Business Digest - Health & Wellness March 2021

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Business Digest March 2021

INSIDE THIS ISSUE...

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INTERVIEW WITH KATIA AMERI CEO & FOUNDER AT MIRRA IF COMPANY CULTURE WASN’T A PRIORITY, IT SHOULD BE NOW! INTERVIEW WITH GORDON FRASER WORLD LEADING NETWORK MARKETER

INTERVIEW WITH HOLISTIC HEALTH COACH JULIA BRODSKA TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR COMMUNICATIONS IN ONLY A HANDFUL OF WORDS

IS RUNNING A BUSINESS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH? MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING DURING LOCKDOWN INTERVIEW WITH WATCHOUT GROUP FOUNDERS: THE TEAM OF ENTREPRENEURS FIGHTING OFF GERMS DURING THE PANDEMIC

“Want to be featured in a future issue, contact us at the below email to discuss further” info@bestbusinessdigest.com

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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

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very day at Business Digest we strive to empower you to live a better life, be it keeping safer, healthier, or improving your well-being.

The current dramatic shifts in health and the economy keeps us on our toes, teaching us to adapt to changes in daily life.

Most entrepreneurs entering the business den are now “necessity” entrepreneurs who are driven by dire circumstances to make a living.

They need encouragement and support. Business Digest Magazine is privileged to siphon a wealth of knowledge and experience from seasoned entrepreneurs like Gordon Fraser for the benefit of our readers.

All the interviews of other successful entrepreneurs are enlightening and nurture new ventures.

This March’s edition features Gordon and his entrepreneurial journey, Katia Ameri, founder of Mirra who shares life changing principles; “don’t force your old plans into new situations but stay open and be ready for anything”. These entrepreneurs remind us of what it takes to be a savvy business person and they all share characteristics of perseverance, creativity and innovation.

Our desire is to nudge our readers towards their destinations.

GUESTS GORDON FRASER KARIA AMERI SAM KIRBY BROWN JULIA BRODSKA

GARY KING

COLUMNIST SIMON HALL

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Business Digest March 2021

Interview with Katia Ameri, CEO & Founder of Mirra

by Russ Turner, Director Business Digest Magazine Katia Ameri is the CEO & Founder of Mirra, a skin care startup based in LA. The Stanford graduate & venture capital vet behind Mirra explains how education became her north star towards empowering women to heal their skin with confidence.

Katia had a vision with Mirra and that was to empower women on a massive scale, Mirra now reach more than 120,000 readers with in their skin care newsletter.

Can you tell us about Mirra, what it’s all about and what makes it stand out?

Mirra was born out of necessity for me.

Growing up, I dealt with a ton of different skin conditions like eczema and cystic acne.

Wanting relief, I did what anyone in my situation would do - I visited doctors, listened to advice from beauty consultants, and bought expensive products that were branded for “sensitive skin” like mine.

All of these roads were a dead end despite my best efforts. I was exhausted, my skin wasn’t improving, and I felt lost in a world that didn’t represent me. In fact, it was often the well-intentioned but misplaced advice that hurt my skin the most. The information given wasn’t tailored for my specific needs.

As I got older, my discomfort transcended into shame and it was then that I knew I couldn’t sit back and let this burden take over my life. I needed to find a way to relate to my skin and treat it in a way that felt personal

to my experience, not what I was told “should” work based on generalizations and misguided anecdotes.

I began to comb over all the scientific studies I could find about skin health, soaking it all in and hoping that they’d eventually lead me to a reprieve. Although this wasn’t a perfect fix at first, after a while I started to find answers that were true to what I was dealing with, and I felt good about applying this knowledge to my ritual.

For the first time, after an eternity, my skin began to heal; I was optimistic again.

But on top of this newfound sense of hope, I was also gaining something much deeper than just a healthy complexion: true confidence through education & knowledge.

After my ordeal, I knew I couldn’t be the only person who felt misunderstood by this industry. There had to be other people who had also suffered from bad advice, or who were led astray by branding that wasn’t inclusive of what they were really going through.

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That’s why I created Mirra: an all-encompassing, one stop encyclopaedia for all things skin care, where you can feel empowered to learn how to take care of your own skin health and take back control through informative, sciencebased articles. Before Mirra, there really wasn’t anything available that truly focused on representing all skin types (rather, “skin moods”, as we like to call them), and I feel really excited to continue providing a unique variety of educational resources to our 200,000+ subscribers.

Have you ever faced difficult times and what did you do to overcome them?

Although my mission towards empowerment has always been clear, the road to where Mirra is today hasn’t been straightforward.

As with every other entrepreneur in the world, COVID-19 hit us hard. Nearly every plan I had mapped out for where I wanted to take this brand was washed away in an instant. It felt like I was starting

from scratch, and for the first entrepreneur? top. It may sound cliché, but it’s time I was honestly nervous It may sound redundant, but true: teamwork truly does make for the future. be open to change! Like I the dream work. said before, we wouldn’t have I knew what I wanted to do found such success last year What legacy will you leave to with Mirra, but how was I if we had forced our old plans the world? going to pivot and still be able into the new situation we to achieve any of it? How was found ourselves in. Letting go If there’s anything I can do I going to overcome such an of what you think you have to for that person, it’s to build a unprecedented time in human do can sometimes lead you community of free thinkers who, history and continue forward straight to what you actually like me, haven’t found a place in with my vision? need to do. Stay open and be the beauty world that feels true ready for anything. to them.

Luckily, I have a great team of people around me, “I was fortunate that I was able to and I was able to harness add a few key players to my team in the their efforts and focus our last year, and it’s really enabled me to attention to capitalize on what we’d already built. focus on the bigger picture of Mirra.”

