Connexions Business Mag - #1 June 2012 Issue

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Business Magazine Networking vs MasterMinding How Profiling Can Help You and Your Business Grow Avoiding Bankruptcy Brain Bias in Business Work With Others To Ensure Success

Jennie Gorman the people connector

From Jennie’s desk …..

Hi and welcome to the first issue of ‘Connexions Business Magazine’.

This has been in my minds creation now for over three years. So, at long last, the time has come to present to you my friends, colleagues, clients and yet to meet readers, a networking e-magazine for SME’s.

Connexions Unlimited has some exciting new plans for the future, which will become evident over the next couple of months. Very exciting time ahead!

I have created this magazine to bring you some good solid information which hopefully will be supportive and relevant to your business. I am initially introducing to you article writers who are in my network, whom I like, know and trust and feel comfortable presenting them and their businesses to you.

Jean McDonald-Smith has been my ‘Meeter and Greeter’ and Kerrin Smith my professional photographer at Networking Chats now for over two years.

I would like to say a very big thank you as I am very grateful to them both for their support and service to all the networkers who attend my events. Both these woman are networkers who make a difference to the marketplace.

All the article writers are my clients with most of them providing me with essential services for my business.

On a personal note, as many of the readers will be aware, I have been known as ‘the people connector’ as a result of my passion for supporting, referring and educating small business owners in skills and concepts that I believe will create good relationship marketing/building for future success. Networking is being bandied around these days with many new events being created. I believe that these are all serving a purpose for their attendees, but wonder how many attendees are really getting the benefits they should. Going to a networking event is more than showing up.

I would like to invite readers to register their interest to contribute content and advertise in this e-magazine as the intent is to assist this network to market and promote their products and services to the SME community.

Your feedback would be appreciated so that this magazine can grow into the future. There are exciting times ahead so you will see many changes happening to the magazine as we grow.

Yours in networking and business success,

Who is Jennie Gorman, ‘the people connector’?

I started consciously networking in the late 1980’s when I felt that I needed to create a profile for myself in both the community and in business. I have always been aware that people would buy people that they liked and trusted so I set out initially as a promoter of people and businesses that I felt had great integrity and skills to offer others.

In 1989 I registered my first business called My Connexions, which promoted personal development and natural therapists. By 1991, it became a Personal Development and Natural Therapies Centre in Brisbane running 7 days a week.

In 1995 I changed direction, started Connexions Unlimited and focused on working with larger promotions and bigger names in business!

I became known as ‘the people connector’ by creating a solid referral base with an aim to educate SME’s on building business relationships through mentoring, workshops and events.

My aim is to support people to: • set action plans that work • become accountable for their

growth • find their niche market • build strong relationships

that empower their business • understand the power of

social media and how to use it • introduce business people

to those who will support business growth • learn the necessary skills of

networking • understand relationship

based marketing strategies • build and understand the

power of strategically building a database • recognise their own power • and much, much more!

My passion and mission has always been to help and support not only solo-professionals but also small business owners to create the business relationships that will help them claim their market share. This can be by the relationships they create and develop and by profiling themselves in their niche market, resulting in increased profits and business expansion.

My enthusiasm for SME’s is expressed in my love of networking and assisting people through my highly successful masterminding model that creates a supportive, accountable and creative environment to accelerate business growth and profits. As a result of creating a masterminding formula in 2009, which is on-going and continues to evolve with every new group, 2012 will see 5 groups running in south east Queensland over a 6 month period. This process is being expanded out to the wider community in the near future.

I am here to help you, so please contact me for a discussion on where you are now and where you want to be in the future.

CONTENTS

6

Networking vs MasterMinding

8

Video and its Beginnings

Find out why masterminding is 10 times more effective than networking.

Video truly has come of age from the simple origins of hand-cranked black and white cameras.

How To Give Your Customers What They Really 10

Want For GreaterProfits What are some of your customers desires that you can tap into so that your products market themselves and your sales become effortless?

12 Creating A Website With WordPress

WordPress is the world’s most popular web platform because it is intuitive, easy to use and meets the needs of ordinary people.

16 Avoiding Bankruptcy

Financial stress has a ripple effect way beyond the monetary aspects.

It covers all areas of life.

20 Brain Bias in Business

The biggest business risk you face is not from a business or investment opportunity or even from a fraud. Your biggest risk is YOU!

26 8 Simple Steps‌ Search Engine Optimisation

Confused about SEO? Understand the 8 essential steps required for successful search engine and Google optimisation.

32 CMYK vs RBG

Understand colour so you know what to tell your printer when requesting a job.

34 Physical Prosperity

Educate yourself and discover the natural path to health and fitness to change your lifestyle.

9

How Profiling Can Help You and Your Business Grow

How Does Offshore 15 Outsourcing Work?

22

Work With Others To Ensure Success

36

28

Tax Planning Strategies for 2012

Is Your Business A Crime Scene?

The Secrets of 40 Property Investing

to Create Wealth and Retire Early

Networking vs MasterMinding Business Networking is a wonderful way to build your profile and add to your business leads and contacts list. For most people in business, networking is a ‘hit and miss’ experience because they do not understand the necessary skills that are needed to grow their business.

M asterMinding

Groups on the other hand, which are structured and create accountability, give a participant the ability to grow their business far faster and more accurately than they will ever get through networking. You will become more effective and efficient, be more productive and be more motivated than ever before.

From my experience over the last 3 ½ years of running mastermind groups I have found that they outrank networking to such an extent that there is no comparison.

There are many external factors that affect the well-being of a small business and the response to those networking will determine the outcome. Many of these networking events are beyond our control and can be adverse or positive, dependent on how a business owner responds. By controlling the response and using masterminding instead you can only generate the outcome for the business in a positive and unique way. The support to move to the next level is inevitable. Controlling your responses is much easier than controlling events. Individual accountability in business has a significant role in its rise and fall.

