Photographer?
DO YOU KNOW
Want to show case your work or make some $ from it? Page 10.
July 2014 Volume 4.
MONTHLY
The CONNECT SMALL BUSINESS NETWORK - NETWORK . PROMOTE . EXPAND.
Attract and Keep Better Clients - by Peter Gjersoe, Page 8
Decision Making - by John Laurenson, Page 22
You can become a guest contributor? Page 5.
The CSBN is about to provide your business with amazing tools to EXPAND! Keep 30th August FREE in your calendars. The CSBN will be hosting an amazing, value packed seminar to walk you through some very important fundamentals of your business and the things you need to do to drive more cash and clients to your business! Get on our mailing list to make sure you don’t miss out!
LOOK WHAT’S COVERED IN THIS MONTHS
EDITION 3. Editor in Cheif Ben Mackie - Why your comfort zone is worth the sacrifice 5. Did you know...? 6. I choose to be connected - Align yourself with the right people by Peter Gjersoe 7. CSBN Information Seminar 8. Attract and keep better clients 10. Calling all photographers 12. Suggested networking events for July/August 14. It seems we live in a society where we reach for a quick fix for everything...
17. Power quote 18. Here’s an easy method small business owners are using to reach their goals 19. Check out NEON Digital 20. Circle of Men 22. Decision making by John Laurenson 24. Looking for more CSBN team members 25. Meet the CSBN Team
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EDITOR IN C H I E F
BEN Mackie WHY YOUR COMFORT ZONE
IS WORTH THE SACRIFICE
“You have to be able, at any moment, to sacrifice what you are, for what you will become.” The above quote is an excerpt from a motivational playlist I downloaded a while ago. It’s a spoken track that sinks into my subconscious the more I listen to the playlist. Then I’ll encounter a situation in my daily life that causes a line or two from one of these passages to flash back and I’ll think “How true it is!” Lately, the above quote has kept on playing over in my mind, especially when I’ve been faced with difficulties or frustrations that I never used to encounter in my old life (I will get to that in a moment). I flash back to the opening line of this article because it’s true: It is a sacrifice, at times. But in my own experience, it’s truly worth the cost… In my “comfortable” past life, I was an employee. While I liked the people I worked with and the job itself wasn’t so bad, I only worked for the pay. I had no greater ambition to rise up through the ranks in my job. I did what was required of me day in, day out from 6:30 in the morning until 3:30 in the afternoon and then made the short commute home. The end. My weekends would generally entail looking for fun ways to spend that precious free time with friends while doing the best I could to ignore the recurring 5 day stint at work looming the other side of Sunday. It wasn’t that I lacked ambition or a vision. I knew I wanted to go into business for myself. I knew of the projects I wanted to get involved in. I knew how I wanted my life to be, ultimately. I just didn’t know how to start. Starting itself would equate to
so much discomfort and confusion- would I even know what I was doing or would I fail? Merely thinking about all the things I’d need to learn, do and undertake just to make a start, would leave me feeling overwhelmed and disoriented. So instead I continually looked for distractions to take my attention away from those feelings of discomfort. But this only allowed negative side-effects to creep into my life: I had poor self-discipline, no time management and I was more interested in chasing easy thrills to continue ‘helping’ me avoid the problems associated with change, than making the time-consuming choices that would lay foundations for the life I really wanted. The more I tried to remain in my comfort zone, the more disoriented and disconnected I began to feel about life. I lived in a state of cognitive dissonance, caught between living my life as it actually was, and imagining my life as I wanted it to be. It took a trip overseas to finally convince me to make the leap. While abroad, I thought about what was going to happen when this holiday was over: I was going back to my regular job, back to thinking about a brighter future that I wanted to happen “someday soon”. It took a few weeks on the other side of the world to realise how aimless, bland and underwhelming my life had become at 26. I had two choices: I could stay in my current job and
4 continue thinking about the life/ career I wanted- or I could start Perhaps you’re reading this and you’ve thought of an pursuing it now! Upon returning home, I ceased working at my old aspect of your life that is ‘comfortable’ and ‘normal’ for job within a month. Then I found out about NEIS (New Enterprise you- it could be connected with your job (if you work for Incentive Scheme) and began compiling all the documentation I somebody else) your business (if you work for yourself), needed to apply. I enrolled in a copywriting course that gave me it could be tied in with your family, health, relationships, lots of valuable tips in preparation for my pending career change. attitudes, finances- nearly anything you think, do or I took the time out to listen through the ‘Time of your life’ 10 part feel with any consistency. Maybe, despite how ‘comfortseries by motivational speaker/ author Anthony Robbins- a series able’ it feels, you realise the truth- that there need to I highly recommend for anybody eager to learn about effective be sacrifices made in order to move closer to that bigtime management and goal setting not just for their career, but ger, grander picture you dream of. Just making the start their life as a whole. It was just these small steps that, bit by bit, can feel like such a jolting, stressful, mentally draining