Most importantly, the Mirra community of subscribers was still there, so I revisited Besides that, learning to lean I want people from all walks of all of the valuable feedback on others instead of taking it life to flock to Mirra in search of I’d gained from them over the all on yourself is vital. I have acceptance and actually find years. friends and mentors who have the answers to their ailments taught me a lot about what through our articles, no matter The biggest takeaway from it takes to be a successful who they are. Although we’re not this approach was that we leader, and one of the best 100% there yet, we’re making a needed to add more content. pieces of advice I received ton of really good progress, and There was always another from a trusted colleague is to I’m very proud of that. question or another situation delegate and release control that our readers were facing, of what you don’t need to So, I guess my answer is this: at which we could research hang onto; avoid being “in the the end of the day, I want my and provide an answer to. weeds”, if you will. legacy to speak for itself. Mirra This opened my eyes to an is not just for me - it’s for all of opportunity that I would’ve I was fortunate that I was us. It’s a home for everyone and otherwise missed, and it really able to add a few key players everything related to skin care, helped steer the ship for us. to my team in the last year, and when it’s all said and done, I and it’s really enabled me to hope it makes someone feel just So, we bumped up the focus on the bigger picture of as safe and understood as my amount of content on our site Mirra. own pursuit of education made inthemirra.com, reinvented me feel. our weekly newsletter, and Now that I’ve off loaded got back in the lab to develop some of the smaller pieces I won’t stop trying until it does, new & exciting ideas for our of work, like content creation and we’d love if you joined us future expansion. and branding, I’m able to along the way! help drive us further than if I Despite the unexpected were to continue doing it all setback that was 2020, I feel myself, or if I was still getting Follow Katia & the Mirra mission like Mirra as a whole came overwhelmed by my workload. on social media: out the other side fairly unscathed and better than Being able to not just INSTAGRAM - https://www. before, and all of us have a empower, but also trust my instagram.com/katiaameri renewed sense of passion for team with their individual TWITTER - https://twitter.com/ what we’re doing. responsibilities has allowed katiaameri me more time to support PINTEREST - https://www.

What’s the best advice you these efforts and continue pinterest.com/inthemirra/_ could give to any aspiring growing the brand from the created/

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Business Digest March 2021

If Company Culture Wasn’t a Priority, It Should Be Now! In the run up to Christmas, remote working still had some sense of novelty. The festivities, despite being different, twinkled on the horizon, promising at least a vague sense of excitement.

Enter 2021 and there is more uncertainty, more stress, less freedom and, likely, not even a summer holiday to make up for it.

That’s going to make for a very stagnated, disengaged workforce. Even the irritatingly positive ones are probably doffing their dressing gowns 30 seconds before Zoom meetings and, if we are not careful, a lackluster attitude is going to mushroom.

Initially, when virtual working was enabled (well, forced) last year, most of us wondered why we hadn’t been doing this all along.

Two hour round trips to the office, 6am starts and remembering to take your dirty Tupperware home seemed almost laughable.

The truth is humans long to feel part of something – we’re social species. It’s in our DNA to have a shared sense of ‘belonging’ and this remains true in the workplace, too. HR picked up on this quite a while ago and “company culture” became quite the buzz word.

Various studies continue to remind us just how important this is, with as many as 75% of candidates

looking into a business’s culture before deciding whether to apply. Of course, the younger generations are leading the way here and telling us exactly what they want from a workplace, with two thirds of millennials valuing culture over salary.

Good company culture has evolved from a “nice to have” initiative to a fundamental, especially after the spike in remote working over the last year and the reduced visibility of staff. In an article for Gallup, Jake Herway rightly reminds us that a business’s culture is an asset - one that the pandemic seriously threatens. This is especially true if your company culture wasn’t very strong in the first place.

Businesses are now having to think about their culture in unprecedented ways after COVID-19. They’re having to apply just as much creativity, and arguably strategy, to keeping employees engaged as they would on core objectives, especially while we are all so far away from each other.

The UK has, reportedly, one of the least engaged workforce in the world.

If this is even partly true, we’re simply going to have to invest time, money and resource into improving our business’s culture if we want to continue recruiting and, indeed, retaining the best.

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The talent pool has exploded in the last year, giving businesses access to skilled workers nationally, or even internationally. However, it is not just the candidates that are competing for the work.

Businesses are becoming required to demonstrate why a candidate should want to work there in the first place.

Over the last year, we have seen a marked increase in the number of businesses looking to send gifts and care packages to their team while working remotely. This has been to alleviate some of the infamous “zoom-fatigue,” add flair to on-boarding new starters and compliment virtual events, as well as mark occasions such as work anniversaries and Christmas.

Particularly, we have seen even more attention placed on the personalisation of these packages, intended to reflect the company’s brand and culture through a shared experience which is arguably exactly what gift giving is.

It seems like an odd time to be talking about spending, especially on non-critical business activities, during the toughest economical period for decades. But that’s exactly the point: fostering engaged employees and a company culture to suit a ‘new normal’ are critical business activities.

And if they aren’t, they certainly should be now.

Workforces are divided at the moment as some individuals are thriving with

Business Digest March 2021 their newfound work from home routine, while others are climbing walls. When we are ready to return to the office again, businesses will be expected to meet both needs, posing additional hurdles to a good and

inclusive company culture.

When the UK economy grows again, it is likely to do so quite rapidly and it will be hard for companies to adapt, particularly those who haven’t adapted their culture to suit

the new world of business.

Now is the time to trial, practice and record what engages your team(s) and what doesn’t. The businesses that do so will be prepared and rewarded in the post-COVID world.

About the Author; Sam Kirby-Brown, Director at The British Gift Co. Sam is passionate about British enterprise, both the innovators behind them and the staff that run them. This made his decision to set up The British Gift Co. as a stand-alone entity an easy one! The British Gift Co. is a boutique gifting company, specialising in luxury corporate gifts. We present the most delicious and vibrant British products, together with bespoke branding elements, to give a business gift that will leave a lasting impression.

The gift of local luxury Sam identified the growing demand for businesses looking to reward their staff and thank their clients with more than simple branded merchandise and household brands. The independent suppliers we work with embody British determination and environmentally friendly production methods are at the heart of their operations.

Website: www.thebritishgiftco.com Instagram: @thebritishgiftco

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Business Digest March 2021

A conversation with Gordon Fraser

INTERVIEW WITH GORDON FRASER Gordon Fraser is a world leading network marketeer, sales & leadership expert, internationally renowned coach and philanthropist.