For more information to see if a MasterMind group is for you go to OU R WEBSI TE and do the survey.

Jennie Gorman© 2012

Over the last 10 years technological growth has invaded both our personal and professional lives.

We have choices with these advancements in space, technology, internet, television, smart phones and more. So, all small business owners need to become as aware and informed as possible. Social media gives everyone the opportunity to build contacts far easier than ever before. It is important to understand what the best platforms for you to use are, so you can achieve your outcome.

For small business to survive in the market today it is necessary that they need to bank on their own skills and abilities by becoming aware of their own economic viability. Do not expect opportunities to just happen if you are not able to provide value to others. This is the first basic lesson that you must consider when it comes to accept accountability in business. Masterminding will move you and your accountability forward very fast, as long as the structure in the group is there to support all participants.

Be aware that your business will depend on your actions – whether negative or positive.

If you are a solo entrepreneur or small business owner you will find being supported by others who can give ideas, advice and support by creating accountability will not only make you develop yourself but also your business. You need to keep business networking strategic and by bringing a mastermind group into your strategy, you can only have a win-win situation!

By being part of a business mastermind group and having the benefits of other people who will keep you accountable and moving forward is not only beneficial but a gift.

If your live in south east Queensland and need some support,Brisbane Networking at Networking Chats could be very supportive to you. Go to www.networkingchats.com for more information.

Video and its Beginnings Video as it’s used today is one of the most powerful communications

mediums available. It is used by TV networks to communicate news and documentaries, and by movie makers both large like Hollywood Studios, or smaller production companies to tell a story in a way that others will understand and enjoy.

But how did video get started? Way back in the mid 19th century, it was discovered that if you coated a glass plate with a special silver based solution, you could capture an image through a simple light proof box and a lens, and you could then develop that plate with some basic chemicals and produce a negative, and then a still photograph.

Paul Humphreys

George Eastman was an American innovator and entrepreneur who founded Kodak and invented roll film, which helped everyday people to be able to make pictures. Roll film was also going to make it possible to make motion pictures, which are basically a series of still pictures filmed and projected at a speed that fools the human eye into perceiving fluid motion. Thomas Edison was one of the pioneers of motion pictures, and in the late 1920’s sound was added with Al Jolson making the first sound film called the Jazz Singer.

A number of decades later, most films were made in colour due to a new process, and for the first time, ordinary people were able to make their own movies due to the invention of 16mm and later 8mm home movie cameras, most of which didn’t record sound as well, but gave people precious memories and archival footage for the future.

Fast forward to the 21st Century and electronics made it possible for digital video cameras to take the place of film cameras, and these new cameras use an electronic sensor to capture moving images, frame by frame and with full sound. At first they were not the greatest quality, but in a few years inventors had made such advances in personal video that they could fit into compact cameras and then into mobile phones.

It is this easy access to making videos that enables everybody to be their own film producer, and to make movies easily and anywhere. The quality of the technology is now so high that it is almost broadcast TV quality, and not only is this great for filming family moments as in the old 8mm days, but for making business promotional videos, blogs, and tutorials that can go on websites and be viewed around the world, often minutes after they are filmed.

Video truly has come of age from the simple origins of hand cranked black and white motion picture cameras. Today, most people who own a smartphone have a video filming and editing studio in their pocket. But how do you use that technology to promote yourself and your business?

Stay tuned to this series of articles, as in coming months, I will share with you at least 21 ways how you can use video to market your business!

www.videointerviews.com.au

‘How Profiling Can Help You and Your Business Grow’ Helen Bichel

The real benefit of profiling becomes apparent when you apply the information to add value to yourself and others.

Is this statement true or not so true? That depends… like most things in life; it depends on several things including the profile you do. Let’s face it there are many different profiling tools that can help you understand yourself and give you some insights into your behavior and preferences. Next is whether you acknowledge and embrace your profile and look at it from different perspectives and use it as a learning tool and a strategy to create what you prefer.

Many people I meet say yeah – it’s pretty accurate, yep that’s pretty much the way I am but they fail to ask themselves some really pertinent questions that will add value to understanding themselves, their relationships and their business or workplace. Here’s an example if the business owner is highly analytical and task orientated, should they be involved in the hands on marketing and sales? Short answer NO – they should be looking at how they can systemize and leverage the business to create more cashflow.

So which profiling tool is best for Entrepreneurs, Leaders and Business Owners to understand the game of business and wealth creation? Hands down – it’s definitely the Wealth Dynamics Profile created

by Roger James Hamilton.

Of all the different ideas, strategies, businesses and investments that you could pursue, Wealth Dynamics narrows it down for you ... precisely.

Wealth Dynamics is the only personality test that tells you exactly what strategy you should follow to build wealth.

When you take the wealth profile you will receive a detailed 30+ page report which includes: • The most natural activities you should focus on to create your wealth, • Which top entrepreneurs you should study and learn from; • Your Strengths & Weaknesses including what gets you into your flow.

• You’ll be able to identify distractions and also opportunities, and “Critical Moments” you should be on the lookout for.

• How to Create Value using your profile • The Value You Need to Own, so that you can clearly see what you should never outsource to any one and the things you can delegate freely, • How to best Leverage Your Value; and • How to Secure Your Cashflow so you don’t become a “boom-buster”.

I’ve been using this profile to assist business owners get into flow, recruit their teams and expand their businesses for the past 3 years with fantastic results.

If you’ve done your profile and not embraced it’s full value take another look at it and ask yourself a few questions, then stop doing what you’re not great at – delegate it and stay in flow by doing what comes most naturally and is more fun for you. The more that you are in flow the happier and more successful your life and business will be… maybe a specialist wealth dynamics coach or mentor can help you get to where you want to go faster.

