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You’re Busy, But Are You Actually Getting Anywhere? (The DROP System Approach)

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 14:31:22 GMT

If you don’t take control of your time, someone else will.

You’re flat-out busy. You’re working long hours. Your to-do list never ends. But despite all that effort, you’re stuck in the same cycle—always chasing, never quite catching up.

That’s because being busy isn’t the same as making progress.

Most business owners spend their days reacting instead of leading. They’re buried in tasks that keep them feeling productive but don’t actually move the needle. They’re working hard, but not smart.

And that’s exactly why I created The DROP System —to help business owners like you take back control of your time, focus on what matters, and finally get results.

The DROP System: How to Stop Drowning & Start Progressing

The DROP System is a simple, no-BS framework that helps you cut through the noise, prioritise what actually matters, and execute like a pro.

DUMP (Brain Dump Everything in Your Head)

Let’s be real—your brain is a terrible place to store tasks. That mental load is slowing you down, increasing stress, and keeping you in firefighting mode.

Grab a notebook, whiteboard, or digital tool and dump everything out—tasks, ideas, projects, reminders, emails, decisions.
Get brutally honest—what’s actually important, and what’s just taking up mental space?
This isn’t about organising yet. Step one is unloading everything so you can see what you’re dealing with.

REVIEW (Prioritise What Actually Matters)

Once you’ve dumped everything, it’s time to separate the essential from the noise. Because not everything is important, and not everything needs your attention.

Try this:

What actually moves the needle? (Growth, sales, strategy, leadership.)
What’s just noise? (Admin, minor tasks, things that won’t matter next week.)
What’s urgent vs. what’s important? (Most people confuse the two—don’t be that person.)

Highlight the tasks that align with your goals. Those stay.

Everything else? Time to offload it.

OFFLOAD (Delete, Delegate, or Automate the Crap That’s Wasting Your Time)

Most business owners hold onto tasks they shouldn’t be doing—either because they think no one else can do it as well, or they haven’t built the right systems. That’s a one-way ticket to burnout.

Time to offload what’s not worth your time:

DELETE – If it doesn’t matter, bin it. Stop doing things out of habit.
DELEGATE – If someone else can do it 80% as well as you, hand it over.
AUTOMATE – If you’re doing the same task over and over, find a system that does it for you.

The goal? To clear your plate of everything that’s dragging you down, so you can focus on the high-value work that actually drives results.

PLAN (Time Block & Schedule the Work That Matters)

Now that you’ve cleared the crap, it’s time to make sure the important stuff actually gets done. And that means planning your time like a pro instead of just winging it every day.

Time block the tasks that matter—if it’s not scheduled, it won’t happen.
Batch similar tasks together—minimise switching between different types of work.
Set boundaries—ditch distractions, stop firefighting, and protect your time like it’s gold.

So, What’s Next?

If this is hitting home, here’s the reality:

If you don’t take control of your time, someone else will.
If you don’t prioritise what matters, you’ll keep spinning your wheels.
If you don’t fix this now, you’ll wake up in five years still feeling stuck.

You don’t need to work harder—you need to work smarter.

If you’re serious about breaking free from the busyness trap and getting real results, let’s talk.

Book a free strategy call here

Or, if you want to go deeper, check out The DROP System website

Your future self will thank you.

The Price You Set Is the Value You Accept: Why Undercharging Is Killing Your Business

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 17:35:13 GMT

It’s time to stop letting fear or competition dictate your prices

Introduction

Let’s get one thing straight—if you’re undercharging, you’re sending a message that your services aren’t worth more. It’s that simple. The price you set isn’t just a number; it’s a reflection of the value you’re willing to accept for your hard work, expertise, and time. And if you’re constantly discounting or low-balling, you’re undervaluing not just your business but yourself.

Here’s the truth: undercharging doesn’t just hurt your revenue. It creates a ripple effect that impacts cash flow, burnout, and even the long-term perception of your brand. Ready to find out how and why you need to rethink your pricing? Let’s dive in.

The True Cost of Undercharging

Undercharging isn’t just a financial issue—it’s a business-killer. When you price low, you’re setting yourself up for overwork and burnout because you have to take on more clients just to break even. And let’s be honest—how much energy do you have left to deliver your best work when you’re stretched too thin?

But it doesn’t stop there. Undercharging cheapens your brand. Clients start to perceive your services as ‘low-budget’ or ‘bargain-bin.’ And that’s not the kind of reputation that brings in quality clients or helps you build a sustainable business. Low prices attract the wrong crowd—the bargain hunters who don’t value what you offer and always expect more for less.

Why People Pay More: The Psychology of Pricing

Here’s something most business owners don’t realise: pricing is psychological. People associate higher prices with higher value. It’s called ‘perceived value.’ When you charge premium prices, clients automatically assume that what you offer is worth it.

Take luxury brands, for example. They price high not because their costs are outrageous, but because they know people will pay more for the perceived quality. Low prices, on the other hand, often lead clients to question the value of what you’re offering. If you’re too cheap, they’ll wonder if your service is too good to be true—or just plain subpar.

Setting a Price That Reflects Your Value

So how do you break out of the undercharging cycle and set prices that reflect your value? Start by understanding your worth. Research what the market is paying, but don’t let that dictate your rate entirely—consider the unique value you bring.

Think about the results you deliver, the experience you provide, and the expertise you bring to the table. Price yourself in a way that aligns with these strengths. And remember, confidence in your pricing comes from knowing the value you provide.

How to Break Free from the Discount Mindset

Discounting is tempting, especially when clients start bargaining. But every time you give in, you’re training them to expect your prices to be negotiable. And that mindset can spiral into a cycle where you’re constantly undervaluing your services.

Instead, establish a solid pricing policy that you stick to, even when it feels uncomfortable. Learn to say no to clients who only see your price and not your value. Focus on clients who are willing to invest in quality rather than those looking for a steal.

Communicating Your Value to Clients

Once your pricing reflects your value, the next step is making sure clients understand it too. When you communicate your value, focus on the benefits and outcomes they’ll receive, not just the features.

Educate them on why your services cost what they do, and handle objections with confidence. If clients see the value, price becomes less of an issue. You’re not just selling a service—you’re offering a solution, and that’s worth paying for.

Conclusion: Raise Your Prices, Raise Your Standards

Undercharging is a slow road to burnout and undervaluation. If you’re serious about growth, it’s time to stop letting fear or competition dictate your prices. Set a price that honours the value you bring and attracts clients who respect what you do.

Ready to raise your prices and your standards? Reach out today. Let’s work together to build a pricing strategy that reflects your real value and drives sustainable growth. Success isn’t about cutting corners—it’s about standing firm in your worth. Reach out today, and let’s make it happen.

Zero Budget, Maximum Impact: Free Marketing Strategies You’re Too Lazy to Use

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 09:04:44 GMT

It’s about getting your name in front of the right eyeballs

Alright, let’s get something straight—if you’re still complaining about not having the budget to market your business, that’s on you. There are plenty of ways to get your name out there without spending a single penny. The problem isn’t your budget—it’s that you’re too comfortable waiting for leads to fall into your lap.

The truth? Marketing isn’t about how much cash you’ve got, it’s about how much effort you’re willing to put in. So, if you’re ready to get off your arse and stop hiding behind excuses, let’s get into the real strategies that cost nothing but time, energy, and a bit of creativity.

1. Write for Your Clients’ Industry Publications (Not Yours)

You’re great at what you do, but your clients don’t care about your industry—they care about theirs. So, while you’re busy writing for publications that impress your peers, your clients are getting advice from someone else. Someone who’s smart enough to put their expertise in front of the right audience.

Want to get real results? Stop talking to your competitors and start talking to the people who might actually hire you. Pitch expert content to publications your clients are already reading. You’ll look like an authority while sneaking into their trusted circles without paying a damn thing.

How to Do It:

Find out which industry magazines, blogs, or newsletters your ideal clients are glued to.
Pitch an article that solves a problem they’re facing RIGHT NOW—no fluff, no jargon.
Deliver something valuable and watch how being in the right place opens doors.

Stop thinking about exposure for the sake of exposure. It’s about getting your name in front of the right eyeballs.

2. Join Committees and Own the Room

Committees might sound like boring admin work, but the reality is—they put you in the same room as decision-makers. It’s about networking, but without the small talk and awkward handshakes. When you’re on a committee, people start seeing you as someone who does, not just someone who talks.

Chamber of Commerce committees, industry boards, local business groups—they all have one thing in common: They’re full of people with power and influence. Be the expert in the room and watch how fast those connections turn into opportunities.

How to Do It:

Pick committees that attract the type of clients you want to work with.
Volunteer, show up, and contribute—don’t just sit there like a warm body.
Use your expertise to build trust and create relationships without selling.

It’s a long game, but the credibility and connections you build are worth way more than any paid campaign.

3. Get on Podcasts & Webinars—People Need to Hear Your Voice

Here’s a fact: Every podcast and webinar out there is desperate for good guests. If you’ve got insights to share, get in front of their audiences and make it count. You’re not just some random talking head—you’re an expert offering value to people who need it.

Appearing on podcasts and webinars costs nothing, but the return? Potential clients hearing your voice, learning from your experience, and connecting with your story. It’s the kind of exposure you can’t buy, even if you tried.

How to Do It:

List out podcasts or webinars in industries your clients are in—not your competitors.
Reach out to hosts with a compelling angle they can’t say no to.
Show up, drop knowledge, and make a lasting impression.

When you show up for an audience that’s primed to listen, you don’t have to work as hard to get noticed.

4. Max Out LinkedIn—Stop Being Lazy and Start Showing Up

Here’s a brutal truth: Most people suck at LinkedIn because they don’t put in the effort. If you’re just reposting articles or dropping the occasional “inspirational” quote, you’re wasting everyone’s time. LinkedIn is free and it’s powerful—if you know how to use it.

Stop logging onto LinkedIn once a year, posting some self-important crap, and then wondering why it’s not working for you. If that’s you—go take a long, hard look in the mirror, delete your account, and do us all a favour. LinkedIn isn’t your personal soapbox for one-off rants or ego strokes. It’s a platform that rewards consistency, value, and real engagement.

Want results? Show up, post regularly, and for the love of all things business, say something that actually matters. Share stories. Talk about failures. Give away tips that actually help people instead of just trying to look smart.

How to Do It:

Post at least 3 times a week with real, actionable content. No fluff.
Tell stories. Share your wins, but also your screw-ups—people connect with authenticity.
Engage with your audience—reply to comments, ask questions, make it a two-way conversation.

LinkedIn is a goldmine for building connections, but only if you’re willing to put in the work.

5. Host Free Workshops or Training Sessions—Show Off Your Expertise

Want to get clients to see your value before they ever pay you a penny? Offer free workshops or training sessions. Pick a problem they’re facing, deliver a solution, and make sure they walk away thinking, “I need more of that.”

Here’s the thing: Free doesn’t mean worthless. In fact, it often creates more trust and goodwill than any sales pitch ever could. People remember the business that helps them out without asking for anything in return.

How to Do It:

Choose a topic that addresses a specific pain point for your ideal clients.
Promote the session on LinkedIn, email, and in any groups you’re part of.
Deliver something useful, not a thinly veiled sales pitch.

This is your chance to give value first and create a lasting impression—because when people need more help, guess who they’re going to call?

Conclusion: No Budget, No Excuses

So, what’s stopping you now? The strategies are right here, and they cost nothing. You don’t need a huge marketing budget to make an impact—you just need to put in the time, effort, and a little creativity. The truth is, most business owners are too lazy to do the work. Be the minority, not the majority!

If you’re serious about growing your business, then these zero-budget strategies will get you there. But they won’t work if you don’t show up. So, stop sitting on your hands and start leveraging the tools you’ve already got. Your next big opportunity is out there—you just need to put yourself in the right place to grab it.

Want some help figuring out when, where and how you should be showing up for your prospects? pop me a message and let's figure it out together!

Claude Hopkins: The Untold Story of How One Man Transformed Marketing Forever

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 13:08:30 GMT

Cut the crap and get back to focusing on what really matters

Introduction

Claude Hopkins is a name you might not hear much these days, but if you're in the business of marketing and don’t know who he is, it’s time for a history lesson. The guy practically invented the rules that drive modern marketing—and did it over a century ago. Hopkins didn’t just dabble in creative slogans or fancy branding. No, this bloke made advertising a science. He understood that good marketing isn’t about looking clever; it’s about selling, plain and simple. And let’s be honest, most modern marketers would rather sound impressive to each other than to their customers.

Whether you’re running an in-house marketing team or part of a marketing agency, one rule still holds true: if you don’t understand the customer—or your customer’s customer—you’re missing the mark. Yet many in the industry have forgotten this core principle in favour of jargon-filled strategies that are more about chest-thumping than results.

Despite all his contributions, much of what Hopkins pioneered has been chucked out in favour of buzzwords, shiny nonsense, and the need to sound ‘professional’. While today’s marketers and agencies are busy revving their metaphorical engines, let’s take a moment to remember the man who transformed marketing forever—and why his ideas still matter, especially when you consider modern-day advocates like Marcus Sheridan , who’s channelled the spirit of Hopkins through his They Ask, You Answer philosophy .

Who Was Claude Hopkins?

Before we dive into how he changed the marketing world, let’s meet the man. Born in 1866, Hopkins didn’t exactly start life with a silver spoon. He worked his way into advertising after humble beginnings, and once he was in, he didn’t waste time in shaking things up. His big break came at Bissell Carpet Sweeper Company, where he applied a simple, but novel concept: give the people what they want.

Hopkins’ philosophy was simple: advertising should be tested, results should be measurable, but above all, it should focus on the customer. Forget vague, flowery language or making the brand sound exclusive. Hopkins believed you should tell people why they need your product and prove that it works. His simplistic approach was a breath of fresh air in a world full of bloated, self-important marketing.

The Game-Changing Methods of Claude Hopkins

So, what made Hopkins such a game-changer? Let’s break it down.

Customer-Centric Marketing

Unlike many of today’s marketers—both in-house and at agencies—Hopkins understood one golden rule: it’s not about you, it’s about the customer. And, if you're an agency, it’s not just about your customer—it’s about their customer. People don’t care how clever your marketing sounds; they care about how your product solves their problems. And that’s exactly what Hopkins did. He focused on the consumer’s needs, not the brand’s ego.

And speaking of understanding the customer, Marcus Sheridan’s They Ask, You Answer builds on this very foundation. Sheridan’s approach focuses on answering the real questions customers have—straightforward, honest, and to the point—just as Hopkins did over a century ago. It’s all about providing value, not fluff.

Proof-Based Advertising

In Hopkins’ world, every claim needed backing up. He knew that consumers are sceptical, so he used evidence—testimonials, samples, and data—to prove the product worked. None of that "we’re the best in the business" fluff that’s everywhere today. No, Hopkins would tell you exactly why the product was better, and he’d make damn sure you believed it.

And that’s something modern marketers, especially marketing companies, need to remember. You’ve got to give your customer’s audience real reasons to believe in the product or service—not just vague claims or buzzwords.

‘Reason-Why’ Copywriting

Ever heard of ‘reason-why’ copy? Hopkins pioneered this. Instead of trying to wow people with flowery language or trendy buzzwords, he kept it simple. He gave consumers a solid reason to buy: “Here’s why this product works, and here’s how it benefits you.” Simple, right? You’d think today’s marketers would catch on, but it seems they’d rather impress each other with how many syllables they can cram into a sentence.

Sampling and Coupons

Hopkins was also behind some of the earliest and most successful sampling campaigns. He realised that the best way to convince someone to buy something is to let them try it for free. He introduced coupons and free samples to get products into people’s hands, proving their value first. It worked like a charm, because when people got a taste of what he was selling, they came back for more.

Measurable Success

One of the things that set Hopkins apart was his obsession with measurable results. He wasn’t content with “awareness” or “brand recognition”—he wanted numbers, cold hard data. And if something didn’t work, he’d test, tweak, and test again until it did. It’s what we now call A/B testing, but back in the early 1900s, it was revolutionary.

Brands Hopkins Made Unstoppable

It’s all well and good to talk about Claude Hopkins’ theories and methods, but let’s get real for a second—what did the bloke actually achieve? The answer is: a lot. He didn’t just leave his mark on the advertising industry; he helped turn everyday products into household names. Here are a few examples of how his genius turned simple products into cash cows:

Pepsodent: The Toothpaste that Changed Smiles Forever

Before Claude Hopkins got involved, toothpaste wasn’t exactly flying off the shelves. People didn’t really see the need for it. Enter Hopkins. He took a product that had been languishing in obscurity and created a campaign that not only convinced people they needed to brush their teeth, but that they needed Pepsodent specifically. How did he do it? By focusing on something people could see and feel: the removal of “the film” on teeth. That little bit of marketing magic sent sales soaring and helped Pepsodent become one of the most successful brands in oral care at the time.

And let’s be honest—Hopkins pretty much introduced modern dental hygiene to the masses. The guy sold toothpaste, but what he was really selling was the idea of a bright, healthy smile. That’s the kind of genius we’re talking about here.

Palmolive Soap: More Than Just Suds

Before Palmolive was a global skincare brand, it was just another bar of soap. But when Claude Hopkins took on the challenge, he transformed it into something more. He focused on the key ingredients—olive oil and palm oil—and marketed the soap as a luxurious, skin-softening product. This wasn’t just soap; it was self-care before the term even existed.

Hopkins’ clever angle? He played up the ancient, natural ingredients, giving the product a rich backstory that appealed to consumers looking for more than a simple scrub. Thanks to him, Palmolive went from an unknown bar of soap to a leading beauty product in households everywhere.

Schlitz Beer: When Clarity Meets Sales

Now, you wouldn’t think selling beer would be a tough gig, but in the early 1900s, Schlitz was struggling in a crowded market. That’s when Hopkins stepped in and did what he does best—he focused on the customer’s needs. Schlitz was already making great beer, but nobody knew why it was great. Hopkins took a tour of the brewery and learned about the meticulous process behind each batch—the purity of the water, the sterilisation of the bottles, the use of carefully chosen hops.

So what? All beer companies did this… but no one was talking about it. Hopkins turned the brewing process into a story of purity and craftsmanship, and Schlitz went from just another beer to the best-selling beer in America. Not because it was better, but because Hopkins knew how to make the customer believe it was.

Bissell Carpet Sweeper: Cleaning Up the Competition

Back in the day, carpet sweepers were a bit of a luxury item. Most people weren’t convinced they needed one. That changed when Claude Hopkins worked his magic on the Bissell brand. He didn’t just advertise the product; he demonstrated its effectiveness in a clear and measurable way.

Hopkins understood that people needed to see the value of the product with their own eyes. So, he set up demonstrations to show how much dirt and dust the sweeper could remove. This simple yet effective tactic turned Bissell into a household name, making it the go-to brand for keeping floors spotless. Again, the focus was always on solving a problem for the customer—something a lot of today’s marketers could learn from.

The Legacy of Claude Hopkins

Hopkins’ legacy lives on in direct response marketing—the idea that every ad should elicit a measurable response. Whether it’s a voucher redeemed, a sample requested, or a sale made, Hopkins believed in tracking every action to see what worked. Sound familiar? That’s because his methods laid the groundwork for modern marketing, particularly the kind you see online today.

A/B testing, customer testimonials, even the copywriting you find in sales pages—all of it stems from Hopkins’ work. But despite this legacy, most of what he taught has been forgotten in favour of… well, sounding clever.

And that’s why Marcus Sheridan’s They Ask, You Answer resonates so strongly in today’s world. Sheridan, like Hopkins, is all about understanding the customer and delivering real answers to their questions. It’s simple, it’s effective, and it’s a direct descendent of Hopkins’ no-nonsense, customer-focused methods.

Modern Marketing: A Lost Art?

Let’s face it. Hopkins' customer-focused approach has all but disappeared in today’s marketing world. Whether we’re talking about internal marketing teams or marketing agencies, the emphasis has shifted to jargon, buzzwords, and, to be frank, a lot of verbal masturbation. Modern marketers seem more interested in impressing each other than actually engaging with customers—or more importantly, their customers' customers. It’s become a dick-swinging contest, with everyone trying to outdo each other by using the latest trendy terms or overly complicated language.

