Marketshare Issue 5

ISSUE 5

Featuring THE FUTURE OF MARKETING IS COVERED IN ZEROES & ONES Dean Payn

LEADERSHIP ESSENTIALS ARE YOU EMPLOYING EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE? 7 TIPS TO HELP CHOOSE THE RIGHT WEB PARTNER FAMILY TRUSTS

contents 2

Forward

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Changing office?

Ask yourself the right questions

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Leadership essentials. How do you help your team overcome resistance to change?

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For you to get more, you have to give more...

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Are you employing extraordinary people?

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The real entrepreneurial you (You may not be who you think you are)

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Sandcastles in the air

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The future of marketing is covered in zero’s & one’s

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Creating content that connects

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Social media marketing – how are you positioned?

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7 tips to help choose the right web partner

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Warning: Don’t get left behind

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10 laws of leadership & success in business

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To trust or not...

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The smile effect

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Nick Hindson

forward

Welcome once again to Market Share. While we update you on our Market Share Journey we would also like to help you with some great ideas and insights to help support the growth of your business.

The magazine is full of great business people who have a wealth of knowledge and experience to share, so please have a read and get in touch with someone here who may just be able to help you with growing your business or help you over that next hurdle.

Market Share is all about helping entrepreneurs build better businesses.

Our aim here is to provide you with some helpful insights.

As a company we are about to launch our 2014/2015 Market Share Education License Program in New Zealand. This will provide schools and universities an opportunity to produce their own version of the Market Share Business Board game. This will provide the school with much needed fundraising, will teach the business students some vital business skills and will provide both the school and students with ‘free’ copies of the game.

Again, this all comes back to driving business education that will lead our next generation of business leaders to developing international businesses that help sustain the New Zealand economy.

Our purpose, to grow our economy through business education, to help entrepreneurs build better businesses and to increase the financial literacy of our next generation.

I hope you enjoy the read and all the very best for your business.

PUBLISHER

Nick Hindson

Warm regards

nick@marketshare.co.nz GRAPHIC DESIG N & COVER PHOTOGRAPHY TITANIUM DESIG N

Julian Hindson Katharine Hindson

julian@titanium.net.nz www.titanium.net.nz

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Nick Hindson Market Share International

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(GEAR ACQUISITION SYNDROME)

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PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHICS

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Ask yourself the right questions.

Robyn Pearce

Changing office?

There are many things to take into consideration when designing or moving to a new office. An office layout should not only look great, but should also be functional and conducive to work.

that require a lot of teamwork or collaborative thinking to accomplish daily tasks – as long as they can still separate out to work uninterrupted when they need to.

Below are some points to keep in mind when designing a new office layout.

What Layout Is Best?

Is An Open Plan Design Right For Us? An increasingly popular office layout is open plan – with the people who pay the rent, some CEOs and some designers! However, it’s not at all popular with many of the people who have to work in this environment.

Desks or workstations near the door naturally attract more interaction. So, where possible, place departments that have to communicate more in these areas. They might include marketing specialists, HR staff and secretaries.

On the other hand, anyone whose line of work requires a steady flow of concentration, for example

An office layout should not only look great, but should also be functional and conducive to work.

The controversy is due to the negative feedback from frustrated employees working in badly planned open plan offices.

Chances are you’ve worked for at least one company that had poorly designed offices. In that case, you’ll probably be with the majority who snarl with frustration when such a design is mentioned!

Research indicates that, for many people, open plan layout has unfavourable effects on the morale, motivation and output of workers.

However, this does not mean that open plan is all bad. It only becomes an issue when businesses adopt the open plan structure even when it isn’t right for their needs www.effectiveworkspaces.com/ open-plan-checklist, or when the concept has been poorly designed, without sufficient consideration of and involvement of the workers.

An open plan layout can work well for companies

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IT, editors, writers, strategy and policy analysts, accountants, lawyers, engineers, designers to name a few industries, usually prefer quieter locations – maybe at the back of the office or at least away from the traffic flow.

And place break rooms, kitchens, photocopy machines and reception desks away from work stations – or anyone working nearby is impacted.

Design Ideas from Herman Miller Furniture manufacturers Herman Miller are leaders in the ‘Living Office’ concept, where offices are designed for activities and behaviours, rather than individual personal spaces as the design driver.

What does this mean?

In their ideal scenario a company would have dedicated spaces for Together work and Alone work.

Together work can range from Casual Chat, Co-

About the Author – Robyn Pearce (known as the Time Queen) is the MD of GettingAGrip.com, an international time management and productivity company which operates from New Zealand. For help with executive coaching, staff training or conference speeches, or to get your free report ‘How to Master Time in Only 90 Seconds’ and on-going time tips, visit www.gettingagrip.com

Creation, quick huddles to discuss problems or give instructions, and more formal sharing of information via meetings of various sorts.

For more on these points, and what employees tell us, check out http://www.effectiveworkspaces. com/your-stories

Alone work can include routine tasks, focused and uninterrupted concentration on a task through to reflection, recharge and thinking time.

For much more on how to survive and/or utilise open plan effectively, check out www.effectiveworkspaces. com

What Employees Dislike

Links: Open Plan Checklist www.effectiveworkspaces.com/ open-plan-checklist

1. Noise.

2. The wrong lighting.

3. Lack of privacy.

4. Constant interruptions.

Survival Strategies www.effectiveworkspaces.com/ survival-strategies-for-open-plan

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The

At Plan B, we’ve heard many claims about Business Continuity planning, and a few pearlers keep cropping up. Here are a few of our ‘favourite’ myths – and what you need to know to plan for real Business Continuity.

Disaster Recovery vs Business Continuity Business Continuity (BC) and Disaster Recover (DR) are both processes that help prepare for disruptive events, yet they are quite different.

Disaster Recovery is a subset of Business Continuity, with its focus on restoring the IT Infrastructure components.

