Know Your Worth!

 

Hello there.

Welcome to August!

So, we’re halfway through the year. Some of you will be taking time off with the children or maybe taking a break. Well, for the rest of us who have to keep going, here’s some motivation in the form of TED, with TED Talks.

If you’re wondering who or what TED is, according to the website

TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less).

And as part of their mission means they,

…believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world.

TED Talks is a vehicle used by TED to spread their mission with a wide range of subject matters, through videos.

TEDx  London is a programme of local independently organised events that bring people together to share ideas.

The talks which I’ve selected today are business orientated, but the good thing about TED is that you can find a talk about almost anything.

Here we go:

In the first of the TED Talks, Pricing Consultant Casey Brown speaks about not undervaluing what you do, so that you can Know your worth and then ask for it.

I felt that I should start with this video as this can be a tricky area for most SMEs or Startups to handle. Knowing what to charge clients can be quite difficult.

In the second video, Social Psychologist Adam Galinsky addresses How to speak up for yourself, 

In the last video, Bill Gross, founder of Idealab, shares his thoughts on The single biggest reason why start-ups succeed.

I hope that you found these TED Talks inspiring. Check their website for more information. Who knows, you may even find yourself setting up your own TEDx event.

Take care,

Tricia

P.S. I hope that you enjoy my blogs.  Remember, if you need help with your own blog or website content, check the PM Noble Consultancy Services website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why you need a Marketing Plan!

 

Hello, there.

So, you thought of a business idea and had a plan in place. You’ve now achieved your dream and you’re running your business. That’s great! Now, what’s the next step? Well, that depends on what you want to achieve and who your target market is.

What tools are available to help you move your business forward? Glad you asked?

Having a marketing plan in place will help you to focus on what you really want for your business. There are so many great sites around, all bursting with information that this week I thought I would share a few, to get you started.

First things first – What is a marketing plan?

‘A marketing plan is a business document outlining your marketing strategy and tactics.’

This definition and some useful information can be found here – TheBalance.com.

 

So, now that we have a definition, let’s look at some sites with all the tools to equip you.

Marketing Donut has a section called startup and SME resources, with handy guides and templates, which can be found here – marketingdonut.co.uk.

 

‘If you don’t plan, you’re doomed!’

In a quick video from Entrepreneur.com, and in the accompanying article, we are given some nuggets of information and advice as to why we all need to have a marketing plan, which should be reviewed yearly. As they said, ‘If you don’t plan, you’re doomed.’

 

‘Done properly, your marketing plan will be the roadmap you follow to get unlimited customers and dramatically improve the success of your organization.’

In Marketing Plan Template: Exactly what to include, Forbes, gives you what they state, the exact sections needed for your plan.

If you live in Enfield or the surrounding areas, Sara Carter Business, offers business coaching and marketing advice for SMEs and Startups.

So, in a nutshell, your Marketing Plan helps you to think about your product, your audience, your goals and which tools will help you achieve your objectives.

I hope that this has made you think about your marketing strategy. I know that I need to take my own advice and start to plan ahead!

Remember, I usually just provide a taster of what can be found on the world wide web. Check out a few sites yourself, after all, you may find that one size does not fit all.

Thanks for reading.

Take care,

Tricia

P.S Remember to follow PM Noble Consultancy Services on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

 

5 Books for Business

 

Hi, there.

Do you need some encouragement for your business but you’re not sure where to look?

Whether you are a reader or not there are some non-business books which can impact your personal and business life.

This week, I’m compiling a list of website articles to point you in the right direction along with a few books which I think stand out.

So here goes:

‘And this book is an action book.’

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (first published in 1937, but has since been updated)

 

‘Those who develop the process of thinking can rule themselves.’

How successful people think: Change your thinking, change your life by John C Maxwell.

 

‘And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.’

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela.

 

Here are some standout book and sources:

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Business Insider

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield Business Collective

And sources of book lists:

Inc.com

Financial Times

I hope that this inspires you to look for guidance and motivation in new and unexpected places.

Take care

Tricia

p.s #Keepgoing

 

 

4 simple ways to improve your business today!

Hi there.

Do you want to know about some easy ways to enhance your business?

Here are four steps which you can implement straight away:

Set yourself some realistic goals

Are your goals SMART?

Make sure that your objectives are specific. It’s much easier to target a specific area.

Are your goals measurable? For example, do you want to see an increase in sales? Can you measure this by a percentage increase?

Is what you’re hoping for realistic? Is it achievable? Being a small business is difficult enough, without setting yourself unrealistic objectives.

Is what you want to attain relevant? Should it be done? Why does it need to be done?

Time, timing or time-based. Can you achieve what you want in time? Have you set yourself enough time?

Keep an eye on current trends

Keeping an eye on current trends and keeping up to date with your own personal development and training puts you in a stronger position.   I ‘m reminded of this by PR Expert Colette Machado.

Make sure that you get regular feedback from your customers

If you want to offer top notch customer service, start asking your customers what they think you do well and (if you’re feeling brave), what areas need to be improved.

Take a break

It may seem like a bit of a no -brainer but you’d be surprised how easy it is to slip into bad habits like not having lunch and working long hours. You need rest. Your mind and your body will thank you for taking a break or two!  If you don’t believe me read this Huffington Post article.

Well, thanks for reading and I hope that you found this useful.

Take Care,

Tricia

 

 

What is your Startup strategy?

Hello there.

Do you want to start your own business but have no idea where to start?

Do you own a Startup but your progress feels stagnant?

Don’t worry, there’s plenty of help at hand. This week is a quick guide of seven points to consider when planning your strategy.