Today’s marketing doesn’t solve customer problems; it’s more of a show-off fest. Sure, they’ll tell you about "disruptive paradigms" or "next-gen solutions," but ask them to explain how the product benefits you, and they’ll probably hand you a 10-page whitepaper filled with corporate buzzword soup, that doesn’t even begin to address the questions being asked. (It’ll look pretty though.)

The Result: Complicated, Impersonal Marketing

What’s the result of all this nonsense? Overcomplicated, impersonal marketing that completely misses the mark. Consumers are left scratching their heads, wondering what the hell these companies are even trying to sell. The power of simplicity is lost in the scramble to sound important.

Hopkins knew that customers didn’t care about how sophisticated the marketing sounded; they wanted to know how the product would make their lives easier, cheaper, or better. Today, that core principle is often forgotten. Instead, we get fancy words, shiny graphics, and a lot of noise.

Lessons for Modern Marketers

It’s time for a reality check. Modern marketers—both in-house and in agencies—could learn a thing or two from Claude Hopkins. Here’s what they need to remember:

Return to Customer Focus

Stop trying to impress your peers, and start focusing on your customers. And if you’re a marketing agency, for the love of God, please focus on your customer’s customer. Hopkins knew that the best marketing speaks directly to people’s needs. So, drop the jargon and get back to basics. Ask yourself: how does your product solve a problem? Or better yet, how does your customer’s product solve their customer’s problem? That’s all people care about.

The Power of Simplicity

Simplicity is key. Instead of filling your copy with technical jargon and buzzwords, explain your product in clear, straightforward terms. If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. And remember Marcus Sheridan’s They Ask, You Answer—it’s the modern-day version of this principle.

Measure Everything

Hopkins’ obsession with measurable success is still relevant today. If you’re not tracking results, how do you know what’s working? Test everything, and don’t be afraid to change tactics when something isn’t delivering.

Conclusion

Claude Hopkins revolutionised marketing by putting the customer first, using proof-based advertising, and relentlessly measuring results. His ideas aren’t just a footnote in marketing history—they're still relevant today. The problem is, modern marketers—both teams and agencies—have forgotten that it’s the customer, not the buzzwords, that matters.

And that’s why we need more marketers following in the footsteps of people like Marcus Sheridan , whose They Ask, You Answer method is a 21st-century homage to Hopkins’ work.

So, the next time you’re tempted to throw around fancy terms like “omnichannel synergy” or “scalable solutions,” take a step back. Ask yourself: what would Claude Hopkins do? He’d likely tell you to cut the crap and get back to focusing on what really matters—solving customer problems and proving your product works.

Because at the end of the day, that’s what marketing should be about.

Why You Procrastinate and How to Finally Stop (Yes, Even You!)

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 16:18:12 GMT

Take control of your time, boost your productivity, and lead your business with confidence

Procrastination – we’ve all been there. Whether it’s delaying that big presentation, pushing back a tricky decision, or endlessly putting off that one task that just seems impossible to face, procrastination has a sneaky way of creeping into our lives, even when we know better. It doesn’t matter if you’re the CEO of a thriving business or a senior manager with years of experience under your belt – procrastination can strike anyone (even me). But here’s the good news: it doesn’t have to.

In this article, we’re going to explore why even the most accomplished business leaders find themselves procrastinating and, more importantly, how to stop it for good. Ready? Let’s dive in and kick procrastination out of your life – once and for all!

What Is Procrastination and Why Does It Happen?

Procrastination is that frustrating habit of delaying tasks, even when you know doing so will cause more stress and inconvenience down the line. It’s not just a bad habit – for many business owners and senior managers, it’s a pattern that can erode productivity, lower morale, and hurt your bottom line.

So why do we do it?

The Cost of Procrastination in Leadership

In leadership, procrastination doesn’t just affect your personal workload – it also impacts your entire team and business operations. When key decisions are delayed or important tasks are put on hold, everything slows down. Deadlines get missed, opportunities slip away, and stress levels skyrocket. So, understanding why we procrastinate is the first step towards overcoming it.

Key Psychological Causes of Procrastination

1. Fear of Failure: Even seasoned business leaders can be held back by the fear of making mistakes. The higher the stakes, the greater the fear, which leads to avoiding important tasks altogether.

2. Perfectionism: When you’re focused on making sure every little detail is flawless, it’s easy to get stuck in a loop of never feeling ready to start. But let’s face it, waiting for perfection usually means nothing ever gets done.

3. Overwhelm and Complexity: Ever looked at a big project and felt paralysed by how much needs to get done? The more complex or overwhelming the task, the more likely we are to push it to the bottom of the list.

4. Lack of Motivation or Interest: Sometimes, even the most successful leaders hit a wall with tasks that just don’t excite them. When you’re not passionate about what needs doing, it’s far too easy to find other ways to fill your time.

5. Decision Fatigue: As a business leader, you’re making decisions all day long. The more decisions you make, the harder it gets to make more. This mental exhaustion leads to pushing off decisions and delaying action on key tasks.

6. Poor Time Management: With a packed schedule and countless responsibilities, even the best-intentioned plans can get derailed by poor time management, leading to a cycle of procrastination.

7. Distractions and Lack of Focus: Emails, phone calls, social media… distractions are everywhere. For business leaders, these distractions not only waste time but also provide an easy excuse to avoid more important tasks.

8. Task Aversion: Let’s be honest, no one enjoys every single aspect of running a business. For those tasks you really don’t like – whether it’s dealing with finances or having difficult conversations – procrastination becomes the easy way out.

The Hidden Procrastination Traps for Business Leaders

Business leaders face some unique challenges when it comes to procrastination. Here are a few common traps:

1. High Stakes and Decision Overload

Big decisions come with big consequences, which can make even the most confident leader hesitate. When the stakes are high, procrastination often rears its head as a way to avoid potential failure.

2. The "Busy Work" Trap

We all know this one – filling your day with small, less important tasks to avoid the big, challenging ones. It might make you feel productive, but it’s just procrastination in disguise.

3. Delegation Issues

For many business leaders, it’s hard to let go. You might think, “It’ll be quicker if I just do it myself,” but that mindset leads to burnout and procrastination when the workload becomes too much to handle.

Effective Strategies to Overcome Procrastination

Now that we know why we procrastinate, it’s time to look at how to stop it. Here are some proven strategies to help you get out of the procrastination rut and back on track.

Psychological Strategies

1. Break the Fear of Failure and Perfectionism

· Instead of fearing mistakes, view them as valuable learning opportunities. Shift your mindset from “I must succeed” to “I will learn from this.”

· Adopt the motto, “Progress over perfection.” The goal isn’t to be flawless, but to move forward, even if things aren’t perfect.

2. Chunking and Task Breakdown

· Feeling overwhelmed? Break your project into smaller, bite-sized tasks. Focus on the next actionable step, and soon enough, you’ll have made real progress without feeling paralysed by the enormity of the project.

· Adopt the SCRUM approach to larger tasks. It’s a great way to delegate the right tasks to the right people and it’s easy to measure progress, which in turn boosts morale and productivity.

3. Identify the "Why"

· Reconnect with the bigger picture. Why is this task important for your business? Sometimes, reminding yourself of the broader goals can reignite your motivation, even for the most tedious tasks.

4. Set Deadlines and Accountability

· Even if the task isn’t urgent, set a deadline for yourself. Better yet, tell someone about it. Accountability is a powerful motivator. When someone’s expecting you to deliver, you’re far less likely to put it off.

5. Overcome Decision Fatigue

· Simplify decision-making by using frameworks like the Eisenhower Matrix (more on this below). Streamline smaller decisions so you save your mental energy for the big ones.

Time Management Strategies

1. Prioritisation Using the Eisenhower Matrix

· This handy tool helps you sort tasks into four categories: Urgent/Important, Not Urgent/Important, Urgent/Not Important, and Not Urgent/Not Important. Focus on what will actually move your business forward and let go of the distractions.

2. Time Blocking and Scheduling

· Dedicate specific blocks of time to work on important tasks. Protect this time from distractions and stick to the schedule. If you know that from 10-11 AM is reserved for deep work, you’re far less likely to procrastinate.

3. Eat the Frog Method

· This might sound unappetising, but it’s highly effective. “Eating the frog” means tackling your most dreaded task first thing in the morning. Once it’s done, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment that boosts productivity for the rest of the day. Plus your day can only get better once that dreaded task is completed.

4. The Two-Minute Rule

· If a task can be done in two minutes or less, do it immediately. This stops small tasks from piling up and becoming overwhelming.

Delegation and Team Utilisation

1. Effective Delegation Techniques

· Trust your team! Delegating tasks not only frees up your time but also empowers others to take ownership. Just make sure you’re delegating to the right people with clear instructions.

2. Empower Your Team

· Build a team that can take on key responsibilities, so you can focus on higher-priority decisions. A strong team reduces procrastination at the top by spreading the workload.

Tools and Apps to Help Combat Procrastination

Technology can be a game-changer when it comes to overcoming procrastination. Here are some tools to help you stay organised, focused, and accountable:

Task Management Tools

· Trello: A visual tool that helps you break projects into manageable tasks. You can move tasks through stages and prioritise effectively.

· Monday.com: Ideal for tracking tasks and deadlines, especially in a team setting. It’s great for collaborative projects and keeping everyone on the same page.

· Google Task: A simple tool for creating to-do lists, setting priorities, and tracking your progress which integrates seamlessly with Google Calendar.

Time Management and Focus Tools

· Pomodoro Timer Apps (Focus Booster, Pomodone): These apps use the Pomodoro technique (25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break) to keep you on task.

· RescueTime: Track how you spend your time on your computer or phone to identify distractions and improve focus.

· Forest: A fun app that encourages focus by growing virtual trees while you stay off distracting apps during work sessions.

Tools for Accountability

· Focusmate: Virtual co-working sessions with accountability partners to help keep you on track.

· Coach.me: An app that helps you set goals and provides daily accountability by tracking your progress.

Conclusion

Procrastination is a challenge that every business owner and senior manager faces at some point. But by understanding the underlying causes and adopting strategies to tackle them, you can take control of your time, boost your productivity, and lead your business with confidence.

Remember, procrastination doesn’t have to be a permanent fixture in your life. With the right mindset, tools, and strategies, you can finally stop putting things off – yes, even you!

Need a bit more help overcoming procrastination and getting the important stuff done in your business? Give me a shout and let's see how I can help.

The Real Reasons Behind Lack of Motivation (And How to Get Your Mojo Back)

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 16:30:04 GMT

When people say they lack motivation, there’s often something deeper at play.

We've all been there – staring at a task with the enthusiasm of a wet sock, convincing ourselves that we'll get started “in just a minute.” But instead, that minute stretches into hours, days, or even weeks. Motivation can be a slippery little devil, seemingly elusive just when we need it most. So, what's really going on when you’re lacking motivation? Spoiler alert: it's rarely about “just being lazy.”

In fact, when people say they lack motivation, there’s often something deeper at play. It could be that they’re tired due to lack of sleep, running on empty because of a poor diet, or dealing with any number of hidden obstacles. So, let’s peel back the layers and explore what’s really going on when you feel stuck in the mud. We’ll dive into the physical, mental, and environmental factors that contribute to a motivation meltdown, and – more importantly – what you can do to fix it.

The Physical Factors: Your Body’s Secret Saboteurs

Let’s start with the basics: if your body’s not feeling great, your mind isn’t going to be firing on all cylinders either. Here are some common physical culprits that could be dragging you down:

1. Lack of Sleep: Burning the Candle at Both Ends

We all know sleep is important, but it’s easy to forget just how much it influences everything else. If you’re consistently short on sleep, your energy levels plummet, your concentration wavers, and suddenly, even simple tasks feel like climbing Everest. You can’t expect to feel motivated if your brain’s operating in zombie mode! Start by prioritising sleep – a good 7-9 hours – and see how your motivation takes a turn for the better.

2. Poor Diet: You Are What You Eat (Literally)

If you’re fuelling your body with a diet that’s more chocolate digestives than veggies, it’s no wonder you’re feeling sluggish. Poor nutrition leads to low energy levels, brain fog, and the kind of “meh” attitude that keeps you glued to the sofa. It doesn’t mean you have to become a quinoa guru overnight, but small changes like incorporating more fruits, veggies, and balanced meals can do wonders for your overall motivation.

3. Chronic Stress: The Silent Motivation Killer

Stress isn’t just about being a bit frazzled – it’s a full-body experience that can leave you feeling completely drained. If you’re constantly stressed, you might be heading straight for burnout, and trust me, motivation doesn’t stand a chance there. The trick is learning to manage stress before it spirals. Regular exercise, mindfulness, or even just taking a break can help keep stress in check and your motivation intact.

4. Underlying Health Issues: When Something’s Not Quite Right

Sometimes, the root of low motivation can be linked to health conditions that aren’t immediately obvious. Thyroid problems, anaemia, or even chronic pain can leave you feeling like you’re wading through treacle. If you’re doing everything “right” but still feel like you’re running on fumes, it might be worth chatting with your GP to rule out any underlying health issues.

5. Sedentary Lifestyle: The Vicious Cycle of Inactivity

It’s ironic, isn’t it? You’re too tired to exercise, but it’s the lack of exercise that’s making you tired. Sitting around all day leads to that sluggish, unmotivated feeling, creating a vicious cycle that’s hard to break. Even a quick 20-minute walk can be enough to get the blood pumping and the motivational juices flowing. Remember, movement begets movement!

Mental and Emotional Factors: The Inner Saboteurs

While our physical health plays a big role in motivation, our mental and emotional state is just as crucial. Let’s take a look at some of the common mental roadblocks that can derail our drive:

6. Mental Health Concerns: The Heavy Hitters

Depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions can sap motivation like nothing else. When you’re stuck in a negative headspace, even the smallest tasks feel insurmountable. It’s important to recognise when you’re struggling and seek support, whether that’s talking to a professional, opening up to a friend, or simply taking steps to improve your self-care routine.

7. Overwhelm: Too Much On Your Plate

Ever looked at your to-do list and felt like hiding under the duvet? That’s overwhelm talking. When you’re trying to juggle too much at once, your brain can go into shutdown mode, making it hard to even know where to begin. The key is to break things down into manageable chunks – tackle one task at a time and give yourself permission to focus on small wins rather than tackling everything at once.

8. Perfectionism: The Fear of Imperfection

Perfectionism is a sneaky one. The fear of not doing something perfectly can stop you from doing it at all. It’s the “all or nothing” mentality that keeps us from starting – after all, if it’s not going to be flawless, why bother? The truth is, imperfection is better than inaction. Start small, embrace the process, and remind yourself that progress beats perfection every time.

9. Lack of Clear Goals: A Wandering Ship Without a Destination

If your goals are fuzzy, you’ll struggle to stay motivated. It’s like setting off on a journey without knowing where you’re going – no wonder you lose steam halfway! Clear, specific goals give you direction and something to aim for. Whether it’s setting SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) or simply knowing your “why,” having a clear destination is key to staying motivated.

10. Negative Self-Talk: The Uninvited Critic in Your Head

You know that little voice that says, “You’re not good enough,” or “You’ll never get this done”? That’s negative self-talk, and it’s a motivation killer. It’s hard to stay motivated when your inner critic is constantly beating you down. Replacing those thoughts with more positive, realistic affirmations can make a big difference. Instead of focusing on what you can’t do, remind yourself of what you can do – and the steps you’re already taking to get there.

Environmental and Situational Factors: The External Saboteurs

Sometimes, it’s not just what’s going on inside us – our environment and circumstances can also play a significant role in our motivation levels. Here are some common external factors that could be sabotaging your drive:

11. Distractions: The Productivity Thieves

Distractions are everywhere, and they’re brilliant at derailing motivation. Whether it’s social media, a noisy environment, or even your own wandering thoughts, distractions can make it impossible to stay focused. The trick is creating an environment that minimises distractions – turn off notifications, find a quiet space, and give yourself set periods of focused work time. You’ll be amazed at how much more motivated you feel when you’re not constantly battling interruptions.

12. Lack of Structure: Drifting Through the Day

Without structure, it’s easy to drift aimlessly through your day, leaving tasks unfinished and motivation on life support. Establishing a routine helps set clear expectations for what you need to get done. It doesn’t have to be rigid – even a loose structure with time blocks for specific activities can keep you on track and maintain momentum.

13. Toxic Relationships or Work Environments: Motivation Vampires & Mood Hoovers

We’ve all encountered people or situations that drain our energy faster than a dodgy phone battery. Toxic relationships or negative work environments can seriously sap your motivation. If you’re constantly surrounded by negativity, it’s tough to stay upbeat and driven. While you can’t always change your environment, finding ways to set boundaries, limit exposure, and seek out more positive influences can help protect your motivation.

14. Unrealistic Expectations: Setting Yourself Up for Failure

Setting sky-high expectations can be a surefire way to kill your motivation. When you’re constantly striving for the impossible, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment and discouragement. It’s important to be realistic – set challenging yet achievable goals, and give yourself grace if things don’t go perfectly. Celebrate progress, not perfection.

Purpose and Alignment Factors: The “Why” Behind Your Motivation

Finally, let’s talk about purpose. When your goals and actions align with your values and passions, motivation flows naturally. But when there’s a disconnect, it’s like driving with the handbrake on – you’ll struggle to get anywhere.

15. Lack of Purpose or Passion: Going Through the Motions

If you’re working towards something that doesn’t really light your fire, it’s no wonder motivation is hard to find. We’re all more motivated when we’re doing something that aligns with our values or brings us joy. If your tasks feel like a grind, it might be time to reassess whether they’re really worth your energy – and if not, find ways to inject more purpose or passion into your day.

16. Misalignment with Core Values: When Something Feels “Off”

Sometimes, you can be doing all the right things but still feel a nagging sense of dissatisfaction. That’s often a sign that something is out of alignment with your core values. When your actions or goals conflict with what’s truly important to you, motivation takes a nosedive. Take some time to identify what really matters to you, and make sure your goals reflect those values. When your goals align with your deeper sense of purpose, motivation follows naturally.

17. Routine Boredom: Stuck in a Motivational Rut

Finally, let’s talk about routine boredom. While structure is important, too much of the same can leave you feeling like a hamster on a wheel. If your days are starting to blend into one monotonous loop, it’s time to shake things up. Try learning something new, introducing a fresh challenge, or simply changing up your routine to re-ignite your motivation.

The Bottom Line: Motivation is a Symptom, Not the Root Cause

The next time you catch yourself saying “I just lack motivation,” take a step back and dig a little deeper. Motivation doesn’t just vanish into thin air – it’s often a symptom of something else going on in your life, whether it’s physical, mental, emotional, or environmental. By identifying and addressing the underlying causes, you’ll find that motivation comes back more naturally.

So, whether it’s getting more sleep, setting clearer goals, or finding ways to inject more passion into your routine, there are always ways to get your mojo back. Motivation isn’t about pushing yourself harder – it’s about creating the right conditions that allow it to thrive.

Now, go forth and conquer – you’ve got this!

Need some help finding your Mojo? Drop me a message and lets chat!

Mastering Time Management: Tips for Busy Entrepreneurs

Mon, 19 Feb 2024 14:49:30 GMT

Being Busy, is not a badge of honour, so stop wearing it like one ��

Time, the ever-elusive resource, seems to slip through our fingers, leaving us wondering where the day went. In the entrepreneurial world, mastering time management isn't just a skill—it's akin to discovering a hidden superpower. Here's a guide to wielding this power, peppered with humor and practical advice, tailored for the time-pressed entrepreneur.

The Eternal Quest for the 25th Hour

We've all been there, staring at our to-do lists at the end of the day, wishing for more hours. While finding a 25th hour remains a fantasy, the real magic lies in optimizing the 24 we're given. It's about making each hour count, ensuring that we're not just busy, but productively busy.

