You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Money & Business' category.
Ambition, drive, and commonsense will always stand you in good stead, but to really get ahead you must understand yourself. Here are some quick questions that I’ve found to be very useful in getting myself organised so that I can kick bigger goals:
- “What are my strengths?” – there’s nothing like critiquing yourself to better understand your skills, habits and patterns.
- “How do I best operate?” – do you work best by listening, reading, or watching and in what kind of environment are you most suited?
- “What are my values?” – knowing your ethics and morals will help determine the organization and people that are you are best matched with.
- “Where am I most happy?” – we all want to feel a sense of belonging and feel valued.
- “How can I contribute?” –your responses to the above questions will best determine what skills, strengths, values etc you can best contribute.
By answering the five questions above in an honest and pragmatic fashion will help you to better understand yourself. By better understanding yourself, you’ll be in the best position to organize and systemize your life for true greatness.
Marquette Turner is one of 12 Australian companies, along with Qantas, IBM and Commonwealth Bank, that officially and publically recognize the right of equal opportunity in the workplace to extend to marriage equality.
By being part of the Australian Marriage Equality, we along with a handful of other upright Australian companies confirm that we grant full recognition to any marriage, regardless of race, colour, creed or sex, and employ and work with customers with such sightedness.
In doing so and recognizing that all people should be treated with dignity and respect, we invite you to take a moment to visit the site of AME without judgment or opinion cast.
Simon Turner
Ideas cost nothing, so here’s a few to hopefully give you a jolt into helping you find your niche:
Personal services. Can you save someone else time? Running errands for seniors, preparing someone’s tax returns or walking your neighbors’ dogs are examples of valuable services to offer.
Gardening and landscaping. Consider the growing garden trade. Homeowners who lack the time or desire to plant and prune still recognize the importance of curb appeal today. Landscape design, maintenance and retail gardening businesses are hot now. If you enjoy working in nice weather around nature, the field of horticulture covers a wide range of professional specialties. You can be an arborist, look after commercial greenhouses, and care for golf courses or large private estates. With a formal education, you’ll learn about jet stream patterns and their effect on which plants grow best in certain regions.
Outdoor recreation work. For some folks, there’s no separation between work and play. Such types are reluctant to punch a clock or limit themselves to an indoor office cubicle to earn their living. If you’re a wilderness buff, perhaps you’re ready to strike out on your own and take Mother Nature on as a business partner. Business ideas include kayaking/white-water rafting outfitter; guided mountain biking, photo trekking, backpacking, or rock climbing tour operator; or opportunities within the state park system.
Pet services. Could your business be going to the dogs? Upscale pet-related services and merchandise are bringing home the bacon–to the tune of $30 billion a year in the United States today, according to a recent research study from Unity Marketing. Pet foods, doggie daycare, shampoos and even “pet pampering” spas and hotels are just a few of the products and services that make up the industry. If you have a knack for dog handling, dog obedience is another hot extra-income generator.
Workplace design. You could be a creator of the workplace of the future. As industries evolve, tomorrow’s offices will entice us through hip, ergonomically correct furnishings, the use of color, and innovative lighting. The need for experts who can implement ergonomically correct conditions is rising. Areas of specialization include industrial workplaces, occupational safety, furniture design, computer hardware, human-computer interaction, product liability, consumer products and virtual environments.
Feng shui consulting. Interest in feng shui has risen in recent years as more people seek greater levels of satisfaction and productivity in their careers, businesses and lifestyles. This ancient art promotes spiritual and material well being by devising the best way to lay out your house or office. Certified experts are hired to do “readings” for both residential and commercial space. Consultants can charge between $235 and $1,000 for a two-hour consultation, depending on the size of a property. Some businesses will pay upwards of $25,000 for large-scale projects. Field certification costs upwards of $3,500 and includes class time, mentoring and field training.
Alternative health services. As our health-care system becomes more prevention-oriented, Americans are increasingly more accepting of alternative, holistic health, and wellness practices. Healing arts such as massage therapy, reflexology, acupuncture and yoga are in demand by private and corporate clientele. Food items or eateries offering organic edibles free of processed ingredients, preservatives and sugars are sought after by the health-conscious.
