Business Made Easy Podcast

There are many ingredients required for achieving business success, There is, however, one secret ingredient that is essential in every successful business. While marketing, knowing your numbers, your team, your customers and sales are all important factors in making your business successful, There is one essential secret ingredient that is often overlooked and underestimated when it comes to ensuring success as an entrepreneur and business owner.  This one ingredient alone has the power to drive results in any area of your business and accelerate your success. Without it, you will grind to a halt and suffer inertia.  Use it wisely, nurture and build on it and you have every chance to take your business to levels you never dreamt were possible. Yet it very rarely gets discussed. We are discussing the secret ingredient to business success this week - Confidence. Confidence is the secret ingredient that keeps us moving forward, the ingredient that helps us take action in our business and our lives. The ingredient that gives us the strength and courage to do the right things and the right times in our businesses. In this episode we discuss  Why confidence is the secret ingredient to business success The different types of confidence and what they mean to your business success. Why building and working on your confidence will improve your business results. 10 practical action items you can implement to help build your confidence in business 

Are you just like everybody else in business trying to provide good customer service or are you providing your customers with a unique customer experience? There is a big difference between the two and an even bigger difference on your bottom line profit when you get it right. Today I take you through the difference and give you the tools you can use to provide your customers with a unique customer experience and turn them into raving fans in your business.

“People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan” This saying couldn’t be closer to the truth when it comes to business and having an up to date and relevant business plan for your business. Yet so many business owners don’t do them and if they have done them they don’t update them regularly. This week we discuss in-depth why you need a business plan in your business.  What makes a business plan so important and the benefits of a well-crafted business plan Why you need a business plan in your business How often should you do a business plan  How often should you update and look at your business plan  What happens if you run your business without a business plan.

Business process automation can be a huge efficiency gain to just about every business.  It allows you to scale your marketing, your processes and product delivery.  It is not however good for everything.  Process automation can not replace or build human relationships and done badly can quickly and easily be damaging to your business.  In this episode, we highlight two real case studies where businesses have automated their business processes at the expense of good customer service as an illustration of how automation can be more damaging than beneficial.    In this episode we cover  Why business process automation is great for business and can help you scale.  Why it’s not so great  Where it can go wrong and the costs of getting it wrong in your business The importance of building human touchpoints in your systems. How to map out your customer journey to exceed customer expectations

It is so easy to get caught up in life busy being busy. But are we being effective? Are we actually working towards or heading in the right direction for what is truly important in our lives and in our businesses? We explore the beginning with the end in mind approach to life and business this week.  The idea of starting everything with total clarity on what is important to you in all aspects of life and staying focused on it can have a dramatic effect on the level of success you in your business and in your life. When we begin with the end in mind approach to our lives we become leaders of our lives as opposed to manages of all that comes our way.  We discuss in-depth these concepts and how you can have a life well lead versus a life well managed. What it means to start with the end in mind Why it’s such an important approach to business and life in achieving success How easy it can be to lose focus and direction without a proper plan The importance of recallibrating regularly to stay focused The important distinction between a life well managed versus a life, well lead How to implement an End in mind approach to life.

The use of video for marketing in your business is one of the most valuable strategies you can have when it comes to getting your business and brand out into the market place. But knowing where to start can be a daunting task not to mention overcoming the nerves to put yourself out there in front of the camera. We interview Holly Gillen this week on the podcast and she generously shares some of her key strategies and tips for overcoming the barriers and getting video marketing right in your business. Holly empowers online entrepreneurs to go from confused to confident on both sides of the camera & teaches them the skills they need to create not just video but Business Cinema™. Business Cinema™ is the way she likes to describe the next level video. Not creating content for creating content, but creating videos that have a plan, a purpose and a strategy. Videos that move your business forward and have a bigger purpose. Holly started her career video production in 2008 as a Videographer, Producer, and Editor working with big industry names including the Sundance Channel, Sony Music, Nick.com, HBO, Bono, Big Time Rush, Forest Whitaker and many others. Her skills and experience run the full gamut from Producing and Directing to Shooting and Editing, and she has translated those skills into a range of educational courses and services to support entrepreneurs in their quest for video stardom. Learn in this episode  Why Video is important for marketing in your business. What makes video for marketing in your business so successful. Hollys 4 pillar strategy for formulating impactful videos. The techniques Holly uses to overcome nerves and fear of the camera. Getting started with equipment and overcoming the obstacles and confusion. The truth behind the myths when it comes to producing quality video in your business.

