To go from full-time employment to self-employment for my own needs because I provided services that podcasters would appreciate.” * “Any business, any individual can really embrace this (podcasting).” * “It’s making the content more accessible. It’s also making the content more personable.” * “Learn how to be a great presenter!” * “Focus, first and foremost, on releasing great content because that’s what will hook people in.” Guest Links: * The Audacity to Podcast (http://theaudacitytopodcast.com/) * The Ramen Noodle Podcast (http://cleancomedypodcast.com/) * Twitter (@theRamenNoodle) Resources: * Colin Gray (http://www.excellence-expected.com/episode31/) * John Lee Dumas (http://www.excellence-expected.com/episode27/) * Mike Russell (http://www.excellence-expected.com/episode32/) * Julie Broad (http://www.excellence-expected.com/episode30/) * Apple Inc. (apple.com) * iTunes (http://www.apple.com/itunes/)
Do you use Google? Bet your customers and clients do! As a business owner or entrepreneur, you should utilise Google to your benefit! Google is known for changing its ranking processes and algorithms regularly. You need to make sure to change and adapt, as well. However, despite the ever-changing world, you can use search marketing and inbound marketing to establish long-term strategies and build a sustainable business. Inbound and search marketing includes: search engine optimization (SEO) terms, social media marketing, emails, newsletters, and blogs. The content and information you provide must be special, unique, and high quality to resonate emotionally with customers. Initially, you will struggle with these marketing efforts. But your audience will eventually grow bigger and bigger! Google is a powerful tool for customers to find you and your business. But it is definitely not perfect! Rand Fishkin believes that about 30-40 percent of Google searches give you excellent results. But 60-70 percent of the search queries generate weird and unexpected results that are not well thought out and do not create a positive user experience. Google is trying to do it all! And this has generated feelings of anger, fear, and distrust of Google among some business owners. You can be penalized for bad links and other items. Make sure your business Web site has positive link building, value-added content, and user engagement. These are all signals Google uses to rank sites. You want your business to rank high in searches, right?! About Rand: Rand of Moz.com is an inbound marketing expert and an authority on search marketing. He is considered the Wizard of Moz! Challenged Issue: We are challenging you – our podcast listeners – to think about the future of search marketing. What’s next? What do you need to do to prepare for the future? Rand’s Actionable Tips: * Keyword Research: Figure out the terms and phrases your audience is using to find you and the information you provide. * Outreach: Rather than trying to contact the top influencers in your space/industry, take the focus off of them. Instead, reach out to other influencers in your space/industry. They are much more responsive and likely to help you! * Mobile Searches: Make sure your site is mobile-friendly. On April 21, Google is changing its rank algorithm to include mobile search friendliness. Top Quotes: * “If you get things right, your strategy ,,, and if you think about the processes that you use and align them towards the future, you can actually build something that can last for many years without a whole lot of modification.” * “It’s also not something where every morning, you need to wake up in a panic.” * “They (Google) give you all of this data right in the search results, so you never have to actually click on anyone’s site.” * “(Many of) the changes that they have been making the last few years…have really, I think, threatened their credibility more broadly.” * “That is nightmarish. Any of this Kafka-es in terms of the process.” * “That is enough to put a business under.” * “I have seen hundreds, maybe even thousands, of businesses go under – Web sites go under – from Google penalties.” Guest Links: * Rand Fishkin Blog (moz.com/rand) * Twitter (@randfish) Resources: * Google (google.com) * Bing (bing.com) * Facebook (facebook.com) * Twitter (twitter.com) * LinkedIn (linkedin.com) * Google + (https://plus.google.com) * Pinterest (
To build relationships with your customers, it’s important for businesses to create video content. Share videos regularly and make the customer experience more engaging and helpful. Customers want to see information rather than read it! There are several ways businesses can use videos to interact with customers. Videos can introduce new products, the company’s team, and what services are offered. Videos can also resolve customers’ problems and provide answers to frequently asked questions. But what if you know nothing about making videos? Where do you start? It is easy to get overwhelmed! Ravinol Chambers’ Video Know How helps businesses learn how to easily create videos – even when on a budget. Ravinol fills in the knowledge gap and demystifies the whole video process to make it as simple as possible. He also helps businesses avoid the most common video mistakes: * Trying to get everything into just one video * Lack of clarity * Bad sound * No call to action * No distribution plan * Not having or knowing your budget Now, it’s time to get started on those videos! So make sure to take advantage of Ravinol’s special offer for you – our Excellence Expected podcast listeners! About Ravinol: Ravinol is a video expert/producer, strategy consultant, and speaker. He is passionate about the power of stories to inspire positive social impact. He enables businesses to demonstrate – through videos – the difference they can make through the work they do. He made his first film in East Africa in 1995 to raise awareness and funds. That’s when he first saw the power of video and visual storytelling to achieve something. Then, he went on to receive a master’s degree in business. He focused on venture philanthropy, which is how business people can use their expertise to try and help philanthropic giving/social investment and enterprise. Combining business minds with social change is Ravinol’s motivation and inspiration. So he created a company – Be Inspired Films – for organizations wanting to make a difference. Challenged Issue: We are challenging our podcast listeners to integrate video marketing into their business – even when on a fixed budget! Ravinol’s Actionable Tips: * Make sure to plan well! Don’t touch your camera until you have everything in order. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail! * Stay focused. Always keep the video’s objective in mind. * Practice regularly and have fun! That’s how you will really learn and become more creative. Top Quotes: * “Video is so important. It’s taking over isn’t it?!” * “Times have changed, massively.” * “People are just blown away…it’s (teaching people to make videos) quite powerful.” * “It’s (making videos) not as hard as you think.” * “Everywhere they (customers) go, they’re seeing video content.” * “It’s actually accessible. It’s not that challenging. You can learn this, and you can implement this on a set budget.” * “Sit down and plan it, before you do it.” * “The thing that I think is massively powerful is putting a personality and a face with a business.” * “It sounds like video has a place in business and that it’s here to stay.” Guest Links: * Ravinol Chambers Email (ravinol@beinspiredfilms.com) * Be Inspired Films (http://www.beinspiredfilms.co.uk/) * Video Know How (http://www.videoknowhow.co.uk/) Resources: * Deutsche Bank (https://www.db.com/index_e.htm) * Deloitte (http://www2.deloitte.com/us/en.html)