Business Continuity casts the net further – Its focus is on maintaining Business Operations in a crisis and considers much more than just the underlying IT systems. BC requires identifying critical activities – especially people, facilities and suppliers – and understanding the dependencies and resources required to support them.

The bottom line?

DR protects your systems.

BC protects your whole business.

biggest myths about Business Continuity ‘Just put it in the cloud’ Moving data and services into the cloud gives you more flexibility and makes financial sense, but when the cloud goes wrong, it can be catastrophic.

Storing your backup data in the cloud is great; it’s relatively cheap, backup data is offsite (typically in another geographical region), easily accessible, and provides for growth.

However in a disaster some of those same advantages can quickly turn against you. If you needed to restore a server in a hurry, consider that would take 46 hours to restore a 1TB server from an international cloud provider over a 50Mb/s internet link – if the link still works. Would that meet your business objectives?

When was the last time you tested the recovery of one of your cloud hosted servers?

‘The risk is actually pretty low’ When most people think of a disaster they think of natural disasters; earthquake, tsunami, tornado, but from our experience hardware failures, corruptions, failed upgrades and human error are the top reasons for recovering data.

need to know how every facet of the business will continue to operate. CRM? Finance systems? Phones? How will you communicate with staff? How will clients communicate with you? What about contractual or compliance obligations?

‘My IT guys have it all in hand’ IT shouldn’t own the Business Continuity Plan, as it affects the entire business.

How sure can you be that your plan meets your business objectives? It’s also important that senior management is responsible for BC planning, because when things go wrong, senior management will need the answers.

‘I have a copy of my data, that’s enough’ Successfully backing up your data is critical, but only one small part of the bigger picture. In an event, your staff need to keep working with minimal disruption, your milestones need to be met, and your customers should barely notice any problems. Anything less puts your business at risk. This is why Business Continuity planning is required in some international markets. Don’t be surprised if you start seeing it as a prerequisite on the next RFI/RFP.

Don’t underestimate and ignore events that could happen closer to home.

‘I don’t need to be involved’

Get started with your Business Continuity plan

A great Business Continuity plan is closely aligned with both the strategic and tactical management of the company. It’s not as simple as backup tapes and laptop computers – you

Take our free high-level business risk assessment now at www.planb.co.nz/itb-assess or call us on 0800 266 846.

www.planb.co.nz/itb-assess

How do you help your team overcome resistance to change?

Eloize Tzimas

Leadership essentials

As a people and performance consultant, I work with a number of different sized companies in New Zealand to support and assist with leadership development programmes on different levels of people leadership within the organisation.

The employees’ level of resistance (on a spectrum) to change is impacted by how the change is managed and communicated. The most important part of moving employees through change, is in the change Message you present to the employees.

It’s a given today, that organisations are contiually evolving into new structural forms to meet customer demands, global competition threats, leaner processes, and at times expenses growing faster than revenues.

People filter your message through their own perceptions and assumptions. Your change Message needs to be defined and very very clear!

How employees react to the continual change is a direct result of how safe employees feel in the organisation which is influenced by the leaders of the business.

Leadership today requires leaders to be more agile, emotionally intelligent and brilliant at communicating, coaching and a superstar at moving teams through change. Are Leaders skilled at leading teams through change? In my experience, not so!!

So what are the essentials a leader needs to be skilled at (building towards mastery) to move teams through change as seamlessly as possible whilst minimising resistance?

We know all to well, that there is always an innate natural human resistance to change. It is true that we are creatures of comfort and habit!

So how do you as a leader, help your team over the natural human resistance, when change is such a normal way of business today?

Firstly, change is both good and natural if you deal with resistance efficiently. Instead of trying to “overcome” resistance; learn to nurture it, use it, and benefit from it.

Understand the employees listen with their conscious and subconscious minds! The back-drop to their listening is through “their own filters”, experiences and assumptions. Having a clear and precise message about the change and addressing both the conscious and subconscious minds will often minimise resistance and misunderstanding.

Your approach will impact how minimal or heightened the resistance will be and in extreme cases – unclear messages will cause rumours, false perceptions and a negative impact on the culture.

Resistance will always appear…. Therefore, it’s important to identify the cause of the resistance, since how you overcome the resistance will depend on what is triggering it.

After you have identified the triggers of resistance to change, you can use a combination of strategies to support employees to accept the change. Now in a perfect world that would be great, but there will always be those that challenge change!!

Be prepared; create a safe place and environment for your employees. People need to also trust the leadership team in the business. A great leader will always back their people, building baseline foundation blocks of safety and trust. (Check out www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_ inspire_action – Talk by Simon Sinek on “Why Good Leaders make you Feel Safe”. – Filmed March 2014)

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Change Essentials:

• Transparency

One of the most effective ways to overcome resistance is to educate your employees about the change in advance. Transparent communication and awareness helps employees see the logic behind the change effort.

• Safety

Ensure you create a safe environment for the change. As there is a personal mindset shift resulting in behavioral changes, it’s important to create a safe environment. When employees or leaders trust that the company is on their side, there will be less resistance. Always consider the people – they need to feel safe.

• Emotional Empathy

Understand that change has a direct impact on emotions; therefore it’s essential to acknowledge any fear driven emotions that may arise due to the change.

• Acceptance

A critical part of an employee’s process around change. Gaining employee’s acceptance of the change with a WIIFM that might support their development, progress and success in the role or their future.

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Most of the time leaders focus on telling their employees about the merits that will benefit the business.

Put your people first, and ensure they understand the WHY of the change and their WIIFM’s. Then present the outcomes for the business.

You could also link the change (if possible) to other issues that people already care about. By connecting the change to issues; for example health, job security, promotion; this can increase acceptance by employees.