Identifying Your Time Bandits

Our first step is a heist of our own: reclaiming time stolen by the notorious time bandits. These culprits—social media, unnecessary meetings, and the constant barrage of emails—siphon off our most valuable asset. The trick to beating them? Recognition and strategy.

Social Media: The Double-Edged Sword

While a vital tool for marketing and networking, social media can quickly turn into a productivity pitfall. The solution isn't to cut it out but to control it. Tools like Freedom or StayFocusd limit your browsing time, helping you resist the pull of endless scrolling.

Meeting Madness

Before scheduling a meeting, ask if the same outcome could be achieved with an email or a quick phone call. Embracing this filter can drastically reduce time wasted in meetings that, let's be honest, could have been an email.

The Email Vortex

Treat your email inbox as you would a meeting: schedule time for it. Limit yourself to specific windows for checking and responding to emails. This not only keeps you from being reactive but also frees up large blocks of time for deep work.

Prioritisation: Doing What Matters

The heart of time management lies in prioritisation. Not every task deserves your immediate attention. The Eisenhower Box, a simple yet effective tool, helps you categorise tasks by urgency and importance, revealing which tasks truly merit your time.

The Magic of 'No'

Entrepreneurs often struggle with turning down requests. However, every 'yes' to something less critical means a 'no' to something more important. Practicing the art of saying no is liberating and ensures your energy is focused on what truly matters.

Time Blocking: Your Calendar, Your Fortress

Imagine your calendar as a fortress, protecting your most precious resource: time. By allocating specific blocks for different tasks, including deep work, meetings, and even breaks, you establish a rhythm that enhances focus and productivity.

The Art of the Pomodoro

The Pomodoro Technique, working in focused sprints of 25 minutes followed by a 5-minute break, capitalizes on the brain's natural rhythms. These short bursts of concentration, punctuated by breaks, keep the mind fresh and more capable of tackling complex tasks.

Delegation: Multiply Yourself

The reality is, you can't do everything yourself, nor should you. Delegating tasks to others not only frees up your time but also empowers your team. Start by identifying tasks that others can do 80% as well as you. Remember, perfection is the enemy of progress.

Virtual Assistants: Your Digital Sidekicks

For tasks that don't require your personal touch, consider hiring a virtual assistant. From managing emails to scheduling appointments, these digital sidekicks can significantly lighten your load, allowing you to focus on what you do best.

The Zen of Time Management

At its core, time management is less about managing time and more about managing yourself. Incorporating mindfulness and breaks throughout your day can significantly improve focus and productivity, leading to a more balanced and fulfilling work life.

Mindfulness: The Pause Button

Incorporating moments of mindfulness throughout your day acts like hitting the pause button, allowing you to reset and refocus. Even a few minutes of meditation or deep breathing can reduce stress and enhance clarity, making you more effective in your tasks.

Wrapping Up

Mastering time management transforms how you work and live, turning chaotic days into structured ones where progress is visible. Remember, it's not about squeezing more into your day but about squeezing more out of the hours you have. Laugh at the absurdity of time's constraints, dance with your tasks rather than wrestle them, and watch as your days start to align more closely with your vision for success. Now, armed with these strategies, go forth and conquer your entrepreneurial journey—one well-managed minute at a time.

Unveiling the Truth behind Business Awards: Separating the Legitimate from the BS in the Multi Million Pound Industry

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 11:30:35 GMT

Winning an award is no longer about genuine merit but rather about who can tell the most compelling story.

Introduction to the Business Awards Industry

The business awards industry has experienced tremendous growth over the years, evolving into a multi-million pound industry. What was once a simple way to recognise and honour outstanding businesses has now become a complex and often questionable system. In this article, we will delve into the evolution of business awards, explore the shift in how they are judged, and uncover the questionable practices that have tarnished the industry's reputation.

The Rise of the Multi-Million Pound Industry

The business awards industry has seen a significant rise in recent years, with millions of pounds being poured into organising and hosting these events. Companies are eager to win prestigious awards as a means to enhance their reputation, attract new clients, and secure lucrative partnerships. This increased demand for business awards has created a thriving industry that is now worth millions.

The Evolution of Business Awards

Business awards have come a long way since their inception. What started as a simple recognition of excellence has evolved into a highly competitive and sometimes controversial arena. In the past, awards were primarily based on merit, with judges carefully evaluating businesses based on their achievements, innovations, and contributions to the industry. However, as the industry grew, so did the need for more revenue, leading to a shift in how awards are judged.

The Shift in How Awards are Judged

In the early days, business awards were judged based on objective criteria and rigorous evaluation processes. However, as the industry became more profit-driven, the focus shifted from merit to marketing. Today, it is not uncommon to find awards being handed out based on who can write the most persuasive entry rather than who truly deserves the recognition. This shift in judging criteria has led to a surge in companies hiring professional entry writers to craft compelling narratives that sway the judges in their favour.

Having judged several business award events, I have seen first-hand how the judges score entrants based on their persuasive writing rather than looking at what is actually going on within a business. Where I took my time to fact check the entries and dig a bit deeper beneath the surface, my fellow judges based their scores solely on what was written on the entry form (which following some not very complicated fact checking, I found in most cases to not be true.) It is for this reason I am no longer prepared to judge awards, because the most worthy businesses rarely win, which is unfair and removes any credibility these ceremonies once had.

The Questionable Practices in the Business Awards Industry

Unfortunately, the business awards industry is not without its fair share of questionable practices. It widely known that some awards can be bought, with companies paying exorbitant fees to secure a win. But in reality, even the awards that can’t be bought directly, are usually won based on who can pay the best awards entry writers. This raises serious concerns about the integrity of the awards and casts doubt on the credibility of the winners.

Additionally, there is a lack of fact-checking and an absence of a factual basis in many awards. This means that companies can win awards based on claims that are not substantiated or verified, further eroding the trust and meaning behind these accolades. See the below case study if you don’t believe me.

The Role of Entry Writing in Winning Awards

Entry writing has become a crucial aspect of winning business awards in today's landscape. Companies are no longer judged on their actual achievements but rather on their ability to craft a compelling story that resonates with the judges. This has led to a growing demand for professional entry writers who possess the skills and expertise to create persuasive narratives. These writers know how to highlight the company's strengths, downplay any weaknesses, and present a convincing case for why they deserve the award, with absolutely no substantiation required.

The Power of Persuasive Writing: Winning Based on Entries

The power of persuasive writing cannot be underestimated in the business awards industry. It has become a determining factor in who walks away with the coveted trophies. Companies that invest in professional entry writers often have an advantage over their competitors, as they can present their achievements and contributions in the most favourable light. Winning an award is no longer about genuine merit but rather about who can tell the most compelling story.

Case Study: The 'High Growth' Award Winners Celebrating Their Award Win Whilst Putting Half the Workforce Through the Redundancy Process

One shocking example of the lack of credibility in the business awards industry is the case of a company winning awards for high growth while simultaneously putting their workforce through the redundancy process. This blatant contradiction raises serious doubts about the legitimacy of these awards and the criteria used to judge them. It highlights the disconnect between the awards and the actual performance and impact of these businesses.

How Awards Are No Longer Awarded Based on Fact

Gone are the days when awards were bestowed based on concrete facts and achievements. Today, it seems that awards can be won based on who can spin the best story. The emphasis has shifted from substance to style, leaving little room for objective evaluation.

This lack of fact-checking and the absence of a factual basis for many of the awards results in claims made by companies often being taken at face value without any verification or scrutiny. This lack of due diligence undermines the integrity of the awards and diminishes their value.

The Meaninglessness of Awards Without Factual Basis

Awards that lack a factual basis hold little meaning or significance. They become nothing more than empty accolades that companies can use for self-promotion without any substance to back them up. This not only undermines the credibility of the awards themselves but also diminishes the trust that the general public and potential clients place in these accolades.

Alternatives to Traditional Business Awards

In light of the questionable practices and lack of credibility in the business awards industry, some companies are seeking alternatives to traditional awards. These alternatives focus on more objective evaluation methods, such as customer reviews, industry rankings, and performance metrics. By shifting the focus back to concrete data and verifiable facts, these alternatives aim to restore trust and credibility to the recognition process.\

The Dark Side of Business Awards: A Lack of Credibility

The dark side of the business awards industry is the lack of credibility that plagues many, if not most of these accolades. Companies and individuals are often left questioning the legitimacy and true value of these awards. The lack of transparency in the judging process, the absence of fact-checking, and the emphasis on persuasive writing over actual achievements have all contributed to the erosion of credibility in the industry.

Conclusion: The Need for Transparency and Reform in the Business Awards Industry

In conclusion, the business awards industry has become a multi-million pound industry that is plagued by questionable practices and a lack of credibility. Awards are no longer awarded based on fact, but rather on persuasive writing and sometimes even financial contributions. This shift has undermined the meaningfulness of these accolades and raised serious doubts about their value. It is crucial for the industry to undergo transparency and reform to restore trust and credibility in the recognition process. Only then can business awards regain their true purpose of honouring and celebrating outstanding achievements in the business world.

If you have any thoughts or experiences related to the business awards industry, we would love to hear from you. Share this article on your socials along with your thoughts and let's start a conversation about the need for transparency and reform in this multi-million pound industry.

The Evolve Guide to Paid Advertising

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 11:14:55 GMT

In order to survive and grow, your business needs customers. To get customers, you need to promote your business.

In order to survive and grow, your business needs customers. To get customers, you need to promote your business. Gone are the days where all you had to worry about was whether to go with the local paper, the yellow pages or leaflet drops.

Today, the means to advertise our businesses are virtually endless.

This article will help you understand what come of the most effective paid advertising options available to you are, and how to ensure you maximise your ROI with them.

Your Google Business Profile so this should be set up and optimised already, so let’s look at Google Ads as a potential paid advertising stream for your business.

The great thing with Google, is that virtually everyone that finds you there, is actively searching for someone just like you, that has the solution to a specific need or problem that they have right now.

These people are ready to buy.

The downside however, is that because of this, the market in a lot of industries is saturated meaning the cost of advertising on Google can be higher than other platforms.

This is where Niching your business really plays into your hands.

The more defined your niche, the more targeted you can be with your keywords (Keywords are the words your prospects type into the google search bar to find what they are looking for, i.e. Accountants in London)

Get a Website

Whilst it may not be the first thing you create for your business, a website is an absolute must-have. Your website is the go-to place for prospective customers and is your first chance to really establish yourself and your business as the best possible solution to their problem. Even if they find you on social media or Google, they will want to go to your website to check your business out. No website, will lead to uncertainty about how credible you, your business and your solutions/products are.

A good business website not only serves as a promotional tool but it allows you to tell the story of your business, what you offer, provides contact information, and reflects your brand’s personality and distinguishing characteristics. It is also the best way of measuring and improving the success of your other marketing activities.

For example, when you run paid advertising campaigns, you need landing pages, which are pages on your website. When you post helpful information on social media, it should link to its home on your website. With all of your marketing channels flowing into your website, you can use analytics tools to see what is working best and see what resonates with your audience and what doesn’t.

Although there are completely free solutions to get a website in place for your business, almost inevitably you will need to move to some form of a paid website if you are serious about promoting your business. Having your own domain name, a professional look and feel, and the ability to scale and add features as needed are all essential for growth.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Whilst you can do your own SEO to an extent, I have included it in this lesson because it is usually done quicker and better by outsourcing to a professional.

Once you have a website, you are going to want it to rank highly on Google and other search engines. I’ll focus on Google as it’s the one that, if done right, will bring you the best results and the most traffic.

Google’s sole purpose is to provide answers to its users. Put yourself in the users shoes for a minute… If you want to find something, how much time are you prepared to spend looking for it?

Be honest… It’s not likely to be much.

And that’s why ranking highly on Google for the right things is important.

Your prospects aren’t going to spend a long time trawling through your competitors, until they find you… Oh no no no… They’re going to buy from one of them.

SEO isn’t just one thing, but many things that collectively work together to improve your rank.

A few small things you can do to improve your SEO include:

Adding relevant keywords to the right places on your website. (These should be industry and geographically specific)
Producing regular, high-quality and original content regularly. (Usually done via a Blog. A great Blog is educational, it’s not an extension of your personal Facebook or Instagram page)
Tagging your images which will also help them appear in Google image searches.
Maintaining high page load speeds and security certificates

Getting this right means that search engines are putting you in front of the right people, at the right time.

All you have to do now is to demonstrate just how awesome you are and close the sale!

If you already have a website and want to see how it’s performing as well as get some tips for the quickest fixes you can make right now, check out the free DIIB SEO Tool .

Run Google Ads

While SEO is one of the best long term marketing strategies, you’re likely going to be waiting a long time to see the results, I’m talking months, not weeks.

Google Ads is potentially the best way for you to generate quick leads which providing the ROI is good, can be scaled up and down just like turning the tap on and off to fill the bath. Google Ads Ads are the results that show up at the very top of the Google search results pages, way above organic and local listings. It won’t surprise you that Google is by far the most popular search engine amongst users (people searching) and advertisers (people selling). There are a number of reasons for this which we won’t go into because being the most popular, makes it the one you need to be using.

Mastering Google Ads takes some time as well as plenty of trial and error, an optimized campaign is usually worth the investment.

Whilst you can run and manage your own campaigns using Google Ads, the best way to advertise on Google is to use a specialist Google Ads agency. A great agency will first get to know you, your customer avatar and will tell you straight if you’re likely to see an ROI based on your budget and the competition in your field for space at the top of a Google search.

As with sourcing any supplier, do your research!

When it comes to marketing, the only way you will know what is working and what isn’t, is to track your results.

Unfortunately, too many ‘digital marketers’ rely on the fact that small business owners more often than not, don’t track their numbers meaning they have no idea what is and what isn’t working for them.

Use reviews and if you can, speak with past and present clients of any marketer you are considering working with to see what their honest feedback is.

Facebook Ads

Facebook is the largest online social network and it can be a great way to keep in touch with existing customers and to reach new customers. Promoting your business on Facebook can vary substantially depending upon your industry.

Facebook advertising allows you to hyper target your adverts to your ideal customers and nobody else, meaning you can really control your Ad spend knowing that your message is only being seen by the people that are likely to have a need or a desire for what you do. You can target based on users profile information such as sex, age, marital status, geographic location, occupation, groups and pages they like, and more.

YouTube Advertising

As with the other paid Advertising strategies (Google, Facebook etc.), YouTube advertising can absolutely generate a great ROI if it’s done right. You can advertise on YouTube by creating video ads that play before videos in relevant categories, or through text ads that appear in search results.

Like with Facebook, it is possible to control who your Ad’s are shown to to an extent. YouTube doesn’t currently enable you to hyper target to the same degree as Facebook but as an advertising platform, it’s still in its infancy meaning if you do it right, your Ad spend may be relatively low.

TikTok Advertising

If you are semi confident either with or ideally on camera, TikTok is a hugely mis understood and underestimated marketing tool for business, pretty much regardless of your industry or product.

TikTok IS NOT a social media platform.

I’m going to say that again because mastering TikTok hinges on you understanding what it really is…

TikTok IS NOT A SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM.

TikTok is an entertainment platform.

It’s users go there to be entertained, not to socialise or to be sold to… Well, not knowingly sold to anyway…

If you’re going to use TikTok, you absolutely need to know your ideal customer inside and out. That way you can tailor your content to really grab their attention. Your adverts and any content you create for business purposes, has to speak to your ideal customer.

Generic content will simply not cut it and they will scroll on by.

Networking

The single most intimidating word for most business owners…

But find the right group and the right format and it can easily become the highlight of your work calendar.

Attending local networking events is a great way to increase your profile in your local community.

The main benefits of networking for small business owners are:

Raise your profile amongst the local business community

Forge strong referral relationships with business owners in other industries who also work with your ideal clients

Share and receive advice, ideas and inspiration with other business owners

And it’s a fantastic way to remind yourself you’re not alone…

You can be dealing with people all day every day and still feel incredibly alone and isolated as a small business owner…. Guess what, we all feel like that and networking with the right people really helps with that loneliness.

Don’t give up if the first 2 or 3 events don’t get you excited… simply look for other groups and other formats. It’s usually the format that dictates your enjoyment levels and the relevance of the group to you and your business.

A great place to start is Business BUZZ due to its no fuss, no membership and completely informal format. Check out the website to see if there's a Buzz happening near to you

Try Out Direct Mail

Due to the digital age we now live in, direct mail is in fact more impactful now than it has ever been before.

We now receive far less physical mail than we used to, so now when we do, it’s a novelty… we get excited when we hear the thud of envelopes hit the floor.

‘Lumpy mail’ is incredibly effective because the gatekeepers are less likely to intercept and shred it before it gets to the decision maker… Lumpy mail is usually assumed to be something personal so makes it all the way to the desk of the person you really want to open it. Take it to the next level and make whatever you use for your ‘lumpy mail’ campaigns creative, relevant and funny, and you’re almost guaranteed to get a meeting or at least an opportunity to speak with your prospect on the phone.

With direct mail campaigns, there are 2 main approaches…

1) You can go for a generic mail shot which is sent out to a very broad audience in the hope that it reaches enough of your ideal prospects that they buy. I call this the scatter gun approach. Spread your message as far and wide as you can in the hope enough of it hits the right people at the right time. (These work best if you are aiming to sell a high volume of low value items)

Or;

2) You tailor your campaign specifically to your ideal client, make it a lumpy mail campaign, do your research, and send it directly to named individuals at specific companies so you can then follow the campaign up with a phone call and perhaps further lumpy mail campaigns in the future. This I call the sniper approach, a specific message, for a specific individual that is highly likely to convert. (By far the most effective way to gain new customers through direct mail if you are offering a high value product or service and are only looking for a smaller number of high-quality new clients).

Despite the dominance of digital media today, sending physical mail in the form of postcards, flyers, letters, or lumpy mail can still be a very effective way to promote your business to potential customers.

Sending your loyal customers little gift packages either after spending money with you or based around seasonal events such as Christmas, Easter or Valentine's Day is also another great way to build loyalty and keep them coming back. They will also more than likely promote your business to friends, family and even across social media platforms giving you more bang for your buck.

Email Marketing

Email marketing has been around for almost as long as the internet, it is still a highly effective means of marketing. In fact, over 75% of people prefer to get marketing communication via email (providing they have agreed to it of course). Email is a popular media for consumers and businesses alike:

People are always diving into their inbox to check out what’s there. They like to stay informed.

Email marketing provides you with detailed reporting meaning you can segment your lists for highly targeted, personalized emails based on the actions of the recipients.

Email marketing platforms offer flexibility, creativity, and most importantly, ease of use and one of the highest ROI’s of all marketing options.

So there you have it.

My summary of some of the best ways to market your business via paid advertising & marketing.

EXERCISE:

Go back to your customer Avatar and use it to identify the 3 or 4 best marketing channels for you and your business.

You should already know how much you can or are prepared to spend to get a new customer so you can start to apportion your budget between your chosen marketing channels.

Make sure you are testing and measuring every marketing channel you are using so you can avoid wasting money on channels that don't work or are less effective for you.

Ultimately the choice is yours, but without the information in your tracker, your simply guessing what does and doesn’t work and throwing money down the drain.

Want to learn more or speed up your business growth through effective marketing? Reach out and let's talk!

Your Business Isn't Worth Anything

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 10:17:38 GMT

Why did you start your business?

Did you start it with the dream of building it into a large and profitable business?

Did you have a targeted turnover in mind?

Did you just want to employ a great team of people?

Did you have a dream lifestyle you wanted to live?

Or, did you just want to work for yourself rather than take employment elsewhere?

Whatever your reasons, the true value of your business will only be realised when you come to sell it.

But how do you ensure you maximise the value when the time comes?

One thing I can pretty much guarantee you, is that your business isn’t worth anywhere near what you think it is! All of the years of blood, sweat and tears mean nothing to your potential investors.

In short, all someone looking to invest in, or buy your business is interested in, is how much money it will generate them, with minimal input & effort on their part.

THAT’S IT!

But what makes one business worth more than another?

Why can one business sell for millions whilst the other in the same industry and doing the same level of turnover barely reaches 6 figures?