He is amongst the top 1% in his industry and viewed as One of the leading visionaries in his field. He is CEO of Gordon Fraser & Associates, LLC World leading network marketer, Gordon Fraser, share His entrepreneurship journey with Russ Turner, Business Digest Magazine.

Gordon you are a world leading network marketer, sitting in the top 1% of most successful people in the Health & Wellness industry.

This is a remarkable achievement. You must be proud of your accomplishments; but life wasn’t always this easy. What struggles did you face prior to your success now and what was the defining moment that enabled you to break free?

Thank you very much, indeed.

I’m very well!! You know, what’s most gratifying and awesome to me is the number of leaders who’ve grasped the opportunity I took and who have grown incredibly, both personally and professionally in ways I still find awe inspiring. Without them, I wouldn’t have the degree of success that I have today.

In retrospect, I can say that life has been pretty good for me. I’ve been fortunate with the business breaks and the personal opportunities that’ve come my way but what I’d also say, is I’ve also set goals and hustled like my life depended on it!! It probably did, to be fair.

There are no guarantees in life

and so as a result I’ve had to work hard all my life to get what I desire and always gave hundred percent to all I’ve focussed my time on. At times that commitment has been to the wrong person, job or organisation but within that conflict and in those challenges, I’ve found moments of enlightenment and extreme motivation (to change my circumstance) which may not have occurred without those struggles.

In saying that, I’ve had my fair share of challenges and they’ve come at times when I was least expecting them and from directions I hadn’t even considered and frankly, they’re still coming at me today, whether they be wrapped in emotional or business wrapping paper – but they are always worth leaning onto. Otherwise, you go through life learning nothing and that is such a bore.

To answer your question, the last “job” I had was a good one. I was paid extremely well and I worked like crazy for the money. The defining moment for me in deciding to become an entrepreneur happened in 2000, whilst I was working for that company. I was on the M25, between Junction 10 & 11 at 7.15 driving bumper-tobumper right in the middle of the mother of all traffic jams.

It was appalling.

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I did that commute every single day. Twice a day and I hated it. I hated my alarm going off every morning at stupid o’clock, I hated the commute from Epsom to the Slough Riviera. It was an hour and a half back and forth in addition to the 9-5 workday - if I didn’t work late. On this particular day, the traffic was gridlocked.

My car didn’t move for at least 1.5 hours due to a bad accident and as per usual I was listening to a breakfast show on Liberty FM – the irony wasn’t lost on me. Also, for some time before I’d been feeling that my life and career wasn’t going in the direction I wanted and now it was manifesting itself in a metaphysical way, like never before.

It was a sign. I looked out of my car window and saw the other commuters behind their vehicle wheels. Some applying makeup, others smoking, and the rest just looking hypnotised and half asleep. I thought to myself, “there has got to be more to life than commuting an hour and a half every day to do a job I didn’t like, in an Industry that sent me to sleep”. I knew that if I continued doing exactly what I was doing and changed nothing in my life, then I was going to become one of those empty looking people.

Business Digest March 2021 It was at that point I had my epiphany. To be fair, at first, I thought it was wind, but then realised, no, it was indeed an epiphany and at that moment I decided that as soon as I was got to work I would tell my boss that I was going to quit and follow a career that was more lifestyle based that would give me time and freedom to build my own dreams rather than be a minion in someone else’s. Life’s way too short to waste and that was the moment I went from the wages system to the profit system!

Gordon, if you were approached by someone with an interest in working with you in the health and wellness industry, how can you help them?

Firstly, I’d say, thank you, because I’m incredibly flattered that you’ve entertained that possibility and then I’d set up a meeting on Zoom to see if we’re a good fit. If we’re getting into bed together, I want to know there are values in common and the energy works. The dynamic has to be right. This has to work for you and it also has to work for Looking back now, what advice me, too. would you give to the Gordan stuck in the past to help him If you think about it, most to realise the issue he had? businesses take between 3-5 years to really start getting I wish I had the courage to into their groove. That’s a get behind myself sooner and long time but within those make decisions that put me years there are going to be in the driver’s seat. All too moments that stretch you often my lack of action was and demand so much. It’s down to a sense of loyalty to a commitment and when people, things or organizations you work with me, vision is that never reciprocated my essential, so we have to get commitment or else it was clear on it and understand the just plain fear that created stakes. I typically mentor those the inertia. I would counsel who rise to the 1-2% of the myself on how to identify those company so big girl pants and situations or scenarios that extra-enforced Y-fronts are aren’t working for me and fundamental… show myself how I could act with my best interests at heart What do you want? and make good choices for me Why do you want it? without hurting others.

When do you want to have it?

Where do you see yourself in 5 With regards to the fear; I years? would encourage myself to How coachable are you? step forward boldly, knowing that I didn’t have to be The only way to fail is to perfect in order to take the not proceed with your new opportunity and the first steps. resolution or quit with it (at If it didn’t work out – no one, any stage), when you work with including myself, was going to me in business, failure and die (I had a lot of catastrophic quitting aren’t an option. type thinking back then) and so with nothing ventured Do you think mind-set is the nothing is gained. I’d tell key or one of the keys to myself it’s better to live life at success for many people and least trying to change rather what mind-set could you help than carry the regret of doing people to develop? nothing.

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Yes, definitely. I think a positive mind-set makes up an enormous part for most people desiring success. I liken it to a Battleship. If you look at Portsmouth Harbour, you’ll see the pride of British Naval fleet, from Henry VIII’s flagship “Mary Rose”, to Admiral, Lord Nelson’s “HMS Victory” to the current HMS Queen Elizabeth, when she’s in port.

These ships were the best in their class when they were launched originally. But if you think about it, you’d hardly like to be on the HMS Victory as it squares up to the HMS Queen Elizabeth. Those cannon balls would just bounce right off and back at you, and that’s my point. I can help people develop the mind-set of a battleship which is fit for purpose in today’s World. Think of it as an upgrade. I’ll help your wooden ship refit from the old “wooden thinking” into an “ironclad thinking” in that way your mind-set can become stronger and more resilient in order for the “cannon balls” to simply bounce off you for a change!