led to something bigger- a steady (and noticeable) change in my hassle, I know. Yet in the space of only three years, I look life as a whole. Before I knew it I was crunching important tasks I’d back at everything that has changed in my life and within been putting off beforehand, planning my weeks out, managing myself in that short period of time, and whenever I stop my time productively and genuinely feeling up-beat, positive andWHAT’S to think about it I am grateful I made the decision to LOOK COVERED INsoTHIS MONTHS enthusiastic about all the changes taking place in my life. I sucsacrifice so much of what felt normal or comfortable to cessfully completed the NEIS course just before Christmas and it me- because had I not made that decision and the effort, ended one of the best years of my life to date. my life right now would be so much less than what it’s become. In only a couple of years since, so much has changed- mostly for the better. Between the new people I’ve met, the projects There will be sacrifices to make and difficult changes I’ve become involved in, the new skills I’ve learned and the ideas to endure. There will be times where the ends feel disI’m continually becoming aware of- my life has changed to the proportionately small compared to the means. Making point that I feel like the person I am and the life I’m living only whatever changes you need to make can feel so unreabears a vague resemblance to myself 5 years ago. Even so, somesonably difficult at times. Yet I still encourage you: Decide times I’ll get caught up in old attitudes or mindsets- if I go with on what you want, make the decision to seek after it, and the flow and carry on as usual, it feels comfortable and ‘normal’. always decide in favour of your dreams, even if it means Remembering what I really want and making the effort to snap out sacrificing comfort. Because I know first-hand that sacriof those lingering attitudes or habits can be difficult- to the point ficing what you are, is well worth it when compared to where I sometimes feel as if it’s too hard to change- but I do my what you will become… best to remember that the short-term comfort is worth sacrificing Author - Ben Mackie for my long-term visions.
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DID YOU KNOW...
“ Did you know that by becoming a guest contributor you have the chance to share your knowledge and expertise with fellow readers- and this also provides an effective form of free advertising for you and your business? By submitting an article and having it published you are not only sharing useful, interesting information but you are also creating a new outlet to promote your particular area of specialised knowledge and get your name out there before a growing audience! ” to anything to do with your particular business, skillset or area of expertise. What do you find particularly interesting? What are some of the most important things you have learned? What’s great advice you’ve been given that’s proven successful for you? Sharing your knowledge and becoming a guest contributor isn’t just of great benefit our readers, it also has great flow-on effects for your professional reputation and (as a result) your business and expertise. So whether you already have folders full of articles to choose from or if it’s time to sit down and start writing, CSBN Monthly is eager for you to share with us! Plus, for a limited time, all authors who have an article published will also receive a complimentary half-page ad in the upcoming issue. With free promotion like that, there’s no better time than now to start sharing your work! Deadlines for the next edition is the last day of each month, 12 midday. For more information, see Submissions Guides and Requirements on our website. Contact Ben Mackie on 0405 526 351 or send an email through to Ben@CSBN.com.au. There are other ways to promote your business and your area of expertise in CSBN Monthly besides advertising or having a feature article written about you. We are currently on the lookout for guest contributors to provide our magazine with articles each month, so if you have articles written or are keen to pen one from scratch, now is a better time than ever to submit them to us! We are looking for articles between 1-2 pages long, relating
Author - Ben Mackie
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I CHOOSE TO BE CONNECTED. “ Networking is the KEY to your business success. ”
Camille Scott is the owner and manager of CSBN. She has run her own businesses for over 13 years, choosing to work from home where she can raise and be present for her young son. She created the CSBN with the sole aim of supporting other small businesses to grow and succeed, while enjoying the process and opportunities. I developed the CSBN (Connect! Small Business Network) to specifically help small business owners like myself looking to grow and expand their business.
Align Yourself with the RIGHT People! It’s vital to both your state of mind and the success of your business! Over the many years I have chosen to work for myself, as opposed to working for ‘the man’’, I have learnt many a hard and fast lesson. It doesn’t take long to realise when something you put in place is not working for you as you had hoped. On many occasion, I have aligned myself with the wrong people. I thought they were right, or thought I was helping them out when I brought them on board, but in a very short period of time I leant differently. Often I have had friends in need of a job ask me for one, and being a type of person I am have always done my best to create a position for them, even when they had no skills my business required or could benefit from. For years I was a ‘nice’ person, wanting to ‘help’ those around me. My intentions were good, but the results were not.