You could also consider inviting different employees into a change management-planning group for input or as advocates for the people involved around the change. This strategy may be useful… selecting employees who are resisting and involving them in the change effort.

The employee or employees are offered a representation and influence within the decision making process without posing a threat to the change effort itself.

Eloise Tzimas 027 600 6940 eloise@stepchangetraining.co.nz

www.titanium.net.nz

If I were to ask you, “How can I make more money?” I wonder what response I would get?

They say that which you pursue will elude you, like the butterfly that you try to catch in the garden. No matter how hard you try, you’ll fail.

But if you stand still, the butterfly will often come to you... and settle on your shoulder.

Recently I heard one of my mentors – Scott Fay – share a great quote from Jim Rohn that states, “If you want to do, be or have more, you have to become more.”

Who would you become?

It all boils down to one core philosophy – if you want to earn more, give more!!!

Instead of focusing on the number that you’ll like to get - e.g. $100K or $250K - focus on what you want to GIVE. Be a river - not a reservoir John Maxwell encourages people to become a river and not a reservoir. Allow things to flow through you -- NOT just to you. For you to add value to others, you need to be able to share the wisdom that you have gathered with them.

5 Things to Become...

There are five things that I encourage you to become:

1. Become More AWARE!

It’s not motivating enough to think “I’m going to give more away!” I encourage you to become more aware of the needs that are out there. Ask yourself, “WHO would you give it away to & WHY would you give it away?”

If you can attach it to the need, the concept of giving becomes easier. Being aware of the need helps you to attach to the need.

2. Become More CONVICTED!

Passion is when you get excited about something. But when you get convicted, that becomes the great motivator which

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Elias Kanaris

for you to get more, you have to give more...

helps you put your passion to work. It turns your idea into a REALITY. And that’s WHERE you can make a difference!

3. Become More PRODUCTIVE!

Don’t play the ‘should’ game. Should I do this or should I do that? That which is easy to do is just as easy not to do. People living in a hurricane-prone region get very productive 24-48 hours before the hurricane hits. They become focused because they have a WHY.

4. Become More GENEROUS!

If you don’t learn to give when you have a little, you’ll never learn to give when you have a lot. Be generous with your time and your resources. Don’t limit yourself to making donations to charities; contribute your time to good causes – like helping widows, ‘big buddy’ an orphaned child or mentor a new business.

If, like me, you are a person of faith, you may want to give your tithe to your church. Give it out of a generous heart - not out of a religious viewpoint. And as you increase your tithe over time, see your income grow accordingly!

5. Become More SIGNIFICANT!

I want to encourage you to become more significant as you make a bigger impact on the world that surrounds you. By being a river and not a reservoir, you can move from success to significance by thinking about others and giving more to help them.

As you review your business and set the vision and goals for the new business year, I encourage you to become these 5 things and see the financial benefits flow into your business as a result.

Elias Kanaris 09 280 4418 021 615 449 elias@eliaskanaris.com

www.eliaskanaris.com

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Most companies become great because of only a handful of exceptional staff.

Microsoft employs around 99,000 employees.

Yet Bill Gates has said, “Take our 20 best people from us and I tell you Microsoft would become an unimportant company.”

Steve Jobs said, “I noticed that the dynamic range between what an average person could accomplish and what the best person could accomplish was 50 or 100 to 1. Given that, you’re well advised to go after the cream of the cream. A small team of A+ players can run circles around a giant team of B and C players.”

Jim Collins noted in his book Good to Great, “People are not your most important asset. The right people are.”

Good people make up a good company. Yet one of the toughest tasks in business is ferreting out “extraordinary people” to work for you! This is made harder because most companies do not look until the need is urgent – by which time, there is no time.

Are job descriptions obsolete?

Job descriptions are present in almost every recruitment exercise. They are: • Valuable tools to ensure that everyone is doing things that move the business forwards.

• Lists of tasks that focus on the know-how required to fulfil listed duties Without a job description, the neurosurgeon would be helping prepare bad food in the kitchen and the cook would be killing people in the operating theatre.

Yet, by the time many job descriptions are written and accepted, they can be virtually obsolete.

Things have moved on, circumstances have changed and the need looks different.

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Colleen Sluiter

are you employing extraordinary people?

Besides, do you really want people who complete tasks and fulfil duties? More importantly, do job descriptions attract the best talent?

Are you hiring tools or people?

What if you hired people you trust who love doing the core focus of the vacancy, and simply threw gas on their fire? When people do what they love and are good at, you only need to keep the fire burning.

Gen-Y employees seek vision – employment with meaning. They want what they do to connect with who they are.

What if the focus of recruitment were accomplishment instead of tasks? When I understand I am employed to help my company grow, would I answer the phone differently than when I am told to answer within 4 rings?

In order to convert “I have to... into I want to”:

• Replace emphasis on historic experience with vision that adds meaning.

• Substitute the task list with outcomes and accountability to retain focus.

• Provide challenge to fuel passion, instead of offering a “skills we need” list.

Make your search is about:

• • • • •

Potential instead of experience.

Strengths instead of skills.

Passion instead of general competencies.

Vision instead of learning.

Attitude instead of contacts.

Perhaps begin by observing the common traits that make your best employees a good fit and successful in their role. Then work to duplicate these key traits when screening for potential employees.

“People are not your most important asset.

The right people are.� www.marketshare.co.nz

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Tom Poland

Thirty three years ago my life changed. One day I was someone else and the next I was me.

The transformation occurred just after I started my first business at age 24. Having always been interested in personal growth, I invested in a multi-perception personality assessment.

To receive my report I had to find six people who knew me well in a business context and ask them to complete a series of questions in regard to their perceptions of me. All of the responses were posted to a company in the USA and six weeks later a report was received by that firm’s local representative.