The value is generally based on the net profit you make which is then multiplied. Whilst there are industry ‘norms’ when it comes to valuing a business. It is possible to increase the multiplier applied to your individual business. The higher the multiplier, the more money in your pocket!

I have put together the following list to help you ensure your business is the one that goes for millions and not the latter:

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

We all have that one customer, that spends like there’s no tomorrow and we focus most of our efforts on keeping them happy. In the short term, this is great! Who doesn’t love consistent, high profit work?! Be warned, this is far riskier than most business owners realise. Say something unexpected happens, the client goes into administration for example, it’s panic stations for you! If they make up 50% of your recurring revenue, your business has just been cut in half! If this were to happen, could you continue to operate and pay your bills??

Ideally, no single customer should make up more than 5-10% of your annual turnover. By maintaining a good spread of customers, this will increase the multiplier that your business value is based upon.

Profitable long-term contracts

Long-term contracts provide us all with a sense of security, however, a long-term contract is only good for you if it is profitable and provides economies of scale or operating efficiencies. Having several profitable long-term contracts will almost certainly add value to your business. The show an ongoing commitment from your customers and potential investors will know they’ll have revenues to invest for the future.

Long-term, loyal customers

We all love to hear from a happy customer! By implementing a system to collect reviews and set up a system to monitor customer satisfaction, you will see a significant return when it’s time to cash in. If you can demonstrate that your customers keep coming back and buy from you, again and again, builds value and increases your multiplier.

A management team that don’t need you

If your business won’t run profitably in your absence, it’s not going to be a particularly attractive proposition to a would be investor? Can you take annual leave without having to take phone calls and routinely deal with and reply to emails? No? Well you have some work to do to build your value here!

Businesses with a management team that take care of the day-to-day without your input are worth significantly more, than those where the business owner is integral to making things happen (providing they are prepared to stay on post sale). This is one of the most important and influential factors affecting the value of your business after the profitability.

Whilst scaling to ensure you have a team in place might not be what you initially wanted from your business, failing to do this will seriously affect the value of your business.

No investor wants to buy a business where they will be tied to the running of the business.

Recurring revenue streams

Recurring revenue streams, repeat contracts and subscriptions are the most attractive and valuable asset for any potential investor. Whilst not all industries lend themselves to this type of business model, it is often possible with some outside the box thinking. The more of this type of income you can generate, the more valuable your business will be.

Ask yourself, what can you do for your customers that would bring them value for a recurring monthly fee?

Cash production

It may seem obvious, but businesses that can generate cash are always valuable. Manage your debtors well and be merciless when tying up cash in stock and assets. Review your overheads on a monthly basis by reviewing your P&L, raise your prices as soon as your costs go up in order to maintain your profitability.

If your in a B2B market, your clients (providing they are good clients) will not care, as they will do the same and pass their increased costs on to their customers. Failure to do this may win you more work as your competitors raise their prices, but your profitability will decline rapidly turning you into a busy fool.

Sack your accountant

OK, maybe I jumped the gun a little there. But, you do need to ensure your accountant or finance team provides you with accurate, reliable and efficient accounting systems. Being on top of your numbers will pay you back 10-fold when you’re ready to sell. Not only that, but it’s just good practice. Imagine, you have a buyer, desperate to make you an offer and you’re struggling to put together some management accounts. Any potential investor wants to know that you and your team, know your stuff and have the business running like a well-oiled machine. If you’re lacking the basic information you need to run your business effectively, you’re going to look more like Del Boy than Sir Richard Branson! Who would you have more faith in??

Getting on top of your numbers and running your business from monthly management accounts will increase the multiplier! Run it without, and you’re likely to reduce the multiplier.

Become the best of the best

If you have a reputation for being the best in your industry (or at least being among the best) you will certainly attract the right sort of attention. Businesses regularly acquire their competitors if it helps them spread their services to a wider audience .

To quote US uber-investor Warren Buffet:

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.”

Growth & Expansion opportunities

The ability to grow both your top and bottom line profits quickly is a very attractive proposition to a would-be investor. If you’re growing faster than your competitors, you will be both attractive and valuable. The more expansion opportunity for your business, the more valuable it becomes.

Have a strong USP

What are your USP’s? Do you produce something that your customers can only get from you? Do you provide a service unavailable anywhere else? If what you do, can’t be easily replicated, that builds value. If you’re not unique already, what can you do to differentiate your business from your competitors? If you can’t do anything, then you’re not going to be able to sell for a premium.

So now you know what you should do to build the value of your business, I should probably give you some pointers to what is likely to reduce the value:

Too much competition

Whilst we all love competition as a consumer, as a business owner it proves to be one of the biggest ongoing challenges. If the competition is high in your sector, you are forced to compete on price, that is of course, unless you niche. Once you start competing on price, it’s a slippery slope to the bottom. Niche however, and you will put yourself in a position where you can demand a higher price and generate higher than industry average profit.

High Overheads

If you’re reviewing you management accounts on a monthly basis, you should have your finger on the pulse with regards your overheads. As part of your review, are you looking at where these can be reduced without impacting on your ability to deliver a great service? Trim these and watch your profit grow. Fail to do this and a potential investor is going to look at the cost of running your business vs the profit that is being made and make a very quick decision to walk away.

Risk of being undercut by foreign markets

Can China do it cheaper?

In all seriousness, if your product or service can be provided cheaper if sourced from elsewhere, the risk associated with investing in your business will likely be far too high for any potential investor to be prepared to take. If you are vulnerable to this, can you overcome this by automating any elements of the business to reduce your costs?

Over dependence on a single supplier

Just like having all your eggs in one basket with a single client, do you have all your eggs in one basket with a single supplier? If you’re over dependant on a single supplier, the risk of acquiring your business will likely be too high for an investor to want to take. If something happened to that supplier or your relationship with them, your business is at risk. Remember, investors want security, not risk when looking for an acquisition opportunity.

Summary

There are many factors to consider when looking to build value in a business, far more than those I have outlined in this article, this just covers what I’d consider to be the basics. If you can work on all of the points above, you’ll be well on your way to building a business that would be an attractive proposition to an investor in the future.

If you have read this and are now in a state of overwhelm, reach out and let’s chat.

Growing a business isn’t half as difficult when you have someone in your corner to support and guide you along the way.

How to deal with tyre kickers

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 15:47:26 GMT

So, you have a client that doesn’t appreciate the value of your service or product…..

It’s a tricky one but the solution is relatively simple.

You need to shift your mindset.

I said simple, not easy to do!

It’s a lesson that some business owners learn early on in their journey, some later, and some, just never get it.

You see, that customer that wants you to do the job for next to nothing… well, they’re not your customer! They belong to the business owners that never learn this lesson, the ones that buy job after job after job, continually undercutting you and your competitors!

Leave them to it and be grateful that they exist. You see, they keep the customers that you hate working for, away from you allowing you to focus on the great customers.

You see, you’re good at what you do, in fact, you’re great! So your prices reflect that.

What you really need to understand, is why your so great. Not only that, but you need to be able to articulate that in your marketing.

If you’d like help in doing that, reach out and let’s chat!

If you'd rather carry on dealing with price objections, that's cool!

I've put together some of my favourite responses to help you do that:

My top responses to price objections will help you to establish whether or not your just dealing with a tyre kicker, or you have someone that sees the value, but just can’t quite muster the cash right now.

So, here goes:

"Are you the cheapest business amongst your competitors?"

This is a great line to be able to pull out. The chances are, your prospect has to demonstrate the value in their own product or service, so this will resonate immediately. If you can deliver this line with a hint of cheeky humour, it is likely to go down well and strengthen the relationship between you and your prospect.

"[Silence]"

Sometimes the most powerful response is no response. When you fall silent, the prospect will want to fill the silence, in doing this they are likely to tell you exactly what is stopping them from buying allowing you to address it. The most simple of all of the responses but the hardest one to master and get comfortable with, try it and you’ll see what I mean.

"Too expensive compared to what?"

"Expensive" is a relative term. Do they already have a quote from one of your competitors? Do they mean they don’t understand what will be their return on investment? If you can establish this, you can better help them understand the true value.

"I hear you. The best products are often more expensive." Or an all-time favourite of mine “Expensive, yes, reassuringly so.”

Both of these responses will quickly separate those who simply can’t afford it from those that are hellbent on stripping you of any profit before they will buy. Sales expert Geoffrey James once said, "a price objection isn't 'real' until the customer has brought it up twice."

"Is the price the only thing that's stopping you from buying?"

This will allow the prospect to raise other concerns if they haven’t already.

"Okay. So which part don't you want?"

This tells the buyer that the price reflects the value, for a lower price, they must sacrifice some of the value your product provides. Generally, this will encourage them to reconsider and finish of the purchase.

"What ROI you're wanting to see?"

This question adjusts their mindset from ‘cost’ mode to ‘value’ mode. It will get them thinking long term about the benefits of your product meaning you can go to work on reinforcing how valuable your product really is.

"How much will it cost you if you do nothing?"

This will help them to realise the true value of your offering. This is particularly effective when the buyer is emotionally driven because it reminds them that they truly need what it is you have to offer and that their life won’t improve without it.

"Is it a cash flow issue, or a budget issue?"

Using this will help you quickly identify if there is a solution that is mutually beneficial. It could just be a case of having to agree payment terms to help the sale go through whereas with a budget objection, they either need to find someone cheaper or settle for a lesser service. Where cash flow is the issue, the buyer will be grateful for your help in it possible to purchase increasing their long term loyalty to you and also the chances of them making referrals. It can be a great strategy if your cashflow allows it to be an option.

"Thanks for your honesty. How much were you thinking of spending?"

The prospect's answer will reveal whether they're in the right ballpark or way off piste. This response turns the conversation back to the prospect, they’ll be forced to tell you if they have any intention of buying or not which could save you a lot of time and heartache.

"How soon would you need to see the ROI for this to work for you?"

Simply stating that they will see an ROI isn’t comforting for any prospect when they have no idea how long it will take to see it. Also, they’ve heard it all before! Find out how soon they would need to see the ROI realistically to make it a viable option, work the numbers through with them. It may be that for their budget, there isn’t a solution on the market that will show them the ROI they are looking for meaning they will need to re-evaluate. This will help you either find the right solution or know that it’s time to walk away.

"Don’t just look at the upfront cost, if we break it down, it’s only £….. per week."

Nobody likes to be hit with a 4 or 5 figure sum. Understand how the figures break down over days, weeks, months and years and be ready with them. Breaking it down into smaller manageable chunks can really help your prospects see the value without being so daunted by the price tag.

"What makes you believe this [product/service] is too expensive?"

This encourages your prospect to elaborate on their reasoning. It helps you understand who your customers are and how they think. Not only can you address the concern there and then, but you can work this into your marketing in the future to prevent it from being raised again in the future.

"Is there anything I haven’t clarified properly for you?"

Let them speak. See where their thoughts are at. Come back and address any points they raise, make a note of it and build it into the process next time. Every day is a school day so take the opportunity to hone your skills.

"I understand. In fact, I’ve had several other customers just like you who were surprised by the price at first. But what they found was ... "

Empathise with the prospect, and address their concerns with a strong case study or 2 that demonstrate the value. The more similarities between your prospect and the case study you use, the more they will relate and the more impactful it will be. Show them real results, if you have facts and figures to show them, go for it!

I hope you find something of use here.

In business we all need some help from time to time. I’m no exception.

If you liked this article and would like to throw some other ideas around that may help you with your business growth journey, hit the button below, book in a call at a time to suit you and lets chat!

Vision

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Fri, 06 May 2022 12:52:54 GMT

Do you have a vision for your business, and do you set goals against that vision?

If you’re like most people, you probably don’t. which means, you have no idea where you’re actually going.

You’re either on autopilot, going round and round in circles;

you’re on someone else’s agenda, your clients and employees;

or a combination of both.

If you’re not working on your own agenda, then you’re working on someone else’s.

If you’re working on someone else’s agenda, then you’re working towards someone else’s goals.

It’s time to work to your agenda.

Think.

What really matters to you.

Where do you want to be next month, next year and in ten years from now. What do you want your business and your life to be?

What makes you happy, and what makes you miserable?

By knowing where you want to get to, your destination, you will have programmed your internal sat nav to take you there.

Now it’s down to you to make the right decisions and take the right turns to get there.

Sure you’ll hit a few traffic jams and road blocks along the way which may well slow your journey down, but your sat nav will re-route you and get you back on track because it knows where you want to be.

For full details of my next 90 day planning day just hit the button below.

The Trouble With Being Comfortable

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 11:23:13 GMT

How do we grow as business owners?

It all starts with getting uncomfortable, yes, that’s right, UNCOMFORTABLE!

Well actually, it’s about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.

We spend most of our lives seeking comfort. In fact, you probably started your business with a view to building yourself and your family a comfortable life. The problem with this is, nobody ever grew from within their comfort zone.

Successful people, are always pushing their own boundaries, they are comfortable taking risks that for the rest of the world looking on, consider to be crazy.

You know, its OK to fail sometimes. By taking risks, doing things differently and not getting the desired results, we learn, and when we learn, we grow.

One of my favourite acronyms is fail:

F.A.I.L. = First Attempt In Learning

So how do you get comfortable with being uncomfortable?

You just need to challenge yourself. Not to the point that you set yourself up to fail, but start by doing something that you’ve never done before. For the majority of people that read this, I would bet good money that the thought of recording video content for their business marketing efforts would make their palms a touch sweaty. In fact, 12 months before writing this, I would have run a mile from a camera, but, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone regularly (2 or 3 times a week) for about 8 months and guess what, I now record videos with relative ease and confidence.

Every time you take a step outside your comfort zone, you grow. The more frequently you step outside it, the faster you grow.

The faster you grow, the bigger your comfort zone becomes.

But where do you start?

Start by setting yourself a goal, pick one thing that you really want to achieve or change.

Once you get clear on your goal, there will be an obvious path you need to take to achieve it.

Break the path down into small chunks and get to work with getting uncomfortable. If you do it consistently, you’ll be amazed at just how quickly something that scares you today, will start to feel natural and comfortable.

The key, is to just get started.

The longer you spend procrastinating over it, the harder it is to push past your barriers.

So what are you going to do this week that will help you grow?

If you'd like some help figuring out your path and getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, give me a shout!

The Omelette That Never Was

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 10:22:09 GMT

So I went to cook myself some eggs for breakfast this morning. ��

I had a little accident and let’s just say, I didn’t get my eggs…��‍♂️

But then I remembered how much LinkedIn loves a good analogy! ��

So here it is:

In your daily life as a business owner, you have many tasks. Some you love ��, and some you loathe! ��

Let’s say you have an important goal or task. Sometimes you have to do unpleasant things in order to complete that task or meet that goal. You can say you had to break a few eggs �� (those are the unpleasant things) to make the omelette (that is the task or goal).

You’ve all heard the phrase: “You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs”.

This means it is impossible to get something important done without creating a problem for someone else. So, the result may be good for you, but not for everyone.��

You need to judge each of these tasks and assess the eggs that you need to break (People you might upset). ��

Is the result of making the omelette worth breaking these eggs? ��

If it is, you need to do it. ��

If it’s not, you need to find another way to make your omelette. ��‍♂️

Whatever happens, if you know you need to make an omelette in your business, you need to find a way to make it. ��

Have a great week. ��

If you’d like some help figuring out how to make your omelettes ensuring you break only the eggs that need braking, give me a shout. ��

P.S. kitchen towel is useless when it comes to cleaning up eggs! ��

Own Your Success, Own Your Failure!

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 10:04:49 GMT

Guess what? ��

"The state of your business is entirely your fault. YOU are in control of what you DO, and DON’T DO.

STOP blaming others for your failings." ��

It’s time to take back the reigns. ��

YOU have to conquer the barriers holding you back, before you can really move ahead. It's up to all of us to push through our own roadblocks.⁣ ⛔

Stop blaming the masses, and start looking at yourself. ��

What you put into the world is what you will receive. And this is ALL up to YOU. ��‍♂️

So, don't wish it were easier, wish that YOU were better. ��

Becoming a success in business AND life is only limited by what you are willing to work for. ��‍♂️

I have always been an ambitious person, wanting to succeed in every aspect of my life.

How are you making it happen in your business and your life? ��

Want some help pushing through the roadblocks that are holding you back? ��

Give me a shout. ��

Simple But Effective Planning

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 11:41:29 GMT

A lot of business owners shudder at the thought of putting

together a business plan ��

It’s a lengthy process and requires some deep thought. ��

That’s why, so many never get around to doing it. ��‍♂️

Planning for the success of your business is essential, however it doesn’t have to be as complicated or time consuming as putting together a formal business plan. ��

In fact, unless your seeking funding, investment or looking to sell your business, I’d go so far as to say it’s a waste of time putting together such a lengthy document only for it to gather dust and be completely outdated by the time you actually need it. ��

I have found the most effective way to plan for the growth of my business is to break it down into smaller chunks. ��

A quick review of the last quarters performance and results, followed by planning for the next quarter including setting deadlines for each task, generates more forward momentum and growth, than a detailed plan that is filed away and never actioned. ��

To take a couple hours out of your business every quarter, and review the last quarters plan followed by planning for the next quarter, will net you better and more consistent results than you have ever achieved in your business before. ��

I have a great, simple template that I am offering to you for FREE to help you with this process. ��

I have set out the questions you need to be asking yourself and all you have to do is fill in the gaps. ��

For any serious business owner out there, this is crucial to your long term success. ��

Pop me a message and I’ll send you a copy of the planning toolkit for FREE so you can start to plan for your business quarterly and achieve some amazing results. ��

That’s it for todays business bite. ��

If you’d like to learn more just give me a shout! ��

Convert More Quotes or Proposals

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 09:02:36 GMT

Want to to convert more of your quotes or proposals into paying jobs?��

In todays business bite, I reveal just how you do it! ��

This is especially relevant if you send out quotes or proposals to your potential customers. If that’s you, the this is a game changer. ��

Most businesses automatically send their quotes and proposals in the easiest way for them. So they quickly type it out into a generic quote template on their computer or even phone, and, boom, email it off to their customers. The problem with that is your quote, your proposal, is the landing in the middle of their junk infested inbox, which everyone nowadays is living and dealing with. ��

Now, even if you’re lucky and they spot your email, which is certainty not guaranteed anymore, they're going to look at it on a screen and the odd one might print it off on their little inkjet printer, on cheap paper. ��‍♂️

If you’re doing this then you are diminishing that crucial first impression. ��

Now compare that generic electronic quote with how things would look if your quote landed on their desk as a substantive piece of post, through the letterbox, delivered by a real-life postman or woman.

If it's in a nice folder with plenty of case studies and testimonials wrapped around it with all your credentials clearly marked on the folder. If things are presented on good quality paper, if things are structured and ordered in the right kind of way, the impact, this physical delivery of your quote, it's massive. I promise you it's huge. ��

Just think about how much more it means to you, when you get a physical birthday card on your birthday as opposed to someone saying, "Av a good’un mate." on Facebook. Wow, chalk and cheese, and that's the difference when you send your proposals out in the post, hard copy with a bit of thought and love and care and attention put into them compared to just sending it out by email like everybody else. ��‍♂️

The reason I mention this is a couple of my clients, both in construction have recently implemented this into their businesses, and they have both had extraordinary success since making this change. They stopped sending out the standard electronic quotes to their clients and started sending hard copy with some great supporting documents, testimonials, case studies and one even put in a checklist detailing everything their quotation included as standard with a blank column for their client to tick off any other quotes to make sure they were like for like…

WOW. How powerful that has been! This isn’t ground breaking, it isn’t anything new. ��

But imagine getting the jump on your competitors by implementing this before they do. The results could be huge! ��

The best bit, is there's barely any more work to do once you’ve set the templates up and the cost is peanuts compared to the results that it achieves.

That’s it for today’s business bite.

Send your quotes and proposals in the post and not via email.

Want some help structuring your quotes or proposals and making sure you are getting the most out of them?

Give me a shout!