It’s no good for anyone when you try to do a favor in business. It just isn’t. Do charity instead! When you create a position for a friend, based on skills they have but you don’t need, the outcome can be nothing short of disasterous! I strongly advise you to avoid this situation at all costs. It is really hard and painful to have to ‘drop’ a friend from your business and usually results in having to ‘drop’ a friend from your life. Not good for anyone, not helping anyone. Having said this, and having learnt this, the best thing you can do is sit down and write up exactly what skills your business requires, what position needs to be filled, and what atributes the most suitable person needs to present with to fill the position. It’s ok to want to save the world, but in order to do this you must first acquire the most powerful and motivated team you can. Once you have this, you can do almost anything. With the right team, you can generate funds for charity, create more employment and even shift the axix of the universe! It’s true - particularly when it is your own universe. It is only when we learn to help ourselves that we start to be in a position to help those around us. In the mean time, each man/woman for themselves!!! I kid you not. Once, years ago, I had a friend call me and tell me they were destitute. They could not gain employment, they were in the gutter. I felt terrible. I paid for them to come to sunny QLD and provided them with full time employemnt. The first thing that person said to me was “I’m not going to do it like that”. And it was right then that I realised why this person, friend of mine, had no job! Align yourself with the right people for you and your business. No exceptions! Author - Camille Scott
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EDUCATION BASED
CONFRENCE
need more clients & cash?
In this “More Clients And More Cash� education based conference, we will literally walk you through, step by step, exactly how to develop 3 crucial methods, absolutely unique to your business and brand, that you can take with you and use immediately in your business to generate more clients and more cash NOW! When: Where: Cost: What to Expect:
Saturdayday TBA September, Registration 8:30am, 9:00am, start. Yet to be finalised, central to Brisbane with public transport. $52 pp. (Look for the half price specials on FB and our website!) Benefit from our step by step guide through 3 powerful methods, each unique to your business and brand, that you take with you and can use immediately in your business to attract more clients and cash!
CLICK HERE to visit the CSBN website for more information today!
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ATTRACT AND KEEP BETTER
CLIENTS Attend any business gettogether these days, and soon the conversation will turn to: “How can I get more and/or better clients?” Just like personal relationships, we may spend time dreaming about our perfect partner, and be able to describe them in detail. That is a good start, but it is far from enough. The following question is even more important: ‘What kind of a partner is my perfect partner looking for?’ And unless you can meet those standards, you had better start developing them to have any chance of competing. It is no different in business. Buyers today are more sophisticated, and have less time to consider options. Part of the problem is that we are facing something never experienced before: Today there are more sellers than buyers. This means that traditional selling and advertising techniques simply do not work anymore. Today, especially for a new business, it is fundamental to invest the time to fully understand and quantify: (1) Who is the ideal client we want, and should, be working with? (2) How can we present ourselves as our ideal clients’ ideal provider? “Attract and Keep Better Clients” is a 3-part model you may want to consider when answering the above questions. And the most important rule is: It is always from the client’s perspective.
First: “Attract” There are basically only 2 reasons people or companies spend money: To fix, or avoid, pain. Alternatively, to acquire something desirable. It used to be that we were more willing to spend money on ‘fixing pain’ than on fulfilling desires. However, today expenditure is more often based on a desire for a feeling more than fixing a pain. Ideally you should try and meet both opportunities. There are 7+ Billion people in the world currently. Not everyone is your prospect, so you need to start identifying who are your ‘Better clients.’ Better clients are those who are the biggest beneficiaries of what you offer. Then separate your better client prospects into demographics. This usually means identifying personal characteristics (ideal age, gender, income, marital status, etc.). Psychographics
9 (personality, values, opinions, attitudes and interests). Organisational (turnover, employees, structure etc.). Competitive issues (who are your competitors, what are their weak points and what is your unique selling benefit) and Geographic (suburb, town, state, etc.). Then consider what is the optimum media channel to attract their attention and finally; what type of advertisement attracts your prospects? Next, you need to discover what type of providers your better clients prefer to deal with and build an attraction model based on building trust before any financial transaction. Finally, you need to ensure that you provide a best-of-breed client support service in the eyes of your ideal clients.
