Bloggertone » Management » Back to Basics

Back to Basics

by Sian Phillips on September 2nd, 2010
47 Comments



So, how to make a business amazing?  I can spout off the A-Z of Business Studies I learnt many years ago but honestly it was over 20 years ago and I can’t remember it all now.

I have been involved with the successful 020 London for the last six years and recently I have worked hard to help set up Whatswhat.ie and put that on the right path for future success. So from that basis I will just make a few suggestions that I think will help a business have a standing to hopefully become successful and maybe even amazing. Obviously there are so many outside factors that can help or hinder but maybe if you have these basic principles you’ll have a good footing.

Hard Work

Be prepared to work very hard, especially in the set up of the business and subsequent first few years. Having your own business is miles apart from working for someone else.  You never stop thinking and even dreaming about the business – new ideas, better strategies, more fluid procedures plus lots more. A good friend of mine once suggested that everyone should run their own business for at least two years to realise the hard work that has to go into it and make you appreciate what your boss is going through.  I previously wrote “Working Nine to Five, What a Way to Make a Living!” and I still stand by that in respect to being prepared to work far more than nine to five if you want your business to be successful.  Hopefully the overtime and hard work doesn’t last too long of course.

Delegation

Ensure the owners and staff work to their own strengths and expertise. Don’t waste time trying to do something that someone else can do far better and quicker. If you’re good at sales concentrate all your efforts into that. If you’re good at logistics, accounts, administration etc then stick with those. This is ideal if more than a one-man-band business however you can outsource if needs be.  If accounts or admin is your worst nightmare then why try and wade through it for a week when someone else can do it in a day? Your time can be better spent doing what you are good at and could therefore cover the possible expense of outsourcing.  As a very simple example when I lived in Dublin and just doing sales from home for 020 London I used to have a cleaner plus get my shopping delivered.  Thus saving me at least six hours a week – in those six hours I could have earned a lot more than I was paying the cleaner or delivery cost. Also avoiding the horrible chores which was a bonus :)

Efficiency

Always do your best to be efficient. Customers love it and it gives you pride in your work.  I have been called many things regarding my work ethics (and on a personal basis I’m sure) but the main consensus is that I am quite “anal” in getting things correct – spelling and grammar, accounts balancing to the penny (is there any other way?), rules and regulations adhered to, etc. If you can have pride in your work then other people will see that too and that can’t be bad, can it?

Belief

Finally, believe in your business and colleagues completely. If you don’t believe then how can you expect customers to believe in it?  The whole Positivity versus Negativity comes in here – law of attraction. It’s quite obvious to me that if you are being negative about something then other negative things tend to happen. And of course the opposite for positivity bringing all good things. Well that’s what I have found the majority of the time and I’m sticking to it.

I think with these fundamentals in place if you have a viable business idea then this should give you a good basis to work from.  There is so much more to cover which is why books have been written on this topic many times over. Financing, PR, advertising, costs, market, pricing… The list is endless but I hope my basics make sense. I’m sure you’ll let me know.

VOTE for this post HERE and also Leave a Comment to win great prizes!

This post is part of the HP SugarTone contest: “Making your business amazing”, sponsored by Hewlett Packard



Category: Sugartone

Tags: , , , , ,

The Author: Sian Phillips

An Accountant that likes to Write! I'm a qualified Accountant with an Honours Diploma in Journalism too. Sian's provides help to small businesses - Accounts, Content Writing, Social Media. I write blogs & interviews for TweakYourBiz.com & I'm also a Moderator on Bizsugar.com http://www.sianphillips.ie

Read more and connect »

Add Your Comment

  • http://twitter.com/fredchannel Fred

    Nice on Sian.
    While reading your post, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much time business owners waste in general for not being able to delegate. I still have that problem too, pretty often. There’s always something telling us that we must be there all the time and in control. It’s good to be on top of your business, but being on top of everything, including tasks that someone else can do better is not good. I guess the first step to overcome this is to understand that we must delegate even though it sounds obvious…

  • http://www.seefincoaching.com/blog Elaine Rogers

    Hi Sian,
    What a great post – what I love about this post is it is honest, personal and makes total sense :)

    I understand what you say about efficiency for customers, and delegation so I would add here, in order to be EFFECTIVE, we must outsource the tasks we are not effective at, or efficient, and allow the experts take control of what they do best.