We all have self-limiting beliefs that have held us back at some point. There’s a common mind-set that holds many people back called the imposter syndrome. You’ve had experience with the imposter syndrome. Can you explain what it is exactly and the steps someone could take to beat the inner bully?

From my experience, it’s something that follows us from childhood. As children, we accept the opinions of others heavily, whether it be friends, parents, siblings, teachers, bullies. We internalize their voices into our own. Some good, some bad. These voices can persist and grow louder into adulthood. It’s that nagging voice that gut checks

you during the highlights of your life. If you become successful, a part of you may still be identifying with these childhood remnants and this could be limiting your experience of life.

On the other hand, others may see you in a role of excellence.

You appear confident, capable, powerful, and organized. The reality is you often feel out of your comfort zone and have the same feelings and frailties everyone else has. We all have that little child inside who thinks they’re a step away from being found out by authoritarian figures in our life.

I firmly believe one must find a safe place to appraise oneself.

You have to stop criticizing and comparing yourself unfairly based on the fictitious voice in your head. You have to appreciate who you are and what you do, no matter how big or small. Stop judging yourself and stop thinking other people are judging you too. Ultimately, everyone else is worried in a similar way and don’t have time to criticize you. The only one pointing the finger at you is you.

Taking action today can be difficult, which is why you’re going to start small and work your way up! Try to write (not type) a list of 10 good qualities, traits, and skills you have. Then ask a trusted friend or colleague to describe some good qualities / skills they in you. Compare the two.

See how the world sees you versus how you see yourself.

See if the two line up. Refer to it as proof of your competence if you ever feel a wobble coming on…

That’s some great advice Gordon. There are many people out there that can really

benefit from hearing steps like these.

you’ve done all you can to get what you want (and you’re not getting it – or you are getting There’s another approach it) you can move on and make which I’ve heard from yourself the pragmatic decisions that and others which is, to become are right for you based on the the CEO of your own life. What boundaries you’ve set. does that mean, how does one do that and what are the A great tip I must say, also benefits? quoted by Inc Magazine and another great CEO like yourself, Have you ever seen that Dan Price of Gravity Payments. amazing video on YouTube of the guy stuck on the What’s next for Gordon Fraser, escalator? He’s shouting, and how best can people reach “help, help…” and waiting for you? people to show up and save him because he doesn’t realize I didn’t know he coined the he could actually walk up the phrase, but that’s a good escalator and save himself!? reminder of the butterfly effect in operation! If you That typifies exactly what I think you’ve had a unique idea mean by becoming the CEO and are procrastinating on of your own life. It’s deciding acting on this new resolution, that you’re going to take then know that it’s highly 100% responsibilities for your likely somewhere, someone thoughts and actions. You will else is having the exact same be the one who is making the thought…so it’s the person decisions to take control of who’s the most proactive with your life and the choices you his idea who gets the prize!!! have to make to be happy and effective in what you do and Professionally, I’m working on where you’re going. my first book, so am excited and busying myself with that Taking control can happen if and privately, I just bought a you’re either employed, at the Mid-Century Modern house up in head of an organisation or the hills in Los Feliz, (LA), which simply working by yourself for hasn’t been touched since yourself. It can take the form 1960 – so there’s never a dull of taking small and proactive moment!! steps, consistently in order to actively improve on your You can check me out at working environment or taking Gordonfraser.blog actions on your career plans or becoming more efficient with your time and putting in measures to maximise on your future. If you’re feeling out of control the benefits in getting behind yourself and taking charge can lead to a more enjoyable experience at work and by putting yourself front and centre of your life you’re showing up for yourself, which can be a very powerful Interview by Russ Turner motivating factor, because Business Digest Magazine if you’ve demonstrated reasonably to yourself that

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Business Digest March 2021

B est Life-ing with Julia Brodska 13

INTERVIEW WITH JULIA BRODSKA J

Running two businesses and a blog must be difficult, how do you stay organized?

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I have a team of experts who help me research and write blogs as well as maintain the daily operations of the businesses. We also use technology to keep things running smoothly, such as Asana & Slack.

ulia recently launched the business, Best Life-ing, alongside hew new international best-selling book called ‘Best Life-ing: How to overcome limiting beliefs, live your dreams and create fulfilment in the 7 areas of life - with or without the ‘likes’’. ulia’s story starting in the pandemic whilst being a woman in business with a unique background realised it would really resonate with her audience, Julia has an engaged social media following and she creates workshops and self-help courses, her mission is to help everyone to reach and achieve their dreams.

by Russ Turner, Director Business Digest Magazine Can you tell us about Best Life-ing, what it’s all about and what makes it stand out?

Best Life-ing is a holistic health and coaching company designed to help people overcome limiting beliefs, live their dreams and achieve a truly fulfilling life.

We have a team of experts who focus on different areas of wellness such as yoga, fitness, nutrition, hypnosis, meditation, journaling, gratitude and more.

publishing my international best-selling book, Best Life-ing.

We started blogging to add value to our communities and followers. The blog is designed to help anyone who is having trouble creating stability or consistency in one or more areas of their life.

We also focus heavily on belief systems and how to challenge them for growth and fulfilment.

What goals do you have and where do you see yourself in the future?

I see Best Life-ing to be a place where people can come to truly transform their lives. We will offer courses in each of the areas of life as well as specialist services like no other. We will have retreats, programs and much more customized specifically for our client’s individual needs.

Your popular site www.bestlifeing.com – can you tell us how you grew the traffic and how it makes If you were to die one year you money? from now, what would you want to be remembered for?

Mainly through word of mouth, referrals, and paid ads. We make We provide online coaching, vir- money through books sales, and tual and in-person events and online course sales, plus events/ seminars which focus on the ticket sales.

7 areas of life using our Best Life-ing framework. The 7 AOL Why did you start your own busiare social, physical, spiritual, ness and what hurdles have you financial, intellectual, relational, faced? and vocational.