Bottom line: Moving forward, you need to get very clear on exactly ‘Who’ your clients are today, and ‘Why’ they would shop at your place. Secondly: ‘Keep’ One of the major consequences of living at a time characterised by having many more providers of products and services than there are clients, is that there is no longer any loyalty given, and an accepted fact is that 82% of clients go elsewhere simply because they do not feel loved. To keep your better clients, you need to regularly review every component of your business that a prospect or client can come into contact with. You need to review with the objective of: “Is the level of quality experienced at this step the quality I want my business to be judged by?” Note: Consistency and speed-of-response are more important than anything else in building trust with your better clients. Then review how much and how often you are demonstrating to your clients that you love them, and are making it attractive for them to come back to you again and again. Thirdly: “Better Clients” At least quarterly, you should review “Who are my better clients?’ by applying the Pareto, or 80:20, principle. The objective should be that being a client of yours is something that is desirable, but not achievable for all. Once you are aware who your top clients are, you can apply ‘Whole of life’ calculations.
Based on ‘Whole of life’ you can much more clearly determine expected profit margins, which enables you to run a better business. Further, it enables you to estimate how much you can invest in ‘client acquisition cost’ to ensure you only work with the right prospects and have a high probability of turning them into better clients. Lastly: “Clients vs. Customers” - ‘Clients’ are individuals or businesses that make repeat purchases from the same provider if that provider continues to deliver the best solution. Successful businesses have clients, not customers. - ‘Customers’ are individuals or businesses who make a purchase based on the best price for a product or service. Next time they need that product or service they will look around for the cheapest supplier. Supermarkets have customers, not clients.
Peter Gjersoe peterg@gjenesys.com http://about.me/petergjersoe Author - Peter Gjersoe
CALL I N G A L L P H OTO G R A P H E RS.. Stock Photography.
Stock photography is readily available, but can cost an arm and a leg for that perfect image to compliment your message. The Team at CSBN has decided to include a new section to our monthly magazine aimed specifically at photographers who would like to show case, sell and receive recognition for their work. While this will add a valuable and visually impacting addition to our magazine, it will also serve to promote those who would like to promote and benefit their work, and generate more people looking to use their images for marketing and
promotion. The selling and buying for now will be between the photographer and the client, but we are working hard to have a powerful feature on our website to showcase your images while automatically taking care of the selling and buying, quickly and easily. Our aim is to provide some unique images at affordable prices that can be “The Team at CSBN has decided to include a new section aimed specifically at photographers who want to show case their work!”
used for commercial purposes by small business owners, as well as help you promote your images while generating an income from them. You might be just getting started, or be an old hand with a DSLR - it doesn’t matter. If your work is clear and sharp, has impact and clarity, and of a specific resolution, we want to see it and publish it here. Send your files through to
admin@csbn.com.au with a brief description of who you are and why you love photography,
11 and we will be in touch. Just a note, in order to protect your work, please watermark it. You can do this in almost any free program. Need more help? Google it. There are heaps of great articles and tutorials on watermarking.
Cu r r e n t i n - h o u s e p h otographer - Camille Scot t. N e e d a ny w o r k d o n e ? call me on 0414 19 33 55.
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SUGGESTED NETWORKING EVENTS FOR THE MONTHS OF
JULY / AUGUST WOMEN’S BUSINESS NETWORKING LUNCH Connection Collaboration Compassion Friday July 25th Cost: $5.00 Escobar Kitchen & Bar 4/154 Merthyr Rd New Farm, Brisbane QLD. Organiser: Crystal Schekoske speaker... Jade Varley Jade works closely with both individuals and groups to help them achieve greater success in their business and personal life. Jade brings out the best in people by making them aware of their leadership abilities and increasing their emotional intelligence. As a result her clients develop more successful businesses; develop stronger, more positive relationships; and achieve a greater sense of purpose and success. • • • •
Need better life balance, without the anxiety and the stress? Do you constantly feel overwhelmed and exhausted? Would you love to know how to manage your time more effectively? Or maybe you are an organisation wizard, you just wish you felt calmer in yourself?
In this workshop I will show you powerful practical techniques in human behaviour that actually works. This technique is related to our 6 core needs as a human being and when understood will have a powerful impact on how we feel and manage ourselves. This is not about stress management but actually getting rid of stress. Read more...