Grooming services. Thanks to the popularity of TV shoes such as Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, men are becoming more upfront about wanting to look and feel good about themselves. For these so-called metrosexuals, a new wave of relaxation havens specially designated for men are cropping up. Today’s hottest services include facial bronzing, stone massage, organic facials, reflexology and seaweed wraps.
Spiritual work. Spiritually minded people make humanity their life’s work. Today, there are plenty of creative job paths you can pursue if you feel inspiring others is your life mission. For example, religious craftspeople and artists (think of all the Judaic and Catholic supply shops, candleholders, jewelry charms, trinket boxes, decorative nativity art and collectibles there are); church camp/counselor/director; religious writers and authors (even for religious greeting cards); and spiritual retreat leaders. These last folks lead trips to destinations with biblical/historical significance.
Senior-focused services. Don’t forget the lucrative aging baby boomers. The fifty-plus population is an intelligent, active group. They need products, services and information providers to meet their entertainment, education and lifestyle needs. Today, there are senior-focused book authors; website developers; travel, insurance and real-estate companies; and computer-training firms reaping profits from the older Americans they serve.
Business writing and services. If your skill is putting it in writing, hire yourself out as a business plan writer. Too many businesses lose out on new contracts, funding or clients because they don’t know how to communicate their message on paper. Businesses today have a need for marketing, strategy, lobbying and proposal writing services. Also, the demand for freelance writers with specialties in grant writing, bio met, IT, economic development and general business is high. Project work includes requests for proposals (RFPs), corporate training guides, computer documentation, white papers, government licensing applications, legislative memos and executive bios. Fees typically start at $100 per hour, or between $30,000 and $60,000 a year.
Home design and services. These days, home is where the art is. Thanks to baby boomers with discretionary income and a nationwide “cocooning” trend, interior decorating and design services are in demand. From guesthouses to second homes, vacation retreats to master bathrooms, those cashing in on the thriving home-fixings craze include architects, interior designers, landscape architects and pool builders. Other jobs include project management professionals for furniture companies or corporate facilities, and designers of hotels, healthcare institutions, retirement communities and nursing homes.
Culinary services. By the same token, staying in is the new going out and people are entertaining in their homes more than ever. Dinner parties have made a big comeback. If you have culinary skills, you’re in demand. Aside from catering, you may decide to give one-on-one cooking lessons, help prepare menus or conduct demonstrations in your own home. For the many people trying to eat well, both for health and epicurean reasons, you can hire yourself out as a personal chef or nutritionist.
The new gender gap puts women in front of men, at least in school. So says Gary Becker, the Nobel Prize Winning economist:
Whatever the explanation for the remarkable shift in college attendance rates of men and women during the past 40 years, this shift is likely to have major implications for future changes in the gender gap in average earnings, the fraction of heads of business that are women, and other measures of gender differences in achievement.
Here are four other reasons why the glass ceiling is breaking:
Women adapt better to new situations. Do you want to hire somebody who can hit the ground running or not?
Women make better managers. For instance, women are more likely to delegate and more likely to reward people. And they’re getting better at doing what men traditionally have done well.
Women make better leaders. For instance, women are better able to lead businesses towards transformation.
Women invest more wisely. Several looks at stock investing says you’re better off with women investing the money.
Why keep us men around at all? We have complementary skills.
Simon Turner
Here’s some wisdom of Omar Periu, one of the world’s best known motivational speakers, here he gives ten ways that he keeps himself motivated which Marquette Turner recommends following:
- Condition your mind. Train yourself to think positive thoughts.
- Condition your body. It takes physical energy to take action.
- Avoid negative people. Don’t take anything that they say seriously.
- Always remain flexible. No plan should be cast in concrete.
- Act with a higher purpose. If it doesn’t serve your goal, it’s wasted effort.
- Take responsibility for your own results. Don’t credit luck, good or bad.
- Stretch past your limits on a daily basis. That’s how you grow and evolve.
- Don’t wait for perfection; do it now! Perfection’s the enemy of good enough.
- Be careful of what you eat. It takes physical energy to succeed.
- Hang around motivated people. The positive energy will rub off on you.