It’s in the questioning of what’s going on within you and around you, and the application of that knowledge that will unlock the doors to your personal and business success!

www.wdcoach.com

Lyttle a h t man

by Sa

Small business marketing requires creative thinking in order to keep costs to a minimum and profits to a maximum. Simply by asking yourself “How can you give your customers more of what they really want?”, so you can create effortless marketing and turn your sales into a no-brainer offer.

Getting this question right is all about listening to your customers, opening up your mind to new possibilities and getting creative. This one question alone could close the current gap that holds the key to your increased profits.

For example, when hairdressers first started offering complimentary pampering like a scalp massage and a glass of champagne to their customers, they were able to differentiate themselves from the pack, attract more customers, charge more for their services and provide the kind of customer experience that created raving fans. Another example is Fedex, the first company in the world to recognize that customers were prepared to pay a premium to have their goods delivered overnight. Their “overnight guarantee” became their point of difference and they haven’t looked back since. Their whole business was created around recognizing that there was a gap in meeting customer’s needs and finding a way to meet those needs, even if it meant delivering it at a premium price.

Lastly, did you know that you can purchase a diamond encrusted manicure for a mere $51,000? While this example is extreme, it goes to show how people will pay all kinds of prices for things that they want, and things that tap into their desires.

So the question now remains, what are some of your customers desires that you can tap into so that your products market themselves and your sales become effortless?

• Is it in the experiences you offer?

• Could you simplify your process more than your competitors (think of a drive through service and how simple and fast it made the fast-food process!)

• Could you become more playful and fun in the way you do business?

• Could you offer additional tools and templates or maybe a more personalized service?

• Could you offer different pre-packaged services that take the guess-work out of ordering?

• Could you offer a payment plan to suit different budgets?

Video Interviews

CONTACT

Paul Humphreys

Services:

Video Testimonials

30-60 Second Commercials Promotional Business Interviews

Video Editing

Video Coaching

Address: PO Box 534,

Chermside South Qld 4032 Phone: 0406 942 421 Email: paul@videointerviews.com.au Website: www.videointerviews.com.au Testimonial from Allan Pease These are just a few examples to get your brain ticking over on some ideas of your own. Now it’s your turn to brainstorm ways that you can answer the question “How can you give your customers more of what they really want?”

Lastly remember, your customers may not even be aware that they want it until you ask them, so do your research and be sure that it’s something that they’re happy to pay and would truly value. Your innovation could be just what they’ve been waiting for!

Samantha Lyttle is the director of Market Launch, a company that is dedicated to working with micro business to create greater impact and influence in their marketplace all on a shoestring budget.

If you’re ready to market your business with greater passion and purpose then contact her today at info@marketlaunch.com.au or access your FREE marketing tools at www.MarketLaunch.com.au/MarketingPlan

Got A Question?

We’d Love To Hear From You! Phone: +61 422 091 398

Click Here to Visit Our Website

Australian small business owners are turning to the internet to help promote and grow their business. Once a “nice to have”, these days, for most businesses, a web presence is becoming critical.

However, only about 25% of Australian businesses currently have their own website. Often business owners recognise that they need a website, but don’t know how to get started, who to talk to for assistance, or are worried about the potential costs of running a website.

One option being taken up by business owners in droves, is to create and manage their website using the WordPress Content Management System (CMS).

From humble beginnings, WordPress has grown to become the world’s most popular Content Management System - used by millions of websites and seen by tens of millions of people daily. 15% of ALL websites worldwide are currently based upon WordPress, and in the USA 25% of all new websites use WordPress (this is likely to be higher in Australia).

Creating a Website with WordPress But what is WordPress , and why is it so popular ?

WordPress started “life” in 2003 as essentially a blogging platform. Since then it has evolved to become a fully featured Content Management System, allowing an owner to easily create, change and manage content – with little (or no) technical knowledge or experience.

WordPress is an Open Source project, which means there are hundreds (if not thousands) of people worldwide actively improving, extending and developing it.

This also means that it is free for you to use without paying a license fee.

Why WordPress ?

WordPress has become the world’s most popular web platform so quickly, because it is intuitive, easy to use and meets the needs of ordinary people. WordPress offers a huge variety of feature and functionality, but can also easily be extended to do whatever you need.

Some of the reasons people are using WordPress for their website are :

• Easy to Install – installing WordPress is a very easy process

•

• •

•

•

(less than 5 minutes) Easy to Use –people find WordPress intuitive and very easy to use, so are able to use most features with little or no training FREE – WordPress is Open Source Software, so there are no licence fees Themes – WordPress offers thousands of free themes (or “skins”) which allow you to choose the starting look and structure of your site. This significantly reduces design costs Plugins – extra features or functionality can be added (often for free) to extend the capability of your site Search Engine Friendly – WordPress is VERY friendly for Search Engines- making it easier for your site to be found on Google.

WordPress is the quickest, easiest and cheapest option for creating and managing business websites, so if you are considering creating, or redeveloping a website; definitely worth taking a very close look at this platform.

Andy Henderson is an SEO Consultant and runs a training organisation (In a Day Training Workshops – www.in-a-day.com.au ) providing hands on training to guide you through the process of creating and managing your own WordPress website.

How does offshore outsourcing work?

When you need help in your business and you do not want to put on staff here in Australia, one option is to hire virtual employees from Asia.

The rates are very cost effective; from between $3 and $15 an hour, you can get virtual help from people that are degree qualified.

Your business work will get completed remotely. To set this up effectively you need to utilise cloud technologies such as Skype, Gmail, Dropbox and Asana, a project management tool, just to name a few.

The type of services that you can get help with include:

• • • • •

programming bookkeeping telemarketing list building facebook design

• • • • •

web design copywriting virtual assistants architecture and drafting social media management

There are two ways to work with offshore contractors, one is to use specialists on an as needs basis and the other is to hire a virtual assistant from the Philippines as a full time team member.

