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What You Should Know About Social Media And Business

Let me share a a very timely article on Bnet that anyone with a business should read. Whether you're using social media, want to use social media in your business, or believe you can ignore social media in your business. Well it is timely to me, since social media questions are becoming more and more the topic that emerges in my discussions with clients and business owners. The amount of bad information out there, and number of business owners who are either oblivious or misinformed about online matters is of much concern to me, quite frankly. I do wonder at times who they are hiring to inform them.

It still remains that many small business owners think that they don't need to be online, or that their lack of interest in computers in some way is significant to their customers! Nope. Whether you use a computer for anything more than checking the weather, other people (people with money who are and who could be customers for your business) are using their computers for many, many things. Notably, for researching future purchase options, for one example.

Yes you need to be online.

No it doesn't need to cost a fortune.

Just because someone offers you a "deal" - if you don't understand what you are getting for your money and how to determine if this is value - or a rort - then find out before you start.

Yes it will cost something.

Getting a website is the beginning - not the end.

Guess what - online people are offline too! Bring them together.

Get to know people who understand social media, the internet and business.

Put your Learning Hat on.

Ultimately, hopping into social media will expand your ideas on what's possible.

I rather think that's a Good Thing.

Here's the link.

Eight Ways To Kill Your Social Media Strategy

Enjoy!

Lindy

Thinking Of Getting A Business Coach?
Lindy Asimus
Design Business Engineering
Get Help For Your Business

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Helping New Employees

You wouldn't do this in your business, of course.

Position descriptions.
Procedures written down.

Don't make your staff guess what you want.

Don't give them an excuse for not performing.

Thinking Of Getting A Business Coach?
Lindy Asimus
Design Business Engineering
Get Help For Your Business

Download your free 24 Page Action Plan Marketing Workbook!

Subscribe to Actionbites Blog

Who Does What? Roles In Your Business

We sometimes wear many hats!

Many small businesses start with the owner doing all the tasks that need to be undertaken to get the business growing. Having a plan to develop the business can start with a map of what the current territory looks like, and that can be as simple as commencing with good descriptions of each position that is important within the business even when every position is currently filled by you!

Whether you look in the future to add employees or outsource parts of the operations to an outside service provider, it is helpful to have a good description of the position, both for the execution of the role in the best possible way, but when well crafted, can form the basis of your recruiting criteria for the position, as well as the baseline for assessing performance during future reviews.

Michael Gerber famously described the difference between 'working in your business', from 'working on your business.' With a good outline for all those positions within your business both currently being undertaken, but also those duties that *should* be happening even if they are not yet then you have a great starting point to grow a healthy business.

Armed with comprehensive position descriptions, some well written procedures for each task and a visual organization chart, you are well on your way to developing your own 'franchise prototype'. That's smart. Smart for your business, and smart for your sanity as a business owner. And of course, all that smart translates as profitability. A well-run business will earn you more money, save you unnecessary stress and be worth more to a prospective buyer.

You'd prefer that...Right?

What Do I Do?

I help owners of small businesses to focus on what they want from their business and life. Discover and articulate their vision, review the business, so as to streamline operations, improve productivity, reduce waste and grow more profits.

Lindy Asimus

Thinking Of Getting A Business Coach?
Lindy Asimus
Design Business Engineering
Get Help For Your Business

Download your free 24 Page Action Plan Marketing Workbook!

Subscribe to Actionbites Blog

Work At Home And Keep Your Focus

Many of us are now working from home, or attempting to, and there has been much written on the benefits and the pitfalls of maintaining a working routine when we are working to our own schedule, not one dictated in a "real job".

Therein lies the problem sometimes. Self employed people can share similarities with business owners who have a business they run but fall into bad habits... like doing what the business owner does... not necessarily what the business needs done! That lack of 'someone else' to dictate when we do what we do and set deadlines for us, can mean that we lack the structured routine that would commit our time in set ways.

That's the key to making the most of our time working from home. Having set guidelines and putting aside time - marked into the calendar - to dedicate to specific jobs and being accountable to complete those things we set out to do, in a timeframe that allows to plan for all the other things we need to do, around those times.

Working these hours? Then work.

On scheduled time off? Then stay off. Turn off the phone, close the door and keep your free time free. Never allow work to bleed into your free time.

Be clear on your time as you are with your goals. Fill out your diary with some long weekends and plan to spend some special time with your partner throughout the year. Plan first, then stick to it, and never make that special time try to fit around everything else that you have to do.

Do you have tips that have worked to make your time working at home more effective?

Thinking Of Getting A Business Coach?
Lindy Asimus
Design Business Engineering
Get Help For Your Business

Download your free 24 Page Action Plan Marketing Workbook!

Subscribe to Actionbites Blog

Brain Plasticity - Use It Or Lose It

A recent video from ABC TV Fora brings us a piece by Norman Doidge with the good news that aging doesn't need to mean an inevitable slide into loss of our mental faculties.

Good news!

Norman Doidge On The Brain That Changes Itself -, 18 September 2009 10:00

The cliche that you can't teach an old dog new tricks may soon be obsolete. The more we learn about the human brain, the more we understand the potential that it has to change, adapt and grow. Traditionally the brain was seen as being like a machine, its neural pathways set in stone from childhood. But new studies have shown that the brain can be trained to recover from strokes or paralysis, lifelong habits can be broken, and aging brains be rejuvenated. Through new experiences and brain exercises we can alter our brain's anatomy to improve cognition, perception, memory and intelligence. In this enlightening session at the Sydney Writers Festival, Norman Doidge talks about the remarkable plasticity of the brain, and shares some examples of how we can open it up to new realms of possibilities.

Norman Doidge is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. He is on the research faculty at Columbia University's Centre for Psychoanalytic Training and Research and his recent book, "The Brain That Changes Itself"

Have you thought about learning new skills and disciplines to keep your brain active?

Love to see your ideas on what you might choose. Perhaps a language and music would be a good way to go.

What do you think?

Activity With Purpose

A Story About Activity Without Purpose

John Henry Fabre, the great French naturalist, conducted a most unusual experiment with some Processionary Caterpillars. Processionary Caterpillars blindly follow the one in front of them. That's why they are called "processionary"--they travel in a procession. Fabre filled a flower pot close to the rim with dirt. He then carefully arranged some Processionary Caterpillars in a circle around the rim of the flower pot, so that the lead caterpillar actually touched the last one, making a complete circle. In the center of the flower pot he put pine needles, which is food for the Processionary Caterpillar.

The caterpillars started walking around the circular flower pot. Around and around they went, hour after hour, day after day, night after night. They obtained no nourishment, no rest. For seven full days and seven full nights they went around the flower pot. Finally, they dropped dead of starvation and exhaustion. Which begs the question for us all...

What Purpose Is Your Activity Serving?

Just as it is useful to understand the purpose that our activity serves, understanding what is our core Purpose is vital in living a life of meaning. I think that Earl Nightingale said it best when he announced that the greatest secret in the world, and the secret to success in life, was to spend our life working toward a worthwhile purpose. Really knowing what is important to us can help inform our sense of purpose in life. A worthwhile purpose can motivate and inspire, not just ourself, but also those around us.

Earl Nightingale lived in a completely different world than we live in now. And yet all these years later, his words are as simple yet powerful as ever. You be the judge.