Ideas

Do you have ideas for new Startups? Do you have ideas about what to do with your current Startup?  Will the idea work? Is it creating a solution? Here’s something to consider about your next project. Paul Graham says,

‘Live in the future and build what seems interesting. Strange as it sounds, that’s the real recipe.’

In How to Get Startup Ideas Graham writes about what he has encountered and how he found solutions.

Entrepreneur.com has The Simplest Test of Whether Your Business Idea is Good or Bad.

Resources

What kind of resources do you need to push your Startup forward?

There’s online help from Start Ups. To help get you begin, you can access 10 Steps to Starting a business.

If you live in Enfield or surrounding areas, Enterprise Enfield runs programmes and offers Help and support through their expert business advisors.

Product

Do you already have a brilliant idea for a product but it’s not complete yet, read You Don’t Need a Finished Product to Launch Your StartUp by Fortune.com

Planning

Have you got a business plan? Do you need to update the one you have?

You can get some ideas from Business.com.

The wonderful advisors at Enterprise Enfield can also help with this, in one to one sessions.

Trends

If you need your business to be in the market and in some respects ahead of the game, then you’ll need help with your brand.  A knowledgeable business coach and marketer who can help to make your business and brand grow is Sara Carter of Sara Carter Business.

Investments (Funding is more appropriate)

For advice about finance and loan, you can speak to someone at Enterprise Enfield

For funding applications, Diana Roy of Up Write is an experienced expert in her field. Follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/UpWriteUK .

Teamwork

Who is on your team? Are you a one-person crew at the moment?

Steve Jobs knew a thing or two about teams. He knew to have people around him with different skillsets.   While we may have to work on our own, to begin with, when we do have a team, we need to surround ourselves with people who are really good at what they do.

Fast Company has a suggestion for your team in The only 6 People You Need on Your Founding Startup Team.

I hope these seven key factors have been helpful.

If you’ like to know more about me or what I do, find out here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter and like PM Noble Consultancy Services on Facebook.

Thanks for reading.

Take care,

 

Tricia

 

 

 

We have no time…

 

‘WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?’

Hi, there.

Whichever way you look at it, there never seems to be enough hours in the day. One of my favourite poems called  Leisure by W H Davies, sums up 21st-century living. We don’t have time to enjoy the simple things in life. We sometimes fail to notice life around us.

Well, I can’t add more hours to your day, and if we’re honest, some of us start counting down our days until Friday. So,

Do we really want to count our hours, or do we want our hours to count?

Okay. I am not going to get on a soapbox to try to convince you that you’re living all wrong, I’m just going to throw some ideas out there, and you can decide what to take and what to discard.

I don’t need to tell you that our time should be a balance between work and enjoyable stuff. Of course, this is easier said than done when you work for yourself and you do everything yourself.

Since we can’t increase the time we have, we need to use time management skills.

So, What is Time Management?  According to Mind Tools, it is….

‘Working Smarter to Enhance Productivity.’

What does this mean in practical terms?

In How to Manage Time With 10 Tips That Work, Entrepreneur.com gives some practical techniques which should help.

More useful tips come from Life Hack, with 20 Quick Tips For Better Time Management.

Managing time effectively is not just about work, it all starts from home. The following feature, Home Organization and Time Management Tips from Huffington Post refer to ‘moms,’ but we can all take something away from the systems that have been put in place and business advice given by the guest speaker on the video.

Once we implement all the tips and techniques for saving ourselves some valuable time, what should we do with that time?

Well, I don’t think that this should be spent on work.

Hang out with family or friends more.

Take up an old hobby.

Find a new interest and develop it.

Take long walks and explore open spaces.

Eat better and exercise.

Rest and relax.

I hope that soon, we’ll all be able to

‘..stand beneath the boughs, And stare as long as sheep and cows..’

Take care.

Tricia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keep Calm!

Hello there.

I’m not sure if you have noticed, but my website is down. BUT fear not! Down is not out! I am getting some expert help with a new site, so hopefully, it won’t be too long before everything is back to normal.

With the temporary absence of a website, I say,

Keep Calm and start blogging

 

Why? Well, there is a lesson to be learnt when things happen unexpectedly and ‘keep calm and…’ seems to fit the bill.

If you’re wondering where this phrase originated from, stay tuned. If you already know the back story bear with me.

So, according to good old Wikipedia, the slogan was one used to motivate and raise the morale of the British public ahead of the World War Two.

The slogan has been around such a long time, why the rise in its use?  Maybe the word austerity has something to do with it.  According to the Guardian,

‘It is the ruling emblem of an era that is increasingly defined by austerity nostalgia.’

 

If you want to wander down memory lane, read the rest of the article in the Guardian.

So, going back to what lesson we can learn. I guess it’s to do with what the British do best. To keep a stiff upper lip!  In my case, I decided that despite having no website, I would keep calm and start blogging.

If you find yourself or your business in a tricky place, keep calm and start blogging. Seriously! Think about it. Writing down what you’re going through could encourage others who are facing the same issues as you. It may also make business decisions a bit clearer.

As SMEs or as part of the self-employed workforce, there are times when we feel as though we are on our own and what we are going through only applies to us.  This is of course not the case and as a couple of the attendees of the Introduction To Blogging Workshop mentioned – blogging is a way of documenting your day to day journey. This is so true!

Blogging can help

• you to record activities within the business
• you to interact with your clients
• document past and future plans

If you need more of a reason to blog, read this.

Do you need help to start or maintain a blog? I write blog articles and website content.

Do you want to learn the basics of blogging? I run workshops. Get in touch. My email is here.

No excuses then!  Keep Calm and Carry on Blogging.

Take care,

Tricia

P.s. Follow PM Noble Consultancy Services on Twitter and like us on Facebook.