Are You Ready For A Coaching Challenge?
We recently surveyed* our small business clients and found that two of the things that people find challenging about working with a business coach are: Finding the time to get the work done, and Dealing with the way their business changes. So as a business owner, how can you make the most of getting a […]
9 Ways to Improve Your Sales – A Lesson from Beaurepaires
With small business doing it tough these days it pays to get back to the basics. Here’s how I was given a lesson on marketing, sales and a touch of classy customer service this week by Beaurepaires Burwood. It started with a thought…and ended in 4 new tyres. I decided since I had an hour […]
Jon Survived the CEO Sleepout
I did it, I slept outside (sort of) with a group of equally self-righteous CEO types and we all felt good about the small contribution we made to the plight of people who are in such dire straits that they don’t have a place to live. We raised some money and thank you to those […]
The Principle of Reciprocation
Simple example: When you are invited to dinner at a friend’s home, you then feel obligated to return the favour, don’t you? And for many, this obligation weights heavily until it is repaid. In a sales situation, customers and prospects feel obligated to say “yes” to those they owe. Knowing this, savvy salespeople perform unexpected […]
Somethings Fishy at the MyBiz Expo in Melbourne
If you’re going to be in Melbourne on Thursday 16th or Friday 17th June, you can meet some of the Small Fish team in person at the MyBiz Expo. The Expo promises to be a fantastic networking event, with the opportunity to meet many people and gather some valuable and useful information that can help […]
News Flash: “Optimism – The Predictor of Life and Business Success”
Business stuck in the bog? Seems to spinning its wheels, the occasional hard revving is followed by no movement forward? Then it may be time to change something and maybe that something is you! Ask yourself do you agree or disagree with the following questions: I have control over the things that happen to me […]
Picking A Business Coach
From a recent article I wrote, I hoped to give some clarity between the role of a Business Coach and a Consultant. If you have now decided that your business needs the help and expertise of a Business Coach, here are a few points to ask or consider prior to selecting one. There are many […]
Vinnies CEO Sleepout
Even though Jon’s not really a CEO, only a director and a business coach (because we don’t believe in awarding ourselves fancy titles), he’s doing the CEO Sleepout to support Vinnies. Jon is going to sleep outdoors on the 16th of June without the benefit of warming alcohol (as it’s forbidden), to experience what it’s […]
Zappos – Going to Extremes for customers!!!
I read a great article recently by the CEO of Zappos‘ Tony Hsieh on how they go that extra mile for their customers and that has resulted in phenomenal growth – from $184m in 2004 to over $1Billion turnover in 2009!!! From humble beginnings in 1999, when Tony Hsieh invested $500,000 in what was universally […]
Business Coaching vs. Consultants
One of the common questions we come across in our meetings with business owners is that of ‘what is the difference between and Business Coach and a Business Consultant?’ Quite often the perception is that they are one of the same, but in reality there are many differences. To put it simply, think of a […]
Differentiate Yourself From The Competition- Get Creative!
“Ideals are like stars: you will not succeed in touching them with your hands, but like the seafaring man on the ocean desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them, you reach your destiny.” Carl Schurz (1829 – 1906) Occasionally, you will encounter a new idea that is so simple, yet […]
Some Things Change, Some Things Stay The Same
In the words of French journalist and novelist Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr: “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” Which translates to “The more things change, the more they stay the same”. We often avoid change because it can be unsettling, a journey to the unknown and into uncertainty. Sometimes we fear what change might […]