Ego is the enemy

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 09:58:14 GMT

The ego ��

We all have one ��

I spent years saying I didn’t have an ego; I was just me. ��‍♂️

Chilled out, happy with my lot in life, Mr Reliable. ��

But what made me decide those were the things I should be? ��

It was the ego I was so adamant I didn’t have! ��

We traditionally think of an ego as the thing that makes not so nice people, the way they are. They have a real ego……. ��

But it’s your ego that kicks in to make you form that opinion. ��‍♂️

Hmmm. ��

So why, if we all have an ego, are we not all hot-headed psychopaths? ��

It all boils down to our experiences growing up, from what we were told by our parents, our teachers, and our friends to the consequences of certain events in our lives. ��‍��‍��‍��

For example, if we hurt ourselves doing something like climbing up something and falling, we form an opinion that we shouldn’t do that again. ��

But let’s say our friend climbs up the same thing and doesn’t fall or hurt themselves, then to them, it was a great thing to do, and they will do it again and again! ��

As we grow, our beliefs have a tendency to get stronger, meaning when we meet people with opposing beliefs, we very quickly form an opinion that they are wrong, and we potentially don’t like them as a result. ��

When I first got a business coach, I won’t lie, it was against my will and my ego kicked right in and I went into my first coaching session with my defences up and the belief that I already knew everything I needed to know and what could my coach possibly teach me about the business I was running! ��‍♂️

Ironic that several years later, I am myself now a coach! ��‍♂️

One of the first books my coach got me to read was ‘Ego is the enemy’ by Ryan Holiday. ��

It immediately helped me identify that I had an ego but more importantly that I could change what my ego told me, and I could actually, sometimes be wrong. ��‍♂️

Although don’t let my wife know I said that! ��

It taught me that differing opinions are just that. Opinions. ��

It doesn’t mean one has to be wrong and one right. ✔️ ❌

Once I learnt this, I became open to the coaching and my personal growth then enabled great business growth too. ��

I had to change before the business could. ��‍♂️

That’s it for today’s business bite.

I’d strongly recommend you give the book a read! ��

It certainly opened the door to huge changes in my life! ��

Put Your Business on The Map

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 09:17:34 GMT

How do you get your website to rank highly on Google without spending a penny on SEO? ��

If you’d like some help making sure you are taking advantage of all of the free tools available to you to boost your business’s presence to gain more customers.

Give me a shout! ��

Why Do We Need Systems And Processes in Business?

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 09:53:00 GMT

If you’re looking to grow your business, your processes need to be written down and systemised. ��

So what is the difference between a system and a process? ��‍♂️

A process is a they way you carry out a particular activity within your business like what do you say when you answer the phone, whereas a system is group or combination of processes that are put together to achieve a result, so once you’ve answered the phone, what information is collected, how is it stored, what happens to the information once you have it, who is the enquiry passed to. ��

Think of it like cogs in a machine, where the machine takes a mixture of raw goods in and spits the finished product out at the other end. ⚙️ ⚙️

The machine is the system, the cogs and moving parts within the machine are the processes and the finished product is the result you are looking to achieve. ��

Remove one of the cogs, and the whole system breaks down. ��

As you scale your business, you need to bring in new employees. Sometimes to add to an existing team within the business and sometimes to create a whole new department. ��‍�� ‍��

Wherever these new employees fit into your organisation, it is important that they do exactly what you need them to do in order to keep everything running smoothly. ��

Great systems and processes will do this and they also will make it easy to identify if an individual within your business is not performing or a particular process is no longer fit for purpose. ��‍♂️

As you grow, both your people and processes need to develop too. ��‍�� ‍��

Whether you’re looking to grow and continue working in your business, or grow and sell your business. Good processes and systems are crucial to maximising profit and therefore business value. ��

Regularly reviewing systems and processes will identify and bottle necks in your workflows and will allow you to adapt them to suit the needs of your growing business. ��

That’s it for todays business bite.

If you’d like some help implementing or reviewing systems and processes within your business, give me a shout. ��

When The Client Asks If You Can Do It Cheaper

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 09:36:33 GMT

I had a fantastic coaching session the other day with a client where we discussed their pricing strategy. ��

Like most business owners, they were struggling with the concept of building value for their customers and were tempted to fall into the trap of competing on price. ��

We discussed their category of 1 and started to put together their USP’s so they could confidently deal with price objections. ��

I have a separate blog article on great ways to deal with price objections, if that's what you're after then hit the button below and have a read.

Every business is different in some way, shape or form. ��

It could be your personal experience as the business owner, ��‍♂️��‍♀️

It could be the combined experience of your team, ��‍�� ‍♂️ ��‍♀️��‍⚕️ ��‍��

It could be that you take a completely unique approach to the job to your competitors. ��‍♂️ ��‍♀️

Whatever it is, you need to shout about it! ��

There is no point being the best at what you do, if you don’t tell your prospective clients why you are the best. ��

If you don’t tell them, how are they going to know they should be picking you over your competitors. ��‍♂️

There will always be tyre kickers. People who only want the cheapest of the cheap. ��

But do you really want to be working with those people, working really hard, only to cover your costs? ��

Or, do you want to work for the people that see the value you are bringing to their businesses, their lives and are prepared to pay that little bit more for the peace of mind it gives them? ��

Competing on price is a fool’s game. ��

If you have big dreams for your future and are doing this, you may as well forget those dreams and learn to be happy with what you have got right now, because it isn’t going to get any better. ��

My clients understand this and as a result are now happier in their businesses than they have ever been. ��

They are paying themselves a fair wage for the work and the effort they put in. ��

Following the session, my client sent me the image I have used for this post.

I think they get it! ��

That’s it for today’s business bite.

If you’d like some help finding your category of one so you can charge what you want, rather than what your worst customers want. ��

Give me a shout! ��

Customer Experience

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 09:27:23 GMT

This week I completed my 11th Tough Mudder �� ❄️

My 5-year-old daughter also completed her first Tough Mudder event called Lidl Mudder. (No prizes for guessing the company that sponsors that event) ��

But why do I go back, year, after year, after year along with so many other amazing people? ��

Is it my love of the mud? ��

Is it that I’m a glutton for punishment? ��

Is it the beer or cider at the finish line? ��

Or is it something else? ��‍♂️

There are so many things that keep me coming back, but the main thing for me is the customer experience. ��

The buzz I get from simply being at the event is amazing. ��

Only my wedding day and the birth of my daughters tops it! ��

Not only do a number of us runners return year after year, but Tough Mudder have volunteers who attend the events every year yet never take part in the run. They simply return to be part of the atmosphere. ��

The whole time you are there, you are looked after by smiling, friendly and genuine people. Both on course and off course. ��‍��‍��

This year, there was a blip in my experience which is the first in 11 events, where I needed to speak to their customer support team prior to event day and I never got a response. ��

But I knew that on the day, the amazing people running the event would sort it out for me. And they did, gladly and very quickly. ��

I am aware though that this was a number of peoples first experience of Tough Mudder. And due to the poor customer service prior to the event, they have sworn never to sign up again and have left some really damaging reviews which will put future participants off signing up. ��‍♂️

This upsets me, as due to the poor customer service leading up to an event day, so many people are put off attending an otherwise amazing event. ��‍♂️ An event that would leave them with memories that would last them a lifetime! ��

What are your touch points with your customers and how are they performing? ��

One touch point that isn’t doing what it should, can cause untold damage to your business and your reputation. ��

Review them regularly, ask friends to test them for you and give you feedback so you can work on and improve them if necessary. ��

It’s easy to become blinkered when 90% of things are going great, but that 10% that isn’t will eventually come back to haunt you! ��

That’s it for todays business bite.

I need to go and lay down now. ��

If you’d like help working out your touch points and reviewing how effective they are at gaining and retaining customers.

Give me a shout. ��

Tough Mudder

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 09:22:22 GMT

So, after a very early start on Saturday. We did it. ��

I completed Tough Mudder number 11. ��

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, my daughter completed her first! ��

That is by far the biggest achievement and I remember the combination of nerves and excitement before my first all those years ago! ��

To say she did me proud is an understatement. One obstacle scared her to the point she skipped it the on her first 2 laps but after a little pep talk from both Mummy and Daddy, she didn’t want to leave having not at least attempted it. ��

Guess what, she smashed it on the last lap! ��

I don’t know where she gets her competitive streak from?!? ��

Not strictly business related but there is still a lesson in there for all of us! ��‍��

Sometimes the fear of trying something new can hold us back. It could be the fear of failure or the fear of the unknown. But the sense of achievement and the difference it can make to our lives when we get on and do it can be huge. ��

What are you going to do this week that you have been avoiding that will move you personally or your business forwards? ��

Have an amazing week everyone! ��

My One Clear Business Goal

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 09:15:03 GMT

When I started my business, I had one clear goal. ��

I want to help a complete stranger transform their business and their life without ever meeting them.

I have made it my mission to help small business owners build a successful and profitable business. ��

All business owners need varying levels of help and support along their journey to building their dream business. ��

Some will need an accountability partner to help them figure out what to do, when to do it and more importantly make sure they get it done. ��

Others just need a steer in the right direction. ��

I have a dream that one day, a complete stranger will walk up to me in the street after recognising me from my videos and they’ll say to me:

“Hi Adam, you don’t know me, but I just wanted to say, without your videos, articles and the advice on your website, my business wouldn’t be where it is today. I just want to thank you for helping me figure out what to do and when.” ��

That’s my dream! ��

I call it a dream because apart from putting the content out there, I can’t control whether or not anyone will ever recognise me and come and say that. But, I will continue to provide the content that will enable business owners to grow regardless in the hope that one day, somebody will! ��

That’s why on my website I have a knowledge centre. ��‍��

My Knowledge centre is a resource that small business owners can use, in order to learn the important things they need to be doing in their businesses in order to achieve growth. ��

If you are a small business owner, or are self-employed, this FREE resource is invaluable. ��

Head over and have a look at the library of articles and videos I have built to help you grow your business. ��

I add to it several times a week so be sure to check back regularly for more tips and advice. ��

I'll pop a link to my knowledge centre in the comments. ��

Have a great day

I’d love to know what you think of my dream. Am I nuts, or is it entirely feasible that it could come true? ��

Let me know in the comments below. ��

The 4 Most Common Questions From Business Owners

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 08:24:41 GMT

There are a number of questions I get asked on a regular basis. ��

I’m going to cover the top 4 ❤️ ��

The first and most common question is: How do I know what to do in my business and when? ��‍♂️

The answer to this is to have a great Scorecard. I have covered scorecards in a previous video but the power a scorecard gives you must not be underestimated! ��

A scorecard allows you to see very quickly what is working in your business and what isn’t. ✔️ ❌

That then allows you to make the right decisions to move your business forwards. ➔ ➔

The next most common question is: How do I know the best way to advertise my business? ��

In short, you need to test and measure. ��

If you are already spending money on marketing and you’re getting customers. Something you are doing is working. ��

A lot of what you are doing however, probably isn’t and you the chances are you are wasting money. ��

If you start to ask your clients where they heard about you, you’ll start to build up a picture of what is working and what isn’t. This information will allow you to either save money, or re direct it to the marketing that is working so you can do more of it and get more customers. ��

Another common question is: How do I get time to work on my business? ��‍♀️

The first part to this is self-discipline & focus, without this, anything you try to do WILL fail! ��‍♂️

You need to create the time in your day where you can spend 90 minutes working purely ON your business. Working on things that will move your business forwards. ➔ ➔

Do this every day and in 12 months’ time you will have achieved a huge amount and will have moved your business towards your end goal. Do it every day for 5 years and you won’t recognise your business from where you started out. ��

The key though is to do it, and do it consistently. ��

The last question I get asked a lot is: when is the right time to get a coach? ��‍♂️

Now you might expect me to say do it…. Right now!!!! ⏱

But for most of you watching now is probably not the right time. ⏳

The honest answer to this question is: when you decide you are ready to take your business forwards but are unsure how to do it. �� ‍♂️

Don’t employ the first coach that comes along, make sure you both like your coach and trust your coach. ��

They will become part of your business for a significant period of time so it's important you are working with a coach you like and want to work with. ��‍�� ‍��

To get the best out of coaching, check your ego at the door! None of us know everything and we can always learn something new. ��‍��

I hope you have taken something useful away from this slightly longer than usual business bite. ��

If I have confused you in any way give me a shout and I’ll do my best to expand on my answers for you! ��

Learn To Appreciate the Little Things

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 16:07:58 GMT

So, this weekend my eldest daughter turned 5! �� ‍♂️

This meant I got to spend Friday contorting my body into all manner of shapes to try and cram myself into rollercoasters and other rides designed for small children. ��

We ended the weekend with a game of Crazy Golf, which she won with the highest score and Daddy lost with the lowest number of shots….. apparently, a hole in one isn’t a good thing in crazy golf…. ��️‍♀️

As we walked around the shopping centre 2 things happened that put the biggest smile on her face of the whole weekend! ��

1) A group of what I presume to be retired buskers going by the name of the Silver Surfers sang her Happy Birthday and. ��

2) A complete stranger ran up to my daughter and handed her a £5 note. ��

We finished off with a meal out, Chinese, her cuisine of choice. And not long after we had been shown to our table, her teacher walked in with a group of friends for a goodbye meal before she heads off to teach in Dubai later this week. ��

After all of the careful planning my wife and I put into the weekend (when I say my wife and I, I actually mean my wife!) the 3 completely unplanned and simple events of yesterday proved to turn a good birthday into THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!!!! ��

A stark reminder that it’s the little things in life that give us the most joy, if we would just take the time to appreciate and enjoy them as much as a 5-year-old does! ��

Have a fantastic week and I hope it is full of lots of little joyful moments for you! ��‍��‍��‍��

What is Success?

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 06:29:16 GMT

Growing up, we are hardwired to believe that success is always measured in monetary terms. ��

You need to be a millionaire to be considered successful. ��

You need to drive a fast car to be successful. ��

You need at least 6 bedrooms and a swimming pool in your house to be successful. �� ‍♀️

And so on and so on……. ��

But how many of the ‘successful’ people that have all of these things are genuinely happy? ��

I’d bet very few. ��‍♂️

And why aren’t they happy? ��

Because nothing is ever enough. They hit one milestone, and then move the goalposts in order to achieve more. ��

So if they’re not genuinely happy underneath the ‘social media façade’ that they put on, can they really be considered successful? ��

Now I’m not for one minute saying don’t be ambitious and don’t strive to achieve dreams and goals in your life. ��

But work out WHY, you want to achieve certain goals. ��

If you have a powerful WHY, chances are when you achieve your goal it will bring you happiness. ��

Without a powerful WHY, you are more likely trying to achieve something to prove a point to somebody else, so the sense of genuine achievement and the happiness you expect to gain will never come. ��

I used to chase money, and I did it under the guise that I was doing it to make my family happy. But in reality, I was pushing them away because they wanted me ��‍��‍��‍�� ….. Not the bank balance I was working so hard to try and achieve. ��

I didn’t know my WHY! ��‍♂️

Now I do, I am still ‘successful’ and financially I do well for my family, however, the difference is, I am doing it in a way that allows me to be around more so they aren’t suffering in the process. ��

Will it take longer, yes, but my family and I are all going to be happy in the process meaning we don’t have to wait a years before we can enjoy our lives together. ��

What is your point Adam �� ……

Dreams and goals are important, absolutely they are! But when you are defining your goals and dreams, make sure you know your WHY. ��

Dig deep, I mean REALLY DEEP! ��

Work out what you are building your business for and make sure you aren’t jeopardising your WHY in the process of achieving your dreams! �� ✨

I still have dreams and goals that I am working towards, but now I know my WHY, and I have adapted how I am going to achieve them, I consider myself to be successful already! ��

Yes I am working towards more, but I am happy, my family are happy, we are enjoying the journey together. ��‍��‍��‍��

Figure out your WHY, and you can become instantly successful WHILE you build the future you want to build. ��

Wow, a bit of a deep business bite today!

If you’d like help digging deep and figuring out your WHY. ��‍♂️

Give me a shout! ��

Goals or Wishes........

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 06:53:05 GMT

A goal without a plan on how to achieve it, is just a wish. ��

And, unless you have a magic lamp, it's unlikely your wishes will come true….. ��‍♀️ ��

If you don’t set goals, you will become stuck in the weeds , busy doing the day to day �� and not working on the things that will move your business forwards. ��

If you want to progress, you need to set goals and you need a written plan on how you will achieve them. ��

There isn’t a single athlete in Tokyo right now, who got there without the goal of making it to the Olympics and a training plan to help them get there. ��‍♂️ ��‍♀️ ��‍♂️ ��‍♀️ �� ⛳️ ��‍♀️

Furthermore, they had a coach, who held them to account and ensured that they executed their plan in order to fulfil their goals. ��

Now every athlete will be aiming for Gold, ��It’s what sets them apart from the rest of us.

But not all will achieve Gold. It’s impossible and things can go wrong along the way. ��

But to be in the game, they accepted this possibility, and will give it their all regardless.

It’s the same in business. ��‍��

With a goal, a plan and a coach, you will at least put yourself in the competition and be among the champions of the business world. ��

Sure you might not win, but you’ll still be a success in every sense of the word. ��

There’s a quote by Norman Vincent Peale:

‘Shoot for the moon ��, and even if you miss, you’ll land amongst the stars ⭐️’

It’s a quote that reminds me that life is not about perfection.

But it is about:

Trying,

Growing,

and persevering with the things that matter. ��‍��‍��‍��

That’s it for today’s business bite.

If you’d like some help in setting, planning, or executing your goals. ��

Give me a shout.

Bye for now ��

“Lysdexia” 🤦‍♂️

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 06:44:24 GMT

“Dyslexia is a business owners secret weapon” ��

Richard Branson, Lord Sugar, Steve Jobs even Walt Disney were all diagnosed with dyslexia. ��
FACT: It is thought that around 16% of the world’s population are dyslexic, however over 50% of all self-made millionaires are dyslexic. ��

So why is it that the figures are so disproportionate? ��

How come dyslexic people defy the odds leaving all those that told them they would never succeed dumbstruck? ��

It’s all to do with the way dyslexic people think. ��

The dyslexic mind has a unique ability to innovate and think outside the box. In the dyslexic mind, there is always an alternative way to do things. ��

Can you imagine a world where being diagnosed as dyslexic was considered to be a gift and not a hindrance! ��

Where dyslexic youngsters were encouraged, rather than discouraged. ��‍�� ‍��

It would be incredible! ��

Too many are left deflated at an early age and end up settling for far less than they are capable of because of the limiting beliefs that are instilled in them by their peers and educators who are unaware of the true potential dyslexic people have. ��

This is slightly off topic for me but is still relevant and I feel it is a message that needs to be spread far and wide to help dyslexic youngsters realise they have the world at their feet and can achieve great things, they just need to believe. ��

Please share this to help spread the message.

If I can help just one dyslexic youngster believe in themselves as a result of this post then I have done something great. ��

That’s it for today’s business bite.

Until next time

Bye for now ��

The Power of Reviews

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 09:14:59 GMT

Reviews are an increasingly important tool in your marketing strategy. And the best part is, you can collect them for FREE!!!! ��

Unless you are knowingly offering a rubbish service or product ��, you need to be getting reviews from your clients.

If you don’t have the money to spend on a proper system, Google is a great place you can get your clients to leave you reviews. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

As long as you have a good Google My Business page, you should be asking your clients to leave you reviews. ��

Think for a second about whenever you buy something on eBay, or amazon or you look for a restaurant or hotel in a town you are not familiar with. What’s the first thing you do? ��

You look for reviews. You look for a reason not to buy.

Your potential clients will be doing exactly the same thing. They will be looking for a reason not to use you. ��‍♂️

If you have a bank of great reviews, they will have no reason NOT TO use you;

and every reason TO use you.

Reviews build confidence.

Grade Us,

Trust Pilot,

There are loads of paid platforms out there which you can set up to feed directly into your website. ��

If you are clever about how you systemise your review collection, you can even filter out the bad ones and deal with the problems before they become public. ��

That’s it for today’s business bite.