Cashflow in your business is everything.  If you don’t have the cash you can’t pay your bills and your business won’t survive. Cash flow is also one of the biggest frustration areas that all business owners struggle within their businesses. The good news is that cash flow can be managed and it can be easily fixed and managed with the right tools and approach.  In this episode, we take a deep dive look into how a business can improve cash flow and just where to look when problems arise as they invariably do. In this episode, you will learn,  Why cash flow is important to your business. How to measure and plan your business cash flow for success in your business.  The 7 key causes of poor cash flow in your business and how to avoid them.

It is very easy, particularly in the online space to loose sight of the fact that you are actually running a business. In this episode I take you through the distinction of a hobby versus a business and what you can do to identify what it is you are actually running, including steps you can implement to set yourself up for business success.

Today I talk about a common problem that many customers face - exactly how can they increase their revenue to reach their lifestyle goals.   We follow along the journey that my clients Bill and Sharon went through when using the formula developed by Jay Abraham to grow their business. What is covered in this episode: The Upside Down Business Budget How making small changes in key areas of your business can make all the difference How to work out the key metrics to track Why you need to measure and track the number of initial inquiries your business receives Ideas to start upselling to your customers The 5 key areas to grow your business Increasing the number of leads/inquiries into your business Converting more inquiries into sales Increasing the average spend per customer Increasing the number of times a customer purchases from you Increasing your gross profit margin

In today’s episode, we cover a topic that is one I feel very passionate about because I’ve seen it work time and time again - the importance of smiling in your business and life. What is covered in this episode: How smiling can change our physical and mental state The benefits of smiling on your company culture, staff, suppliers and customer engagement Examples of how poor body language can give your customers a bad experience Smiling and its impact on your stress level How do you smile to help you relate with customers more quickly and improve your networking skills How to implement positive body language like smiling into your company’s culture The daily practices you need to implement to help make smiling a natural part of your day

There are essentially 3 freedoms that are most wanted and sort after by entrepreneurs as they battle the day to day of running a business. They are: Money Freedom Time Freedom Mind Freedom While the proportions in which we seek each of these may vary from time to time. When I speak with entrepreneurs, these 3 freedoms are important goals and drivers in why they are building their businesses and doing what they are doing. You will learn what each of the 3 freedoms are, Why they are important to us as entrepreneurs, The importance of identifying what they mean to you, Prioritising the areas of your business that will help you achieve success in these areas. Practical tips to help you achieve success in these areas of your business.  

As humans, we make all kinds of assumptions, based on our surroundings and our past experiences. These assumptions, however, can often be wrong and ill-informed, and when it comes to business assumptions, very costly and damaging to our business. In this episode of the podcast, we have an in-depth look and discuss why as humans we make assumptions, the dangers of making business assumptions and how to avoid them. The areas of your business that assumptions are easily made and how and why you should avoid them at all costs. What are business assumptions Why as humans we make assumptions. Areas of your business that assumptions are easy to make. The problem with making assumptions and how to avoid. How making the wrong assumptions can be costly and damaging to your business.

If you haven’t got your health you haven’t got anything. Without our health, we really can’t do much, yet we fail to get regular health check-ups to make sure things are working properly. As a business owner, we wear lots of different hats that bring a lot of different stresses, so it is very easy for our health to deteriorate easily and without us even knowing. We have a responsibility as business owners to make sure we are the best version of ourselves so that we can maintain a long and happy life, while enjoying the fruits of our labour. In this episode I discuss How important our health is to maintaining and running a successful business. How quickly your health can  if left unchecked The importance of regular health checks and prioritising your health How to set up a regular health checkup plan as a part of your business & life routine.

