Wild Streak

Are you, like me, surrounded by a myriad of itsy bitsy things pleading for your attention? And are you sick of how this messes with your mind? Try these actions.

When I began training as a coach over a decade ago, I was introduced to the concept of ‘tolerations’. Tolerations are things we put up with that steal our concentration, cloud our focus and disrupt any coherent pattern of work. 

Yes, tolerations are bad and they need exterminating. Here’s how I lay into mine. 

1. If it’s a mass of ‘stuff’ 

Stuff may translate to an overflowing inbox, a pile of papers, a little stack of business cards or just general workspace mess. 

Whatever its manifestation, the solution is a concerted block of cleaning up time. In such instances I adopt the persona of Harvey Keitel in Pulp Fiction and use a lesson learned via the Pomodoro Technique.

The first step is to clarify precisely what’s going to be zapped, set a timer for 25 minutes and unless fire or blood is involved, ignore everything but the task at hand.

If you need longer, take a five-minute break, do a couple of laps of the office and go in for round two. On no account check email, Twitter or phone messages.

2. If thinking time is required 

Often what’s going on in my complex little brain is a swirl of disjointed thinking regarding business strategies, vague concepts or a cocktail of random and incomplete world changing ideas. 

Over the years I’ve come to realise that if I don’t get them down on paper they’ll never see the light of day and I’ll end up in the funny farm. 

A simplified mind map is the answer for me. A quick ten or fifteen minute brain dump gets the chaos out of my head and into a format I can come back to later.

3. If it’s a plain old worry

Pacing up and down worrying about ‘what might happen if…’ and such like is so destructive and in nine out of ten cases, unfounded. Working alone, it’s very easy to self-accelerate negative thinking and quietly convince yourself you’ve never done a good thing in your life. 

At such times I use a little ‘change your thinking’ tool I picked up years ago from the world of cognitive behaviour therapy. It involves looking at anxieties from all sides, instead of simply focusing on the ugly bit. 

Deborah Keep wrote a great piece along these lines a short while back.

So this week, if your mind is creaking under the strain, give these simple steps a run up the flagpole and be sure to tell us how you go.

I remember my first computer teacher relaying this very important piece of wisdom. “There are two types of computer users – those who have lost their data and those about to.” Disaster can strike at any minute – a web server getting fried or even a power surge in your own system. In one second, [...]

Your homepage is arguably the most important element of your website. In just a few minutes each, these six quick steps will rejuvenate its copy and get it working harder.

1. Split your paragraphs

Consider splitting any paragraph that’s more than three sentences. Anything longer than that becomes difficult to scan online.

Don’t be afraid to have a paragraph comprising of one sentence. It’s easy to scan and it’ll make a statement.

(Just don’t tell your English teacher).

2. Split your sentences

There’s a time and a place for long sentences – and it’s not on your homepage. Any sentence that makes you draw breath when you read it aloud needs the chop.

3. Bold your keywords

But take it easy. The purpose is to make the copy easy to scan – not to overwhelm your readers.

4. Add sub-headings

Can you break your home page copy into smaller sections? If so, get on with it! Good sub-headings will give your reader an overview of the page without them needing to read a single word of the copy in the paragraphs.

5. Remove superfluous words

I remember shoving as many flowery words into my school essays as I could get away with. It’s a hard habit to break! Aside from strings of unnecessary adjectives, the usual suspects are words like any, that, like, very, really and a lot.

Hunt ‘em down and get rid of ‘em.

(See what I did there? The one sentence paragraph is powerful, isn’t it?)

6. Clarify your call to action

You do have one don’t you?

Can you make it clearer? Is it too wordy? Is it in plain English? Leave nothing open to interpretation. The whole point of having a website is to encourage your readers to do whatever it is you want them to do, regardless of whether that’s making their way to your cash register with their credit card in hand, signing up for your email newsletter, or picking up their phone and asking you to come and fix their plumbing.

If you don’t have a call to action, then make it your priority to put one together, and ensure it’s as compelling as possible. If you need a hand with this, you might find this article helpful.

Please share your own secrets for successful homepage copywriting below. And feel free to make both your sentences and your paragraphs as long as you like.