If you’d like some help working out how you can systemise your collection of reviews, give me a shout. ��‍♂️

The Power Diary

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 07:19:16 GMT

How do you plan your time and make sure you stay on track? ⏱

Firstly, you need good self-discipline. ��

It’s OK to let your mind wander and find yourself off track from time to time. You are only human. ��

But to be successful in business, you need to have good enough self-awareness to catch yourself when this happens and bring yourself back to the task at hand as quickly as possible. ��

Secondly, you need a written plan. ��

For your daily and weekly tasks, you need a diary that allows you to schedule your time in ½ hour slots. ��

Some people like to do this electronically and keep everything on their devices��, whilst others like good old-fashioned pen and paper. ��

The key though, is consistency. ��

There is no right or wrong when it comes to which method you prefer. ��‍♂️

All you have to do, is do it consistently. ��

I schedule an hour every Friday afternoon, to plan for my next week. ��

During this hour, I review what I have completed this week, what I haven’t managed to complete this week, and I plan for the following week. ⏳

I break every task down into ½ hour slots and schedule the appropriate time out in my diary for the following week. ��

There are tasks I do at the same time, every single day, because that works for me and I know what time of day is usually best for me to complete certain types of work. ��

Mornings are the best time for me to get the ‘thinking’ work done ��. Because by the afternoon, my mind tends to wonder. You might find that, the afternoon or evening �� is the best time for you to focus and that’s OKAY! ✔️

We are all different. ��

Getting my time under control has been the key to my success, as I now get more done, in less time! ��

It took a couple of months to get it right, and yes, I did slip up a few times and not plan my next week properly and the result was poor productivity and longer days. ��

That’s it for today’s business bite.

If you would like a copy my ‘Power Diary’ template to try this for yourself. Give me a shout or pop a comment below. ��

Good luck and remember, It’s OK to slip up, just don’t let it become a habit. ��

Upsells

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 06:14:52 GMT

Make more money with the same number of clients. ��

It is entirely possible, to make more money, without obtaining a single new customer. ��

Don’t believe me….. ��

Let me explain ��:

Whatever it is that you do, there are ways to sell more to your customers.

You can sell a faster service ��,

You can sell additional products that compliment something your customer has already brought �� ,

You can upgrade from a basic to a premium package �� , you could offer free postage or shipping based on a minimum spend value ��.

The key to getting upsells right, is to make sure you offer one that is relevant.

Don’t go offering a free corn on the cob �� when you purchase a new pair of shoes ��

Make sure you ALWAYS offer it…. But, don’t be pushy. ��

Use urgency or scarcity to increase the uptake on your upsell. ��

Use the right language to make people make your customers go, 'Mmmmm that sounds like something I need in my life'. ��

If you are offering an upgrade or premium package upsell. Make sure you have 3 levels available starting with basic and culminating in your premium or platinum package. ��

Don’t ask me why but the rule of 3 works. ��‍♂️

The best time to offer an upsell is always after the customer has already purchased because they have made the decision to part with their money already. This makes the decision to upgrade far easier for them and will result in more uptakes on your offer. ��

Give it a go, have a think about the services you can offer to upsell to your existing clients.

Once you start offering them EVERYTIME you speak with your clients, you’ll be amazed at the results! ��

Stuck working out what you can upsell, no problem, give me a shout and let’s put our heads together. ��

There is always something no matter how ‘unique’ you think your industry is. ��

How many golden opportunities are you missing? 🤔

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 14:38:38 GMT

You have some great clients! ��

Some big, some small and some that sit nicely in the middle. ��‍��‍��

But it’s the big ones I want to talk to you about today. You know, the ones with offices all around the country! ��

Take your biggest client, not highest turnover, but the client that is the biggest organisation you deal with.

You know, the one that still takes a leather briefcase to work and wears a 3-piece suit on the hottest day of the year! ��‍��

How many of their employees, come to you when they need your services? ��‍��

1 ��‍��

2 ��‍��‍��

I bet if you were to do some digging and find out how many employees they have that actually could pass you work, there will be more that you aren’t getting enquiries from, than ones you are. ��‍��‍�� ‍��‍�� ‍��‍��

So how do you break them down and ensure you are getting everything possible from these clients? ��

Simple….

You ask! ��

They don’t use you, because they don’t know about you. ��‍♂️

Have you ever asked your contact within these big organisations who else they know that you might be able to help? ��

Do it.

Ask! ��

We usually think of referrals as one company recommending us to another, but a lot of the time, there are easier referrals we can ask for! ��

Look up the organisation on LinkedIn and look at their list of employees. ��‍��‍��

Get some names and ask your contact if they know any of these people and could set up an introduction. ��

We would all get more business if we would just ask. ��

Stop being so British,

lose the stiff upper lip,

be pushy and ask for the opportunities. (in a nice way) ��

Those that ask will succeed, those that don’t, will not. ��‍♂️

Give it a go and let me know how you get on. ��

If you’d like some help to develop your marketing strategy to ensure you are maximising every opportunity, give me a shout! ��

The absolute BEST way to get MORE sales WITHOUT spending any more money

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 12:45:09 GMT

How do you improve your conversion rate and make more money without spending more money on your marketing….. ��

It’s simple:

All you have to do is to understand your ideal customer, intimately. ��‍❤️‍��

I mean, know every detail of your ideal customers life.

What is their name? ��

How old are they? ��

What are their hobbies? ��

What are their challenges? �� ‍♀️

What are their fears? ��

If you can communicate with your ideal customers on their level, in a way they can truly relate to. ��

You will improve your sales 10-fold! ��

Don’t try to convince your customer that they need your product or service. ��

Don’t tell them what you can do for them.

Show them!

Show them what you can do by helping them first. �� ‍♂️

Make your marketing all about them and not about you. ��

This approach will build rapport. ��

If you want people to buy from you, they need to know that you understand them, you understand their pain, their needs, their desires. ��

Connect with them on this level, and they won’t want to look anywhere else when they are ready to buy. ��

That’s it for todays business bite. ��

It’s a simple message for me to deliver, but it’s a very difficult skill to master! ��‍��

Good luck getting to know your ideal customer! ��

If you would like a template to help you with this exercise, give me a shout in the comments below and I’ll send you something that will really help! ��‍♂️

Referrals or Marketing?

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 11:46:57 GMT

Word of mouth, or referrals are a great way to grow your client base. ��

It is not however enough, if you are looking for steady growth. ��

How many people do you think each of your customers can and will refer you to? ��‍��

People only have a finite number of relevant contacts and not all of them will necessarily approach you off the back of a referral alone. ��

You need to establish a presence within the marketplace. People need to say’ Oh yeah, I’ve heard of them’ when they hear your name. ��

A great marketing strategy will help you to do this. ✔️

Doing a small number of things well, will have amazing results for you and your business. ��

What do you do to market your business? ��‍♂️

Referrals won't enable consistent growth. For consistent growth, you need consistent activity to facilitate it. ��

Before you start your consistent activity, you need to know where your ideal customers ‘hang out’. Where will they see your marketing material? ��

Is it social media? Is it magazines? Is it google ��,

billboards,

radio ��,

TV ��,

Sports grounds ⚽️ �� ,

Phone boxes ☎️ ……

The list of possible places is endless. But you need to know if you want your marketing to work.

I’d love to know if anyone still advertises in phone boxes, Do you even get phone boxes anywhere anymore? ☎️

Anyway, back on track Adam ��‍♂️

The point is, if you don’t know your ideal customer and you don’t know where to find them. Your marketing is doing nothing for you other than wasting your money. ��

If you get any results, they are as a result of luck, not a result of a carefully thought through campaign. ��

Referrals are great and you should absolutely be asking each and every client for them, but on their own, they are not enough. ��

The Entrepreneurs Sales and Marketing system will deliver exactly what you need and once you have mastered it and it will serve you for as long as you want to remain in business.

If you want some help becoming a master of your own marketing, give me a shout. ��

Bye for Now! ��

��

What a 12-year-old taught me about business and leadership?

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 11:55:29 GMT

The biggest lesson I have learnt in the 24 years that I have been working is:

Don’t be a dick! ��

That’s it…….

24 years and that’s the single biggest lesson. ��‍��

Let me put some context behind this though.

At 12, I had a paper round in the village where I grew up. ��

At Christmas, I posted a card to every house on my round wishing the customer and their family, a lovely Christmas from their paperboy, Adam ��

That single act netted me more in tips, than the newsagent paid me for an entire year of delivering papers. That’s not why I did it, but the result was amazing! ��

None of the other paperboys and papergirls did this, and they were lucky if they got enough to fill a bag of pick’n’mix in tips. ��

Fast forward 7 years and I was lucky enough to be placed into the management training programme with Sainsburys where I had been working, stacking shelves since I was 15 (Yes, I was allowed a proper job at 15 back then) ��

As a manager, I had to deal with all manner of people all day, every day. ��‍♂️ ��‍�� ‍�� ‍��

I was 19 and somebody thought it was a good idea to leave me in charge of a Store turning over more than £1 million a week. But I went with it and relished the challenge. ��‍♂️

I could set my watch by certain customers. ⏱

I knew when they would come in, who was going to be nice, and who was going to use me as a punch bag to take out their ‘Tough Day’ on. ��

The customers who were nice, even when they were unhappy and had something genuine to complain about, got everything I had in my power to give them. Replacement products, Goodwill vouchers and sometimes even a gift as well. ��

Then there were the Dicks! ��

They got nothing from me apart from a huge dose of sarcasm that did nothing other than leave them more wound up than they were when they decided to use me as an object to direct their anger and negativity at. ��

As a business owner, or a leader, you have 2 choices. ✌️

Be nice, respect and nurture your team and watch them grow and flourish, knowing they will always have your back. ��

Or, you can be a Dick, and use and abuse your team as you see fit. ��

But ask yourself, will your team have your back when the chips are down, or will they jump ship and head off to sunnier climes leaving you alone �� , wondering how you ended up here when everything was going so well before? ��‍♂️

You have a choice….. ��

But I urge you, don’t chose to be a Dick. ��

That’s it for today.

Have a great week.

I’d love to hear your experiences of dealing with people, be it customers, bosses or even if you’ve caught yourself on the wrong side of the line and what you did to rectify it.

Pop your stories in the comments below.

Bye for now ��

My New Apprentice

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 09:43:40 GMT

How is your work life balance?

Honestly, these apprentices just get younger and younger! ��

Meet my new head of IT! ��‍��

1 Year old and already showing me things, I never knew my iPad could do! ��‍♂️

On a serious note though, this is something I could only have ever dreamt of a few years ago. I was so wrapped up in the business I was running at the time that I believed weekends were the only time I could see my family. ��‍��‍��‍��

How much of your time does your business take up, and more importantly what affect is it having on your family or personal life? ��

I’ve learnt over the years that yes, my business is important to me and the is vital to the life I can provide for my family. However, having pushed my marriage to the brink. I also learnt that without my family around me, my business would have been pointless. ��‍♂️ ��‍��‍��

I was doing it all for them at the end of the day, but I was so wrapped up in myself, my business, being the hero that provided everything, I didn’t realise that actually, time with me was more important to my family than the money I was providing! I was ignorant, I was greedy, I was selfish and I blamed my wife for not understanding me. ��

All along, I was the one that didn’t understand! ��‍♂️

As a business owner, it is possible to earn great money whilst having a great work life balance! �� ‍��‍��‍��

Today for example, my wife is due her dental check-up, ��‍⚕️

Far easier for her to attend, alone, without our 1 year old daughter in tow. ��

Has it affected my original plans for the day? Yes, but I manage my time in such a way that I can easily move chunks of my day around to suit. ��

Sure there are days where this just isn’t possible. I get that and I’m not for one minute suggesting that everyone should be able to pick up and drop work at the drop of a hat. ��

Today has been one of those fortunate occasions where I wasn’t booked out of the office for anything. No meetings, no seminars and I don’t coach on a Friday as its’s my day for catching up before the weekend and the beginning of the next week. ��

What productivity hacks do you use to manage your time? ��

I’d love to know and why not let everyone who struggles in this area know. ��‍�� ‍��

Your hack might just change somebody’s life! ��

The 80/20 Rule And Your Marketing

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Wed, 14 Jul 2021 13:46:45 GMT

I got a thank you card from a client today and it got me thinking. ��

Many of you will have heard of the Pareto Principle or as it’s more commonly known, the 80/20 Rule ��

In most organisations, around 80% of the revenue comes from just 20% of the clients. ��

Whilst most organisations focus primarily on getting new business, their existing customers quickly get forgotten. ��‍♂️

If you’re anything like me, you get really frustrated at insurance companies and TV subscription services that are constantly offering great deals to their new customers, while your premiums and bills slowly creep up year after year after year. ��

How many times have you gone off on a rant about how loyal you have been to them and how unfair it is that they treat you in this way. (I know have more times than I care to remember) ��

Our existing customers are the easiest ones to encourage to buy from us again. They already have an emotional attachment to us. (Providing they received a good service last time they bought) ��

So why do we neglect them when it comes to our marketing? ��

Keeping in touch is easy. There are loads of ways we can do this. ��

Newsletters, offers exclusively for existing customers, even a simple card for a special occasion like easter, Christmas, international joke day……��

I have a client who does this to great effect. The activity they get on social media every time a card or a small gift goes out is phenomenal and it takes such little effort. ��

I’m not saying forget about marketing for new customers.

New customers are essential to growing any business, but, if you want a quick win, start with looking after your existing and past customers and watch your sales grow. ��

If you want some help developing some strategies guaranteed to boost your sales and improve your customer retention, give me a shout and let’s take your business to the next level. ��

What Stage Are Your Prospective Customers At?

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 11:36:47 GMT

Which group does all of your marketing material target?

If you want help with your marketing to ensure you are targeting the majority and not the minority.

Reach out & give me a shout.

Become the 'Go To' experts in your industry and leave the competition behind.

🔄 The endless cycle 🔄

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 09:48:24 GMT

Why do sales fluctuate so much?

Running a small business can feel much like riding a unicycle whilst juggling. ��‍♀️��

Forever pedalling forwards and backwards, forwards and backwards just to keep yourself balanced, keep the business upright, all without dropping any balls along the way.

Running your business like this is amateur. ��

It causes an unnecessary amount of stress for you as the business owner �� and prevents you from moving the business forwards and keeping it there. ��‍♂️

A far more effective way would be to run it like you were riding a bicycle. ��

The only way to maintain your balance is to keep moving forwards. ➜ ➜

In fact, the faster you move forwards, the easier it becomes! ��

Chris Froome or Bradley Wiggins would never have won the Tour De France, riding a unicycle!

In business terms, the unicycle represents your marketing.

You get quiet, you market, you get busy, you stop, you go quiet again, you market again, you get busy…… and you carry on like this year, after year, after year. ��

Now let’s zip up our lycra, strap on our helmet, and clip into the pedals of a professional road bike. ��‍♀️ ��

We have a plan before we set out, we stick to our plan, and we market consistently to our ideal customers.

The customers come in rhythmically and consistently.

We no longer stress because the work doesn’t drop off and we don’t go quiet.

We can pay our bills, our staff and most importantly ourselves on time! ��

Who doesn’t want that?! ��‍♂️

I coach my clients in exactly this.

Consistently, rhythmically acquiring new customers for their businesses enabling them to grow at the pace they want.

If you want help in doing this in your business, get on your lycra, clip into your pedals and give me a shout. ��‍♀️ ��

I’m ready to ride every single mile of the journey with you! ��

#ThisIsNorthants #strongertogether #construction #trades #smallbusinessgrowth #smallbusiness #businessgrowth #marketing

The Single Best Way To Get Customers, PERIOD.

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 14:00:20 GMT

Today I learnt something, and it literally blew my mind! ��

For years, decades in fact, we have been taught that to be successful in business, you need to get your customers to love what you do. ❤️

This is so wrong!

If you want to be successful, you need to give people something that they love. ❤️ ��

Look at companies like Netflix, or Google or Amazon for example. People love their product. They love the convenience these companies provide.

What are you doing to make your customers love your products or service?

If they don’t fall in love with you and your company, they won’t buy, they won’t refer you to their friends, they won’t give you that all important 5 star review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

To stay ahead, you need to think differently, you need to be more convenient than your competitors.

It’s a short but powerful message, so I’ll leave you to ponder. ��

What can you do to make sure your customers love you and are as loyal to you, as they are to Amazon, or Netflix, or Google!

Have a great day ��

And if you want some help figuring out what you can do to build a loyal following of customers who come back to you time and time again, give me a shout! ��

Bye for Now!

��

Achieve the Unachievable

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 12:14:01 GMT

Okay, so we're talking about super success here.

One of the first things you need is to aim beyond what you are capable of. I'm serious. You must develop a complete disregard for where your current abilities end.

Try to do the things that you're incapable of. It's liberating.

It reminds me of the weekend that my eldest daughter Charlotte learnt to ride her bike without stabilisers and, for both daddy and daughter, it was a wonderful moment. On her third lap around the garden she yelled out with unadulterated glee, "Daddy, it feels so good.... I didn't think I could do this!"

If you think you're unable to get the contract with the big blue chip, make that your aim.

If you think you're incapable of doubling or trebling the size of your business in the next eighteen months, make that your aim.

If you think you're unable to get on national TV or in the papers, make it your business to get there.

I promise you that nothing is impossible and you really can make your vision of where you want to be a reality.

As a teenager, Victoria Beckham's ambition was not just to be better than her mates or even become a famous singer, but to become a world brand. She not only dreamed about it but wanted it enough to go about getting it. That in itself makes her different from most of us.

It's not how good she was that mattered, it's how good she wanted to be (I can't tell you how important that sentence is).

She's quoted as saying as a teenager, "I want to be as famous as Persil Automatic". What is interesting in that quote is that she didn't compare herself with George Michael or Mariah Carey rather she saw the fame of Persil Automatic as her yardstick.

Laugh at it if you will, but it's this highly original imagination that got her where she is today.

Have a great week and if you’d like some help to achieve the unachievable by cracking the rhythmic acquisition of customers, give me a call…

Why you need a coach! 🤷‍♂️

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 14:50:26 GMT

Every super successful person has a coach.

Most people have heard of coaching, but not many truly appreciate the huge benefits having a coach would make to them and their business.

But what can a coach do for you? ��‍♂‍

A good coach can help transform every aspect of your business and your life.

A really good coach will help you work out exactly what you want and map out how they will help make it happen before they take your money.

You could be struggling with your business in which case you are looking for a business coach.

You could be struggling with your fitness or a particular sport in which case, you need a Personal Trainer or a Sports Coach.

Or you could be struggling with more personal things like self-confidence or self-esteem in which case you would benefit more from a life coach or an NLP coach who can help you in these areas.

The most successful athletes, all have coaches. They have a talent yes, but to take that talent and compete successfully on the international stage, they need a coach to help, guide and motivate them to achieve their peak performance.

The British and Irish Lions are the best of the best when it comes to the international rugby stage, however, they would be just another team if it wasn’t for the ideas and perspectives that their coaching team brought to the table.

Without Warren Gatland at the helm, they wouldn’t be the dominant force they are on the international stage.

Coaching is not for everyone, in fact, it’s for the minority. It is only beneficial to people who genuinely want change and are prepared to commit to making that change happen.

If you truly want change then ask yourself:

What are you looking to achieve from working with a coach?

Your answer to this question will give you a good idea what type of coach you are looking for. ��

There are so many coaches out there, how do you know which one is right for you? ��

I’m sure you know a coach, or at least know of a coach.

In my experience the best coaches to work with are not family or close friends. These people have an emotional attachment to you which makes it extremely hard for them to be truly honest and objective when working with you due to the deep emotional connection you both share.

Find a coach you like and trust.

The relationship between you and your coach is the key to how successful the coaching will be. ��

The more successful the relationship, the more impactful the coaching will be and the bigger and better the results and your return on investment will be. ��

As a coach, I know I am not everybody’s cup of tea. ☕️

And that’s OK!

Not everybody is my cup of tea either. ��

Don’t rush your decision and sign up with the first coach that comes along.

Find one you connect with on both a personal and professional level.