I know this stuff works from own my personal experience. After I came up with this list I began to read the list to myself at the beginning of each workday. For an entire week, I made a point of referring back to them every time I had a lull in my work schedule. By the end of the week, they were influencing my thinking so much that I felt like a new person.
Motivation is the ultimate root of success.
To be successful it is important to learn to physically relax.
Take time off each week. Only work five or six days per week, and then rest on day seven. Studies have shown you are more productive in the five or six days you work if you take one or two days off completely, rather than working seven days straight.
On your day off, don’t use the time to catch up on work. Simply relax, spend time with family, friends, watch television, exercise, do nothing that requires any mental effort on your part. Ensure you close down for at least one full day per week, you will benefit from it enormously.
Have you lost your sex drive? Maybe your job is to blame. The National Sleep Foundation in Washington, in a poll released this month, cites prolonged workdays—including time spent working from home—for causing employees to “fall asleep or feel sleepy at work, drive [while] drowsy and lose interest in sex.” The organization says people are working longer hours, including average workdays of 9.5 hours, topped with an additional 4.5 hours each week working at home. More than one-fourth (28 percent) say lack of sleep interferes with their daily activities.
Deprived of sleep, nearly 30 percent are nodding off on the job, while 36 percent say they have fallen into slumber behind the wheel of a car. More than one-quarter say they drive drowsy during the workday and 12 percent said they have been tardy to work due to lack of sleep. Nearly one in five employees “have sex less often or have lost interest in sex” because they are too sleepy.
For the most part, employees are muddling through. Nearly two-thirds are “very likely to just accept their sleepiness and keep going.” Another 32 percent fuel their bodies and brains with caffeinated beverages. More than half (54 percent) rely on the weekends to try to catch up on lost sleep.
The amusingly named Hillbilly PhD blog has a post on the five qualities of leadership:
Don’t let circumstances control your behavior
Be persistent
Assess yourself honestly and thoroughly
Learn from failure
Follow your purpose.
This is my condensation of his entries. As with all such lists, easy to say, harder to do — he cites leaders like Lincoln and Gandhi, people who stand out in history for a reason. For the full discussion of these, head to his site. He says he’ll focus on these characteristics for some time to come.
I started working from home 2 years ago, and for the first year, I was pretty much useless. I’d end up watching TV or sleeping or playing with the dogs when I should have been typing, and I’d end up working when I should have been hanging out with my family.
I’d always be getting tempting calls during the workday from friends playing hooky from the office and wanting to go to the park.
I still get some of those calls, but the rest of the distractions are gone. Mainly, it was from following this suggestion from Dumb Little Man and laying down the law:
Since you are now working from home, everyone will expect you to be flexible and available when they need you. Friends may call during business hours, your children may expect you to drive them to a friend’s party, your spouse may expect you to run to the grocery store, and your aunts and uncles may feel that they can call upon you at any time of the day.
Setting expectations of family and friends is extremely important to ensure the smooth running of your home-based business. It is critical they understand that even though you have started working from home, the efforts involved in making it a success are by no means meager or guaranteed. The more serious you are about setting the rules about timings, the faster your friends and family will understand and internalize that you mean business.
Regardless of where you live, what you do or how old you are, this survey is worth a read!
Sunday is the least common day for car accidents and the most dangerous day to be on the road is Friday, 18 January.
After analysing 1.8 million claims received over the past 15 years, a leading insurer has identified the days when accidents are most likely to occur.
Historically, more accidents happen on 18 January than any other date in the year, while Friday is the most common day of the week for crashes. Unsurprisingly, the date with the least reported incidents is 29 February.
‘Long week’
According to the research, the next safest dates are 25 and 26 December, when the roads tend to be very quiet. For the same reason, the report highlights Sunday as the days of the week when accidents are least likely to occur, followed by Saturday. The vast majority of problems happen on weekdays when the roads are busier.
TEN WORST DAYS FOR DRIVING
1. 18 January
2. 20 December
3. 27 October
4. 22 March
5. 20 July
6. 1 October
7. 21 October
8. 1 November
9. 15 December
10. 20 October
It’s not surprising to see that the worst day of the week for accidents is a Friday: people are tired after a long week at work and can easily get caught up thinking about their weekend plans instead of the road ahead.
