Cause and Effect
You’ll also find this post at The Pulse
I’m a mercenary bastard.
I support charities, but chiefly to avert unpleasant dentist experiences.
I’ve supported everyone from The Big Issue to Greenpeace, but only fleetingly, haltingly and superficially.
I’ve read a hundred times that true happiness comes from serving others.
It can also be rather good for business and branding.
So why [...]
Pet Pals
You’ll also find this post at The Pulse
We’ve spoken about children at work, and the effects of family illness.
How about critters?
What role (if any) do pets have in business?
Free Range
I figure there are three schools of thought:
Corporate environments in which the prospect of pets is laughable.
Home / small offices that consider critters de rigueur.
Places in [...]
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 [...]
Busy Brains
My subconscious says Hi!
I often say our subconscious is a powerful, problem-solving ally.
Last night mine (let’s call him SC) gave us this blog post.
I’ll be interested to see if you prefer his writing to mine.
Stumped for a good topic, I was awake and worried at 5 am.
I asked SC if he’d help.
He didn’t answer directly [...]
What Lovely Teeth You Have!
Do you sing your clients’ praises?
We know it’s vital to make customers feel good.
But how often do we make them feel fantastic – like life is beautiful and the world is a happy, marvellous place?
Too seldom, I’ll wager.
Dear God
I don’t pray often, but once a year I always do.
It’s when I’m stiff with fear [...]
Sometimes it doesn’t work out, and that’s OK
As you may know, Paul’s undertaking the exciting task of rebranding The Feisty Empire and has been sharing his journey with you. For this he enlisted the help of Angela den Hollander.
After a lot of thought, a few months back, Angela sent the message below to Paul (who naturally completely understands). Angela was more than happy to share this heartfelt communication [...]
Time In
Do you have hearth-and-home holidays?
As Easter and Anzac Day coincide, Fonnie’s taking three annual leave days for ten days off in a row.
We both sorely need this break, but we’re not going anywhere.
We’re spending our holiday at home.
How about you?
Freedom
We’re so knackered from early starts, long days, big projects and weekend work, we need [...]
The Wrong Spot
My medical short cut wasn’t.
It’s risky to ditch a trusted supplier for a cheap unknown.
I just learned this the hard way.
And have a scar to prove it.
Free & Easy
I was across town, visiting Dad.
My sore ankle wasn’t improving, so he suggested I see his doctor.
He liked this doctor because he was:
Close.
Free.
Malleable.
By contrast, my [...]