The benefits of outsourcing to the Philippines is that the time zone is only 2 hours behind Australia. Good virtual workers from the Philippines favour Australian employers enabling them to avoid night shift working for US and UK employers.

Other benefits of outsourcing are: • • • • •

Not governed by Australian labour laws No super or tax to pay No obligation – performance based We are part of Asia – favourable time zones India 5 hours behind us

Pitfalls associated with outsourcing and some of the most common are: • • • •

• •

Poor quality Communication issues Contractor can disappear and become unreliable Difficult to manage a virtual worker if you are not already experienced at management You need to learn a whole new skill set to be successful at it Steep learning curve especially if your virtual worker is full time.

How to avoid these pitfalls is an art that requires persistence and dedication to offshore outsourcing.

To get started you will need to address the following:

•

•

•

Getting clear on exactly what you want done and how many hours you think the task will take.

(You will also need to have some idea of how much you can afford to spend and whether this is realistic in the market place.)

Setting up cloud based systems so that when you hire the person it is easy to communicate and manage the process Are you going to recruit and hire the person yourself or use a company such as gotooutsource.com to find someone on your behalf?

The benefits of using a company such as gotooutsource.com are many fold, especially if you are time poor or lack the confidence to get started.

When issues come up, you have someone that can help you solve them. You will get advice on what to charge, you will have access to what other clients are doing to streamline the process and most importantly it is a guaranteed service that replaces the contractor for up to 3 months if it does not work out.

Find out how outsourcing can save you thousands in your business each month Angela De Palma E: info@gotooutsource.com M: 0414 707 751 Skype: angelamariadepalma

For more information on outsourcing and how it works Call or visit our website

Avoiding Bankruptcy

Did you know that in the March quarter this year there were approximately

60 bankruptcies per day in Australia?

Individuals and businesses finding themselves under financial pressure is unfortunately very common. So what can we do about it?

Getting advice and taking action early is number one.

Financial stress has a ripple effect way beyond the monetary aspects. Individuals can find their personal relationships, families, sleep patterns and health impacted negatively sometimes with tragic outcomes.

There are often things you can do that you may not know about.

Our instinct often leads us to spin the wheels faster and to maintain an optimistic approach in the hope things will improve. The fact you are concerned or worried may be a sign that you may be best having an appointment with someone who knows the danger signs. It may be that you are jumping at shadows but it is best to be sure. A frequent comment by our clients is that they wish that had taken action earlier.

The avenues available to people under pressure include refinancing or restructuring. The best solution will depend on individual circumstances and expert advice should be sought.

The improved management of your debtors may be an opportunity for releasing cash. The engagement of a good debt recovery specialist can help the business avoid disaster by bringing in outstanding cash.

One important thing many people miss is the importance of communication. As soon as you become aware that things are getting tight increase your contact with creditors and your bank. This will decrease the chances of aggressive action and will help enhance your position should things get tougher. Staying in touch and being the one to make the phone call has saved many a business from exasperated creditors taking adverse action. Of course there may be no way out other than going into liquidation, bankruptcy or another arrangement. If this is the decision it may be best made sooner than later.

If you would like to have a

Please contact us directly for a confidential appointment or work through your accountant.

or email at david@profts.com.au

By operating with a clear and informed approach people under financial pressure can better manage the situation.

Most harm is caused by ignoring reality and hoping things will turn. There are things you can do and taking early advice is the most important.

At Professional Turnaround Solutions we offer assistance with strategies to restructure your situation including private finance, factoring and debt collection. We help you work through the decision making process and if tough decisions have to be made we work with you to protect your interests.

chat about your situation please call

David Gifford

on 0418 730 755

or visit our website at

www.profts.com.au

What others say about Jennie …

“I see Jennie as a mentor as she is an active educator. When you are in Jennie’s presence you get to see what a great Networker should look, act and think like. Every time I am with Jennie I learn something new. Thank you Jennie for educating me on being genuine and most importantly listening to what others need.” Her Top Qualities: Great Results, Expert, High Integrity.

Chris Wildeboer www.balancecentral.com.au “I just want to say thank you Jennie Gorman for your workshop ‘The Power of Relationship Marketing’. I have heard this concept bandied around for some time now and although I understand the concept and certainly the value of building business relationships, yours was the first that actually gave me the ‘how to.’ Many people adopt concepts like ‘relationship marketing’ and sometimes they even provide you with some strategies, but they don’t ‘walk the talk’ and that is the difference with you. You follow through and your approach is consistently applicable. I have wasted a considerable amount of my valuable time networking because I never knew the why. I will never look at networking in the same way ever again and I have already started utilising your methods with favourable results. Thanks to you, I am now starting to realize the real power in relationship marketing.”

Madonna Robinson, Personal Development Consultant www.ExcellerateYou.com

Business Ideas Brisbane

every fourth week of each month

at Vagelis Café & Bar, Hamilton 2pm – 4pm. Bookings essential.

Kerrin Smith Photography & Fine Art (m) 0457 229 087 (w ) kerrinsmith.com.au ( e ) info@kerrinsmith.com.au

Twitter: Kerrin_Smith Facebook: Kerrin Smith

Photography & Fine Art LinkedIn: Kerrin Smith

Power your business into the future

Power Hour with Jennie

Create your future by creating it NOW! CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE

Brain Bias in Business

By Trish Jenkins 2012

The statistics of businesses failing are still frightening. The biggest risk you face is not from a business or investment opportunity or even from a fraud. Your biggest risk is

YOU !

Our decisions are greatly influenced by which side of our brain dominates. Left and right brain people often partner in business or marriage. It can lead to conflict, yet if you value the strengths, you can be a formidable force that backs each other up and can prevent you being taken advantage of. If you’re on your own, utilize trusted others who have nothing to gain by offering their perspective.

Visionaries can be impatient with those who are more cautious and can be ego driven. They can surround themselves with “yes” people because they “don’t want to hear anything negative!”