After my book became an interYou went from a corporate national bestseller, I received employee to full time business many requests for a coaching and wellness coaching. program. This is what made me want to dedicate my life to this Why did you start this and who work. does your site help?

The biggest hurdles have been Our business is holistic health hiring the right people and beand wellness. I decided to do coming known through social this because I realized the media & marketing. world really needed it after

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Best Life-ing, helping people live their dreams.

Let’s talk about your coaching.

What do you teach and how can people gain from your sessions?

We teach people to see where they are at versus where they want to be. We then create a tangible plan for them to get there and we help them execute the plan on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on their individual needs.

Have you ever faced difficult times and what did you do to overcome them?

Business Digest March 2021 Of course, there have been many difficult times on this journey! When times get tough, I usually like to ‘wait on the lesson’. If it’s not in my control there is no point in stressing about it, so what I prefer to do is get my vibrations and energy up by focusing on being and feeling as good as I can. I do this through meditation, yoga, fitness, walks, beach time or whatever else I can think of to feel good.

through a rough time in my childhood years. This gave me perspective on what I did and didn’t want my life to be. All of my success is thanks to the mentors, friends and other authors that inspired me and dedicated their time and believed that I could get here. No one is self-made, everybody needs help at some point, and these people helped and empowered me to become the best version of myself. Now, I want to do the same for others.

Which Successful entrepreneurs do you look up to most in business?

What’s the best advice you could give to any aspiring entrepreneur?

Matthew Kelly, Steve Jobs, Esther Hicks, Eckhart Tolle, Elon Musk and Richard Branson.

Do everything in line with your values. Work out what they are and make all decisions based on that.

Which business, marketing or self-help books do you recommend and why?

Traction - this is a great book for start-ups.

The Power of Now & The Law of Attraction these are great for mindset, manifestation, and self-love.

Did your upbringing play a part in your success and how so?

Absolutely, growing up poor and watching my family struggle gave me a desire to succeed. After my father passed away, I went

What legacy will you leave to the world?

I would like to create a wellness world – like Disneyworld but for holistic wellness!

If you feel this would be a great fit, then contact Julia to chat further about how she can make it happen for you!

Contact Julia at -julia@bestlifeing.com Website - www.bestlifeing.com Instagram - @bestlife.ing and @thejuushow

Business Digest March 2021

Take Control of Your Communications in only a Handful of Words

by Simon Hall Columnist Business Digest Magazine It’s a curiosity of the communications world, that the fewest words can take the most work.

But they’re well worth the effort, because if you get them right, they can provide the basis from which all your business’s messaging grows and flourishes. Just like a stem cell, no less.

I’m talking about the value proposition, or core message. The way to sum up the wonder, the glory, no less than the magnificence of your offering in no more than nine words.

Yes, you read that right. I did say nine words. I know what you’re thinking here. I see it on the face of every entrepreneur I work with when we begin this journey.

How can I possibly sum up all we do in just a few words? The brilliance of our concept, all the work we’ve put in, the potential of what we can achieve?

I get it. But it is possible, as I’ll show you here. And it’s very worthwhile.

Because everyone will get exactly what you do in an instant. And you’ll find yourself coming back to your core message, time and again, in every part of your company’s communications.

The Magic Ingredients It’s recipe time, of a commercial communications form, anyway. We’re going to cook up a sizzling value proposition for you, and there are five ingredients you need: · Enlightenment: telling me what the business is about · Distinction: positioning the company as a leader in its field · Emotion: producing a positive feeling by enhancing my life

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· Memorability: having the power to linger in the mind · Intrigue: making we want to find out more You’re going to wonder if I’m a mind reader here, because once again I know what you’re thinking.

How can I possibly get all that into just nine words?

Follow me, and come see.

Cool Core Messages To show it can be done, and in style, let’s have a look at some well-known value propositions.

They’ve become celebrated partly because of the success of the companies, but also because they’re darned good. Which means we can shamelessly learn how it’s done from them. ·

Tap the app, get a ride (Uber) · Create click-worthy links (Bitly) · Build your brand. Sell more stuff (MailChimp) · Music for everyone (Spotify) · Be more productive at work with less effort (Slack) Look, admire, and adore. How smart is each and every one of these? And see also how they fulfil the five components.

Let’s take Slack’s core message, a favourite of mine.

Firstly, and most importantly, ‘Be more productive at work with less effort’ gets right to the heart of what the business does. It’s enlightening.

Secondly, it positions the company as a leader in its field. If Slack can achieve what they boast, they must be great. No doubt about it, right?

one stop shop.

Plus, we’ve got some super talented people, because one of our selling points is a top-quality service. So, our core message is, ‘All your communication problems solved with style.’

I love it. Well, I should, I wrote it. But I also love it because I know it works. Because people immediately get it, they smile when they hear it, they remember it, and best of all, they use our services.

Thirdly, there’s a lovely buzz of positive emotion to that value proposition. Something magical, being more productive with less effort will sure as hell enhance your life.

Fourthly, it’s distinctive and memorable. Who’s going to forget that offering?

Fifthly and finally, (which I like as it reminds me of the legendary Scottish football result, East Fife four, Forfar five – excuse me, it’s a writer’s playing with words thing), the value proposition is intriguing. I doubt many people wouldn’t want to find out more once they’ve heard Slack’s.

And all that in just eight words. Only eight. Told you it could be done. But now I can sense another question. How do I create a core message like that for my business?

Well, since you ask, here’s what I’d suggest.

If you’re wondering what I’m talking about now – and who would blame you? – this is how I start setting up a value proposition.

I call it the Heroes and Villains approach. The villain is the problem your business is solving – and it’s a law of nature that there’s no business without a problem.

You’re the hero, riding to our rescue, to save us from said problem.

Look at Uber’s core message, Tap the app, get a ride. The villain is a familiar foe, you can’t get a cab. As for the hero, here’s Uber, come to save us. With just the tap of an app. As easy as that.

Which, you have to admit, is pretty impressive.