Stephen Covey in his book The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, in habit 7, introduced the concept of sharpening the saw. What he meant by this metaphor, was that it is vital that we take quality time out and invest in our well being if we are to achieve what it is we set out to achieve with sustainable success. In today's fast, busy passed world it is easy to get on the treadmill of tasks thinking that our business is going to stop if we do, or that our business will break if we take a break. It’s simply not the case. To be successful in business we need to slow down to go faster. In this episode, I share with you the importance of slowing down and taking regular breaks in your business. When you do this you come back more energised and equipped to tackle things in your business with greater effort, more efficiently and with clearer thinking. We discuss How easy it is to get bogged down thinking you can’t take a break from your business. The challenges of scaling your business and being able to take breaks The importance of taking time out to sharpen the saw, by investing in yourself for better more efficient growth What happens if you don’t invest in time for yourself. How to go about getting started taking time out for yourself even when you feel there’s no way you can.

We interview Todd Austin from Fletch Digital this week and we have an in-depth discussion about Social Media Strategy For Your Business and how you can maximise your results.. For many business owners, Social Media can be a daunting minefield when it comes to doing it effectively and well. Knowing just where to focus your time, energy and money with an endless list of changing trends and advice can make it seem impossibly difficult and not worthwhile. In this interview, Todd breaks down the last trends and important areas that you should be focusing on with social media and how to get the best results for your efforts. Having just come back from Social Media Marketing World Todd is brimming with the latest social media tips and strategies to help you find your feet in this space. Why Social Media strategy is important for every business to have. How social media is evolving and what you need to know to benefit from this. What trends are emerging in social media. How to develop an effective social media strategy for your business The takeaways and tips from Social Media Marketing World. The importance of building community in your social media strategy

Buying or starting a business is one of the biggest investments any entrepreneur will make.  It is also one of the riskiest things that any of us will do in our lives. There are so many moving parts to any business and there are also, so many roles and responsibilities that we as business owners are responsible and liable for. The irony of this risk and exposure is that so many business owners fail or neglect to seek professional advice before starting or buying a business. In this episode of the Podcast, we explore the importance of seeking professional advice, the types of professional advice that should be obtained and how to take action to avoid future costs and potential liabilities.

We spend a lot of time as business owners investing in the mechanicals of our business. They’re what I call the hard skills such as better marketing, better product delivery, more customers etc. But what about the soft skills in our business? Consistent investment in the soft skills of our business can deliver results over and over and what's more, the better we get at the soft skills the easier the hard skills that we struggle with are to achieve. Your soft skills are the centre pin to providing better relationships in every aspect of your business. In this episode of the podcast, we explore: Exactly what we mean by soft skills. What are soft skills Why are soft skills critical to your success in business? Types of skills you can invest in and develop The difference between EQ and IQ

Clarity in your business is the centre piece to achieving the success you are seeking. Without clarity you could be focusing on the totally wrong things, that aren’t going to give you the life you are seeking. It’s so incredibly easy to be busy and distracted with the wrong things and without clarity there is nothing to bring you back to focus on what truly is are the most important priorities to be focused on. We often speak of time management, prioritising our time and even trying to find more time. Without clarity and absolute direction it doesn’t matter how much team we each have as we will end up missing what we are aiming for. What exactly is clarity in business and in life, what does it mean. Why clarity is important in your business and in life How to pinpoint clarity How Clarity will help you stay away from distractions and help you better manage your time. How clarity will help you fast track the success you are seeking by helping you to focus on what’s truly important

In this episode, we are interviewing one of our members of The Business Made Easy Podcast Community, Phil Lichtenberger. We are answering Phil's questions with regards to having a healthy cashflow in business, what are the things to implement and how to get clear with your expectations when it comes to payment terms.