It is less clear, however, why there was such a concentration of incidents on 18 January: it could be that people have a lot on their mind as they haven’t been paid for a while, the bills are coming in, and the fun of the festive period is a long and distant memory.
How did you fare on 29 February this year, given that 2008 is a leap year?
Does your management job seem impossible? If so, that’s not surprising. Your many roles are so often contradictory.
You can, however, triumph over managerial obstacles, despite conflicting expectations, if you focus less on what you should do and more on how you should think. Successful managers think their way through their jobs, using five different mind-sets that allow them to deal adeptly with the world around them:
1) A reflective mind-set allows you to be thoughtful, to see familiar experiences in a new light, setting the stage for insights and innovative products and services.
2) An analytical mind-set ensures that you make decisions based on in-depth data–both quantitative and qualitative.
3) A worldly mind-set provides you with cultural and social insights essential to operating in diverse regions, serving varied customer segments.
4) A collaborative mind-set enables you to orchestrate relationships among individuals and teams producing your products and services.
5) An action mind-set energizes you to create and expedite the best plans for achieving your strategic goals.
The key to your managerial effectiveness? Regularly access all five mind-sets, not in any particular order, but by cycling through each as needed. And don’t go it alone. When you collaborate with colleagues by interweaving your collective mind-sets, you–and your organization–will excel.
During the first few minutes of meeting a potential employee you tend to get a “gut feel” as to the suitability of a person within your organisation.
There are no guarantees to say this person is perfect in every way for the role, however if they have the right attitude, and the skill set that you need, or the ability to learn, chances are they will be a good match.
With the shortage of excellent candidates in today’s market, don’t take too long to make your decision. Often, in the time you take to make up your mind, the candidate has been offered and accepted a job elsewhere. The message here is simple, if your gut instinct says it is right, act upon it quickly.
One of the things you must always remember in your adult life, is that no one is there to rescue you – everything you are or want to be is up to you.
You cannot change anything that has happened in your life, whether it happened years ago or seconds ago.
There is absolutely nothing you can do to change that. So don’t dwell on it. What you can do is change how you handle and feel about things that have occurred in your life and to some – this may include taking some responsibility.
You need to take charge of your life and be aware that if you want things to be different and change in your life, you have to make those changes – they won’t occur just because you want them to.
There is an old Confucian saying “if you don’t change the road you’re travelling on you’ll probably end up where you’re going”.
Most successful people in this world today are successful because of the decisions they have made and the tough steps they have taken to get there.
Christine Watson
Here are 12 steps to become a great public speaker and get yourself booked!
1) Define a niche. Instantly set yourself apart: identify the topic or issue in which you’re willing to do endless and ongoing research for a market with the means to pay you.
The next challenge of course is to become known in your niche.
When you become the leading authority in your field, people seek you out. There’s no point in being a fine marketer until you have expertise to offer.
And your expertise has got to be in a specific niche. A niche where the public with cash to spend recognise your value and are willing to invest in what you know.
2. Free to Fee. Speak for free in places likely to have people who could hire you for fee. Often there are people in these audiences who could hire you. Check your local Lions Club, Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary clubs.
Think about it: if someone hasn’t seen me speak in person, it’s less likely that this person will contact you, and even less likely they’ll pay for your services. Get out there!
3. Attend Events. Go to the events that your ideal clients attend and mingle with the decision makers who could hire you.
Research the event ahead of time. Know who will be in attendance. Have a hit list of people you want to connect with. Ask first what THEY do so you can tailor your 30 second pitch to address how you can help with their specific needs.
4. Speaker Directories. There are websites that list speakers for a fee. Meeting planners sometimes go to these directories looking for a speaker on a certain topic.
5. Smile and Dial. Flipping the pages of a meeting planner directory and cold calling can drum up business. Most speakers who use this approach successfully make 40- 50 calls everyday. If you are smart and committed about finding the right targeted leads to call, this is especially effective.
6. Ask for referrals right from the platform. Keynote speaker and master certified coach, Rich Fettke says when he speaks to groups, “As you can tell, I am really passionate about what I do. If you know of a group who could benefit from this message, please hand me a business card afterwards.”