Brisbane Business Club - Entrepreneurs, Startup Business, Property & Internet Business Tuesday August 5th Cost: $10.00 Chalk Hotel 735 Stanley St, Woolloongabba QLD. Organisers: Rob Thompson, Andy Henderson Running a business has its many challenges and one of the most challenging for many business owners is working out the finances. It can be very confusing and trying to find someone who can explain it in simple terms is even harder. We know that cashflow is king, but how do we confidently look forward for the next 12 months and work out what we need to do to achieve success? Do you think you would achieve more in business if you could set more specific targets and goals? Read more...
“ Networking is the KEY to your business success. ” Author
613 BIZNEZ North Lakes Networking Meetup Thursday August 21st, 7:30am Cost: Free Blue Infusion 2 Flinders Parade, North Lakes QLD. Organisers: Tara Grimsey Please join us for the August 2014 Biznez North Lakes networking meeting. We will have Blake from North Lakes Airport Shuttle speaking to us this month. Read more...
Redcliffe Small Business Web Marketing Group Saturday August 30th, time TBA Redcliffe Hive - Co-Working Space 157-159 Suttons Street, Redcliffe Organiser: Mick Cullen Jacob McLuskie is chief pushup guy at Positive Existence Personal Training http://www.pept.com.au/ Nicholas Schuster is head honcho at Scarborough Physio and Health http://www.scarboroughphysiotherapy.com.au/ Together they form... tonight’s guest speakers. Jacob and Nick are going to share with us some of the marketing tips they’ve learnt along the way + tried and tested in their own businesses. Whether its Facebook, Video Marketing, Copywriting, Service Packaging, Blogging or writing a Book - you’ll be able to waterboard them and poke them until they give up some marketing gems that you can implement in your own business. Read more...
Got a networking event you would like to advertise here? Let us know, we’d love to include it!
Author
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It seems we live in a soci ety where we reach for a quick fix for everything...
15 used in homes these days- toxic overload!!!! I used to suffer terribly with ALL of the symptoms listed in the beginning of the post, even when I cleaned up my diet I was still heavily medicated and being driven insane by this shit.. until I started getting rid of all the dodgy crap in my house.. and I am REALLY passionate about sharing this info with others because it literally changes lives- my quality of life these days is a thousand fold better for having done so.
It seems we live in a society where we reach for a quick fix for everything- we are surrounded by many household chemicals and medications that are in no way health promoting and whilst may provide a quick fix, can be damaging and promote more issues long term. It becomes necessary to find alternative solutions, especially if one is sensitive to chemicals, suffers from asthma/allergies/hay fever, has children or is conscious about their health. Do you or your child suffer from asthma, eczema and/or hay fever? Itchy, puffy watery eyes, constant streaming nose and itchy throat? Dry cracked itchy skin? There are lots of links with these conditions. According to the US National Eczema Association there are many triggers including stress, allergens such as dust mites, pets, pollens and mold, microbes, different temperatures and foods such as dairy, eggs, nuts/seeds, soy and wheat and STRESS (wow, I’m bloody impressed, these guys are really onto this shit!!!) Right up the top though they list household chemicals as one of the biggest irritants- this can include Soaps and detergents, Shampoos, dish-washing liquids Bubble Bath Disinfectants like chlorine And I’ll add toothpaste, perfumes, makeup, nail polish and nail polish remover, shower cleaner and just about everything else
A few weeks ago Mr. 4 got salmonella poisoning, at the same time he brought home a nasty chest infection from Kindy, Mr. 5 months got a cold, I was getting shit all sleep and the household was NOT a happy place to be!! Myself and my partner had a nasty sore throat, snot all over the joint and were barely functioning. Then my friend Ally sent me a care package. In the care package were these amazing essential oils, I always thought oils were just something you used in massage!! Little did I know, they can be so much more. One of the oils my dear friend sent me was Digestzen, a blend of Anise, Caraway, Coriander, Fennel, Ginger, Peppermint and Tarragon- designed to assist with congestion, constipation, diarrgea, heartburn, indigestion, motion sickness, nausea and stomach aches. Wow, it helped my poor little sick man so much, I rubbed it on his tummy in a clockwise direction and gave him a drop in water every few hours, he had been sick for a week and within minutes perked up and said his tummy didn’t hurt and squirm anymore. So awesome, she also
16 made up a blend for my bubs eczema and nappy rash and I have never seen something work so fast, legit in minutes there was a noticeable difference! Fantastic! The immune blend worked wonders, I have never recovered so fast from a nasty cold.I started using lavender oil on the souls of the feet or a drop on the pillow to help both me and the kids sleep better. I was using lemon to make my own all-purpose cleaning spray, I put a drop in the wash to make everything smell fresh and beautiful, I started making my own soap and toothpaste with peppermint oil! Basically I went OIL MAD!!!! Diffusing, creating, and whipping up remedies left right and centre. I am so passionate about assisting people to reach for something natural and safe rather than running to a drug store and using a cocktail of chemicals in the home that I have started running workshops empowering people to transform their homes. I run DIY Natural Cleaning & Remedy workshops as well as Pregnancy, Labor and Beyond workshops and more incorporating these beautiful oils. You can find out more by joining Jessie’s Essentially Oily Tribe on facebook https://www.facebook.com/ groups/631556623602544/. I am also a writer, speaker, blogger, activist, swearer, truth seeker and mum and I run the facebook page www.facebook.com/getafreshstart. Jump in and join me where I debunk mainstream ideas and forge a path to sustainable health and freedom.