We’ve all heard the saying it’s a six figure business. But what is six figures really? When people throw around the term 6 figures or even 7 figures you really need to look at what is being said in context. I meet far too many business owners and entrepreneurs jaded because their business is falling short of the 6 figure benchmark. My question is to you though - who is setting the benchmark your or somebody else? In this episode I give you some practical thinking to help you get your goals and expectations into relevant context for you and your own set of circumstances, so that you can focus on what is actually the most important goals for you to be achieving and not for somebody else's circumstances. We cover in this episode: What is six figures really? What questions to ask to get context on these benchmark numbers. How to identify what’s important for you and your circumstances. How by gaining clarity on your importance numbers you will be more free to achieve what you need to achieve not what somebody else is achieving. The importance of running your own race Learn from a case study and how James was virtually burnout working for what he didn’t know what he was working for. How bigger is not always better and how more is not always what you need.

Buying an existing operational business can be an exciting time. It can also be one of the most dangerous & risky times. When you buy an existing business you are also buying a lot of potential for expensive mistakes to occur. There are many components and moving parts to an existing business such as: Customers, Suppliers, Finances, Taxes, Landlords, Financiers, Licensing Bodies, Marketing Collateral and Plant & Equipment to name a few. A properly conducted due diligence of the business you are buying acts as a double check and verification of what it is you are buying and that what you are buying is what you are expecting to buy for your money. There are many cases where purchasers of businesses have skipped having a proper due diligence conducted and it has led to very expensive mistakes and problems once the business is purchased. In this episode we cover Why it can be a good idea to buy an existing business. The different ways you can buy an existing business. The risks and potential exposure you face when buying an existing business. What is a Due Diligence Why you need a professional Due Diligence when buying a business. The risks of not having a proper due diligence when buying a business.

Are you thinking outside the square in your business? Too often we fall into a comfort zone of that’s just the way we do it in our business. The danger is that the world and technology is moving at a rapid pace, a pace that is unstoppable and impossible to tame. This means that our customer's expectations and needs are also rapidly changing. If we don’t give ourselves time to think outside the square in our businesses we run the risk of becoming out of date and extinct. If our competitors embrace change and reimagine the delivery of products and solutions to our ideal customers then it is going to be more competitive and difficult to compete in our respective markets. In this episode we discuss: The importance of thinking outside the square in your business. Giving yourself free time to do big-picture thinking, to reimagine your product or service The importance of looking at every step of your customer journey and thinking outside the square in terms of technology or changes you could make to stay ahead of your competition in your marketplace. Don’t follow the herd from history, be a thought leader in your space and develop the new frontier.

Time is a precious resource that we all need more of, particularly in business. If we waste it we can never get it back. If we use it wisely, we can achieve many great results with it. In today’s fast-paced world however, there can be a never-ending list of things all calling for our attention with never enough time to do them all. In this episode I share with you my top 10 time wasters in business and specifically what you can do to stop them. You will learn Why minimising time wastage is crucial to your business success. Learn my top 10 time wasters in business. Why they make the list of the top 10 Importantly how to stop them from eating up your precious time and start being more productive.

Confidence Blocks can be debilitating to your business performance. They can be happening without you even knowing that they are there. So what are they? How do you identify them? And, most importantly how do you overcome them so that you can get back achieving the success in your business you are looking for? In this week's episode we are talking about, How to overcome confidence blocks in your business. Specifically we are discussing What a confidence block is. What signs to look for when identifying a confidence block How to analyse a confidence block when you find one Why they are important to fix How to approach fixing them when you find one.

One of the most dangerous things to do in your business is to have all your eggs in one basket. This week we take an in-depth look at a strategy to secure and grow your business profit using income pillars. Pillars have been around for centuries as a way of sharing and spreading heavy loads in buildings and architecture. But like in architecture Pillars can also play an extremely valuable role in sharing the load in your business by spreading and reducing risk and sharing and leveraging already existing overheads and costs in your business while growing your bottom line profit. Specifically, in this episode we discuss The importance of spreading and diversifying risk in your business is not to have all your eggs in one basket. The strategy of building and identifying income pillars in your business. What we mean by income pillars in your business How Income Pillars work and how they will help you to spread risks and help you to secure and grow your business profit.  