    I have had to do this recently with my new business, and am so happy I did. The accounts is a funny one for me. I have a great person I can hand over to, and I am still hanging on, with about 6 weeks to go to D-Day – eek!!

  • http://www.btbtraining.com/blog Niall Devitt

    Sian, If you put this together with Una’s post, I think you have a series yet practical recipe for success. I think Fred raises an interesting point about not being able to delegate. Great read, thanks.

  • http://www.stress-solutions4life.com/ Catherine Connors

    Great post Sian, like Niall and Fred I think you raise an interesting point about delegating, its true that you really don’t have to do everything yourself, either at home or on the job. If other people can do a task then why not let them? Its about letting go of the need to control every step (easier said than done I know) but by doing so you will let go of some unnecessary stress also……

  • Anonymous

    Great post Niall. Think point number one is really crucial. We all hear about managing expectations – yet we hear so little about how to manage our own! Because my blog is quite generic i.e. my musings about professional life etc. I find defining my audience hard but your tips will make that a lot easier!

  • Anonymous

    Thanks for the great advice. One question. In point 4, you talk about the importance of design, and you give the example of Social Media Examiner costing five thousand dollars. Was this the cost of getting the site started? What happens if a person or group don’t have access to those levels of funds at the very beginning. Are there any tips on where to start, if you want to get a good website up and running, with a view to reinvesting in the site, once there is a revenue stream.

  • http://www.tweakyourbiz.com Niall Devitt

    Thanks Frank, pretty much in terms of the design piece, I’m sure they have reinvested since. I don’t think that you need to invest that much, my point is that you should invest what you can afford. Solid design and your positioning/message will make a significant difference in whether people stay and revisit so?

  • http://www.tweakyourbiz.com Niall Devitt

    Cheers Connor, I would agree that perhaps you are still maybe defining your audience. In saying that, what I like so far is that your voice is unique and you have a lot more courage than I did when I started off :)

  • http://www.tweakyourbiz.com Niall Devitt

    I agree, and I think it’s a main reason why your posts are so popular. You don’t try to compete with the Zestys, Channelships and Krishnas of this world, you focus instead on the folks who are starting out. I also believe that one of your strengths is in communicating in a language that the rest of us can always understand.

  • Derbhile

    Put in a call to action at the end if you want people to connect further with you. nTotally agree about the first point in particular. Always rather a downer to see the words ‘no comments’ after what you consider to be a fascinating blog post. Doesn’t happen on Bloggertone though!

  • http://www.tweakyourbiz.com Niall Devitt

    Great tip Derbhile! For instance, inviting people to comment is a great to get them to do just that. :)

  • http://www.MarketingProfessor.com Travis Campbell

    Excellent post (practicing what you are preaching here).nnPoint 6.2, people are distracted, and get bored easily, enticing them with images along with your content is key…if not having images, bold and italicize text, etc.nnCannot undervalue the idea of asking people to do what you want on the post, like comment, share, or even….buy! :-) nnThanks again Niall, and congrats on a great post.nTravis

  • http://www.tweakyourbiz.com Niall Devitt

    Hi Travis, thanks for the great comment and super insights. Interestingly, I’m now getting a sales enquiry or two a post lately, maybe If I asked I’d get even more?

  • http://twitter.com/xcelbusiness Helen Cousins

    Hi Niall, I’ve been blogging for about a year now and so I’m still a newbie, probably always will be! I think it can be useful to keep a notebook handy to jot down blog post ideas through out the working day. You can discover from comments and questions from clients or colleagues the sorts of things that are useful to folk, and maybe they haven’t had the time to research the answers for themselves yet. It took me a long time to work out that I had to network with people online to build an audience. Although I have always read blogs, I was a little cautious about leaving a comment, because I didn’t really have the confidence to do it. (Was there an unwritten netiquette perhaps?) This is a great post for newbies, it’s both practical & realistic.