Take my company, Creative Warehouse (stop groaning, cut me some slack, I’m giving you useful stuff here, I deserve to slip in a plug.)

Our villain is the whole range of business messaging, You’re a Hero from value proposition to That heading got your websites, public relations, attention, eh? And there’s a videos, pitching and whole PhD in the importance presenting training, the of titles, but we’ll look at that works. And we’re such heroes another time. that we can sort all that in a

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Heroes and villains is a simple lovely approach, and I like simple. Simplicity is the foundation of good communications, and I can cope with it. Maybe it’s something to do with being called Simon.

Anyway, be that as it may, set yourself up as a hero, go kick the backside of your villain, and you’ll soon be shaping up a smart and shiny core message.

Core Message Quirks Something else worth remembering is that a value proposition is not a slogan or catch line.

Think Nike’s, ‘Just do it’, or ‘Never knowingly undersold,’ from John Lewis (before the disruptive old internet came along, and selfishly started underselling them, anyway.)

These might be punchy, catchy and memorable, but they don’t communicate what the company actually offers in terms of tangible products.

It’s equally worth mentioning

Business Digest March 2021 Cont’d

Take Control of Your Communications in only a Handful of Words

that a core message can evolve with a business or its offerings.

Many companies never stop refreshing and renewing theirs in order to retain a competitive edge. You can also have different core messages for different products or services within your company.

Uber are cute on this score. There’s the version for passengers we’ve already discussed, but also a specific offering for drivers, ‘Get in the driver’s seat and get paid.’

Author - Simon Hall Director at Creative Warehouse About the Author; Simon Hall runs his own business communications agency, Creative Warehouse, and is a journalist, author, business coach and university tutor.

Watch the Stem Cell Grow I do understand that a mere handful of words isn’t enough to explain all the great things you do. But that’s not the point of the core message.

He teaches communications, media and business skills at the University of Cambridge, for government departments and agencies, and private business.

It’s designed to be both a hell of an introduction and a hook, a firework of words that draws attention to you in a frenetically busy and competitive modern world. And once you’ve got an audience hooked, you can go on to explain more about what you do.

Simon has eight novels published, all in the thriller genre, and a non-fiction book on business communication, with follow ups on public speaking and presentations, writing blogs, appearing in the media, and business storytelling due out in 2021 and 22.

Just as you would in a website, or a pitch, or so much else of your business communications. As we’ll explore in subsequent articles.

But first comes the stem cell of your core message. From there all else grows. So, give it the time and love it deserves.

Previously, Simon was a broadcaster for twenty years, mostly as a BBC Television, Radio and Online News Correspondent, specialising in business and economics, home affairs, and the environment.

Firstly, because playing with words is a fun part of business, wouldn’t you say?

Come on, you must admit, it’s better than staring at another spreadsheet full of figures, or sitting through yet another Zoom meeting.

He has also contributed articles and short stories to a range of newspapers and magazines, written plays, screenplays, radio comedy, and even a pantomime.

But mostly because get your value proposition right, and you’re well on your way to become a mighty master of memorable messaging.

For more on Simon and Creative Warehouse see www.thetvdetective. com and www.creative-warehouse.com

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Business Digest March 2021

Is running a business bad for your health?

There’s so much noise around workplace wellbeing, employee wellbeing and how to look after your team. And it’s great that people are talking about it because you should be looking after your most valuable asset – your employees.

But what about looking after yourself?

All too often I see stressedout business owners, exhausted and miserable, harbouring this strange belief that this is normal and should be expected. That running your own business means being on call 24-hours a day, seven days a week, putting your business before everything else and working yourself into the ground.

Rubbish!

Nobody goes into business wanting to work every waking hour, neglecting their family, neglecting their health, and neglecting the important things.

They believe things will be much easier running their own business, but the reality is far different.

So why on earth aren’t business owners taking better care of themselves? Why is there this misconception that you aren’t doing it right if you aren’t working 75+ hour weeks?

Of course, it is difficult to find time for the gym when you are working so many hours, and after a long day, you probably cannot be bothered. As a result, your diet suffers, your

energy levels crash, your sleep is broken, and the downward spiral begins.

Are you building the wrong business?

You can’t do everything yourself, and why on earth would you want to? You want to do the things you love doing, right?

It might sound crazy, but one of the biggest reasons business owners fail or burn out is that they are building the wrong business. They don’t have a clear direction for their business, so they just get swept along, hoping things will eventually work out.

If you want a successful business, you’ve got to build the right team – whether that’s an in-house team or a team of external experts.

If you want the right business – the one you always dreamed of – you need to be clear about what your purpose is.

• Spend more time doing the stuff you don’t like than the stuff you do • Constantly work long hours, never getting to the end of the to-do list • Feel like you can’t trust anyone to do the ‘important’ stuff

What is it that excites you and ignites your passion? What do you love doing? And is that actually what you’re doing in your day to day?

All too often, business owners lose sight of their purpose.

They end up letting clients dictate what they should do, rather than finding the market for what they want to do. When that happens, they feel stressed, tired, bored and frustrated – work becomes a chore, rather than a passion.

So if you aren’t doing the work you want to do, then something needs to change. Otherwise, you’ll end up tired, miserable and unfulfilled, and eventually, you’ll burn out.

In the UK, 95% of small businesses fail, which is a staggering statistic. The personal impact and collateral damage of this is huge.

Do you have the right team around you?

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If you aren’t investing in building the right team, then it’s likely that you:

As a result, you probably feel stressed out and tired, which will impact your relationships, health, and happiness.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of “If I just get ABC finished, then things will be different” or “Once I’m earning XYZ, I’ll work less hours” or “Just a couple more months of this and then things will ease off.”

Are you taking time out to look after yourself?

Even if you love what you do and wake up excited about work every day, you still need to take time out.

But if you’ve been saying that for months or years, how confident can you really be that this time will be different? The to-do list never goes away, and there will always be a call on your time unless you off-load.

Yes, work might make you happy, but there are other things you need to make time for – your family, your friends, your mental and physical health.