To your health. Jessie Reimers
You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. Jane Goodall. Goodall’s research has left an enormous impact on such fields as primatology, anthropology, and human physiology. Suggested by - Camille Scott
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Here’s an easy method
Small Business Owners
are using to reach their goals Your goals might be anything from getting more clients to getting more cash in your business. You are in one place and your goals seem so far away. So much LOOK work to reach them, right? This is the constant bane of any size business owner. So the question is, “how do you get from where you are to where your goal is?” The answer is really easy once you know it. Let me ask you a quick question. Who do you hang out with? For example, when I hang out with my gamer buddies, I play games. ‘When I hang out with movie buffs (you guessed it), I watch movies. And I love it! But! (and here is the secret), when I hang out with people who are where I want to be, I start to do what they do. When you align yourself with people with the same goals as you, you start to do what they do and begin on the elusive path of achieving your own goals! I’m NOT saying stop hanging out with your friends doing what you enjoy. What I am saying is start to allocate just a couple of
hours each week to spend time with people who are already where you want to be. The power of this is just amazing.
WHAT’S COVERED IN THIS MONTHS
Don’t know anyone? That’s ok. It’s hard for many people to step into a new group. Keep reminding yourself that these people are just like you, and like you, are smart enough and motivated enough to spend time with like minded people. They already understand the benefits of doing so and are happy to meet more people. The more you do this, the more comfortable you will become in walking up to someone and introducing yourself. Don’t know where to start? There are plenty of groups already established, bursting with the types of people you want to meet, and they are easy to locate and join, and often free. They are friendly and welcoming, and consist of people just like you. To make it even easier for you, I have made up a list of both networking groups and facebook pages that I have found to be of value for both myself and other small business owners I’ve spoken to over the years. To grab your free copy of my list, simply click here. If you know of a group or page that you would like to see added to my list, just let me know. I’ll check it out and if my team agrees, I’ll add it to this list. Our biggest barrier to our success is ourselves. Once we do what we fear most, we start to free ourselves to achieve our goals and dreams. I encourage each and every one of you with goals and dreams that are valued to start by aligning yourself with those who have already achieved theirs, or who are well on their way. I promise, you will be impressed with the results if you stick with it.
Author - Camille Scott
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CSBN for
CHARITY
It’s a well known fact that the CSBN is all about supporting small and start up business... But did you know we also support amazing people doing awesome things for charity? Well now you do. Last month the CSBN printed up over 100 DVD’s free of charge to help Circle Of Men promote themselves by raising awareness of the truely wonderful work they do. It was our honor and privilege to do this small thing to help them raise more awareness by promoting Circle Of Men in our Magazine. What these guys do is nothing short of spectacular! We alll have at least one incredible male role model in our lives, who is aging. What is the experience like for the main bread winner, the person who fought in wars for our freedom, who read us stories and tucked us in at night, who was strong and always there and made us feel safe, what happens when this person transitions in life from the provider to a person in need of love, compassion, and respectful need?
Circle of Men - Our story
For the wellbeing of men in our Community.
In 2005, the diversional therapist of a local aged care facility, recognised the needs of elder men who were suffering from loneliness and social isolation. She asked for help. Two friends, Mike Tarlo and Washuntara decided to do something about it. They were invited into the facility to meet with the men. There, Mike and Washuntara found that men comprised only about 10% of the residents of aged care facilities and most of the staff were women. Thus male residents lived in a predominantly female environment. In addition. many of the men, who were from the Great Depression & World WarII generation, were unhappy because being in aged care meant the loss of their independence. Many became depressed and despondent and isolated from contact with other males. As a result, Mike and Washuntara established the Circle of Men Queensland, and it is now an incorporated, registered charity that operates with 50 trained volunteers who, in teams of two to four, now visit our thirteen aged care facilities at a fixed time every week. Author
621 Circle of Men Inc. is a registered charity. Financial needs are met through the generous donations of people just like you, who support the organisation and its vital work.