We can’t control everything that happens to us in our business. There are things that will happen from an internal perspective and things from a greater outside Macro perspective that are just going to happen no matter what. We can, however, with proper planning and strategy reduce the risk of things happening in our business and lives and minimise the severity of the impact when and if they do. In this episode, we discuss how to manage risk in your business. We discuss a practical approach and strategy you can implement to Fully understand the types of risks your business is exposed to. How to quantify the impact of one of those risk events happening in your business. How to prioritise systems and procedures to mitigate the effects of a risk event happening in your business. What happens if you don’t implement a risk management plan in your business no matter how big or small your business may be.

We all know time is a limited resource, we just cannot get any more of it. As an entrepreneur, we tend to wear a lot of different hats which can be stressful and overwhelming. Getting clarity around where it is that you should be spending your time is very important in order to set the right goals and strategy to run your business Tune in to this episode as we answer one of our Business Made Easy Podcast Subscriber's Questions about how to improve time management to find more time in business. In this episode you'll learn: The importance of prioritizing When is the right time to delegate tasks How to take advantage of technology to automate processes

We discuss how to grow your business profit in this episode by looking at your profit margin and doing a spring clean of your overheads in your business. As your business grows it’s very easy for waste and inefficiency in your overheads to creep in and erode your profit margin. So a regular review of these costs is recommended. Often as a busy business owner and entrepreneur we are focused on sales and making more income and we rarely review the expenses of the business. But one of the quickest wins you can have with growing your business profit is to review your overheads and expenses in your business and to tighten efficiency and eliminate wastage. In this episode, you will learn Why your profit margin is so important to your business How the overheads and costs of your business can creep up and out of control. The types of expenses that can blow out in your business Why efficiency in your expenses is important and has an effect on your profit margin. Practical ways to monitor your overheads and ensure they are under control in your business.

We discuss how to grow your business profit in this episode by looking at your profit margin and doing a spring clean of your overheads in your business. As your business grows it’s very easy for waste and inefficiency in your overheads to creep in and erode your profit margin. So a regular review of these costs is recommended. Often as a busy business owner and entrepreneur we are focused on sales and making more income and we rarely review the expenses of the business. But one of the quickest wins you can have with growing your business profit is to review your overheads and expenses in your business and to tighten efficiency and eliminate wastage. In this episode, you will learn Why your profit margin is so important to your business How the overheads and costs of your business can creep up and out of control. The types of expenses that can blow out in your business Why efficiency in your expenses is important and has an effect on your profit margin. Practical ways to monitor your overheads and ensure they are under control in your business.

It is common as a business owner to worry about how much to charge for our goods and services. If the price is too high we may not make the sale or even worse the customer might make comment that we are too expensive and make comparisons to our competitors. The truth is though, it is the business owner that has more of a problem with the price of their goods and services more than the customer does. The trick to getting this area of your business right is to make sure the value of your offer to your customers is higher than the price, or at the very least your value matches your price being charged. We discuss in this episode. The importance of your value being higher than your price How it is the business owner who has a bigger problem with the price of their goods & services than the customer themselves does. The customer is focused on the value of the transaction to them and how it is going to solve their problems and change their state. The importance of understanding your customers perception of quality. What happens when your value doesn’t exceed your price.

One of the most challenging tasks as a business owner is to get consistency in customer service and delivery within their business. As your business grows and you employ more and more people to help you grow it is very easy for your customer service levels to drop or become inconsistent depending on who is doing what on a particular day. In this episode you'll learn: Your customers are educated and spoilt for choice now and it is critical as a business owner that you have a grasp of delivering an exceptional customer experience every single time no matter how big or small your business is. Why delivering consistent and exceptional customer service every time is important to your business bottom line. Why it’s your role as the business owner to be the driver of the customer experience in your business. How to get your team and culture in your business aligned with your customer experience expectations. Systems and processes you as the business owner can practically implement to engage your team and ensure consistency as you scale and grow your business.  