It seems the old KISS principle certainly applies when aiming to get articles shared via Facebook. Dan Zarella has been capturing links posted to social media sites from popular news outlets since February 2010 and has well over 12,000 links and counting with full information stored. He’s been finding out all sorts of interesting information in his [...]

Find out how your business can participate...

Additional funding for disability employmentMonday 21 June 2010

The Australian Government has allocated $3 million in funding for enterprises which specifically target job seekers with a disability.

The funding aims to encourage the participation of people with a disability in the workforce.

Employers can make funding submissions from July 2010 through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) current Disability Employment Services and Australian Disability Enterprise programs.

For more information visit the DEEWR website.

How safe is your workplace?

NSW safety solutions rebateTuesday 22 June 2010

Are you a NSW small business? Do you need to conduct a safety assessment of your workplace? The safety solutions rebate may offer you up to $500 for identifying hazards and implementing safety solutions for your business.

Some of the safety solutions you can claim the rebate for include:

• safety technologies
• safety equipment
• workplace safety modifications.

For more information or to apply for the safety solutions rebate visit the WorkCover NSW website or phone 13 10 50.

Find statistics to help you start and run a business...

New home for small business statisticsFriday 25 June 2010

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has recently launched a new home for small business statistics on their website to assist you with starting or running a small business.

Information and services available from the new home includes:

• small business data
• industry data
• planning for business
• tailored services for business.

For more information on what is available visit the ABS website, or call their National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070.

Are you including links to your social network profiles in your email newsletters and marketing campaigns? If not, perhaps you should be. The GetResponse “Email Marketing and Social Media Integration Report” study examined almost half a billion messages sent by 19,149 GetResponse users. It seems that small-medium businesses (SMB’s) are a bit lax on including social media [...]

In networking circles you’ll often hear the mantra “People like doing business with someone they trust or someone recommended by someone they trust”.

All very noble and true, but I’ve learned the hard way that recommendations and referrals should be checked out just as thoroughly as cold contacts. 

Off the top of my head, I can recall the real estate agent I met at a networking function and the conveyancer she recommended who both turned out to be hopeless; the neighbour’s trusted cleaner who obviously had sight problems when it came to our dust; and the car we bought from a trusted friend. (Actually, we’ve been caught twice on that last one). 

These experiences have convinced me that just because you meet someone who is offering the service you need at a networking function, or a friend or contact recommends someone, it doesn’t mean they are unquestionably a good match for your needs. 

So now, even though I really love doing business with someone who has been recommended, I work by the rule of caveat emptor (‘Let the buyer beware’) and do my own checks. 

Here are some of my tips for avoiding referrals and recommendations that turn out to be lemons: 

• Ask the person recommending a service such as coaching or graphic design whether they have personal experience of working with this person or business. Be specific. What exactly did they work on? How was their level of response and communication? Make sure they’re not being recommended just because they’re a mate, or worse still, a random one-off networking contact.
• Check out referrals and testimonials and ask to speak to some of their clients. Of course, nobody is going to give you the details of a dissatisfied customer, but at least you’ll get a feel for them and know that they’ve satisfied some!
• Compare the offered price to that of other suppliers to see if you really are being offered a good deal.
• In the case of a car or other expensive piece of equipment, have it professionally checked before making a commitment. The seller may not be aware of any problems or may have different standards and expectations to you. Is the head gasket or radiator about to go? What sort of state is the computer hard drive in?
• In the case of recommended holiday accommodation, don’t make the assumption that the person raving on about how great it was has the same criteria for comfort and amenities that you do. Look the venue up on Facebook or one of the travel review sites to see what others have to say.  

And finally, when a referral turns out to be apples rather than a lemon, don’t forget to personally thank and acknowledge the person who passed it on to you. You might even want to confidently pass it on to others. 

Have you ever been left with a sour taste in your mouth after being recommended a lemon? What would you do differently next time?

As your business grows you may consider obtaining help, whether by outsourcing tasks to free up your time or hiring staff. Either way, are you ready for all that involves?

Many small business owners have plans to grow their business beyond simply being a consultant or sole trader of products. Having the desire to take your business to the next level is vital for continued business development and is both a desirable and admirable trait to have as an entrepreneur.