  • http://www.profitignition.com Sean O’Sullivan

    Hi Niall nnWhile I struggle with agreeing with you on point 1 (I’m not as interesting as I think) lol – I really found the post very well structured and thought provoking. Points 2, 3 and 4 truly resonate with me, for various reasons. nnAs referenced by Derbhile.. I believe you are one of the best proponents of the question-at-end-of-blog approach to prompting discussion.. and of course quality comments can so enrich a post.

  • http://www.encouragingexcellence.ie/ Mairu00e9ad Kelly

    Brilliant post Niall, fantastic tips all of them. I would say allow yourself to make mistakes and get it wrong some of the time and then learn from the lessons. Sometimes experience is the best teacher although I would have liked to have this type of “how to” before I started and could have avoided some of mine.

  • http://www.wishfulthinking.tv Ciara Henderson

    In relation to design, which is my industry, I completely agree with this point. Design is almost virtually a last consideration, if it is ever considered at all. When design is good, really good it not only looks good but ends up driving the overall personality of a company/product – unfortunately, most companies tend not to value it

  • http://www.wishfulthinking.tv Ciara Henderson

    To address Frank’s question, the first place we always start with a client is setting the objective. This helps define positioning and messaging – absolutely core to any product or service set. My firm deals with a lot of this work and we work to create the overall story of a company, incorporating the messaging and the design. There is always one key objective which creates the focus and tends to set the budget. When budget is the dictator, we try to tailor accordingly so that when you come back later you aren’t throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Bad is always bad whether its a website or social media or design – my advice would be to take the plunge and invest because when done well it is an asset – if you really can’t invest then take it down to bare brass tacks and keep it simple – still expect outlay of 2 – 3k though, depending on the degree of design you need.

  • http://www.wishfulthinking.tv Ciara Henderson

    This is interesting actually and it is something that does crop up – in our experience on a technology blog we have, we disabled comments due to the high number of unsavoury remarks that were posted – managing the comments took time too much time so we just stopped doing it but I do agree it limits the connective value of the blog.

  • http://www.tweakyourbiz.com Niall Devitt

    Thanks Ciara, when you say unsavory, do you mean spam? Disabling comments is not something I’d recommend, and if I’m honest when I see comments disabled, I form an impression about the company. I know I’m not alone in that regard. Might you possibly reconsider?

  • http://www.tweakyourbiz.com Niall Devitt

    Mistakes are critical to all learning, I agree Mairead! Our aim here at Bloggertone going forward is to start to provide better guidance based on what we’ve learned so far :)

  • http://www.tweakyourbiz.com Niall Devitt

    Sean, You won;t mind if we continue to disagree on the first point then. Thanks for the feedback and yes, Derbhile is super at asking people to engage.

  • http://www.tweakyourbiz.com Niall Devitt

    Wow Helen, I would have presumed longer based on your first Bloggertone post.”You can discover from comments and questions from clients or colleagues the sorts of things that are useful to folk” That’s exactly has in happened for me in the post, I was asked a question and decided to blog about it. As regards comments, they reckon only about 4% or readers leave them, and I have an instinct that figure is even lower in Ireland. I also believe blogs with comments are more likely to get more comments. I am a big believer in walking the talk in relation :)

  • Aileenomeara Media

    Great advice, Niall! I think if someone has a good strong story to tell – about how their business was set up, or how they came on the product they are selling – it really helps in keeping people connected. Social media is about building communities of people and customers who want to be connected, and everyone’s story is unique.

  • http://www.ferga.com Liam D. Ferguson

    Hi Niall. A variation on what Helen Cousins said above – I use online sticky notes for jotting down ideas during the course of the day. I used to use http://www.zhornsoftware.co.uk/stickies/ until I upgraded my PC and the new one came with sticky notes bundled. nnEvery time that I read something or have a conversation with someone that I think might be useful to others, I flick open the sticky notes on screen and add a reminder for myself. Then later when I’m sitting down to write something (a blog post or printed media piece), I’ll scan the recent sticky notes for inspiration.