Business Burnout is real, it creeps up on you, it can strike without warning and when it does it can be detrimental to your business and more importantly to your health. We have a good look at business burnout this week to identify what causes it, the effects it can have on your business and your health. Learn 15  practical action steps you can do to avoid business burnout in your business. In this episode we cover What causes Business Burnout Signs you are suffering from Business Burnout 15 practical tips to prevent and solve burnout in your business

When it comes to choosing the best accounting software for small business there is a multitude of options from basic cashbook solutions to enterprise level solutions with all the bells and whistles. So how do you choose the right solution for your business? In this episode of the Podcast, we explore how to find the best accounting software for your needs and we look at the various features of today's accounting software that can add streamlined efficiency to your business reporting and accounting systems. You will learn What questions to ask when assessing accounting software for your business. What key considerations should you be thinking about before committing to buying accounting software? What functionality & tools are available to help you with efficiency and cash flow in your business. Learn about electronic document storage solutions to remove your paperwork clutter.

It is common this time of year to set New Years Resolutions. But what about new year business resolutions? Your business is the machine that fuels your lifestyle and life goals. With the start of the fresh new year in your business now is an excellent time to set some new year resolutions to improve your business and give your self every chance of further business success in 2019. In this episode, I share with you 10 practical resolutions you can look to make in your business and help yo make 2019 your best year in business yet. In this episode we cover Why it’s important to set New Year Business Resolutions. 10 Resolutions you can implement now in your business that will help you succeed in 2019 and future years.

Many people think of success as a straight line that goes from point A to Point B. But unfortunately, this is not the case and couldn’t be further from the truth. The path to success looks more like a line that starts off straight and turns into a squiggly line like the diagram below. You can, however, take action and put steps in place to straighten that line out as best as possible and give your self every chance to succeed at your chosen path. In this episode, I give you 10 actionable steps to strengthen your path to success in business and in life. These 10 steps will equip you with the tools you will need to not only ensure your success but ensure you achieve it in the straightest possible path. In this episode, you will learn Why the path to success is a straight line Why clarity and vision are important to your success and how to achieve it. The enemies of success and how to avoid them The practical steps to practice and implement to ensure your path to success is as smooth as possible.

There is no question that email and messaging is one of the fastest and most efficient ways to communicate in your business. While it may be a fast and efficient way to communicate, is it actually the most effective way to communicate with your customers. It is far to easy to bash out an email response to a customer and move onto the next task of the day. But have we really built and developed a deeper engaged relationship with that customer or are we just reacting to a situation with the customer instead of being proactive? In this episode, we explore: Why email is not always the best way to communicate in your business. The benefits of picking up the phone and having a human to human conversation. How picking up the phone and having a real conversation can build trust and rapport with your customers. The downside of email communications in your business. A simple set of rules you can build in your business around identifying when to pick up the phone and have a real conversation with your customer.

In this episode, I give you the tools and a framework to start your year new off on the right foot. It is common for people to not worry about their New Year planning until after the New Year has started. The problem with this approach is that January is nearly over before you gain any traction and start moving towards your goals. I provide you with a system and framework that I use to turn this approach on its head and start your planning process now for the new year you have momentum when the New Year kicks off. In this Episode, you will learn Why it’s important to start your New Year Planning Now How to start your planning now to give your new year every chance of being your best yet A framework and System that I use and you can adopt to easily get started now.

Is your thinking above or below the line? We all have things that happen to us on a daily basis. Somethings are a result from our own decisions and actions others are totally outside our control and we can’t change them. What we can change though are our choices and the way we respond to the things that happen and it is the sum of these choices that determine our end destination in business and in life. This week we discuss a mindset tool that will help you to change the way you think of problems and situations when they arise and guide you to make more clear and better decisions. In this Episode, you will learn: To identify your thinking when situations arise A mindset tool you can implement to make better decisions. The distinct difference of thinking above the line or below the line when it comes to problems. The benefits of implementing this level of thinking in your life.