Burying your head in work might be enjoyable for you, but how does it feel for your partner and children never having your full attention? How happy is your body going to be never getting exercise or fresh air?

And what impact will it have on your mental health when your relationships start to suffer, and your physical health goes downhill?

Of course, every business has its ups and downs, busy and quiet periods, and times when the pressure is on. But if you constantly feel stressed, anxious, tired, frustrated or fed up, then it’s time to take action.

Stop building a business that’s bad for your health and start building a business that makes you happy.

So take time out from your business to focus on your family. Schedule time in to exercise, even if it’s just a short walk every day. And make time to relax or do something you enjoy – reading, working on your car, gardening or catching up with friends.

Take a day off, have a holiday – you’ve earned it, and your health will thank you for it.

Don’t wait until it’s too late

Gary King CEO Tendo Ltd Gary is a business transformation coach where he helps business owners to have the freedom to choose where, when and how they work. After 25 years in high-growth businesses delivering results at a senior level, Gary knew he could use his skills to help SMEs. A straight-talking, no-nonsense Yorkshire man, he now helps ambitious business owners create the freedom to make choices about their life through a range of online and in-person programmes.

Having turned around his business and his lifestyle when struggling in the first few years, Gary now runs three successful businesses and it’s his experience he uses to help other entrepreneurs ditch the guilt, start earning what they are worth, and have the ability to make choices about how they spend their time.

He creates what many hard-working business owners are missing – the freedom to choose via Tendo Ltd Gary is also Northern Regional Head for the Association of Business Mentors and sits on the Executive Team.

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Business Digest March 2021

Business Digest March 2021

Mental Health and Wellbeing During Lockdown “When you swim in deep water, adjust your strokes to get to the land.”

COVID-19 has definitely tested us. Are you thinking, when is this all going to end?

Unfortunately we don’t know, and we will probably have many more changes before it does come to an end. What can we do to help ourselves through this?

How can we turn the negatives into positives?

We can build our resilience muscle and learn to bounce back when we are feeling overwhelmed. What does this mean?

We can choose the way we think when changes occur, so we feel wiser, more confident and more empowered.

What daily challenges have you had to deal with in the workplace?

How are you coping with these challenges?

What are you doing to build your resilience and bounce back when you are feeling like you cannot cope?

If we don’t learn to understand and manage our emotions, our mental health and even our life is at risk. Poor mental health can become a downward spiral that affects our relationships, our performance at work, and our physical health if we don’t do something about it. This is why we need to use preventative measures.

Here are 5 things I have brought into my day to help me cope:

1) Have a purpose for the day.

Know what I want to achieve and aim to achieve it. I don’t make the goals too large, as I know if I try to do too many things I will find it overwhelming. I have understood I should aim to achieve a few less things, and not try to cram too many things into my day.

2) Make sure I have a routine.

Every morning I make sure I do some exercise with meditation at the same time to set me up for the day. I also make sure I’ve got a routine if the children are at home due to being in isolation if they have a child in their year group with COVID-19. Another routine is to go for a walk at the end of the day together. This helps us clear our heads and feel more relaxed for the evening.

3) Be grateful for what you have. I do this by writing a gratitude diary every evening.

I write down 5-10 things I am grateful for. It helps me sleep better as I am going to sleep with positive thoughts, not the worries of the day.

4) Keep in touch with positive people. When I am feeling isolated, I make sure I phone a friend who I know will cheer me up. Positive people really help me feel positive. Working from home can feel very isolating. We do not have the chats in the kitchen or over the water cooler. Make sure you build contact with others into your day so you are feeling like you are part of a team.

5) Accept this is the way it is.

We don’t know when it is going to end. We don’t know how things will be in a year’s time.

Let’s accept that. Let’s not grumble and say, ‘if only.’ It can simply make us feel worse. If

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we can accept this and make the most of it, we can aim to get the best we can out of this difficult situation.

I believe if we can bring positive mental health into our day every day, we will cope better in these tough times. How do you bring positive mental health into your daily life?

What do you do for yourself?

I have written a book, Emotional Fitness: A-Z for Positive Mental Health to help. It is full of activities to help you to build your resilience muscle, bringing activities into your life to help you bounce back.

It is an action book, helps you be in charge of your emotions and help your emotions be more on an even keel, than the ‘Coronacoaster’ we may have experienced since March.

What I have been most amazed about are the comments and messages I have received from people telling me that they’ve never thought of emotional fitness and using preventative measures before. People started sharing their stories - stories of depression and anxiety, even suicidal thoughts. When I asked them whether they’d ever had advice about preventative measures, most of them said they were told to ‘get over it’. But we can’t just ‘get over’ our emotions.

We need to work on them on a daily basis and take responsibility for them. This is where preventative measures and emotional fitness are key. by Clare Davis, https://www.novaassociates.co.uk/mentalhealth-book

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INTERVIEW WITH WATCHOUT GROUP FOUNDERS:

THE TEAM OF ENTREPRENEURS FIGHTING OFF GERMS DURING THE PANDEMIC Allan Klepfisz - A serial entrepreneur known for being ahead of the curve. Allan has extensive experience in establishing new ventures in a range of market segments, including the music, hospitality, textile, chemical, and marketing industries. Before founding the WatchOut Group, Allan co-founded Fenix Music, a blockchain company aiming to increase royalties for musicians.

Allan also holds numerous patents, both pending and granted.

Lance Ford - Had a long and successful career in the magazine publishing world.

Working up the ranks at Conde Nast, Lance spent time at Gourmet and eventually The New Yorker before launching Maxim, one of the largest men’s magazines in the world with more than 2.5 million monthly subscribers. In his second career, as he calls it, Lance focused on reinventing the way musicians earn money from their compositions in the digital age. It’s here that led him to Fenix Music, a blockchain company that aims to increase the pay outs for musicians. He’s currently the President and Co-Founder of Fenix Music, and the Co-Founder of The WatchOut Group.

today. Business Digest Magazine is looking forward to getting to know you and your brand, WatchOut Group!