The impact was both liberating and motivating at the same time. I no longer followed the businesssuccess-rule-book that told me I must do things a certain way. I had discovered a more natural pathway to business and personal fulfilment. The guilt trips and self-doubt faded away and were replaced with increased levels of happiness and fulfilment. As a result I was more productive and more energised.

I was them summoned to meet for the debriefing which involved flying to their office in another city.

What happened next was a shock. So much so that as I type this 33 years later I can clearly recall where I was sitting in the room at the time and what I was seeing as my report was displayed and I simply didn’t recognise the person in the report.

That person was an ideas-generator, confident and assertive. He was a risk-taker, an adventurer and a leader.

And the transition was not hard. It felt like I had just unzipped a full body suit and simply stepped out. It was easy because I was simply relaxing into being me. Although I couldn’t articulate it at the time, the report had identified what I now call my “Entrepreneurial DNA”. That’s the term I give to the unique combination of natural inclinations and talents that every entrepreneur possesses.

I, on the other hand, was careful, unoriginal and a follower of other people’s ideas. At least that was my perception, despite having put my first house on the line by starting my own business at such a young age. As I spoke with the consultant about the report it slowly dawned on me that my upbringing had created a different “me” to the one I was born to be.

In short, I was living a lie. It was a nice lie but a lie nonetheless. And later that evening when I reflected on the report’s findings in my hotel room I made a decision. I was no longer going to listen to the voices in my head that cautioned me to hold back.

Instead I chose to back myself. To go with my gut feel. To nurture new ideas and to be more 14

assertive, albeit politely. My life changed almost instantly. More risks, more adventures, more failures and bigger successes. It was like the report had given me a permission slip to “be the me I was born to be”.

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In 2005 I decided to create a similar system so that entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs could identify their own Entrepreneurial DNA and thereby benefit as much as I had all those years ago.

In November 2006, after more than a year of testing and refinements, I released the “Entrepreneurial Style Profile” and last month my team finished creating an on-line version which is completely free.

Here’s the link: www.collegeforentrepreneurship. com/entrepreneur-profiling-assessment-tool/ May you discover your natural pathway to business wealth and personal fulfilment as indeed I have done.

Tom Poland – College of Entrepreneurship faculty@collegeforentrepreneurship.com

AustralAsiaNZ COLLEGE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP

For Entrepreneurs, By Entrepreneurs

faculty@collegeforentrepreneurship.com

www.collegeforentrepreneurship.com www.collegeforentrepreneurship.com

Seriously Smarter Growth Strategies

the real entrepreneurial you (you may not be who you think you are)

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Yvonne Godfrey

All the things I had toiled for...

I must leave to the one who comes after me. - Ecclesiastes 2:18 NIV

The ocean need not respond. Both know to whom the sand belongs... and I don’t know much about sandcastles. But children do. Watch them and learn.

Max Lucado writes: “A little boy is on the beach. He packs the sand with plastic shovels into a bright red bucket. Then he upends the bucket and a sandcastle is created. A man is in his office. He shoves papers into stacks and delegates assignments.

Numbers are juggled, contracts are signed, and a profit is made.

“Go ahead and build, but build with a child’s heart. When the sun sets and the tides take what’s theirs - applaud. Salute the process of life, then take your Father’s hand and go home.” End of story Is your life simple and light or is it cluttered and heavy? Are you holding on to possessions, people and positions that dont matter while failing to embrace the new?

Lately, I have been giving things away prompted by the need for simplicity in my life and to reduce clutter. I can’t be creative when it

Is your life simple & light, or is it cluttered & heavy?

Two builders, two castles. They see nothing and make something. And for both the tide will rise and the end will come. Yet that’s where the similarities cease. For, the boy sees the end, while the man ignores it.

Watch the boay as dusk approaches. As the waves near, the wise child begins to clap. There is no sorrow. No fear. No regret.

He knew this would happen. He is not surprised. And when the great breaker finally crashes upon his castle and his masterpiece is sucked into the sea, he smiles, picks up his tools, takes his father’s hand and goes home.

The grown-up however, is not so wise.

As the wave of years collapse on his castle he is terrified. He hovers over the sandy monument he protected. He blocks the waves from the walls he has made. Saltwater soaked and shivering he scowls at the incoming tide. ‘It’s my castle,’ he defies.

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takes me 5 minutes to find a shirt in the cupboard. I want to be light so I can fly into whatever adventure or opportunity comes my way.

I also think that I am more often asking myself what am I building that will outlive me as opposed to what am I putting my time, energy, belief and money into that will fade away?

So let’s stop.........

Let’s stop gathering things and do more gathering of people.

Let’s stop regretting - instead let’s focus forward to the new adventure.

Let’s stop being resentful and replace resentment with gratitude.

Let’s stop depending on others and become the rock on which our family and friends can depend.

Let’s stop thinking about getting old and more about reinventing ourselves for our second half.

Let’s stop complaining with the masses and spend more time on finding solutions.

Let’s stop to pat children’s heads and to fill them with encouragement.

Let’s stop making excuses and look after ourselves in every way so that we can do all these things.

Let’s run harder and faster than ever before – but this time instead of using adrenalin to fuel us, let’s tap into the mighty wisdom we have in our storehouse, just waiting to be let loose!

About the Author – Yvonne Godfrey is seriously passionate about helping young adults on their journey to independence into the adult world. Yvonne speaks at schools and conferences and does family coaching. She is a gifted communicator winning the Corporate Events Professional Speaker of the Year, the People’s Choice Award in 2009 and 2010.

To book Yvonne for speaking or family coaching, visit www.parentingyadults.com

sandcastles in the air

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Students play Market Share at Enterprise Week organised by Massey University

Business people playing Market Share

Aorere College play Market Share at Telecom

Students play Market Share at Te Whanaga o Aotearoa

www.youngenterprise.org.nz

They say if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.

It’s not true.

If you keep doing what you’ve always done with your marketing, you’re going to get LESS than you’ve always got.