But, are you really ready to take that next step? You may be frantically busy and in desperate need of some help, but, like many solo enterprises, there may be a distinct lack of systems and processes in place.

Map out your business systems

Before you even think about outsourcing aspects of your work or employing staff, you need to sit down and map out all the systems and procedures that are involved in your day-to-day operations. And, if there aren’t any systems because the business has evolved from ideas in your head, now is the time to create some.

If you only have a vague idea of what actually happens in your business each day, then your recruitment efforts are doomed. You’re not going to get the right person for the job if you can’t define what the job actually is in the first place. Without clear parameters how can you expect someone to perform and deliver on a daily basis?

The very exercise of creating written systems and procedures may even mean that you can delay taking someone on. You might be surprised by how much time you save by systemising and organising yourself. Creating a more organised workday tends to make chunks of time you can use for both core business activities and business development appear as if by magic.

It’s worth the time and effort

Sure the thought of spending time documenting systems and performing other activities that aren’t income producing is scary. But the alternative is parting with your hard-earned cash on a daily basis to someone that you won’t be able to equip with clear goals and instructions, and consequently have no right to expect outstanding results from.

Seek expert assistance

If you want to make the process of creating and documenting your systems less daunting, brainstorming with others might be the way to go. Spend time talking to your business advisors and mentors, or call in an expert in systems and processes. Give extra credence to experienced people who can give you advice on tried and tested work methods for your own industry.

Test-drive the systems yourself

Even the most creative jobs require systems and discipline. Put together an official procedures manual and spend a few weeks religiously adhering to it yourself before foisting it on any staff members or contractors. You’ll soon learn where things are working and where they’re not, and be able to adjust your procedures accordingly.

When your new team members come along, your well-honed procedures manual will help create a culture of achievement in your business and an environment where everybody works on the same page - one you’ve carefully crafted and delivered rather than haphazardly thrown together.

Think of it as architecture for your business. Do you want to create a Walter Burleigh Griffin masterpiece or the house that Jack built?

If you’ve already documented your business processes, would you recommend others do the same? Why?

An effective website is vital for every small business. If your website isn’t performing, or you don’t have one, speak to the team at The Web Showroom. They are Australia’s leader in small business websites.

Can you answer yes to any of these questions:

• Is your website not performing what you need it to?
• Does your current website rank badly in Google?
• Are your conversion rates low?
• Are you a soloist without a website?
• Do you need to pay a web developer every time you make a website change?
• Have you searched aimlessly looking for a new website provider?
• Would you like your website to be built by an Australian company specialising in small business?
• Have you seen overpriced and inflexible website solutions?

If you could answer YES to any of these questions, it is time to speak to The Web Showroom.

You can contact our friendly Support Team on 1800 981 442 or leaving your details at www.thewebshowroom.com.au/flying-solo

We will discuss how we can help you achieve the most out of all the internet has to offer. We love hearing from Soloists and we are proud that the vast majority of our customers run a small business.

Best of all, if you mention Flying Solo when you speak to a member of our team, we will give you an exciting discount.

To find out more:

• Phone 1800 981 442
• Visit www.thewebshowroom.com.au/flying-solo

Wouldn't it be great to spring out of bed and get to work every day feeling fresh, exuding energy and smiling with confidence because your business is succeeding and you love your job?

Well let's face it. Life doesn't always work like that. 

No matter how much time you spend keeping your spirits high, and no matter how well your business runs, life is going to throw obstacles in your way. Whether it's a difficult customer, a child with chicken pox or the sad demise of a much-loved family pet, now and then there’ll be days when you'd rather stay in bed. 

Times like these can seriously reduce your productivity and when you’re a soloist, they can really hurt your bottom line. 

The first thing to do is to accept that that's just the way life is. 

Next, put together a plan for how you’re going to handle it next time something like this happens to you. Ideally, this should be done at a time when you’re feeling buoyant and everything is going swimmingly. Think of it as a crisis management plan or a form of insurance against unforeseen stress. 

One of the most damaging aspects of these low energy periods is the loss of focus. You might find yourself drifting from job to job, or being distracted by emails and phone calls, working re-actively rather than pro-actively. 