7. Referrals. Ask for referrals from existing clients who have hired you to speak. Make sure you ask for letters of recommendation and referrals as part of the deal.
Let your clients or customers know they are rewarded for referring folks who invest in what you offer. Reward referrals generously.
8. Get on Your Prospects Radar Screen. Top of mind status comes from word of mouth of your clients, being “seen” in the pages of print media, and from testimonials of audience members.Know where your audience goes and be there.
This includes your prospect’s newsletters, clubs, organizations, bulletin boards, and magazines.
9. Speaker Website. An effective speaker website gives a meeting planner everything they need to decide that you are the perfect speaker for their event.
You’ll want to include a brochure to download, testimonials, program descriptions, media coverage, results gained for other clients, and your speaker video.
10. Join organizations where people can hire you or might be able to refer you to people. Review your organization memberships at the end of the year before you renew to make sure that the fees was worth it.
11. Invite prospects as your guest when you speak to groups. That way they can experience you firsthand. After they experience the power of your speaking, they are likely to hire you or even refer you to others.
12. Building relationships. Keep in touch with your clients and prospects. Sends articles to them to let them know you’re is thinking of them, and send cards and call them from time to time. Never let them forget your name. You want to be top of mind when they are ready to hire.
Simon Turner
We know the importance of setting goals in the fulfillment of our dreams in life.
But what if I tell you that there’s a very powerful formula that will allow us to achieve our goals much faster? In fact, this formula is going to turbo-boost goal realization to the highest level!
Here’s the formula:
Be positively obsessed with what you want. It’s not enough that you want it, you got to desire it so much that you feel it flowing in your veins and you think about it every day and night.
You talk about it every chance you get and you see it in every situation you’re in. If you’re not fired up every time you think about it, then you’re not serious enough.
Re-evaluate your goal and make sure that it is your passion, your fire, the very thing that makes your body tingle with life and excitement.
You must also complement your obsession with two powerful techniques: visualisation and affirmation.
You must have a crystal clear mental image of yourself already in possession of the thing you desire, or already doing/enjoying the very activity you want to do in life.
You must also consistently repeat saying what you want. If you want to be a singer, say “I am a professional singer performing in front of a large audience that is so amazed by my performance.” As you say it, feel the happiness and excitement, and see yourself doing exactly the thing you say. Imagine the audience applauding you.
Write down your goals on a post-it note, then stick it in a place where you can see and read your goals daily.
It is also vital for you to think and say your desires most of the time, but sometimes we get very busy with other tasks. Therefore it is highly recommended that you engage in imagining, affirming, feeling, and being one with your dream at the most effective times of the day.
Do it 15 minutes before you go to sleep and 15 minutes within the time you wake up. This is very important. Your subconscious is in its most responsive state 15 minutes before dozing off. So before hitting the snooze button, feed it with clear pictures/images, powerful affirmations/commands, and emotions so intense you could experience the happiness and excitement right at that very moment.
Do it also 15 minutes within the time you wake up. Your mind is fresh, energized, and focused at this time, so utilize its power to your best advantage.
When you are relaxed, the mind is very receptive to your commands and mental images. Go to a beach or resort, walk around the park, go sight-seeing, or just lie down. Relax and allow yourself to get involved with your dream.
Relaxation can also allow you to think of creative ideas to reach your goals and ways to solve your problems.
Michael Lee is the author of “How to be a Red Hot Persuasion Wizard… in 20 days or less”, an e-book that reveals mind-altering persuasion techniques on how to tremendously enhance your relationships, create unlimited wealth, and get anything you want…just like magic. Get advice at: http://www.20daypersuasion.com/. He is the Co-Founder of http://www.self-improvement-millionaires.com/
Simon Turner
Success is connected with continuous action.
It’s largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.
You’re not finished when you’re defeated, you’re only finished when you quit.
The most important quality essential to success is perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.
You can have a fresh start any time you choose.
Failure is not in the falling down, but in the staying down.
It’s not over until it’s over.
If you’ve got the courage to stick it out, you’ll attain your goal.
Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to is. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.