Forward-thinking businesses realise that the future of marketing looks different. It’s covered in zeros and ones – that means it’s digital. It’s also online, it’s connected, and it reaches not just the people in your city, but people everywhere.

Take this as an example of how powerful online marketing can be - if you create a product with a wowfactor, more people can find out about it with one link shared on Facebook than you’d get from a citywide flyer drop. With less investment of your time and energy, you’ll reap greater results.

So how big is the online marketplace? Consider this…

• 1 billion people use Facebook regularly • 925,000 new users join Google+ every day • The average order value of a Pinterest user on an ecommerce site is $93 • 2.2 million New Zealanders made at least one online purchase in 2013 – a total ecommerce value of $4 billion • Mobile-driven purchases total $400 million Here are four key tools you can use to make the digital leap forward.

1. Google Analytics

A huge advantage of web-based marketing is that it’s traceable. You can’t accurately measure how many people have looked at a magazine ad placement, but you can know exactly how many people clicked on your website by utilising this key tracking tool.

2. Google AdWords

Think of Adwords as a tap you can turn on whenever

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Dean Payn

the future of marketing is covered in zero’s & one’s

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A LIFESTYLE TO BE ENVIED Whitianga Waterways is the stunning canal housing development found directly behind the bustling Coromandel township of Whitianga. The marine based urban development is an extension of Whitianga, undertaken by creative property developers Hopper Developments Limited.

The Waterways consists of waterfront and non-waterfront residential sections, as well as offering spectacular mountain view sections found right on the edge of the Mercury Bay Airfield. This comprehensively planned development boasts an unequalled lifestyle, enabling section owners to enjoy a unique and exclusive waterfront lifestyle. The canal front lots at Whitianga Waterways allow owners to berth boats upon private jetties only meters away from the front door.

The Waterways maintains the added amenity of a high quality marine environment, perfect for swimming and a wide range of water activities such as kayaking and stand up boarding. At this present time there are 385 sections that have been constructed, and the development is only 20% complete. To date limited waterfront sites have been created with approximately 100 vessels permanently stationed on their owner’s jetties.

Whitianga Waterways is an exclusive waterfront experience. With guidance from the developers, section owners uphold a high standard of living. Homes on the canal are a spectacle in themselves. Many are built with high quality materials and are designed to encompass this incredible waterfront lifestyle.

The location of Whitianga Waterways means that all water recreational activities are available with ease. With the Mercury Bay as the gateway to the beautifully clad Coromandel coastline, section owners simply set off by boat to enjoy the productive fishing, game fishing and diving grounds found within the Mercury Bay and beyond.

Whitianga is also strategically located near some stunning nearby attractions. Hot Water Beach, Cathedral Cove, the Great Mercury Islands, and the cliffs and caves along the coastline are perfect for exploring. The Coromandel is also well known for its popular surf beaches, bush walking, many golf courses and other adventure activities.

Whitianga is a playground for a wide range of activities that all the family can enjoy.

The township of Whitianga is stacked with boutique retail stores, cafes, bars, restaurants and much more. Whitianga is also home to a number of annual events such as the Scallop Festival, Coromandel Gold, and numerous summer fairs and festivals. There truly is something for everyone.

Come and experience Whitianga Waterways and all that the region has to offer.

Visit the sales office on 20 Vanita Drive, talk to the friendly sales staff and see what they can do for you.

Otherwise simply pick up the phone and call (07) 866 0164 or visit www.whitiangawaterways.co.nz for more information

your business has the capacity to take on more work. Just make sure your site is opimised for conversion first – there’s no point driving a lot of traffic to a site that doesn’t make it easy for customers to respond.

3. Social Media (Esp. Facebook advertising)

Another powerful tap you can turn.

Imagine being able to focus your advertising messages so they target a specific age, gender, location, or interest group. Such a pinpoint grouping of people has become a reality with the advent of social media in general and Facebook in particular. The ‘shotgun’ approach is as inefficient as it is archaic.

4. Email Marketing

It costs seven times more money to acquire a new customer than to sell to an existing one.

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Email marketing leverages the power of your existing database to present products or services to those who have already expressed an interest in the past.

These tools are just a small selection of the vast resources that are available to build a Demand Generation Engine for your business – and it’s something that we specialise in. The goal is to create a system that can be followed by you and your team, providing a steady flow of leads that can be managed and fueled effectively both now and in the future – a future covered in zeroes and ones.

For more insights on the future of marketing and to develop a strategy that’s right for you, give us a call.

Dean Payn 09 972 0630 dean.payn@onlineresults.co.nz

Need a Lead Generation Engine for your business?

Take the first step with an Online Sales and Marketing strategy session worth $1000 Yours Free :)

Offer valid till 31st August 2014

Ph 0800 333 510 www.onlineresults.co.nz/yoursfree onlineresults.co.nz/yoursfree Preferred supplier of the NZ Franchise Association

OR Market Share Ad.indd 2

6/05/14 9:26 am

People want to buy from those they know and trust.

This is why word of mouth works so well. Through someone you already know you can meet a person who has already established trust and therefore do business with them with confidence. Through association you now know and trust this individual, because of the referral or introduction.

When it comes to doing business, trust is very important. People want to know that they are making the right purchase decision before they commence any transaction.

Now, for a large brand, they have already spent a lot of money and time building trust in the market place and we find it easier to do business with them due to the reputation they have built.

For a small business that doesn’t have the kind of budget that these companies have, we need to employee a different strategy.

One really great way of developing trust and a good reputation is by providing valuable content and information about your particular industry to your audience through all areas of your web presence.

This means your website, social media, search engines, blog sites, hang-outs, etc.

What you want to do is build trust, create social proof and develop a great reputation as a leader in your industry.

If people see you and your brand popping up all over the internet and you are always providing great content and valuable advice, they are much more likely to do business with you than one of your competitors.