Lack of time to get things done is one of the most common frustrations and complaints from business owners. There just never seems to be enough hours in the day and the things to do list just keeps growing. In this episode of the podcast, I discuss how you can solve this perpetual problem in your business and we take a good look at practical solutions such as outsourcing business processes to help you focus on the important things that need doing in your business. I will share with you The difference between working in your business versus working on your business. How to create productivity blocks of time in your week. A practical system to identify the valuable work you should be doing and the time zapping work you shouldn’t be doing. The importance of outsourcing business processes to create capacity and how to go about it.

The director of first impressions is arguably the most important role in any business. It takes 7 seconds to make a positive first impression with any potential new customer. It is the director of first impressions role to shine your business in the best possible light with any potential new customer, so they must use this 7-second timeslot effectively in order to create a great first impression and a positive relationship momentum with your business. If they get it wrong and don’t form a great first impression it can be very difficult to recover from and in a lot of cases, it’s impossible to recover from. If the potential customer does become a customer then it puts a lot of pressure on the rest of your organisation to build the relationship back up. In this episode you'll learn: What the director of impressions role is in your business. Why it’s the most important role in your business. What happens when your director of first impressions gets it wrong. How to get it right. Metrics you can put in place with your director of first impressions to measure effectiveness and performance in the role.

Communicating with your customers is one of the most important things you can do to grow your business. When you communicate better with your customers you leave them feeling in safe hands every step of the journey with you. You trust and rapport with them and if you do an excellent job you turn them into raving fans of your business and brand. In episode 65, we discuss the importance of effective communication with your customers and systems you can implement in your business to achieve this no matter how big or small your current business. Learn: The importance of effective communication in your business. How to identify exactly what your customer needs to know How to set clear expectations for your customer every time. Systems to implement consistent and effective communication with your customers

Growing your business can be a confusing and daunting task. Knowing where to put your time, energy and resources so they maximise your results is costly and expensive if you get it wrong. On top of this, there are only so many hours in a day and you can’t afford to be wasting them. In this episode 64, I give you a simple 3 step process to help you get clarity around exactly what your business needs to grow and increase your bottom line. At the end of this episode, you will have a clear and solid framework to apply to your business to identify exactly what your business needs to go to the next level.   In this episode, you’ll learn: A practical 3 step process to apply in your business to help you identify what areas of your business you need to adjust to drive growth in your business. The key areas to focus on to achieve growth in your business. Ensuring your business is in good condition and has the resources to be able to grow profitably. The importance of knowing the critical numbers in your business to monitor performance and growth. Why you need to check and monitor your numbers regularly.

Learn how looking after yourself in business is one of the greatest investments you can make for the performance of your business and your ultimate success.

We discuss the importance of building customer relationships in this episode. Specifically the importance of building value-based relationships, that are not transactional but deep and long-lasting. Value-based relationships are built with honesty, trust, and integrity, they aren’t for a quick sale or quick win. Value-based customer relationships can’t be fake or non-genuine. They take time and patience to grow. But when they do they deliver a rewarding and profitable business that will keep your customers coming back time and time again. With a value-based approach you will win more business, keep more business and you will have better advocates for your business and brand. In this episode you'll learn: What is a genuine  value-based customer relationship What is not a value based relationship Learn the finer points from a real-life case study Learn the formula for building a value-based customer relationship.

Learn 7-time saving strategies to improve your productivity in business. Time is a precious resource we all only have the same 24 hours in a day, and we can’t get any more of it. Even more severe we can’t get it back when it’s lost or wasted. ' Success in business comes from doing the right things at the right time.  It's imperative that you don't waste the time you have with un-necessary distractions. You can't get the lost time back. Social Media and shiny new objects that cause distraction are occupying more of our day. They draw you in and make it difficult to maintain focus on what's important. In this episode, I share with you 7 strategies to improve your productivity in your business. 7 strategies that will give you back your time and help you achieve greater success in your business.

