Tag Archives for " entrepreneur "

One of the things we really love about Thailand is the amazing food. Eating is a way of life here and there are so many fresh dishes to try, of course you wish you could replicate them at home.

There are lots of Thai cooking classes you can attend. We found one nearby called Aroy-Aroy which means “delicious” - literally it translates as “I like-I like” (you can say this to the chef after a meal and it means “It was delicious, I liked it a lot”). I highly recommend this class if you are in Chiang Mai, it’s so much more than a cooking school.

While in Thailand, we spent two fantastic days at the Elephant Nature Park, a rescue and rehabilitation centre for pachyderms, in the Chiang Mai provence, and yes, they taught us some valuable lessons in Personal Branding.

Initially all the elephants look the same and although the guides share each animal's story (many of which told of torture from the now illegal logging industry, landmine injury and ongoing abuse from tourist trekking where they carry almost half a ton of chair and human weight for days on end) it was at first, hard to remember each elephant individually.

We started to identify them by their physical appearance, like Lucky who endured forced breeding programs and cannot control her bladder, or Kabu who manages to get about quite swiftly with her disabled leg which was crushed by a log when she was a baby. 

Very quickly however, we discovered that each elephant has unique characteristics and personality. The guides even recognise the noise each one makes, one elephant being called a “drama queen” because of the ruckus she starts with her trumpeting.

The lesson of course is that we are all unique, we all have our differences, our quirks and idiosyncrasies which make us instantly recognisable to others, but there's much more to learn from elephants about personal branding than that...

Do you currently do what you do best?
Ironic I know, but you might think you have nothing to teach anyone...it's probably because you have forgotten just how much you know!
If you've been doing what you do for 5 years or more, chances are you do plenty on autopilot, you get it done without even thinking about it!
It's all part of the learning process:
Whenever you learn something new you begin with Unconscious Incompetence - you don't know what you don't know, you are just excited because it's all new.

The Entrepreneurial Brain is amazing, with it you have overcome the fear of failure and decided to start your own business, telling that "itty-bitty-shitty-committee' in your head to be quiet and let you just get on with it.

Trouble is, now that you have the superhuman power to be in control of the fear centre in your own brain, you are also incredibly wide open to opportunity.

Having a tsunami style flood of ideas on the go is typical of the entrepreneur, an effect otherwise known as 'bright-shiny-object-itis'.

It's a powerful thing to have all these great ideas, however it can lead to having called FOMO - the fear of missing out. when you suffer FOMO, you try to be everything to everyone, stopping you from standing out as different.

Of course standing out from the crowd will always help you attract more of your perfect prospects and the first step is to decide what you want to stand for.
Most brands have something they are known for - Nike is action, Apple is Imagination, Cadbury is a luxury treat, Volvo is safe...

When it comes to goals... you need to Just Do It!
So here we are...the first quarter of 2015 is over and a nice 4 days off for those who celebrate Easter...what did you plan to be doing at this stage? Did you write goals in the New Year that are now buried under paperwork or gathering dust somewhere?

Do any of your goals scare you?
Do they push you outside your comfort zone?
Are they the type of goals that make you sweat at night and wake up gasping with your brain screaming at you "How are you going to do all that!!!???".
Are your goals motivating you enough?

There is an affliction service providers and consultants are suffering from and it’s killing their businesses.
It’s called FOMO. The Fear Of Missing Out.
And it's becoming an epidemic...If one more person tells me that their target audience is “everyone” …I will scream!
I believe FOMO is one of the main reasons why most service providers struggle to find and communicate their point of difference.

They don’t want to ‘miss out’ on all those potential clients out there by being specific about the distinct type of person they help. They try to be “everything to everyone”.
As a service provider or consultant it can be difficult to narrow down your “inch wide, mile deep” niche, because you believe your service can help almost anyone.

Trouble is, going after everyone is virtually impossible, especially on a zero marketing budget, and it’s detrimental to your brand.
FOMO could be stopping you from becoming known for a specific service, with a specific clientele.
Why is it so important to become known as a specialist?

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I love the idea of exercising, it’s the actual doing of it that I find difficult.

Once I had a goal to lose about 10kg and decided that I would go for a bike ride every morning. I found a nice flat circular route of about 10kms and set my alarm to go for it first thing in the morning.

All my clothes, hat and shoes were ready by the bed so there was a seamless action as I jumped out of bed and got dressed, out the door and on the bike before my brain had really woken up and started telling me how crazy I was to be cycling while it was still dark.

Trying to absorb all the marketing messages we see each day is a little bit like trying to drink for a fire hydrant!
There is just so much going on. So is it easier or more difficult to get your marketing right these days? Here's what I think:

Why it's more difficult:
1) The power has shifted to the consumer - traditional selling doesn't work anymore because the consumer has all the info, choice, leverage and options available to them.

Consumers see 3000 messages each day, that's about 4 a minute... How on earth is your message going to cut through that and get noticed?

When it comes to marketing, most businesses are going around in circles, with no direction. That's because brand often takes a backseat to marketing. Most entrepreneurs have an amazing product or service they are trying to promote and it doesn't get noticed, because they don't have a unique brand position.

The trouble with flying in circles, is that eventually the fuel tank will be empty, there will be no money left to keep going and you will crash and burn. Your incredible solution to someones problem will never take off.

So excited and honoured to be a part of the Start-Up Gold Coast weekend. 15-17 Nov.
I'm a mentor at the event, helping attendees with their brand development. Very cool!

If you have a great money making idea and want to develop it and get funding, find partners, build a business with it etc, you should definitely register to take part in this.

If you love new technology and innovation, come along on the Friday night to hear the pitches or on the Sunday night to hear the winners - Just $20.

Here is the link: http://goldcoast.startupweekend.org/

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