Visit their website to find out how you can help this worthy cause.
Mission Statement Creating an environment for the wellbeing of men in our community. Outreach Intention
To care with compassion, respect and dignity for the male elders of our communities.
Circle of Men Queensland has been quietly operating for more than eight years. The organisation’s aim is for our volunteers to provide a safe environment in which men in aged care can gather and help each other through the challenges they face. They meet weekly in a group setting, to help each other alleviate the loneliness and social isolation that surrounds older men at this vulnerable stage of their life. The program currently operates in 13 aged care facilities in Redland City and Brisbane in the Australian state of Queensland.
CSBN
Got something you’d like us to take a look at? We’d love to hear about it. The CSBN is always open to helping people help others and making a difference in their community. We have a wealth of services we are more than happy to donate to the right people championing the right cause. To find out more, contact Camille on 0414 19 33 55 or email admin@csbn.com.au. Author
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Decision Making
John Laurenson doesn’t work. Not only is an opportunity lost when making a bad decision, it can also be very expensive, even a lot more costly than if you had persisted with the situation as it was before. The cost of a bad decision can be described as the loss of a lot of money and time, lost customers, relationships, credibility and opportunities, even damage. These losses can result in decreased motivation, depression, shame and other negative feelings and could have been avoided if the right system was followed in the first place. Even in some cases, “doing nothing” in ignorance can result in the same list of losses as above.
Unexpected situations and problems can arise at any time to cause your goals and projects to stall. What do you do when that happens? We will discuss how good decision making is done and show you why it is fundamental to your future success. Firstly: why is good decision making fundamental? For all decisions made with clarity and confidence, good things follow – this is fundamental. The Solutions That Stick system provides the foundation for good decision making when trying to solve challenging situations. When faced with making a decision it is worthwhile taking a moment to evaluate your situation, instead of rushing ahead with the first thought or action that comes into your head. When a problem is defined and clearly understood, you are half way there and when you look at its alternative solutions from every angle you are well positioned to steer in the right direction with your subsequent actions without fear. Conversely, decisions made in haste without considering all angles produce problems that sometimes cannot be corrected and the original decision making opportunity is lost. After a bad decision is made it’s like trying to push the reset button on your life, but it
Poor decisions have costly consequences that can be felt for years afterwards. That is why it is important to use an effective problem solving tool to help you make good decisions. The effects of good decisions are to produce great results with confidence as a foundation for the future that can be built on to create even greater results - this is also fundamental. Solutions That Stick is a proven and effective decision making system that sets out a structure for you to follow that gives you every opportunity to solve a problem, by making the right decisions that can be built upon with confidence into the future.
“For all decisions made with clarity and confidence, good things follow – this is fundamental.” It has been developed using proven strategies by incredibly successful people that have stood the test
23 of time for hundreds of years and can give you clarity and confidence that you have considered all angles and are embarking on the right course of action. The result is that you have no nagging doubts or fears about the course of action you decide to take, therefore your success is founded on solid ground and is more likely to take care of the problem you may be facing and produce the results you are seeking.
Successful people are busy people and don’t often have spare time to pull away from the work they are engaged in to look at which direction they are going. Solutions That Stick allows the decision maker to pull back from the “coal face” and evaluate the situation so a clear path can be generated and followed with confidence.
Once you have made your decision, you are then in a position to plan putting your solution in place by using effective project management strategies as they are clearly laid out in the Make It Happen system. Success is guaranteed and highly effective because this system uses tried and true processes to bring the right actions and resources to bear at the right time, in the right places within scope, time and budget.
This system speeds up your decision making process and adds an extra dimension to the depth of your solution you can choose in any given situation. The resulting action plan developed covers all options and settles your subsequent actions onto the solid foundation of your chosen solution.
The foundation of a successful project is based on good direction, and Solutions That Stick is the best system to use when considering what course of action to take. When your decision making is solid, even faulty plans, systems or project implementation can be corrected. If, however, your decision making is faulty then even highly effective project management cannot make a bad decision good and this will result in negative consequences. This is why it is most important to make good decisions with a system you can have confidence in. You can have confidence in Solutions That Stick. The Solutions That Stick booklet shows you a step by step process that, when followed, will allow you to make great decisions time after time. It gives clear cut directions and is accompanied with a clear example for you to observe along with the instructions. An easy to use Form, Flow Chart and Quick Reference Chart are also included. When you have mastered this process you can use it successfully over and over again.