Ask your prospective coach to be honest with you at all times.

No fluff,

No BS, ��

Just honesty and integrity at all times.

That works both ways by the way.

You have to be honest and integral with your coach too otherwise it just won’t work and you may as well be throwing your money away. ��

If you’re tired of working hard and going round in circles. ��

Do yourself a favour, and get yourself a coach!

I have been coached for over 6 years and will continue to be for the rest of my professional life.

I know a lot, but I don’t know everything and I accept that.

That’s why I have a coach.

And guess what, my coach has a coach,

and my coaches coach has a coach!

True story!

I’m not sure about my coaches, coaches coach but I’m going to say they will also have a coach!

You get the picture.

Have a great day and if you want more from your business or your life, give coaching some serious thought.

Build the life you have only ever dreamt possible.

A coach will help you make it a reality!

Bye For Now!

��

P.S. If you think we may be each others cup of tea, give me a shout and lets make some magic happen in your business and your life!

Just press the magic button below and book some FREE time with me!

Go, on...

Press it...

You know you want to...

Really Effective KPI Setting For Dummies

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 11:15:58 GMT

It's Easier Than You Think!

As a follow on my video about keeping the score within your business, I have been inundated with calls from business owners asking what numbers they should be measuring in their businesses. It seems to be a common misconception that measuring KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) is really hard, when in reality, it just isn’t.

It’s easy to overthink when you’re setting KPI’s for your business. It’s true what they say: That sometimes, less is more.

A few key numbers measured consistently, and measured well, will have a far bigger impact on your business, than a lot of numbers measured poorly.

A good KPI, makes it absolutely crystal clear, what is expected of an individual, or a department within your business.

That is all.

A fantastic way to set KPI’s is to get your team to tell you what measures their success within their roles. Hey presto, they do the hard work and you now know how to measure their performance.

Now I have made that sound really easy to do, which if approached in the right way it is, but I understand not every team member will necessarily understand or buy into the importance of getting this right. I’m sure that a significant proportion of your team however will. Maybe get them to help with the KPI setting.

An engaged team, is a productive team.

Employees perform best when they understand how their performance contributes to the success of the business, and how their performance is measured.

Small changes in the right areas of your business can have a huge impact on your bottom line.

A phrase I heard a long time ago and has stuck with me ever since is: “if you want them to respect it, you have to inspect it”. In this case, you are inspecting the teams performance using numbers. Numbers don’t lie, they tell you exactly how things are.

A few tips to help you setting KPI’s for your business:

1: Most KPIs will not stand the test of time

What I mean by this is that your business is going to change. It has already changed since you incorporated it.

As a result of this continual change your business will go through, your KPI’s will need to be reviewed, probably annually to make sure they are still relevant. If your business is changing rapidly you may want to review them more frequently, maybe even quarterly.

When you bring in a new member of staff, do you set their KPI’s before they start and make sure they understand them during their induction….. I’m going to take a punt and say that 90% of you watching this can’t honestly answer that question with a yes!

2: KPIs really need to be numbers

Like it or not, business is all about the numbers. The numbers tell you what is working and what isn’t. Get your numbers right and all of a sudden, business becomes easy. You are able to make great decisions achieve amazing results.

Get them wrong however, and the consequences can be catastrophic.

One of the most common mistakes I see clients make when trying to set KPI’s is they focus too much on the activity that leads to the desired outcome.

Every KPI you set for your business must do 2 things.

It must tell you if the required activities are happening within your business and also tell you if you are improving in those areas.

3: KPI’s must be properly reported

Think about how you want to see your KPI’s reported.

Keep it simple, make sure you can see all of the numbers on a single page.

Chances are, when you first start doing this, you’re going to feel like Neo when he first entered the matrix! But review them daily and you’ll quickly be able to see a detailed picture of what is going on within your business.

My favourite numbers to measure are sales and conversion related because without this key part of your business working, everything else grinds to a halt.

But to get a sale, the phone needs to ring, meetings need to happen, follow up needs to be done. All great numbers that should be measured as without any one of these working, the rest of your efforts are wasted.

For help with figuring out your businesses KPI’s and how to keep abreast of them, give me a call or ask me for help in the comments below and lets set up a FREE coaching session to get you and your business moving in the right direction.

Until Next Time.

Bye For Now.

Getting these 2 numbers mixed up is one sure way to put yourself out of business very quickly!

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 10:43:05 GMT

Do you know your Mark up from your margin?

For anybody who has been in business for any length of time, you will know that the secret to being successful is knowing your numbers.

2 numbers I often hear people refer to as being the same thing are margin and mark-up.

Most businesses in the fields of construction and trades tend to use mark-up when setting their price strategy. They take the cost of the goods they are providing, materials, labour equipment etc and they add a percentage mark-up. Great, not a bad way to price your jobs and it’s easy to raise or lower your prices across the board should you need to.

This mark-up is not however the same as your gross margin.

These numbers are very different.

I’m going to run through an example to show you the difference.

Lest start with the easy one, your mark-up.

For ease of doing the maths. Let’s say the cost to you of doing a job is £100

Now to achieve a mark-up of 50%

£100 x (1 + 50%) - you would need to charge your client £150. Easy right.

Now let’s imagine that actually, in order to make a good profit for your business, you need to achieve a 50% gross margin.

The amount you need to charge your client is very different!

Here’s why.

The calculation to work out your Gross Margin is:

Gross Margin = (Price – Cost of Goods) / Price

So if we take the numbers from before and plug them into this equation, we get:

Gross Margin = (£150 - £100) / £150

Your Gross Margin is just 33%. Pretty devastating if you need to achieve a 50% margin to make a profit!

So, if you need to achieve a 50% Gross Margin, how much should you be charging?

Let’s rearrange the equation and see shall we?

Price = Cost of Goods / (1 – Gross Margin%)

Price = £100 / (1 – 50%)

Your sale price should in fact be £200, not £150

You can see why not understanding the difference between these 2 numbers can be so devastating for business owners.

This might seem complicated, but it’s really not.

Take the time to learn your numbers and see the difference it makes to your decision making and the ultimate success of your business.

If you’d like some help getting to grips with your key numbers give me a shout. You’ll be amazed how quickly your profit margin will increase once you start to understand them.

Until next time.

Bye for now!

Why You Absolutely Should Be Offering Guarantees

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 15:06:34 GMT

Don't be afraid to be a little different.

Scorecards... And Why Your Business Needs One Now!

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 14:55:32 GMT

What’s the score in your business?

Most business owners have no idea how their businesses are performing beyond their bank balance.
It’s so important to understand the numbers that dictate the success of your business. If you rely solely on your bank balance, by the time you know there is a problem, it’s too late.

Imagine watching a football match where nobody was keeping the score, nobody was watching the time played, nobody was keeping tabs on how many players were on the pitch.

It would be chaos!

Not only that but it could go on forever.

Would you as a spectator be interested in watching a game where there was no winner or loser, and nobody had a clue what was going on?

Of course you wouldn’t!

So why is it that so many business owners run their businesses in this chaotic way?

It’s because nobody teaches them when they are completing their apprenticeships, or their technical training, how to run a business.

I’m here to change that.

I am making it my mission to educate and teach business owners like you, the things you need to do to ensure the long-term survival and ultimate success for your business.

So, how do you develop a scorecard for your business?

Start small, pick a handful of numbers that will tell you how your business is performing.

The simpler you keep the scorecard, the more likely it is that you will stick to it.

I’d chose 5 or 6 numbers that if you were given week in week out would tell you if everything was OK, or if you had a potential problem.

Some ideas of the number you should keep a measure of and I’d seriously recommend having n your scorecard include:

1) How many leads have you had today?

2) How many of those leads turned into clients?

3) How much did it cost you to get those leads/clients?

4) How much was your average sale worth today?

Don’t go mad with it, I’ve seen companies that measure more than 50 numbers on a daily basis within their business. They were good at it but it took them years to build up to that level of detail. Keep it simple, pick around 6 numbers and monitor them daily or as a minimum weekly.

If you do this and make it stick. It will transform your business!

If you’d like some help developing a scorecard that will help you better understand what’s going on within your business give me a shout.

Until next time

Bye for now.

#Thisisnorthants #Strongertogether #smallbusiness #businessowners #trades #smallbusinessgrowth #marketing #businesscoach #businessgrowth #success #ABC #Evolvebusinesscoaching

The 4 Key Areas YOU NEED to Nail to Achieve Business Success

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 10:42:39 GMT

Q. What is the difference between a surviving business and a thriving business?

A. It’s your ability as the business owner to make great decisions both when under pressure to do so AND also on an ongoing basis.

If you want your business to start growing both in size and profitability, you need to start thinking strategically about these 4 areas:
1) Team

No successful business has ever become successful without the right people in place to build and drive the business forwards.

Ability is great, but without the right attitude and the right cultural fit with you and your business the technical skills of new employees are irrelevant. You’ve heard the saying ‘an apple rots from the inside out’, right? Well, the same applies to your business, you bring in one employee that isnt’t a good fit with the rest of your company and watch the chaos that unfolds.

You start to lose the employees you really want to keep, your stress levels go up, you know you have to deal with the problem but don’t. It can take years to rebuild a team once you finally get around to dealing with the problem so save yourself the stress and the heartache and deal with it now.

Every business owner I have ever spoken to can relate to this issue.

HIRE SLOW, FIRE FAST.

If somebody is a bad fit for your business, they will be equally as unhappy as they make you and the rest of the team feel, so do the right thing and let them go. Everybody will benefit from it, including the employee that is causing the problems.

When recruiting, take your time. If you need to fill a position within your team, remember, you have got this far without someone so another week, 2 weeks or even month to get the right person is not a big deal.

If you have interviewed everyone that applied and haven’t found the right person, re write the advert and make it appeal to the type of person you know you need. Recruitment and marketing are the same thing, you are trying to get the person you want to do the thing you want. In this case it is join your team rather than buy your service, but the psychology behind the process is identical.

In the case of recruitment, ‘good enough’ is not good enough!!

2. Clients

Who is your ideal client?

I can guarantee your answer is not anybody that’ll buy from me!

With the marketplace becoming flooded with ‘experts’ and in a world where social media presence is now key to nearly all business-to-business relationships, it is important to be able to differentiate yourself to the competition.

The best way to do this is to find yourself a niche. But what is a niche and why do I need one?

A niche is ‘a specialized segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service’.

You need a niche because it makes it easier to relate to you ideal client in a more meaningful way which will result in forging better long term professional relationships. It also means it is easier to find the right marketing platforms for your business.

The last time I counted, I identified 74 different ways to market your business…. 74!!!!! It is impossible to utilise all of those and get any other work done, so how do you choose? Simple, you niche. Once you’ve found your niche, you can identify where your ideal clients ‘hang out’ and you can target your marketing far more effectively than if you try to appeal to the masses.

3. Perseverance

‘When the going get’s tough’……… you know the words! And I bet your singing it in your head right now,

I know I am!

You’re welcome!

Business is never plain sailing, things go wrong. But what do you do when that happens?

Do you give up, walk away and never try it again, or do you take stock, figure out why it went wrong and try something different?

If you want to see your company grow, you will need to know how to fail fast and fail right.

If you learn how to do this, you will dramatically speed up your success in business!

There is a fantastic story about the struggles of Sylvester Stallone and his struggles when he was starting out in Hollywood. If ever there was a story that made me realise the importance of never giving up this is it. It’s a bit long for this article so click on the button below to have a quick read.

What will you choose to do when the going gets tough?

4. Goals

Most business owners don’t plan. Or at least they don’t think and plan for what they really want out of life and from their businesses. For most, they are happy to settle for a modest wage at the end of each month and only think about their marketing when they have had a bad month.

The successful business owner plans regularly.

They know what they want, and they know what they need to do to achieve it.

Sounds easy, right?

It’s not. I am a business owner and I spend my life helping business owners become SUCCESSFUL business owners. When it comes to my own personal planning, I get help. I have a coach…. Yes, I am a business coach with a business coach! Shock Horror!!!!

Why do I have a coach? Because like you, I am only human. I am great at helping others figure out what they need to do. I have all the right tools, and I know all the right questions to help people dream big and become super successful!

BUT,

and here’s the kicker,

have you ever tried to ask yourself the right questions and answer them honestly! It’s bloody hard!

My coach digs deeper with me and pushes me to think and be honest with myself, something that I cannot do on my own. Many of my clients know how to set goals and plan effectively, but they continue to ask for my help because I push them harder than they would ever push themselves.

That’s why they are now super successful.

I have created a FREE , simple planning toolkit that you can DOWNLOAD by clicking the button below.

There’s a short video I would urge you to watch before you start on your plan and if you think it would be beneficial book your FREE coaching session with me to get even more hints and tips before you start planning for your business.

These 4 areas are not the only crucial elements to creating growth for your business. But, nail these 4 areas and you will be well on your way towards achieving amazing growth and success for your business. You will also find you reduce your stress levels and can spend more time with your family doing the things you enjoy!

Have a great super successful week and if you want any help speeding up your business success, then give me a shout!

The Saddest Success Story Ever Told

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 10:21:32 GMT

This is one of the saddest success stories I have ever heard. ��

His name is Sylvester Stallone.

One of the biggest and most famous American movie stars. ��

When he was starting out, Stallone was a struggling actor in every way conceivable.

At one point, he was so broke that he stole his wife’s jewellery and sold it. He even ended up homeless. He slept at the New York bus station for 3 days. �� Unable to pay his rent or afford any food.

His lowest point came when he tried to sell his dog �� to any stranger that would buy it. He didn’t have the money to feed the dog anymore. He sold it for a measly $25. He walked away crying. ��

Two weeks later, he saw a boxing match between Mohammed Ali and Chuck Wepner and that inspired him to write the script for the famous movie, Rocky. ��

He wrote the entire script in 20 hours! And when he tried to sell it, he was offered $125,000. ��

But, he had just one condition.

He wanted to star in the movie. ⭐️

He wanted to be Rocky. But the studio said NO. �� They wanted an established movie star. �� ⭐️

They said he “Looked funny and talked funny”. He left with his script. ��

A few weeks later, the studio offered him $250,000 for the script. ��

He refused. They even offered $350,000. ��

He still refused. They wanted his movie, but not him. He said no. He had to be Rocky.

After a while, the studio agreed to pay him $35,000 for the script AND let him star in it! ��

The rest is history! The movie won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Editing at the prestigious Oscar Awards.

He was even nominated for best actor! ��

The Movie ROCKY was even inducted into the American National Film Registry as one of the greatest

movies ever! ��

And do You know the first thing he bought with the $35,000?

He bought his dog back. ��

Stallone loved and missed his dog so much that he stood outside the store where he had sold it for 3 days waiting for the man he sold his dog to. ��

On the 3rd day, he saw the man coming with the dog. ��

Stallone explained why he sold the dog and begged for the dog back. The man refused. Stallone offered him $100. The man refused. He offered him $500. And still he refused. He even refused $1000. ��

Stallone had to pay $15,000 for the same, same dog he sold for just a measly $25! ��

However, he finally got his dog back! ��

Are You a Boiling Frog?

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 13:09:25 GMT

What do you need to change in your business RIGHT NOW?

You’ve all heard the anecdote: If you place a frog in a pot of boiling water it will panic, react and leap out pretty quickly. However, if you place it in a pot of water at room temperature, it will stay put. If you then place the pot on the cooker and gradually heat the water up, the frog will do nothing.

In fact, the frog will show no sign of distress. As the temperature continues to increase it will become more and more lethargic until it no longer has the strength to climb out. Regardless of the fact there is nothing forcing the frog to stay in the pot, it will sit there and boil.

Frogs are genetically geared to react to sudden threats and changes in their environment, not to slow gradual changes. This is known as sensory adaptation. A frog’s ability to adapt to the slowly increasing temperature is definitely not conducive to its long-term survival.

Let’s look at this in the more familiar environment of our own lives and businesses. Most of the change that we experience is gradual. It is rare for change to occur suddenly.

I have found with many of my clients that they have become accustomed to some shocking situations within their businesses, and have not realised that they are in fact, like the frog, in a boiling pot of water. If they had been thrown into the situation suddenly, they would most definitely have reacted to the situation and made an immediate change. But why do they stay in water that is approaching the boiling point? Is it because they just haven’t noticed, or is it because they have slowly become accustomed to the situation and accepted it as ‘just the way it is’?

An external perspective can be all it takes to alert the business owner to the danger they and their business are in; the challenge then is helping them to jump out of the water and alleviate the fear of ending up in the fire.

It’s human nature to be fearful of change. So, instead of jumping, they attempt to continue treading water hoping that the heat will eventually go away. What is riskier: trying to adapt and survive the heat, or jump out of the pot and change the environment? The question is, is this situation good for my business? If the answer is no, it’s time to jump and change it.

The Frog was not killed by the water, it was killed because it didn’t react in time.

There are occasions where adaptation is necessary, but there are others where it is not appropriate and will only end up delaying the inevitable.

Chose to jump or chose not to jump. Deep down, you know what you (really, really) need to do.

As the business owner, only you can make the change. The environment around you is of your making and can only be controlled by you.

If you think you may be sitting in a pot of water that’s slowly being heated up. Reach out and let’s have a chat.

Your first session is FREE and it could just change the course of your business forever.

How to Work on, Rather Than in Your Business

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Fri, 28 May 2021 10:10:10 GMT

6 Things To Do Now To Get You Working On Your Business

• Are you a busy fool? • What have you actually achieved today?

• Have you been busy all day delivering your service to your customers?

• Did you earn enough to pay yourself today?

• Did you earn enough to pay yourself what you are worth??

• Did you have to work more than 8 hours today?

• Is todays customer going to come back to you for more work in the future?

These questions may seem harsh, but if you are working hard, it’s only right that the money you get paid reflects that!

OK, I am being harsh. The truth is, I meet many busy people who work hard. Who’re hard at it every hour of the day and even at the weekends. Nice, hardworking, clever people who are simply not achieving the success they deserve.

Why?

Because they’re working in the business rather than on the business. They’re operational, not strategic. They’re managing, not leading. There’s no clear focus on the end goal, that’s if there even is an end goal.

Perhaps you’re self-employed. You’re great at what you do but getting enough customers that could use your services is something you avoid at all costs.

Here’s how to change things:

1) Get Out of The Weeds

This seems like a crazy idea to any business owner the first time they hear it, but believe me, it always pay off. Spend some time not doing the ‘work’ and think long and hard about the things that go wrong in your business regularly. Are there processes within your business that don’t work as well as they could? How could you do things differently?

Remember – What got you here, won’t get you there!

Is there a typically busy period at the same time every year, or every month? How can you plan for that time better?

Picture things working perfectly, what does that look like? Write it down and implement a new procedure that will make that happen.

Be pro-active, NOT reactive.

2) Improve Your Work-Life Balance

Some people have their best business ideas while they’re sweating their socks off at the gym, others, while taking a drive. You’ve probably noticed that some of your best ideas have come to you while you’re doing other things. You need proper down time., it is essential to help you reflect, reset and re-energise.

I learnt this particular lesson the hard way, your family needs you, not earning, but in person. Everything we do as a business owner is for the family, but the most important thing to them isn’t the money, the goals, the dreams….. No, it’s your presence. Make time to be with them!

Having a healthy work life balance is more important today than it has ever been. It will help you stay sane and put everything into perspective. It’s easy to get wrapped up in our own little world at work that everything just seems unachievable, it never is, you just need the time to process, think and plan.

3) Outsource Certain Tasks

Do you do your own accounts? If so, STOP IT! It’s not your area of expertise and so you’re likely to get things wrong. The money you spend on a good accountant will give you more time to work ON your business and in doing so you will easily earn more than you pay the accountant.

Consider outsourcing your jobs, not all the time, but maybe 1 or 2 days a week so you can focus on the growth of your business. If you offer a valuable skill, there are people out there who are as good as you. You may not want to admit it, but the fact is, there are! Find one you trust, let them prove themselves, you may be able to offer them work in exchange for a finders’ fee of some sort. Many business owners have found this an effective method of giving themselves some time to work on their businesses thereby increasing profits.