We continually hear about “hiring the right people” for roles. People are an employers’ best asset”. This is definitely true from an employer prospective, but as an employee – how do you know the organisation is the right company for you?
Best practices in recruitment and selection when hiring staff have been around for a long time. No doubt we have all been through that dreaded interview where we have been asked the questions about our long term goals, where we see ourselves within the company, what we hope to achieve, etc. etc.
However, what should you, as an employee be looking for and what questions should you be asking of a potential employer?
Often we can be and are seduced into believing the company has loads to offer and it’s usually not just a good salary package. With unemployment statistics showing there is almost a 0% unemployment rate in the skilled market, companies are doing whatever they can to hire staff.
Today’s workforce is made up of permanent, casual, contract and self employed workers. Not everyone wants to be a permanent employee – probably because the days of having job security have long gone. The days of being able to choose what suits you are now available to us.
Some areas you need to consider include asking yourself and researching – is this an employer of choice, or is it company of mediocrity that touts they are an employer of choice? Questions you need to ask should possibly include:
- What are the company’s development and training processes
- How can they demonstrate to you their workplace culture and environment
- Is their Management style and structure what you want to work with
- Are the hours flexible to suit your family needs and lifestyle
- What are the company’s perceived values and ethics
- Are there other benefits as well as a salary package such as child care, healthcare, gym, share schemes, paid maternity leave, discount cards
- What reputation and prestige does the Brand have – is it a Brand you want to be associated with Do you believe in the company and/or its products
- Can working from home be an option
Are these things going to sway your decision making process? Is your value system similar to that of the company you are looking to work with? How does the company motivate their staff, what are their expectations of you? Are they expecting you to micro manage people or perhaps be micro managed? What are the company’s views on authority and how much authority will you have in your role? How comfortable do you feel with the person you will be reporting to?
Often the interview process involves a number of meetings. The person you will be working for or with, are they someone you would like to work with – how do you feel about them? Sometimes this will mean spending more than the usual one hour interview with that person to get to know them. Then go with “your gut feel” – it is usually right. Christine Watson
That time of year is fast approaching – once we celebrate Melbourne Cup – the wind down to the end of the year happens quite quickly. Christmas parties, end of year functions, and of course what often occurs within that time frame is our recollection of our past year.
How many of us look at the end of the year as a time to reflect on what we have done, both personally and at work and think perhaps we could have done better, perhaps we feel undervalued or perhaps we believe we did a fantastic job? Are there any areas we would like to change?
The pending new year tends to make us look at a number of personal issues. We’ve all been guilty of making new year resolutions – to lose weight, exercise more, spend more time with the kids, and we usually do all of these – usually for no more than three weeks then our life returns to our old ways of behaviour.
There are a number of questions we need to ask ourselves – is our job giving us the satisfaction we believe we deserve? Do we enjoy going to work every day? Are we working long hours for a reward that possibly does not reflect what we do? Has the role affected our family/work life balance?
This time of reflection can open a number of issues for us and it is not always reflected by the dollars. We need a lifestyle balance that is not driven by the almighty dollar. We certainly need to earn enough to keep food on our table and life, however, we spend so much of our time at work, – it’s important to enjoy it.
Statistics show that 37% percent of us work overtime for no extra pay. Therefore it makes sense to be in a role that we are happy in and enjoy going to work each day. For some, finding the right role can be a challenge and often it takes working for more than one employer to find this balance.
When seeking a new role, do a checklist of what you want and are willing to sacrifice. Promises of what we seek within a role can and made to you, often do not come to fruition. When applying for a new role, ensure it is a two way interview. Make sure the role you are applying for is a role you want, not just a role where the employer wants to hire you.
The days of security in the workforce have long gone. Typically a person stays no longer than 5- 7 years in one company and the days of spending a working lifetime within one company and being rewarded a gold watch at retirement have long gone.
Look at what the role is offering you and more importantly, is the company giving you the recognition you deserve. If it ticks most of the boxes on your checklist, then it is probably the right role. Just remember, this time of year gives us time to reflect on what we have been doing – do you checklist to ensure a change in your role is what you are really seeking. Christine Watson
Stumble It!
Seed Newsvine