It’s not too late to finish the year strong and make it your best year ever. There are always obstacles and reasons and excuses why it’s hard to achieve your goals and with the end of the year and holidays seasons around the corner there are going to be even more reasons why achieving your goals may seem impossible. You can still achieve your important goals for the year despite the distraction and seeming lack of time. We take you through a 5 step program to reprioritise, refocus, take action and finish the year strong, making it your best year ever. A must listen to episode if you are serious about achieving success in your business. You will learn What holds us back this time of the year The importance of finishing the year strong The importance of revisiting your goals and recalibrating to finish the year strong. My 5 step process to make 2018 year your best year ever.

Knowing which social media platform to use in your business marketing can be a daunting task, every day there seems to be a new tactic and strategy and not enough hours in the day. You start down the road on one platform only to be drawn to another due to new information that’s come to hand. Then you change back and forth. It’s like social media pinball. What is worse is when you try to be on all at the same time without any clear strategy. Adopting this approach has a high chance of nothing working and a lot of wasted time. Without proper thought, planning and strategy for ultimately what you're trying to achieve. In this episode you'll learn: The behind the scenes strategy of social media marketing. We look at an effective way to approach social media marketing in your business The importance of choosing the most effective social media platform. How to choose which platform is going to give you the best results for the least amount of effort and become a pro at it.

Business Burnout is real, it creeps up on you, it can strike without warning and when it does it can be detrimental to your business and more importantly to your health. We have a good look at business burnout this week to identify what causes it, the effects it can have on your business and your health. Learn 15  practical action steps you can do to avoid business burnout in your business. In this episode we cover What causes Business Burnout Signs you are suffering from Business Burnout 15 practical tips to prevent and solve burnout in your business.

Starting and building a business can be a daunting thought at the best of times. The emotion and excitement often get the better of people and they just jump right in and start implementing and building without considering the consequences or direction of what they are trying to actually build. You wouldn’t build a house without a clear solid plan and proper preparation beforehand and nor should you build a business without one also. When you build a house there are clearly defined stages and steps that need to take place so that things are solid and stable for the next stage and so on. For example, you wouldn’t start putting the roof on if you haven’t built the walls. It just won’t work. Business is exactly the same you have to follow the right steps and stages in order to be successful and achieve what your vision. In this episode, you will learn Why each stage of building a business is the same as building a house. The critical stages of building a business to be successful Why it’s important to follow each stage in order to provide a solid foundation for the next stages and each subsequent stage. Why it’s important not to miss a step in building a successful business.

Business owners usually have a good idea that things aren’t right somewhere in their businesses, but often not know where to start look to see what’s wrong with their business. We look at a case study this week of William and Laura who weren’t getting results but didn’t know where to start looking to fix things. We have a look at William and Laura's situation and I take you through the exact steps we used to identify the problems they were having and the action steps they implemented to turn things around. This is a practical episode that can be applied to any business that may not be performing and getting the business owners desired results. In this episode, you will learn The importance of seeking professional help to fix problems. The importance of Margin and understanding your Breakeven point in your business. The importance of Cash Flow Planning and how to fix problems. The importance of constantly making adjustments and fine tuning your business along the way.  

Business is an important part of life for an entrepreneur and while we do everything in our power so things don’t go wrong, it’s a major fact of life that things are going to go wrong from time to time. There are lessons that we are all learning as we go along on our business journey and they tend to be mistakes that we say we’ll never make again. But there are also things that go wrong that are totally outside our control. That can go wrong and really rock our world when it comes to our business. In this episode, we dive deep into what to do when these things go wrong.  How to approach it to minimise the damage and fallout and recover in better shape as a result. In this episode we discuss The types of things that can go wrong in your business. What to do when things do go wrong in your business. Practical steps and actions you can take to minimise the impact to things going wrong in your business.