These people are most easily deceived by con artists. A con artist will flatter and manipulate them into grandiose opportunities that were never going to fly.

What you place importance on will be largely It’s all very well to be positive, as long as you have determined by which side of your brain dominates. clear and accurate information in front of you.

Being able to recognise pitfalls is not negative, Left-brained people are all about the numbers and it actually helps you shortlist opportunities so you logic. Their mantra is “If it sounds too good to be don’t waste time and resources on distractions. true, it probably is!”

On the other hand, if you are left-brained, you Right-brained people are usually all about the vision, can get so lost in the number you get “analysis the passion and the motivation. Their mantra is paralysis” and cannot make a decision. Or you “What the mind can conceive and believe; the mind can be so busy checking boxes you don’t notice inconsistencies in a person’s character. can achieve!”

Are the two mantras mutually exclusive? Not at all, they are proverbs, not laws. They apply in context. Both ideas can coexist just as both sides of your brain are necessary to make healthy business decisions. The key is to recognise which one you favour and still respect the other.

There is one more aspect to analysing a business decision, be it for a product, strategy or person.

Pause and listen to your instincts. Cast the vision, analyse the numbers, quiz the applicant... then quietly wait for your gut instinct or spirit to either give you peace or unease.

If you are a passionate visionary, you can overlook details in paperwork or figures that will come back and bite you in the rear later on. You are positive and see potential in people, but potential is not enough. It’s fruit that matters.

Rule number 1: Never invest more than you can afford to lose.

Rule number 2: See rule number 1.

Believe in your dream, and dream with your eyes open!

www.dangerouswealthsecrets.com Brisbane Networking Chats every second Tuesday of the month at Una Vita Café & Bar from 10am – 12noon.

www.networkingchats.com

Work with Others to Ensure Success Developing effective relationships

Supervisors who don’t work well with others don’t go far. More than ever before, the ability to engage the commitment and cooperation of colleagues is vital to our effectiveness and success.

In fact, it could be our most important asset.

To work effectively with others we need a basic understanding of ‘what makes people tick’; but before we can understand others we need to understand ourselves. Knowing our values, strengths and limitations is the foundation of our ability to understand others and develop satisfying relationships with them.

What drives you?

What do you believe is important and worthwhile? What are you willing to stand up for and strive for? Knowing and acting on your values and making decisions based on them builds your integrity and self-respect. It helps you to act consistently and earns the respect of others.

Do you walk your talk?

Have you ever known anyone who says one thing and does another? A supervisor might say ‘I believe in participation and I really value the contributions of my work team’. If this same supervisor fails to listen to team members ideas or suggestions, their behaviour indicates a belief more like: ‘People don’t have any ideas worth listening to or valuable contributions to make’. Or a supervisor might say; ‘My team is great; I’ve taught them all they know’, yet constantly check up on them and avoid delegating work. Their actions say they really believe: ‘I can’t really trust my people and need to keep an eye on them’.

Are these supervisors hypocrites? Possibly. More often then, a conflict between what

people say and what they do is due to one of three other reasons. They may really value participation and want to believe that people are reliable, but their core beliefs, on which they base their day-by-day behaviour, haven’t caught up with their values yet. Or those values might be part of their organisation’s values and culture, but not their own, and they feel pressured to claim they believe in these things when they really don’t. A third possibility is that another, stronger, value overrides the value in question; for example, a supervisor in an organisation that punishes mistakes might value participation but values staying out of trouble more, and doesn’t want to take the risk of involving the team. Either way, what they say or what they actually do don’t match. They don’t ‘walk their talk’.

People are happiest and work best when their own values and the values of the organisation they work for match. That way, it’s easy to practise what you preach. A strong sense of your own values and your organisation’s values will help you act with integrity and consistency and earn the respect and confidence of others. This is central to working well with others.

We believe that good training builds employees confidence and increases their value for the organisation. It saves you the time and irritation of fixing ‘mistakes’ and ‘destroying relationships’.

It will save you time in correcting bad habits and to maintain a high morale within the organisation.

High Performance Coaching and Training will come to your organisation and conduct in-house training that is specifically designed to meet your outcomes. We provide coaching and training to meet all levels of development within your organisation. Give us a call to discuss this further.

Lee Stemm PCC

High Performance Coaching + Training Leadership + Performance Coach and Trainer Extended Disc Facilitator 1300 661 453 or 0414 863 355

http://www.highperformancecoachingandtraining.com.au

Providing your in-house professional development training and coaching solutions We specialise in Leadership and Performance Coaching and Training For further information go to our website

www.highperformancecoachingandtraining.com.au Developing your most important asset – Your Staff

Give us a call on 1300 661 453 Lee Stemm PCC

www.billiondollarblindspot.com.au

What others say about Jennie …

“I would just like to say the biggest THANK YOU for the ‘Create 2012 to be what I want..’ session that you gave Debbie & I on the 16th of Feb this year. The goal setting was great fun, but more importantly breaking our goals down to the next 3 months. I am very excited to say that I have already achieved ALL 5 goals (at 3 weeks!) and I am on track to achieving the 6 month goals within the next 8 weeks!

You are amazing in your delivery, your ability to have us create our visions in our minds, write them down & achieve them. I cannot thank you enough & yes 2012 is going to be everything that I create!”

Lisa Johnston, www.lisabuysyourhouse.com “Jennie Gorman is a master networker - she has a unique ability to connect like-minded people, suppliers/prospects, and potential great mates. Not sure how she keeps track of who is doing what - but she always has her finger on the pulse of what is happening.”

Robyn Henderson, Global Networking Specialist www.networkingtowin.com.au

Power of Relationship Marketing

‘Power

of Relationship Marketing’ Workshop

Workshops are run at various times Throughout the year in Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast.

For more information, CLICK HERE email jennie@connexionsunlimited.com.au

8 Simple Steps

S earch E ngine O ptimisation A lot of people are confused about the basics of Search Engine Optimisation.