An action plan spoon-feeds you your daily schedule, removing the need to make decisions about what to work on, and reducing the chance that you’ll get stuck drifting from distraction to distraction. 

When I’m distracted from my business by events in the rest of my life, I use three types of action plans to ensure I keep putting one foot in front of the other and making progress towards my goals, even if it’s at a slower pace than normal:

• A strategic plan for the bigger picture, which mainly includes marketing and administration
• A standard template for each of our projects, which lists tasks that are common for each job
• A set of regular admin jobs that need to be performed daily or weekly 

None of these plans is overly detailed, because the last thing I need to do during tense times is spend too much time distracting myself further by creating To do lists. 

Examples of tasks on my action plans include:

• Follow up all active quotes
• Review and re-write templates
• Complete one task from my marketing to-do list 

I don't think lists should define your working life, and for me, trying to structure my day too precisely is counter productive, but these action plans do provide a gentle guide, and in times of distraction provide a very useful reference point to get me back on track. 

My little lists give me small achievable tasks to do that I know fit into my larger plan. When I’m staring at my monitor with a blank mind and feeling a complete lack of inspiration, I pull out my back-up list. 

I don't need to make any decisions, I just need to find the next item on the list and focus on getting a tick in the check box next to it. On a really bad day, sometimes that one little tick next to an important task can feel like an enormous achievement - the difference between making progress and wasting a day. 

How do you ride out life’s lows? Do you have a plan that helps you cope or do you go into free fall and sort out the mess when it’s all over?

There is no love lost between Google and some newspapers. Rupert Murdoch’s decision to ban Google from indexing content shows the level of contempt some in the industry have towards the Mighty G. But Google might have a solution to keep everyone (well some) happy. Italian newspaper laRepubblica.it is reporting Google has approached some local newspapers [...]

Thanks to your generous participation, we recently published the results of Australia’s largest micro business survey Understanding Micro Business, 2010-2011. So what does it reveal about us business owners?

We stuck our noses into everything from growth plans to business challenges, marketing to money, workstyle to lifestyle, to learn what makes our important business sector tick.

The full 60-odd page survey results report (PDF) is available to download now at www.flyingsolo.com.au/understanding-micro-business. It makes for fascinating reading.

While the world of micro business is tremendously diverse, with no such thing as a ‘typical’ business, let’s have a crack at outlining the anatomy of Australia’s micro business owner.

Here are seven key findings from the survey:

1. We’re experienced. Of the 1,330 survey participants, 46% fell into the 40-54 age bracket, with a further 36% in the 25-39 range.
2. We’re established. 57% have been in business for over three years (the majority of this group over five) with a further 23% in the 1 to 3 year range.
3. We’re doing okay financially. Those in the $104-$129k bracket are double the national average and top bracket personal incomes are four times the national average. That said, the constant battle of finding new clients/customers was still identified as the biggest challenge.
4. We work from home, solo. Around 70% operate from a home base and do so as a lifestyle choice. Two thirds of us are the only person working in the business. 51% of us do not have children living at home with us.
5. Most of us sell services. Over 50% sell services only, versus 10% selling products only. The remainder sell both.
6. We talk to each other. While online social networking is on the rise as a way to generate new business, traditional word-of-mouth marketing is still  the best source of new business for a staggering 85% of us.
7. We’re happy and optimistic. Eight out of ten respondents are happy in their work, optimistic about the future and enjoying running their own show.

Once again, a big 'thank you' to our wonderful community. Your help is invaluable to us both in terms of shaping Flying Solo’s future and spreading the word about Australia's largest business sector.

From where we’re sitting, the future looks bright!

How do these results compare to your situation?

If you had a killer tactic that generated bundles of search engine traffic, would you sell it to others? Maybe, but only if it satisfied one of two criteria. 1) You had already milked it for all it was worth 2) You felt you could make more from selling it than applying it yourself. Let’s say you had [...]

I was stupid. I made a promise to my partner that I would finish work by five o’clock. Every day.

What kind of soloist commits to finishing work at one designated time? Surely, the whole point of becoming a soloist is to luxuriate in those flexible hours? Do a bit of work at eleven at night. Have a dabble at two in the morning.