So, the challenge now is, how do I create valuable content and advice and how do I keep it regular?

Again, to build trust you need to be seen on a regular basis, as people see you again and again they learn

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NIck Hindson

creating content that connects

to trust you and trust that they can depend on you and know that you are reliable.

The idea is to be consistent; planning your strategy every 6 to 12 months ahead of time ensures you have a plan to follow. It pays to plan content ahead of time and lock it in well ahead of schedule. You can still add relevant and current news and info as you go but having articles and advice planned ahead of time means that you will find it easier to provide that consistency.

So now you are planning and creating valuable content and sharing it with your existing and potential customers.

If you have challenges with creating all of the content yourself then you may want to engage some of your team or even a contract writer to produce some or even all of the content for you. Once you have this content you are going to want to share it with as many of your customers as possible. They don’t all hang out in the same places on the internet so you are going to want to determine where the majority of your existing and potential customers spend their time. Because people have different tastes, habits, values, aspirations and pass times you will need to anticipate where they might be found on the net.

It always pays to go for the low hanging fruit first of all and then start looking at the more niche areas of the internet, once you have a better feel for what these might be.

Now that you have your content ready… let’s say it is a written article about your particular industry and you have written about a current popular topic.

You can now place this article on your website, on a blog site and on your Facebook page. Once it’s there you can tweet it, you can share it with friends.

You can email it to your database in a newsletter.

You can share it on your LinkedIn profile or within a LinkedIn Group.

www.businesschanging.com You can submit it to your industry magazine publishers for inclusion in their magazine. You can submit it to a business in your industry, a company that compliments what you do, for inclusion in their newsletter.

Once you have exhausted your options for distribution of the written article you will want to turn it into an audio file such as an MP3 and share it online, perhaps on iTunes and any similar broadcasting sites. Remember your customers may be anywhere on the net and you want to ensure you are reaching them.

Next you will want to turn the article into a video and share it on YouTube and perhaps some of the other video hosting sites. Again the more sites you are on the more likely you are to be seen. All of these instances of your article are going to link back to your website. This drives traffic to your site and helps you rank better with Google organic search.

You can place the videos and MP3’s on your website as well so visitors can watch or listen while they are perusing your site and wanting to find out more about you.

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Remember, you want to show your audience that you are an expert in your industry and that you know what you’re talking about.

Now this all sounds like a lot of hard work, especially if you’re not that tech savvy. So, if this sounds overwhelming, you may want to engage a third party to manage this for you. Don’t be embarrassed to outsource this area of your business.

You may decide you just want to contribute the ideas for the articles and have others manage the rest of this for you.

Whatever you decide, know this… If you aren’t on the internet building your reputation, where the majority of people are now looking for solutions to their problems, then they are probably going to find your competition and go and deal with someone who is there. It’s all about building trust and developing a reputation. Talk to the right people, get the right advice and give it a go!

Best of Luck!

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– how are you positioned?

Stop!!! Think about what you did online over the last hour. Did you look for a job? Buy a product or service? Look up information?

Buy movie tickets? Check your Facebook or Twitter account?

Make reservations for dinner?

Order pizza? Chat with a friend?

Play a game? Watch a movie? Get sports results? Donate? Watch a YouTube clip?

What device did you use?

A computer? Smartphone? iPad? Internet World Stats show that there are over 2.5 billion people that use the Internet on a regular basis… and they are your potential customers.

There is no doubt that technology has changed the way we do business and it’s time you got serious about jumping on the virtual rollercoaster and taking your business for the ride of its life. It’s no longer a case of “Should I be online?” But rather: “How should I position myself and my business online?”

There is no “one size fits all” in Social Media Marketing. What works for one company may not work for another. Here are 7 actions to propel your business on its Social Media Marketing journey: 1. Align your social media marketing efforts with your business goals and objectives.

As a medium sized business owner in the retail market, James could not articulate his top three 30

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business goals for the year. This meant that it was difficult to understand what the business was supposed to achieve and in turn where to focus his Social Media Marketing efforts. Having clearly defined business goals helped with the decision making process, and it meant that he was not wasting time and money on the wrong initiatives. Understanding his current position enabled him to track and measure his return on investment (ROI).

2. Create a marketing plan and make it visual.

A marketing plan helps your business to be very clear about who your potential customers are, what your product or service is and how to position it, where to sell, potential risks, competitors etc. A marketing plan will require some thinking about who your perfect client is and how to position yourself and your business in front of them. Research can be as simple as asking existing customers why they do business with you now. Stick your plan up where you can see it. Visual plans keep people on track. This helps with accountability.

3. Create your Brand and your Branding personality.

A beautiful and obviously gifted woman who had moved from the country to escape city life, was offered a book deal based on turning her gardening successes and failures into blogs. The problem was that she had started out with one online identity

Wanita Zoghby

social media marketing

and had then created another which left her with two different brands. Following a rebranding exercise, she has created great customer experiences through her new brand personality. She has more followers, is writing her second book and now speaks internationally.

When deciding on your branding personality, think about your audience and the message you want to portray. More importantly; how do you want to portray this message? Content should be written to engage all of their senses – sight, hearing, feeling and in some cases smell and taste.

Have you ever been to a function where people are crowding around ‘the dude’ in the corner who is boring and uninteresting’? No! Apply the same principle online. Be interesting, be engaging, have fun, be different, be controversial and be bold! But don’t be all of these at the same time or people will think you are crazy.

4. Choose the Social Platforms that will best suit your business.

Understanding ‘why’ people hang out in various platforms is like asking why they go to their favourite bars and restaurants.

What is it about the experience that they enjoy and keeps them coming back for more?

Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, Twitter and Pinterest are the leading platforms where companies advertise and where

sales are being made. There are others but these platforms stand out not only for the speed at which they are growing and the active participation but also for ‘search engines’. Facebook is a fantastic social media platform and their advertising application allows you to be very specific about the audience you want to engage.