Talk to me about your business situation any time, as I am always happy to listen and lend a hand. I bring fresh eyes and have a lot of experience to align with your business activity so that you can be confident that good decisions will always flow when made with clarity and confidence. Wishing you every success. John Laurenson, Founder
Goals >> Projects >> Systems
Call now on 0403 828 188, or visit the website at www.goalsprojectssystems.com.au What clients are saying: “The advantage of talking with John [Laurenson] has resulted in a more relaxed business style that has produced a more balanced and sustainable business and this takes away the crisis management. It has helped me to manage the business where I have people who are willing to play the game.” Steve Colson, Managing Director, XYZ Books, Brisbane. “I highly recommend John Laurenson to anyone interested in trying it”. Tommy Baxter, ACER Architects, Brisbane. “He [John Laurenson] has great leadership skills which has enabled me to pursue a childhood dream & turn it into reality.” Shandell O’Reilly, CEO, Hair, Nails and Make Up, Brisbane.
Author - John Laurenson
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Looking for more...
CSBN Team Members! Yup, we have worked so hard, and expanded in a most awesome way, that we now require two more team members to come on board! This is an exciting and rare opportunity for the right person. It doesn’t matter if you have your own business, and need some paid time to make ends meet, or if you are a parent looking to get back into the workforce. As long as you have at least 10 hours a week AND at some of the skills we need, you are most welcome to apply for a position. You will need to be a FINISHER! This is a person who can see a task through to the end, not just come up with the idea... You will need to be CONFIDENT! We will train you up in areas where required... you’ll love adding your new skill set to your resume, And, it would be great if you had some experience/knowledge in the following areas:
• Accounting/Book Keeping • InDesign
development. If you have any of the above listed skills, we want to meet with you! Quite simply, if you are a business owner, no matter what field, your business will benefit from marketing and promotion, simply from being a part of our team! We are a tight team of successful business owners with the united goal of benefiting others like ourselves, while promoting, expanding and marketing our own businesses. You MUST: •
Have high attention to detail.
•
Be highly motivated.
•
Be relieble, trustworthy and loyal.
If this sounds like you, AND something you would be interested in being a part of, please click here
to access our online application form. I look forward to hearing from you, and meeting with you, and welcoming another amazing person to our highly functioning and successful team!
• Excel • Word • HTML & or CSS • Joomla • Illustrator • Video Editing • and more... let us know what else you have to offer! We don’t expect you to have all of these skills, but we hope you have some and are open and receptive to training and further
Founder and CEO - Camille Scott
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C A M I L L E S C OT T CSBN owner & manager Camille Scott, owner & manager, came upon the idea for the Connect! Small Business Network through her contact with the amazing NEIS small business course, it’s staff and mentors. By seeking new avenues through which to market my website services, and to outsource required work, I quickly realised that I had no clear and easy access to fellow NEIS participants.
“I truely hope the CSBN will benefit small and start up business owners across Australia to grow and reach the level the dream of”
meet the
“I truly hope the CSBN will benefit NEIS participants, both past and present as well as other business owners across Australia by providing a networking platform, from which we can all connect and benefit from our unique business experiences, services and products. Because I believe in the NEIS Small Business course, its standards, people and mentors, NEIS participants are the people I most want to do business with. I look forward to connecting with you soon.”
CSBN team
B E N M AC K I E CSBN editor in chief Ben Mackie, CSBN Editor in Chief, also manages his own business (Scribe Copywriting). Through frequent involvement in business networking, Ben understands first hand how important it is for business (large or small) not just to make stronger connections with their target market and their existing client base, but also with other businesses. “Starting out in business is like planting seeds with the intention of growing a big tree. You can plant the seeds in healthy soil in a spot where they are exposed to enough sunlight to grow. But it’s not an instant process, the seeds and the soil need constant maintenance, attention and care to grow. Patience is also necessary. CSBN is where we connect people from all different fields- those sowing their seeds to those who have experience tending to their seeds and want to share their knowledge of what it takes to grow your business into a mighty tree.”
“CSBN is where we connect people from all different fields - those sowing their seeds to those who have experience tending to their seeds and want to share their knowledge of what it takes to grow a business into a mighty tree.”
BUSINESS SUCCESS
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The Connect! Small Business Network can help you grow and expand your business. Enjoy the benefits of networking with like-minded people and the resulting success. and enjoyment. It’s easier than you think when you meet up and connect with the right kind of people, just like you!