But no, I agreed that the plug would be pulled at 5 o’clock. Sharp.

My partner had good reasons for arm-wrestling me into this crazy pledge.

I was often found tapping away at my computer until dinner. Sometimes after dinner. Sometimes before, after and during dinner. I have to admit, chilli sauce splatters were accumulating on my keyboard.

But the main problem was that by bedtime I was completely wired. I would stare at the ceiling with eyes like dinner plates, my mind still buzzing with ideas, problems, solutions… then back to ideas again.

I began dreaming of angry monsters (unhappy clients) more often than smiling marshmallow angels (satisfied clients). Not a good sign.

Meanwhile, Jeff lay asleep next to me, breathing in and out with the metered deliberation of a seasoned scuba diver. That is, until my restless mumblings woke him up.

So, I complied with his 5 pm rule, for both our sakes.

But there was a problem. I have clear, energised times. I also have foggy, soporific times. When the clarity is going to occur is anyone’s guess. Some days I work well in the mornings but not in the afternoons, or visa versa. Evenings are just as sporadic.

The last few days, my burst of clarity has been kicking in around 5.30 pm. Hardly ideal when I knock off at 5 o’clock! I suspect my rebellious biorhythms noticed the enforced finishing time and decided to challenge it with both barrels.

An urgent time management meeting was called. I whipped up an inspired PowerPoint presentation illustrating the seesaw between my ‘foggy brain’ and ‘creative brain’. A shocking graph brought the message home to Jeff: enforced work hours hamper my productivity.

After nodding with considered acceptance, Jeff has agreed to release me from my promise. But only on the condition that I develop (and religiously practice) a ritual that signals to my mind and body that the workday is over, and it’s time to rest and regenerate.

So far I’ve experimented with yoga, meditation, taking a bath, and watching The Footy Show (always guaranteed to lull me into sleep).

The result? Last night I actually fell asleep before Jeff, and I didn’t dream about monsters either. And today? More clarity… and at more convenient times too.

Does this dilemma sound familiar to you? If you’ve got any more ideas to help me switch off, I’d love to hear them!

According to a recent presentation relating to the Microsoft and Yahoo! Search Alliance, August/September may see the full rollout of Bing powered Yahoo! search results. If you’re not up to speed on the deal between Yahoo! and Microsoft, the presentation covers the history to date, plus where things are at now. For some merchants, this is incredibly [...]

Skills training to care for your staff.

beyondblue National Workplace ProgramWednesday 16 June 2010

The beyondblue National Workplace Program is designed as an awareness, early intervention and prevention program specifically for the workplace.

The program aims to increase the knowledge and skills of staff and managers to address mental health issues in the workplace.

Through the program, beyondblue offers a range of consultancy, health promotion and educations services which have shown significantly to:

• increase awareness
• decrease stigma
• improve attitudes
• increase confidence to assist someone to seek help.

If you would like more information about the National Workplace Program or any other information on depression, anxiety or related substance misuse disorders, visit the beyondblue website.

Public comment sought on new process...

New generic top level domainsTuesday 15 June 2010

Generic top level domains (gTLDs) are the last part of a domain name, such as ".com" or ".net". Currently there are 21 gTLDs that can be used worldwide.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is developing a new process to allow any organisation to introduce its own gTLD. This means that gTLDs in the future may include:

• generic words such as ".movie" or ".credit"
• brand names
• place names
• trade marks.

Similar to registration of a trade mark, new gTLD applications will be subject to assessment and made publicly available for a set period to allow other people to object.

ICANN is seeking public consultation on the new process. For more information or to provide your feedback, see the New generic top level domains (PDF, 0.98MB) fact sheet available on the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy website.

To have your say on many other new policies and regulations that may affect your business, visit the Business Consultation website.

New toolkit to help get your business started...

Business toolkit for Indigenous womenThursday 17 June 2010

A new toolkit has been developed by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) to assist Indigenous women who are considering starting a business.

The toolkit includes the experiences of six Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business women and covers topics such as:

• how to get started
• business planning
• keeping records
• how do you grow your business.

For more information on the toolkit or to download a copy, visit the FaHCSIA website.