4) Personal Development and Training

I have some amazing clients!

People with skills I could only dream of having; business owners who deliver great work and brilliant customer service. They have all this, but they can’t sell. They don’t understand the importance of marketing. And, they don’t fully understand that in order to run a successful business you need good mix of operational, interpersonal and business development skills.

Why do businesses fail?

One reason and one reason only: Because people don’t make enough money. Don’t let that person be you.

Consider investing in a few self-development books (contact me I have hundreds of recommendations because I read…. A LOT!) TED talks are great, download the app and watch ones that are appropriate to you and the areas you want to develop. There are thousands of great resources out there, some of them free– that can help you develop the essential skills you need to run a successful business.

5) It’s All About the Money

You need to get a grip on the money coming in and out of your business.

For the business owner, everything is about finances. Do you know what your profit margin is?

Work out the money you need to live on, PLUS your “I wish I had” earnings. Are you earning enough to live on? What’s the difference between the two?

You may need the help of a business coach for this one if you find figures a bit scary. I’ll help you get on top of the money side.

6) A Great Plan

Again, you’ll need to get out of the weeds for a while. The results are well worth it, though.

If you want to work on your business rather than in it, you need to see the bigger picture.

Planning for your business regularly keeps you in tune with your vision, your goals, your dreams. It also ensures that you are regularly ‘checking in’ with yourself (and for some of you with your team) to ensure you are doing the right things to move you closer to those goals. On some occasions you will find that you are slightly off course. Regular planning will help you get back on track.

Download my FREE planning toolkit and start planning today.

Is all of this easy?

Of course not, nothing good in life is easy. If it was, everybody would be doing it! But you’re different from everybody else. You want to grow, develop and build a great life.

There are no short cuts to doing things differently. Working on rather than in your business isn’t easy. Having helped countless business owners to take their business to the next level, I’d love to help you build the life and the business you know you can have!

Get in touch today and start your journey towards your dream life.

How Much Does Business Coaching Cost?

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Thu, 27 May 2021 10:34:48 GMT

The real question you should be asking yourself is can you afford NOT to commit to a coaching programme?

If you’ve made it this far, you’re obviously serious about taking your business to the next level. Awesome, you’ve just taken the first step towards building an amazing business that outperforms your competitors.

Now for the answer to the question on your lips, how much does Business Coaching cost?

Can you afford it?

The real question you should be asking yourself is can you afford NOT to commit to a coaching programme?

There are hundreds upon hundreds of business coaches out there who seemingly all offer the same. But none of them like to tell you how much you can expect to be paying until they have you on the phone. And that’s wrong!

The typical price range is anywhere from £200 per month right up to £2000 per month for various coaching programmes.

Warning:

You get what you pay for!

This is certainly true at the lower end of the pricing scale where a coach at this level, really doesn’t have to have a huge impact on your business to cover their cost. This is what they rely on, making a small difference.

At the top end of the scale, the coaches are well equipped to make a good return on investment, but they’re geared more towards the companies already turning over a few million that can afford their fees.

Beware of any coach that won’t offer you a guarantee against their services. If they are as good as they say they are, then why wouldn’t they?

We understand that there isn’t a one size fits all solution to the challenges businesses face. Every business is different with different goals, different challenges and all at different stages of their business journey. That’s why we offer a range of bespoke Business Coaching services. Whether you’re facing a particular challenge in your business, are just starting out in on your own adventure into the world of the business owner, or would just like a sounding board to offer up some ideas you maybe haven’t though of, Evolve can help.

Business Coaching is a genuine business expense, therefore they are fully tax-deductible.

So, to answer your question: How much does Business Coaching cost?

The answer is less than you think.

Your first coaching session is free.

I work with companies right across the UK so coach via Zoom as it is quicker and more effective for me and for you. After all, you do have a business to run.

I can for certain clients coach at their premises however this is considered on a case by case basis and does incur an additional charge.

For full details on our coaching programmes and associated pricing click the button below and visit our pricing page.

There is no smoke and mirrors, the prices are listed there and will give you a good feel for whether or not you are ready to make this commitment to yourself and your business.

Answer The Phone!!!!!

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Wed, 26 May 2021 13:11:32 GMT

I had to record this video following a coaching session today!

In brief, I had my first coaching session with a new client today and they revealed something to me that both amazed me and left me speechless! Quite how they are still in business I do not know but there is 1 very quick improvement they can make that will deliver them huge results!

Watch the video, and make sure you're sitting down or not operating heavy machinery as it will shock the life out of you!

Why setting out to win work based on price is the biggest mistake you will ever make!

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Mon, 24 May 2021 17:09:44 GMT

What actually happens when you reduce your prices to increase your sales?

Reducing your prices in order to win more work is easy. Anybody can do it! But do you know what damage it causes to your business?

Ask yourself this: What am I trying to achieve by lowering my prices?

I bet your answer is to generate more business and make more profit. Right….

Well you have the first part right, you’ll get more work (a lot more work). But your profit and your business will suffer drastically!

What you end up doing is attracting the wrong type of customer. You attract the customer who is driven solely on price. They have no concept of the meaning of value.

Customers who are driven by price, wouldn’t buy what you offer if they had to pay full price.

These customers are much higher maintenance than those that will pay full price for your service. They end up taking up more of your time, causing you more stress, and paying well under what they should. They’re the customers that make you question why you bother.

Aside from that, in letting them have what you have to offer for a significantly reduced rate, tells your customers that do pay full price, that they are being overcharged….so they then stop paying full price.

The customers you attracted with your lower prices, will leave you as soon as you put your prices up. They have no loyalty to anything other than a bargain, you won’t build a successful business supplying bargains.

By attracting customers using reduced or industry standard pricing, you are killing your business.

Are you Average?

Of course you’re not! Nobody goes into business to deliver a mediocre service or product, and you’re no different. So why do you charge an average price?

Overcoming this problem is not easy, but it is doable if you are prepared to think about it and build value behind your service. Sell the value, not the product.

The 2 things that set your businesses pricing are:

1) Your customers perception of what the price should be;

2) Your perception of what the price should be

The hardest perception to break is yours, not your customers.

The sooner you manage to completely disconnect price and product in your own mind…

The easier it is to make a lot of money.

I know this is easier said than done. But it is possible.

Is your price attracting the best possible customers for you?

Have a great week, - & if you want to make rapid progress implementing a SYSTEM to generate all the customers your business needs consistently & predictably, so you don’t have to reduce your prices, then drop me a message, send me an email, give me a call… Just reach out and let’s move your business forwards!

8 Benefits To Planning For Your Business + FREE Planning Toolkit

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Thu, 20 May 2021 12:12:45 GMT

Q: Do you really need a business plan?

A: Yes & it is easier than you think!

1. Businesses that plan regularly grow 30% quicker than those that don’t!

Writing a business plan is not about accurately predicting the future of your company. It is the thinking and the process of writing your plan that is key. Writing a plan and reviewing it regularly gives you great insight into what’s working, what isn’t and what you need to do next to achieve your goals.

Business planning is about regularly setting goals, tracking your progress toward those goals, and making changes to your business as you learn what is working well and what is not.

Don’t believe me? Studies have proven that companies that plan and review regularly, grow 30% faster than those that don’t. As well as faster growth, research also shows that companies that plan also perform better and make more profit. They are less likely to become a business that fails, or that experience cash flow problems that have you, the business owner awake at night worrying.

2. You can make big decisions about spending knowing it is the right one.

As your business grows, some of the best problems you will have are deciding when to hire that new employee, when to buy or lease that office, or whether you can afford to buy new vehicles or equipment.

These are huge decisions for the small business owner, and if you are regularly reviewing the plan and the forecasts set out in your business plan, you are going to have better information to use to know when the right time is.

3. You are more likely to identify cash flow issues before they arise.

In order to be able to make big spending decisions, you need to understand and monitor your business’s cash flow. Your cash flow statement is one of the three key financial statements need to understand in order to plan effectively along with your balance sheet and your P&L statement (Profit and Loss).

Reviewing your cash flow statement regularly as part of your business planning process will help you identify potential cash flow issues before they arise so you can make the right decisions to avoid not being able to pay your bills.

4 . You will not secure finance without one!

If you are asking a bank or an investor for any form of funding, before they part with their cash, they are going to want assurance that you have a good handle on your small business’s current and future finances.

You don’t need to write War and Peace, but you will need to provide something that shows there’s a market for your business’s services or products and it will need to include your key financial statements and forecasts.

A good business plan should make it easy for potential investors to understand your business plans and financials.

5. Regular planning reduces your risk

As a new business owner, there is so much you don’t know—about your customers, your competition, and even about operations. You learn it all ‘on the job’. However, there comes a point where you are working so hard serving your customers, you don’t have the time to look at your business and the direction it is heading in. Or to put it more accurately, you don’t make time to do it.

Taking some time away from the day to day is key to ensuring you keep a tight grip on the direction your business is heading. It is the only way you can spot when you are slightly off track and you can make some small changes to bring everything back in line.

It doesn’t take long, yet too many business owners don’t give regular planning the attention it needs and as a result only ever achieve mediocre results at best. The successful ALL plan.

6. It’s a great way to get team engagement and ensure all your team members are aligned with your goals .

A smart business owner will plan with their team. Doing this makes it easier to get everyone on your team on the same page. The team will inevitably throw up some great ideas you hadn’t thought of and as a team you’ll be able to agree, how you plan to get from where you are now, to where you want to be.

Getting your team all working towards the same goals will increase your efficiency. You will get their buy-in from the start, and as you progress, it is then easier to track and communicate your progress.

If everyone on your team knows how their work impacts the larger company, the more invested they will be in achieving your business’s goals because they will know their contribution really matters.

7. It will help you set goals and milestones.

Every good business plan outlines SMART goals and milestones. SMART goals are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-based

A business plan without any measurable goals or milestones will not be as effective as one that clearly defines the things that must be achieved on the way to the end goal. Afterall, what is there to measure progress if you cannot tick things off the plan as you achieve them?

Start with the big goals, and then break them down into small milestones that need to be achieved on the way to achieving the end goal.

8. A good business plan will increase the value of your company!

Your end goal might be that you want to sell your business or position yourself for acquisition. Having a solid business plan will help you make the case for a higher valuation. Your business will likely sell for more, if it is easy for them to understand your business, your market, and the potential to grow and scale your business.

HOW TO GET STARTED

Easy, start small, plan for the next quarter - DOWNLOAD OUR FREE PLANNING TOOLKIT

The importance of having a plan and reviewing it regularly goes way beyond basic planning and goal setting.

The key however is to just get started. Get in the habit of regular planning. It is easier than you think!

For more advanced business planning help. Ask about our business coaching programme and even try a FREE coaching session to see how it can ACCELERATE THE GROWTH OF YOUR BUSINESS.

As a Business Owner, What Do You Get Paid For?

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Thu, 13 May 2021 12:38:14 GMT

Q: As an entrepreneur and business owner, what do you get paid for?

Think about that this week.

The big earners, the super-successful, the stars in every industry or sector, simply get more stuff done.

Too many entrepreneurs are too ineffective at implementation.
They plot and plan. They have great ideas and worthy goals, but their dreams never take flight.
Because they don't make it happen.

They allow themselves to be thwarted - and they always have a good excuse!

Some bask in the martyrdom of having to serve customers or deal with staff issues which meant that they couldn't get X done, (when X would have moved them and their business forward).

But the price for not getting X done is a smaller bank balance. A diminished life.

Everything in life comes at a price.

And the price you pay for not implementing and getting things done is massive.
Life affecting. For you and the ones you love...

A lot of people like the Nike slogan, without thinking about what it actually means. If they did, they’d hate it. It says that whatever others think about you matters little – it's what you do that matters most.

Have a great week, - & if you want to make rapid progress implementing a SYSTEM to generate all the customers your business needs consistently & predictably, then give me a call…

My Instant Cure For Procrastination

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Fri, 07 May 2021 13:34:17 GMT

What tasks do you know you should do, but always find yourself putting off?

Do you sometimes find yourself putting off important tasks over and over again? If you do, you're definitely not on your own!

Most people tend to procrastinate to some degree but apparently around 20% of people allow procrastination to stop them fulfilling their potential... and that's the kiss of death for anyone in business. Especially if you want to be super successful!

The experts say that in order to overcome procrastination, you need to first recognise that you're doing it, then work out why you're doing it.

Usually it's because we don't enjoy doing that thing and we try to avoid it. Sometimes it just boils down to being disorganised... but sometimes we procrastinate because we just don't feel we have the skills and we put it off because we're overwhelmed.

Here's my own take on it.

To most people, marketing doesn't come easy and because of that, this can be the 'thing' that doesn't get done. If this is happening in your business, it's SUICIDE because marketing is the single most important thing you need to do every day.

If you're procrastinating and NOT doing your 90 minutes every day, here is one good reason why you should change that habit NOW! TODAY!

If you're not focusing for 90 minutes on getting and keeping customers at least four or five times a week, your business will stay exactly where it is now! Simple!

If you're not good at marketing, get good at it! No excuses! If you don't enjoy it, it's probably because you're not doing it.

Believe me, when you start seeing your business grow exponentially as a result of the marketing you're doing, you'll LOVE marketing!

And if your problem is being disorganised, how hard is it to turn off the phone, your email and all other distractions, to close the door and focus for 90 minutes every day when you're at your best?

Here's a word of advice. If there are things that you're 'trying' to do yourself (or that you're just putting off) that you're not good at or you don't enjoy, OR if they are taking up time you could be spending getting and keeping customers, get them outsourced ASAP!

Smart business owners have structured things so they spend their time GROWING the business. They focus ONLY on what matters the most - and they get help with the rest!

Spend your time getting good at marketing, developing your business and building your network NOT on things that need to get done but that don't need to be done by you!

So there you have it - my instant cure for procrastination!

Have a great (super productive) week! – and if you’d like real, hands-on help to crack the rhythmic acquisition of customers for your business through being brilliant AND SYSTEMATIC at marketing then give me a call – ‘cos I can definitely help!

Show up Like Nobody Else

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 13:10:39 GMT

If you do the same as your competitors, you're not going to get better results!

Here's something to get your brain cells churning. It's a biggie.

Infact I’d say it’s the number 1 mistake that most people know but don't do.

It's not about money. People who've got money to spend make the exact same mistake. It's a mental mistake that has to be fixed in the way that you think.

Most businesses try and get their leads/customers/clients/patients as cheaply as they possibly can. That's their mission. They are easily attracted to what looks like the cheapest thing to do. Like moths to a flame - they’re stupid.

They deprive themselves of the number one advantage that they could ever have, which is to create a scenario where they can outspend their competition.

By going cheap, they can only do a very limited number of things. By changing their strategy and getting their economics right, they can buy speed, growth and discourage competitors from entering the market.

Smart marketers structure their business so they can out-spend everyone else.

1% send full colour, glossy packages mailed to the right people out in the post.

99% will ask if they can go black and white, or reduce the paper weight, or number of pages to drive down cost. Or they’ll email it or have it available for download. STUPID!!!

The 1% will ask what could they do to force people to read it - to incentivise people to read it?

"Show up like nobody else" is a seriously smart strategy - and the best way to do that is to spend money like nobody else. Not cavalier-like. Not without testing properly.

The biggest and best question you should be asking yourself this week: "What can I do that will allow me to change the economics of getting a customer - to spend more money?"

Told you I'd get you thinking.

Have a great week and if you’d like some help to crack the rhythmic acquisition of customers then give me a call...

Could Vs. Should

183:869143252 (Adam Fox) — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 12:56:09 GMT

What should I be doing to market my business?

There are lots and lots of things that you CAN do to market your business.

But just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean that you SHOULD do it.

Do what you do for the right reasons.

Be wary of investing in things because they are popular, or are 'what everybody else does'.

Be resistant to approaches from sales people selling their particular media. All marketing should be the result of a well thought through 'Market - Message - Media' plan and you can't get that if you start with media. Ever.

Not everyone with opinions has qualified opinions - so be choosy who you listen to.

Discernment, remember!

Oh, and be wary of advice from employees, peers, friends and family. Not everybody has your best interests at heart.

And finally this week, know for sure that most marketing fails or under-performs not because it wasn't a good idea, but because of poor follow through.

Fixing that this week could be a really smart use of your time...

Have a great week, - and if you’d like some help to crack the rhythmic acquisition of customers for your business give me a call…

8cfc831bbae94c0c818086586d309abc

You’re Busy, But Are You Actually Getting Anywhere? (The DROP System Approach)

If you don’t take control of your time, someone else will.

The DROP System: How to Stop Drowning & Start Progressing

So, What’s Next?

The Price You Set Is the Value You Accept: Why Undercharging Is Killing Your Business

It’s time to stop letting fear or competition dictate your prices

Introduction

The True Cost of Undercharging

Why People Pay More: The Psychology of Pricing

Setting a Price That Reflects Your Value

How to Break Free from the Discount Mindset

Communicating Your Value to Clients

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Conclusion: Raise Your Prices, Raise Your Standards

Zero Budget, Maximum Impact: Free Marketing Strategies You’re Too Lazy to Use

It’s about getting your name in front of the right eyeballs

1. Write for Your Clients’ Industry Publications (Not Yours)

2. Join Committees and Own the Room

3. Get on Podcasts & Webinars—People Need to Hear Your Voice

4. Max Out LinkedIn—Stop Being Lazy and Start Showing Up

5. Host Free Workshops or Training Sessions—Show Off Your Expertise

Conclusion: No Budget, No Excuses

Claude Hopkins: The Untold Story of How One Man Transformed Marketing Forever

Cut the crap and get back to focusing on what really matters

Introduction

Who Was Claude Hopkins?

The Game-Changing Methods of Claude Hopkins

Customer-Centric Marketing

Proof-Based Advertising

‘Reason-Why’ Copywriting

Sampling and Coupons

Measurable Success

Brands Hopkins Made Unstoppable

Pepsodent: The Toothpaste that Changed Smiles Forever

Palmolive Soap: More Than Just Suds

Schlitz Beer: When Clarity Meets Sales

Bissell Carpet Sweeper: Cleaning Up the Competition

The Legacy of Claude Hopkins

Modern Marketing: A Lost Art?

The Result: Complicated, Impersonal Marketing

Lessons for Modern Marketers

Return to Customer Focus

The Power of Simplicity

Measure Everything

Conclusion

Why You Procrastinate and How to Finally Stop (Yes, Even You!)

Take control of your time, boost your productivity, and lead your business with confidence

What Is Procrastination and Why Does It Happen?

The Cost of Procrastination in Leadership

Key Psychological Causes of Procrastination

The Hidden Procrastination Traps for Business Leaders

Effective Strategies to Overcome Procrastination

Psychological Strategies

Time Management Strategies

Delegation and Team Utilisation

Tools and Apps to Help Combat Procrastination

Task Management Tools

Time Management and Focus Tools

Tools for Accountability

Conclusion

The Real Reasons Behind Lack of Motivation (And How to Get Your Mojo Back)

When people say they lack motivation, there’s often something deeper at play.

The Physical Factors: Your Body’s Secret Saboteurs

1. Lack of Sleep: Burning the Candle at Both Ends

2. Poor Diet: You Are What You Eat (Literally)

3. Chronic Stress: The Silent Motivation Killer

4. Underlying Health Issues: When Something’s Not Quite Right

5. Sedentary Lifestyle: The Vicious Cycle of Inactivity

Mental and Emotional Factors: The Inner Saboteurs

6. Mental Health Concerns: The Heavy Hitters

7. Overwhelm: Too Much On Your Plate

8. Perfectionism: The Fear of Imperfection

9. Lack of Clear Goals: A Wandering Ship Without a Destination

10. Negative Self-Talk: The Uninvited Critic in Your Head

Environmental and Situational Factors: The External Saboteurs

11. Distractions: The Productivity Thieves

12. Lack of Structure: Drifting Through the Day

13. Toxic Relationships or Work Environments: Motivation Vampires & Mood Hoovers

14. Unrealistic Expectations: Setting Yourself Up for Failure