  • Gina

    Hi Niall, thanks for the tips. As someone who still needs to find her voice and start blogging, I’m not about to give your friend any advice yet! Best of luck to her and hope to meet her on my own journey into blogging nGina

  • http://www.tweakyourbiz.com Niall Devitt

    Thanks Gina, and the best of luck! Make sure to keep us all posted :)

  • http://www.tweakyourbiz.com Niall Devitt

    Thanks Liam, great tip, I like it! one of the reasons I need to start doing this is ideas come to me as a result of reading someone else. However, it’s often after that much time has passed, that I can’t remember, but if I was using your system! :)

  • http://www.tweakyourbiz.com Niall Devitt

    Great points Aileen, I agree, people want to see the personalities and culture that exists within the walls of the business. Make sure you allow them in. Stories sell and we buy from people so promote both.

  • http://www.sianphillips.ie Sian Phillips

    I always think of blog posts when I’m driving – and can sometimes recite whole paragraphs I want to write. So I use the voice memo or recorder on my phone. I have been known to phone home and leave a message on my answerphone too. Works for me anyhow :)

  • http://www.sharonhearty.com Sharon

    Hi Niall, there is so much written out in the ether about blogging, how to do it, what to say, define the audience, create a content schedule and all that stuff. What I love about your post is that ‘building’ is the big part of it and in this the ‘commitment to the pain’ of no one listening initially or maybe even for a while because it is a big big big internet world out there and us newbie bloggers can’t help wanting to grow up fast. So as I say to my 10 year old daughter, have patience, enjoy what you are doing each and every day and before you know it the things you wanted to happen, happen because you are that bit older and ready for them to happen. I hope this happens to me and I practice what I preach :) as always love your thoughts.

  • http://www.tweakyourbiz.com Niall Devitt

    Hi Sharon, I love the the way you tie it back to what you to tell your daughter, and it’s so true! Unless you enjoy it, what’s the point? Another point is that not everyone is going to like your stuff, in fact, it may be just a few, but those same people will make the most wonderful customers. Blogging and social media act like a lighthouse in attracting the right customers, but you got to give it the time.

  • http://www.tweakyourbiz.com Niall Devitt

    Lol, lol, That’s unorthodox but brilliant! You should do a blog post about it :)

  • http://www.stress-solutions4life.com/ Catherine Connors

    Love that Sian, I sometimes wake in the night with an idea which I tend to jot down on a post it and stick it to my bedside light….. some weeks the light is full of little post-its :)

  • http://www.tweakyourbiz.com Niall Devitt

    Tagging on Facebook for instance is another tool that can be used to network, but people kind of miss the point :)

  • http://twitter.com/donnchadhh Donnchadh Hughes

    Niall nnI started blogging recently. The best advice I got was to use WordPress.org – the blog was up and running over a weekend and the design was taken care of. nnAny advice on the best places to get good pictures? nnWell done on setting up Bloggertone, it is really useful.nnregardsndonncha n@donnchadhh

  • http://www.tweakyourbiz.com Niall Devitt

    Thanks Donnchadh, appreciate the tip and the support. The following post should help with the pics: nhttp://smallbiztrends.com/2011/01/image-sites-small-business.html

  • http://www.tweakyourbiz.com Niall Devitt

    Hi Neil, welcome to Bloggertone and thanks for the great first post. I think Google are on to a winner here, for me this where the next stage is at, combining search with social. If this works well, it’s going to be very useful, particularly as you say when it comes to searching for real-time info. Thank for letting us know! Niall

  • http://twitter.com/antonmccarthy Anton McCarthy

    Great post! I think that social has been a tough nut to crack for Google for quite some time, but they have really made a serious breakthrough here. The goal was always to make search more personal, more social – because it’s about getting reliable and trustworthy information when it comes to making decisions – and the most reliable info is always going to be that which comes with the seal of approval or endorsement from friends and people you know and respect.