More importantly they don’t understand Google Optimisation which is quintessential, as Google has over 87% of the global search engine market share.

Here is a simple infographic we have put together to quickly and easily simplify the 8 essential steps required for successful search engine and Google optimisation. If you follow these steps correctly, you will get to Google page 1.

A few things to note in each step: Step 1: Keyword research Make sure that you are searching for profitable keywords.

It is easy to rank for low competition keywords which have low monthly search volume that will have zero return on investment. This can be a great waste of time and money.

Step 2: Keyword Rich Domain If you are looking to place your keyword in your domain name, please go with the .com recommended in the info graphic (or com.au for local Australian searches). Other domain extensions such as .info has little weight in Google and can negatively affect your search results.

Step 3: WordPress At 49fix, we use Wordpress for all of our sites with excellent results. You simply can’t beat it for value, flexibility and functionality.

web and IT services for small businesses

Step 4: Permalinks Wordpress allows you to add pages and posts easily so you can target different keywords on different pages. Permalinks are the URL for these pages and posts, and super easy to create through Wordpress!

Websites from $249.

SEO from $249 per keyword.

www.49fix.com.au

Step 5: SEO Plugin We use a Wordpress plug in called “All In One SEO� with excellent results. It is also great for easy rich text snippet creation (the introductory part that you see when you type in your keyword into Google), which is very important to your click through rates once you are on the front page of Google.

Step 6: Quality Content Google will always be on the look out for quality content to inform and educate their users. This will always be essential!

Step 7: Social Media It is now more important than ever to include social media and social media bookmarking to improve your Google optimisation rankings. Social media exposure tells Google that your site is popular and worthy of ranking.

Step 8: Backlinks Since the Google Penguin update, backlinks are not only important, but the quality of your backlinks and anchor text that you use in your backlinks weighs very heavily too. Improper back-linking can lead to your site being penalised, so make sure that you have natural, Penguin friendly backlinks.

TO SEE OUR RANGE OF $49 SMALL BUSINESS SERVICES GO TO:

www.49fix.com.au

OR EMAIL info@49fix.com.au

Tax Planning Strategies for 2012

by Linda Robinson CPA

By now, businesses should be putting strategies in place to

minimise their taxation liabilities for the financial year ended 30 June 2012.

Now don’t get me wrong, everyone should pay their fair share....but really, who wants to pay more than they have to?

Here are some simple ways your business can legally minimise the tax you have to pay: Prepay expenses - Certain prepayments for both SBE (Small Business Entities) and non-SBE taxpayers that businesses may be able to claim deductions for include expenditure that is:

• Less than $1,000 GST exclusive; or • Incurred under a law of the Commonwealth, State, or Territory. Common examples are motor vehicle registration and compulsory third party insurance and Workcover premiums and statutory licences; or • paid under a contract of service ( e.g. prepayments of salary and wages, bonuses and commissions).

Capital Gains - realising a capital gain after 30 June 2012 will

defer tax on the gain by 12 months and can also be an effective strategy to access the 50% general discount which requires the asset to be held for at least 12 months. The date of the contract is the realisation date for capital gains tax purposes.

Claiming deductions for expenses not paid at year end -

both SBE (Small Business Entities) and non-SBE taxpayers are entitled to immediate deduction for certain expenses that have been “incurred” but not been paid by 30 June 2012 including: Salary and Wages - a tax deduction can be claimed for the number of days that employees have worked up to 30 June 2012, but have not been paid until the new financial year.

Directors Fees - a company can claim a tax deduction for directors fees it is “definitely committed” to at 30 June 2012 and has passed an appropriate resolution to approve the payment. The director is not required to include the fees in their taxation return until the 2013 year when the amount is actually received.

Writing off bad debts - where a taxpayer accounts for

income on a non-cash basis and has previously included the amount in assessable income, a deduction for a bad debt can be claimed in 2011/12 so long as the debt is declared bad by 30 June 2012. However, the business will need to show that it has made a genuine attempt to recover the debt by year- end to prove that the debt is bad. It’s preferable that this decision is made in writing (e.g. a board minute).

Keep in mind that any tax planning initiatives must also account for cashflow priorities as well. You don’t want to leave your business short on cashflow just to save a dollar in tax. And remember, if you’re paying tax then you are most likely making a profit – which is why you are in business to start with and therefore can only ever be a good thing!

Please feel free to contact our office for an obligation free consultation to further discuss your specific accounting and taxation requirements.

Let us turn the hours you spend on your accounts into MINUTES OUR SERVICES : • Tailored Business Packages • Income Tax Returns • Business Activity Statements (BAS) • Fixed Price Financial Statements • Corporate Compliance (ASIC) • NO hidden fees

VISIT OUR WEBSITE TODAY!

UPCOMING CONNEXIONS UNLIMITED

EVENTS

Thursday 14th June Power Hour with Jennie

10am; 12noon; 2pm; 4pm Tuesday 26th June Business Ideas Group –

Vagelis Café & Bar, Hamilton –

2.00pm – 4.00pm Wednesday 27th June MasterMind Group –

Gold Coast – 9.30am – 12noon Thursday 28th June MasterMind Group –

Brisbane – 9.30am – 12noon Tuesday 10th July Networking Chats –

Una Vita, Banyo 10am – 12noon.

CMYK v

WHAT’S THE BEST FOR

The commercial printing industry can be quite an intimidating experience especially if you’re supplying your own artwork. The printing industry has a language of its own, with its own unique terminology. This short overview will help guide you through the basics and make the experience a little easier.

CMYK and RGB are two terms you may have heard of, but what do they mean and how do they affect my print job. Lets start with RGB. This colour model stands for R - Red, G - Green, B - Blue. It is the primary colours of light and is what allows us to see images on your computer and digital cameras. A monitor mixes shades of red, green and blue to create the colour image we see. There are 256 (0 to 255) shades or levels or brightness which can potentially generate 16,777,216 colour possibilities, much more than any commercial printer can produce.