Over 500 years of YouTube videos are watched every day.

LinkedIn is phenomenal for amongst other things Business to Business connections. Pinterest now commands upwards of 41% of e-commerce traffic (especially in the retail space).

Your website is a key tool and is also the window to the world through which people will judge who you are and what you do.

Small changes can reap rewards.

“Out of the world’s estimated 7 billion people, 6 billion have access to mobile phones. Only 4.5 billion have access to working toilets.” - Time Magazine. This is a scary statistic but one that brings to light how important it is to have a website which is mobile compatible.

Newsletters are a great way of staying engaged with your customer but their time is valuable. The secret is the hook to get them reading and keep them reading.

5. Sort out the ‘back-end’ of your business.

You cannot possibly sell your product or service if the ‘backend’ of your business is not functioning properly. Ensure that 32

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you have a sales process and that it is documented and visible. If you have staff, let them be involved in the sales and marketing processes.

Have your financials sorted out.

Look at how your product / service is packaged and sold. I am directly addressing the sales and marketing aspect of business but there are many other areas that can jeopardise a business and a good business coach should be able to help you identify these.

6. Engage and be consistent.

Social Media Marketing means to be social. This requires that you engage with your audience. This is where the Internet and Social Platforms have changed the way we market and promote ourselves.

It is an excellent way for business to broaden their exposure at a much lower cost. One of the biggest complaints is that Social Media Marketing takes time.

Change the way you think about Social Media Marketing and shift your thinking and perceptions.

Imagine being in front of any of your customers 7 days a week, 24 hours a day selling or getting your message out to millions of people.

How differently would you think about the time? How have you marketed your business in the past? Do you remember the time and effort you put into having a mail drop designed and delivered?

Was the time and effort rewarded with customer engagement?

Did it meet your expectations?

Consider for a moment that the time that you put into these marketing efforts can be put into your online efforts. This is after

all your business and you have an opportunity to engage with your customers in real time. Social Media Marketing is not a magic bullet. You need to make the effort and consistency is key. The efforts are well worth it.

7. Outsource or sub-contract the bits you can’t do.

Social Media Marketing like any other job, is a skill. A Business Owner/ Manager within the company is actively participating to ensure better performance and manage growth. To get the best results from Social Media Marketing, there are a number of options available: a. Hire skilled people. b. Contract the areas where you need help e.g. marketing planning. c. Outsource this part of your business to an external company. d. Get yourself up skilled. Attend workshops both online and offline. Learn as much as you can. This is valuable when you are dealing with outsourcers and contractors.

As you sit back in your office chair looking at the view outside your window, consider how positioning your business online could make a difference to your bottom line.

Remember, it is no longer a case of ‘should I be online but rather how should I position myself and my business online’.

Wanita Zoghby-Fourie 021 220 00313 wanita@theonlineacademy.co.nz

PROTECTING YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE Kingdom Financial Services Ltd is an innovative and creative

track and that business principles and ethics form the cornerstone

company that strives on helping people to implement their

of who you are and what you believe in. This is not negotiable.

short, medium and long term vision into a financial plan that they can understand and use to be financially independent

It is important to ask the hard questions and to make sure that

and make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others.

expectations and reality meet each other in the event of

If we as individuals don't have a plan we could be in a difficult

something happening as mentioned before. Real Financial

position in the event of something happening with regards to

Advisers ask the questions that matter because they care about

loss of income, untimely death or disability.

the person and what is best for the individual and his/her family.

Please ask yourself the following questions:

Strategic decisions, life changing discussions and long term

1) Who will suffer financially if I die or lose my ability to earn?

commitment is the foundation of the thorough approach to

2) Do I have a updated will that is signed and reflects my

risk management and solutions based financial planning. If

wishes today?

you want to jump between different service providers and

3) How long ago did I do a warrant of fitness on my

advisers we are not the solution for you. We have a long term

insurance portfolio?

solution driven approach that is sustainable and affordable.

4) Is my portfolio sustainable and affordable and will the “right” amount be available on the “right” time to the “right” person?

This solid and practical solution based approach includes ACC restructuring, risk management with regards to personal and

If you are interested in a long term relationship and simple

business needs and asset management. The step by step

sustainable solutions, I would like to sit down over a coffee

practical and experienced based solutions have added value to

and discuss your unique situation with you. I have many years

many families and businesses over the last 25 years and have

of experience to offer that will add value to your

helped to make sure that the vision and financial plan is on

unique situation.

KINGDOM FINANCIAL SERVICES Braam Swanepoel 09 440 9029 021 546 436 braam@kingdonfs.co.nz

Analie Swanepoel 09 440 9029 analie@kingdomfs.co.nz

Theuns Lubbe 09 440 9029 021 028 54231 theuns@kingdomfs.co.nz

www.kingdomfs.co.nz www.kingdomfs.co.nz

the right web partner

In New Zealand, there are thousands of marketing experts, social media consultants and website developers trying to sell to the 400,000 plus small businesses with three or less employees. There is a place for these and other business experts, because there is no way small business owners can be expected to know everything there is to know in order to thrive.

The question is: how does a business owner make the right choice?

Let’s take a look at “Adam” … Adam was a successful manager, who had always harboured a strong desire to ultimately set up his own business and work for himself. Adam’s friend Luca, a successful Italian who regularly visited NZ, talked to Adam about his new business venture which was taking off in Europe. Adam saw its potential in Australia and NZ, and after further discussions with his friend, obtained the rights to distribute the product in both countries.

Adam didn’t have experience in setting up markets for new products so he asked his friends for advice.

