A Fool & His Money (Part 3)
You’ll also find this post at The Pulse
Parts 1 and 2 have brought us to this stage of my better-bank-deal quest.
Thank you so much for reading and responding!
Today the plot finally crystallises.
Bert
As Sheryl the Specialised Case Manager presaged, Bert the Bank Manager and I had ‘fruitful conversations’ (via email).
Alas, the fruit was small, hard and [...]
Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em
Here’s a business tip I learnt the hard way:
If you get a gig, job, order, project, piece of work or commission, do it NOW.
If you don’t, it may not be there tomorrow.
For several reasons.
Unkind Cut
A large IT firm gave me 100 recruitment ads to critique.
I toiled for much of Easter, getting 50 done.
Then I rewarded [...]
Sour Cream & the Metagame
We can reasonably describe business as a game.
There are certainly winners and losers.
Gaming is an important analogy.
These days, it’s not enough to merely play the game.
Because chances are, your customers are playing the metagame.
What’s the Metagame?
The metagame comprises all out-of-game elements that affect in-game decisions.
You’re playing the metagame if:
Having learnt from past poker nights [...]
5 Ways I Messed Up Launching My Business
Today we welcome Sheila Smith, author of The Birthday Dragon, which she proudly self-published this year. Sheila candidly shares her experience of launching her own business, and the mistakes she learnt from along the way. Thanks for joining us, Sheila! Emma
As I prepared to self-publish my first book, The Birthday Dragon, I thought [...]
Elevate My Mind
Going … Going …
In response to my recent topic struggle, Naomi kindly offered some suggestions.
Top of her list was: Elevator Pitch.
As someone who avoids cities, buildings, elevators, people, hands, eyes and conversations, I’m not the best possible ambassador for this important business tool.
This, however, creates a magnificent opportunity for you to step in.
Definition
Wikipedia’s (Empire-abridged) [...]
What Does Exclusive Mean?
Not with those shoes!
As we’ve gathered a galaxy of brilliant brains to this blog, there’s something I wish to ask.
Something that’s been bugging me for decades:
Does exclusive actually mean anything in business?
I’m not sure it does.
A Lot of it about
Google yields 0.9 billion results for exclusive. That’s thrice more than for bread.
It’s obvious exclusive [...]
Interesting Conflicts
Have you been tempted?
These days, ‘conflict of interest’ seems to mean:
If it’s in my interest, there’s no conflict!
I don’t quite see it that way.
But I have.
Old School
When working for an ad agency, I was surprised to find myself writing for two BIG FIVE* clients in the same week.
I strive to do my best. So unless [...]
Facing the Music
I had it, but lost it.
Early adopters are where it’s at.
While fairly hip to the groove, I got a very nasty shock on dipping my toe in the iTunes pool.
The following lesson may save you from losing your entire music collection.
It also teaches the value of taking extra special care of customers new to what [...]
The Need for Seed
Daniel Smith, founder of social media marketing consultancy Propaganda House, joins us on the blog today. Daniel discusses the need for investment in a business idea and is keen to hear about your own experiences and thoughts. Welcome Daniel! Naomi
When you look at Successful Big Businesses it’s easy to think that’s how they’ve [...]
I Say Pareto, You Say Pareto …
Fine in principle. What about practice?
Have you heard of the Pareto Principle (also called the 80-20 rule)?
It says that for many things, 80% of the results come from 20% of the causes.
In business, this means 80% of your revenue comes from 20% of your clients.
I’ve found this principle extremely useful.
But does it work for [...]