Russ: Have you always wanted to be inventors?

Allan: Perhaps not always, but for a great number of years, yes. It is one of those things that requires contemplation and review, which was not possible in my pre-COVID life. Not until lockdown provided us with unexpected free-time was I able to commit to being an inventor. I think of the invention process as a subcategory of problem-solving.

To my detriment, I am drawn to overly grand problem-solving, as evidenced by our music industry endeavours. The beauty of product invention is that it is much more of a closed-ended category, compared to, for example, problem-solving of an industry business model, which is a never-ending endeavour.

Tomas Varga - In his prior career as a management consultant with KPMG, Tomas was widely recognized for his key strategic insights, business development skills, and technology implementation. In his current entrepreneurial ventures, Tomas brings the forgoing skills to the party as well as a strong suite of product and package design skills.

Lance: We’ve always had big ideas. Another major project of ours is FENIX, where blockchain and music meet. As it now stands, the music industry is a 20th century creation that represents very few artists.

FENIX is here to disrupt the music space and bring it into the 21st century. The blockchain platform represents artists that are signed or unsigned, good or bad, established or not. And Russ: Allan, Lance, and Tomas it provides all of them with an thank you for being here with us enhanced chance of earning

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a living. It will also give fans and artists a different way to communicate. FENIX is the polar opposite of the existing music industry, and we are very proud of it.

I have always been intrigued by innovation. With WatchOut Group, I am thoroughly enjoying the challenge of problem-solving with physical products, rather than problem-solving for a larger space.

Russ: Can you please explain what WatchOut is?

Tomas: WatchOut is our leadoff product that was created for our new reality. Simply put, WatchOut is a wearable sanitizing band.

The comfortable, customized band attaches directly to your wrist so you always have a sanitizing solution on hand. It enables consumers to keep their hand sanitizer readily available in a trendy product. Our liquid solution is 85% alcohol, which is proven to kill COVID-19 and other prevalent viruses and bacteria.

We wanted to make a fashion statement with a product that provides a necessary function.

Russ: What sparked your interest in creating WatchOut? Allan: When COVID-19 took over the world, we decided to put our personal entrepreneurial endeavours on hold to create smart products for our new norm. We wanted to do our part

to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. We quickly developed simple, cutting-edge products pertinent to the crisis we are currently facing. Thus, our first product WatchOut was born, a simple solution to a complicated issue.

Lance: According to the United Nations, around three billion people live without soap and water available at home. For 40% of the world’s population, the spread of common infections is a part of life -- an unfortunate reality that kills nearly 300,000 children under the age of five annually. WatchOut is a wearable solution that helps prevent the spread of infections, even when soap and clean water are not available.

Allan: The idea took off quickly and we raced to production to make sure we could deliver to people who needed it most. We already have global partnerships including EDEKA, TrueValue, Ace, Pommery, and more who are selling our products.

We are also working with famed fashion designer Christian Cowan on some exclusive designs to be released imminently, and he incorporated WatchOut into his show at New York Fashion Week.

Tomas: We’ve also made sure to get it to those who need it most. Later this month, we will be announcing a donation of 10,000 WatchOuts to a prominent Chinese charity.

Lance: I couldn’t imagine going to the next sporting event or concert (whenever that may be) without The 99Percenter. Also, don’t forget about the All Welcome Home Sanitizing Mat that automatically cleans visitors’ shoes with a combination of sanitizing spray and UV light. This could easily become an essential home item.

Allan: And finally, our Very Smart Phone Cover is another essential. This smartphone cover incorporates a UVC light into its design, so that when you close the cover, it automatically lights up to disinfect your phone. The light can also be manually activated to shine on any surface you want to sanitize. The case itself is impregnated with an antimicrobial agent, and the battery that powers the UVC light can also serve as a backup power source to recharge the phone. It’s sleek and functional.

Russ: Do you have any advice for entrepreneurs?

Particularly entrepreneurs that are facing challenges during the pandemic?

Russ: What can we look forward to in the future?

Lance: Oh, lots of good stuff! We have been hard at work this past year... Can you believe it’s already been a year, Allan?

Allan: No, no I can’t, Lance! While stuck at home with my two young children, who are my muses, I got to brainstorming at-home-gadgets that could make our lives and every other household’s lives easier.

My kids have watched me invent their whole life, and I am proud to say that it has sparked an interest in them inventing, even at their very young age.

Indeed, I think they’re already eclipsing Dad. WatchOut is the perfect solution for kids. Our next products are perhaps more exclusively for adults, including the Mistifier Sanitizing Wand and the Pocket Misitifier. The wand features a miniature atomizer built into it that can disinfect anything, anywhere, and is even safe for electronics. The wand also includes a UVC light, which is shown to kill almost all viruses and bacteria. And the pen-shaped Mistifier is easily portable.

Tomas: Our most anticipated new product is The 99Percenter: designed to address the common deficiencies of currently-available masks. The

99Percenter provides coverage to the mouth, nose, and eyes and features replaceable, integrated N99 filtration fabrics that kill 99.9% of pathogens while still allowing wearers to breathe comfortably. The clear, lightweight plastic of the shield allows others to easily see the wearer’s facial expressions. We expect this to be the solution to future events, allowing people to attend large crowds while staying safe.

Lance: Be fearless. People spend too much time coming up with an idea, then are scared to share it. Don’t be that person. There will always be critics that will provide you with ten reasons why your idea can’t be done or has already been done. Don’t be afraid of others’ inability to imagine the impossible. You have to think that everything is possible and do it with confidence, because if you let fear dictate your invention process, it will eliminate ingenuity and prevent you from succeeding. If you live fearlessly, you will be rewarded with success.

Allan: I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Ford’s advice. Don’t worry about conventional ways of doing things, that process tends to be overlystructured, and opinions generated in that realm take way too much time. In order to succeed, you must act unilaterally and rapidly.

Russ: Thank you for your time; this concludes our interview. From all of us at Business Digest Magazine, we wish you a lifetime of “ah-hah” moments and look forward to seeing your future creations.

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Business Digest March 2021

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