    The example relating to music gigs you gave is an excellent one – I have always wondered why finding gigs I want to go to has to be so challenging on Google (you need to check individual band websites, or trawl through forums, or perform multiple searches with slightly different keywords!) – search becoming vastly more social is something that will plug these gaps in a unprecedented fashion. Exciting times, and I believe this will be an enriching experience in people’s lives!

  • http://www.encouragingexcellence.ie/ Mairéad Kelly

    Thanks for explaining it so clearly Neil.  I’d read a piece on it earlier and it didn’t appeal to me at all, in fact it made it sound very intrusive. It’s one of those things that will have to be balanced to be effective methinks.

  • http://www.facebook.com/NeilSissonBusiness Neil Sisson

    Well actually the information is all already available on-line, its just now you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to find it ;) So there shouldn’t be any issue of intrusion because Google is only accessing data you will have already chosen to publish on Twitter or perhaps your Google+ account.  

  • http://www.facebook.com/NeilSissonBusiness Neil Sisson

    Yeah I agree with you Anton, I think with this the global village just got smaller but also more local in a sort of a paradoxical fashion.

  • http://www.facebook.com/NeilSissonBusiness Neil Sisson

    Thanks Niall.

  • http://www.smartsolutions.ie/blog/ Elaine Rogers

    I remember 15 years ago in South Africa using “the internet” to research passage to South America. The search terms were something like “cargo ships asia south america”. I bet if I now typed “Cargo ships offering accommodation passage from Capetown to Buenos Aires” I would most likely get exactly what I need. 

    Actually I just did in Chrome and the second listing was exactly what I would be looking for! It reminds me of programming languages, getting more and more like normal English. And user friendly technology (except for TV remotes). Now if between my iMac and Goolge I could get an espresso in the morning, I would be even happier :)

    A great first Bloggertone post Neil, welcome!

  • David Quaid

    Its a nice post Neil but I’m not so sure I entirely sure that that is how it will work. People in Social Media marketing have often equated “share” as being 100% the same as “support” or recommend. I know that many people will read this and be completely puzzled because we’ve all accepted that share is incontrovertibly the exact same thing as “I recommend this to you my [league of extremely loyal] followers [sheep]”

    The biggest problem that absolutely nobody in Online marketing wants to face up to is that this is 50% theory and 50% speculation but 0% proven.And Personalised search still hasn’t made a big leap in Ireland – 5% of search at best (and I’m aware Android requires you to login etc).

    Just because we’d like it to work that way – doesn’t make it so. I’m not saying that personalised search and social inclusion won’t happen or won’t work – I’m saying its definitely not going to work in a straight line like this.

    Take Elaine’s very good example there – how many people does Elaine know in her social networks who’ve gone from Cape Town to South America? Where is social search going to kick in there?

    I tend to avoid buying the same things my friends buy. I trust my social network even less.

    The reason search has always been critical to the internet (and it was before Google just as it is now. Google didn’t invent search, they perfected it) is because its random. When you start getting the same sites you always click on (e.g. Google Personalised) or the same links from Mashable from your twitterstream, then you’ve stopped using the internet. You are now just playing catch up with the guy beside you. And that’s not why users swarm to the internet…..they can do that offline

  • http://www.cgonlinemarketing.com/ Christina Giliberti

    ‘Devil’s advocate enters the conversation ….’

    Opinions drive sales – true. You listen to personal views and it draws attention to a page.
    However,
    1) the amount of social updates could be overpowering with the social search, and

    2) it takes out the neutrality of search and moves into a whole new world of advocacy

    Then again, you could argue that this is already the case….but I like the fact that Google search is more neutral and that I can discover new sites that match my queries. Otherwise you’ll end up seeing the same sites over and over. Evenually people will band together and monopolise search results.

  • http://www.webhostingmadness.com/ Best Hosting

    Google always give best and suitable search result for his searched user and Google sometime show omitted results as well so that user can be find his/her query from that result. 

Related Posts


«
»