The next term we will look at is CMYK. This colour model stands for C - Cyan, M - Magenta, Y- Yellow, K - Black (K is used instead of B, to avoid the confusion of it meaning Blue). This process can also be called ‘four colour process’ or ‘full colour printing’. Commercial printing presses produce images by combining different percentages (dots) of each colour in a pattern small enough that our eyes perceive this as solid colour.

So What’s The Best Option For My Printing?

Ideally for most of your printing jobs, you should be using the CMYK format. If a RGB file is supplied to a commercial printer, they will have to do a conversion to CMYK, which may result in your colours turning out completely different to what you envisaged. Preparing your own CMYK file, will allow you to have much more control over the final result.

by : Scott Hynd

www.hynddesign.com.au

s RBG MY PRINTING?

For further information

on any of your printing needs, Please contact Scott at Hynd Design

www.hynddesign.com.au

Call: 0403 308 618 (9am - 5pm, Mon - Fri) Fax: 07 3036 5760 Email: info@hynddesign.com.au

Top 3 Printing Tips Producing your artwork in a program like Microsoft Publisher will default to RGB. Remember to set your colour model to Process Colours (CMYK).

Make sure any images you use design are in the CMYK format. camera images produce RGB and will need to be converted use.

in your Digital images prior to

If you are not creating your designs, confirm that your graphic designer is creating your files using CMYK colours (including images) and supplying you with Print Ready PDF’s.

We are bombarded with so much information from day to day on “How to Lose Weight” or “How Gain Lean Muscle” and so on. Everyone always has a different perspective on how to get there. The problem is we are all different. We come across information on how someone else achieved their goals and then automatically apply the same factors to our lives.

I am a Personal Trainer in Brisbane and work in the city amongst the hustle and bustle all week.

Some people want to lose weight; others to gain muscle and some people just want to be able to touch their toes without pain running down their body like they just landed on a cactus plant.

In the first few weeks of training someone, they all start to understand the basics of fitness because they hear it from me all the time. They become accustom to hearing “Ok, make sure you drink plenty of water, stretch and eat clean healthy foods”.

So if your weight is 60kg, the minimum amount of water your body needs is 60kg x .033 = 1.98 litres. Let’s say 2 litres to be on the safe side.

So 2 litres is a minimum, but we haven’t taken into account the different aspect that effect each one of our daily lives. How much water is lost during your daily exercise? Is it summer time in Brisbane or Cairns with the humidity running at 90-100%, or do you live in Tasmania? We must learn to take into account all these different factors that surround us.

But one fact that is sure, “drink plenty of water”.

Don’t worry if you have to go to toilet all the time, this is a good thing. This is helping your body excrete toxins and waste.

Stretch. When we over work our muscles they become tight and usually full of lactic acid. Remember “a long muscle is a strong muscle”. Stretch and move those sore muscles around. Help get some blood flow to those joints and you will see a world So let’s look at the first point “water”. Most of us of difference. would know the amazing fact that our body is comprised of 70-80% water. Every cell in the body And our last topic, “clean healthy food”. This could needs water to function properly. The constant take some time. Most of us know what is right and renewal of fresh “clean” water makes our body what is wrong. So I say if you are wanting to lose function smoothly. weight, cut down on those unnecessary fats that only bring a moment of satisfaction. Make one A great way to figure out how much water the change today in the right direction that you can body needs is to multiply .033 by your body maintain forever, not just for one month. Remember “Fitness is a Lifestyle“. weight in kilograms.

www.wdcoach.com

Is your business

I’m sure you are familiar with the show ‘CSI – Crime Scene Investigation’ where forensic investigators comb through crime scenes to determine what really happened to the victim.

Unfortunately many businesses are like those crime scenes we see on TV. They are waiting to be investigated and need the same forensic attention in order to build a simpler, profitable and more productive business.

If I had a dollar for every time a business owner or staff member said to me, “I wish things were simpler”, I would be a multi millionaire.

Unfortunately I’m not, but it amazes me how many businesses are so complicated these days with policies and procedures that are pages long, using very few flowcharts, and letters to clients with so many unnecessary and complicated words and phrases.

And we wonder why clients and staff are so confused, interpret things differently, aren’t sure of their roles and responsibilities, and, in the end, may even choose to go with a competitor.

So why is this? When all we want is to do things simply and quickly. And by simple I don’t mean ‘dumbing it down’, because it actually takes a lot of time and effort to write instructions or information for clients and staff that can be quickly and easily understood.

Usually businesses don’t spend the time or effort developing a simple, yet profitable business. Why? The most common excuses are: “I don’t have time”, “We’re doing fine without all that stuff”, or “Why spend time training staff… they only leave.”

So do you really want a more profitable business? Because to get it, you have to invest time, money, effort and be willing to make some changes. If you don’t want to do this, stop reading now.

a crime scene?

Do you want a simpler and more profitable business?

Business Scene Investigator (BSI) Tamara Simon explains, it’s easier than you think because by examining the evidence within your business, you will be amazed at how much time and $ can be saved.

For the few people still reading, here are the 7 ‘usual suspects’ of crime scene businesses.

1. Lack of Leadership - who’s really running your business 2. People choosing not to follow business systems (policy and procedures) 3. Lack of Communication (and where it does exist, it’s all verbal) 4. Building business systems around people instead of Positions 5. Time Poor 6. Office/Files needs Decluttering 7. Lack of Documentation

In the words of William Arthur Ward, “most of us are too critical of ourselves, but not critical enough to make any changes,” and as every successful business needs a Business Scene Investigator (BSI), who’s yours?

To help find the evidence, every BSI needs a good set of tools so they can:

Find the evidence again

Be delicate with their solutions

Look under and in things to see what’s really hidden

Get a reality check

For help to simplify your business, call Tamara Simon from Business Scene Investigation on 0438 262 727, email info@thebsi.com.au or go to www.thebsi.com.au Tamara Simon was a Queensland Finalist in the Telstra Business Women’s Awards. As a Business Systems Specialist with extensive experience in over 10 industry sectors including building design, training, auditing and marketing, she is passionate about helping her clients follow the evidence, find the suspects and solve the case.

“HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY YOU ARE NETWORKING?”

by Jennie Gorman

This is a question I ask people quite often. I believe, if you are not aware of why you network, your outcome will not be what you are hoping and wishing to achieve.

Is your reason to become a better networker for career building, developing a higher profile, earning more money/financial gain or to gain influence in your community, job or business network?

This is an important question. If you understand why you are networking, you will find that you will have a clearer vision of what you want.

By not understanding this and what you expect to gain, you will not move forward.

Word-of-mouth marketing has been around forever and is a powerful way to build your business. I believe, done correctly, it is the best way to build the relationships and business you want for the future.

If for you, networking becomes a natural way of life, it becomes the most successful way to do business. It is necessary for you to learn the basics if you wish to be successful though. It is all about relationship building. You will find that after a while you don’t even think about what you are doing. Networking should always be a win-win for all parties, so always repay appropriately favours extended to you.

Remember, when you give a referral, notify the receiver and the person who is being referred so they are both on the same page. I find email the easiest and quickest way to do this. It is important to give information as to why you are referring the person so that both are aware of what has been passed on. This helps both sides to have more of an idea of the relationship with the referrer. Always make it clear what your relationship is with the person you are referring, for example, they are a client, a personal friend, someone I feel that you will have a synergy with, you have or haven’t done business with them etc.

One of the most important things to remember is that you need to be seen, become known and move into the marketplace that is appropriate to you, at your own pace, always keeping in mind why you are doing it. Attend one or two specific networking groups and become known as a ‘regular’. People then perceive you as stable, reliable and trustworthy will then do business with you. It is important you find your niche market, so the types of events you attend must be appropriate for your needs.

Remember, that the people you are looking to do business with are looking for you too!

www.connexionsunlimited.com.au

Every business needs a BSI to Follow the Evidence Find the Suspects Provide Solutions

So if you want a more profitable and simpler business, then contact Tamara Simon – the BSI for your business.

www.thebsi.com.au info@thebsi.com.au 0438 262 727

Tamara Simon Business Scene Investigator

The Secrets of Property Investing to Create Wealth and Retire Early www.attainpositivechange.com.au Do you often find yourself thinking or saying “I wish I didn’t have to work today”, or feel that the balance is all wrong and we should be working 2 days a week and having 5 days off?

Have you sat down and worked out how many hours a week you actually work for the tax man? There is a good reason why so many people call Wednesdays ‘Hump Day’. Because for many it takes getting up and going to work at 6.30am in the traffic Monday, and getting up and going to work at 6.30am in the traffic Tuesday AND parts of Wednesday, before they actually start working for themselves – that is - for what you get to take home! So hence: ‘getting over the hump’ in this instance means getting past the taxman!

Monday is a lame way to spend 1/7 of your life. ~ Author Unknown Why do we really work? If you had the money you needed to be able to live the life you wanted to, would you like to walk right in and FIRE YOUR BOSS? Do you look forward to retirement and being able to do what you want to do?

Have you put much thought into YOUR EXIT STRATEGY? What I mean by that is: what is your age for retirement? At what age would you like to have the financial capacity to live the life of your dreams and still have the years left to enjoy it?

What do you want to do then? Sleep and watch the grass grow, or tick off every wish on your bucket list and then add some more!

Will you have the funds that will allow you to live the lifestyle you deserve and dream of?

There are two types of people in this world: those that have made the choice to control when they retire, what sort of life they will live and whether or not they will be financially independent, and those that will continue to work until they are told when they can stop, and are reliant on the government for a retirement pension and/or their children for support, to be able survive.

Which group do you want to belong to?

We all want different things. But if you desire a quality life, a life of abundance that you can control, to make your own choices with your own wealth management - that is, would you like to have enough money every month that you can do exactly what you please, pay all the bills, have quality health care when you need it, have the time and the money to be able to make a difference in other people’s lives, leave a legacy behind that you know will continue doing good, then you must go to www.YourPropertySelector.com.au and download my eBook “The Secrets of Property Investing to Create Wealth and Retire Early” - ‘Street tested methods from a home grown property expert’.

List of Contributors Desley Arnold

Paul Humphreys

www.attainpositivechange.com.au

www.videointerviews.com.au

Helen Bichel

Scott Hynd

www.wdcoach.com

www.hynddesign.com.au

Angela De Palma

Trish Jenkins

gotooutsource.com

David Gifford www.profts.com.au

Jennie Gorman businessmastermindgroups.com.au

Thimio Haritopoulos CALL 0414 593 352

Andy Henderson www.in-a-day.com.au

Natasha Howie

www.dangerouswealthsecrets.com

Samantha Lyttle marketlaunch.com.au

Linda Robinson www.tmaccounting.com.au

Tamara Simon www.thebsi.com.au

Lee Stemm www.highperformancecoaching andtraining.com.au

www.49fix.com.au

Disclaimer: The opinions and viewpoints expressed in Connexions Business Magazine do not necessarily represent those of the editor, staff or publisher or any Connexions Unlimited staff or related parties. The publisher, Connexions Unlimited personnel are not liable for any mistake, misprint or omission.

All information contained in Connexions Business Magazine is intended to inform and illustrate and should not be taken as financial, legal or accounting advice. You should seek professional advice before making any business related decisions. We are not liable for any losses you may incur directly or indirectly as a result of reading .

Connexions Business Magazine. Reproduction of any material or contents of the magazine without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.