As a first step, his friend suggested he start with a website, before connecting him to a premium website company, which had an impressive list of blue chip clients and awards to its name. He was impressed and signed a contract with them. The company managed such things as purchasing Adam’s domain name for him, building his website and hosting it; and, they also emailed weekly website visitor/user reports to him, as well they periodically suggested ways in which he could generate more business online.

However, despite the company being highly regarded, with lots of experience and awards to show for itself, plus the fact it was referred to Adam by a friend, his business began to suffer. In fact, after a couple of years into the venture Adam was ready to close it down, after having spent most of his money developing and now maintaining his

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Tony Naidu

7

tips to help choose

website, with little to show for it.

What went wrong is that the company recommended strategies that were great for an established brand, but not Adam’s business. The company also incorporated a high degree of unnecessary functionality into Adam’s website at a high cost. They also charged high hourly rates for its professional services; its rationale being – the expensive service provided was “necessary” to drive better results.

Seven tips to help choose the right website partner…

1. Ask the right people for referrals: Think about

asking people who have either worked with the company directly, or who have worked with companies with similar business needs to yours.

You need to ask specifically why they think this company can help.

2. Don’t be fooled by “big” companies that are

listed as clients: What you need to know - and establish - is how experienced they are with your type of business – and its needs (issues).

For example, as a small business you have very different needs to a large corporate, and you definitely have fewer resources.

3. Beware of contracts not proposals: Contracts

are important, however, when you see contracts with very little personalized details about what is being done, with more about costs and protection for the company, it should ring alarm bells.

4. Make sure you speak the same language or

you have a translator: Experts tend to blind people with jargon, both intentionally and unintentionally. If you don’t speak their language, make sure you have someone on your side that does.

5. Limit your exposure: Take simple precautions

like buying domain names yourself so you own them independently.

6. If their first question is “What is your budget?” worry: No matter what your business, every dollar has to be effectively spent and feeding into your overall strategy. You need to understand your marketing budget and not spend it all at once/in one place.

7. Anyone that promises you the world but doesn’t have any accountability is dangerous.

Adam’s story is an interesting one and it’s still unfolding. With help from his new business advisors, he is developing and executing new growth strategies and has a new website, which costs him a fraction

of what he was initially spending. The new website won’t increase his sales overnight but it has helped stem his immediate financial losses. In tandem with other cost effective marketing and sales strategies, Adam should see his business grow this year.

If you are starting out on your own, you need to ask more questions and make sure you choose the right business partners. The wrong partners can potentially destroy your dream before it has a chance to succeed. On the other hand, by choosing the right partners your business has the potential to soar to great heights (heights not achievable on your own).

Tony Naidu 022 028 4553 tony@fuzean.com

What does your path to business success look like?

“It was refreshing to have someone who was able to understand our business, translating our vision into an online strategy whilst making the journey enjoyable.”

FuZean Inspired Growth Strategies and Execution

www.fuzean.com www.fuzean.com www.marketshare.co.nz

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don’t get left behind

We live in the age of the smartphone – there’s no doubt about it. Late last year the number of Kiwis who owned smartphones increased to 60% and compared to only around 34% in the previous year.

This is a rapidly growing group of users which is no longer restricted to just young tech-savvy individuals.

Mobile Apps are no longer just cleverly created games such as Candy Crush or Flappy Bird, there is a real drive for businesses to create Mobile Apps or utilise existing ones to improve productivity, proactively engage with their customers and offer ease of access to products and services.

Apps vs. Web Many of our clients will ask us “What is the difference between a website and a mobile app?”

Simply put a mobile app is an effective tool to proactively communicate and engage with your target audience rather than rely on your customers to search or Google your business.

Apps make use of the “smart” features in smartphones such as the camera, GPS and targeted Push Notifications. Just imagine being able to send a short incentivised message to all of your customers 36

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Andrew Good

warning:

whether they have the app open or not! Stats show that these messages have an open rate of around 80% compared to email marketing where most are still in single figures.

It doesn’t have to cost the earth!

Business owners often make assumptions that mobile apps are out of their price range but not everyone needs to hire an expensive programmer. Great solutions are available for all types of businesses starting from around two thousand dollars with loads of great features to enhance productivity, save time and money and even open a new revenue stream to complement existing ones.

Jump on the Trend New Zealand businesses are only just beginning to grasp the concept of having an app specific to them.

We can see from international trends that we must begin to embrace the technology to its full potential, allowing our businesses to stay ahead of the game and engage with our customers to increase loyalty on a platform which is now the norm.

Contact: Andrew Good 09 392 2293 or 021 169 8761 andrew@mobileappfx.co.nz

www.massey.ac.nz

www.mobileappfx.co.nz/free-report

Kim Allen

10 laws of leadership & success in business

1. Success is reached by taking action, being alert, 7. Creating good habits will determine your level honest, diligent, and patient and by pushing ahead with your plans, goals and objectives. Jump into the trenches, get stuck in, forget the past and plan the future by having and fulfilling your purpose. Be determined, overcome and strive for the finish line.

2.

Your life craves a purpose, a purpose that will enlist all of your powers, will provide unity and give direction to your life. You might never know the profoundest joy without a conviction that your life is significant and not a meaningless episode.

3. Strive not to accomplish, but to be accomplished

in all you do and undertake. Take care that you are a doer, as well as a thinker. Don’t make procrastination a habit.

4.

The common denominator of success for every person who has ever been successful, lays in the fact that he or she formed the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do. You can hold it up to the light, you can put it to the acid test and you can kick it around until it’s worn out, but when all is said and done; it will still be the common denominator of success, whether you like it or not.

5.

Think big; don’t restrict your abilities and capabilities. Be a dreamer and dream your thoughts into action. It is our ‘dreams’ that drive our vision.

6.

Are you organised? Have you planned and prepared your day, your week, and your month?

Time is your greatest resource, so make the best use of your time. Plan and engineer your time with precision and purpose.

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of success. Take a good look at what you do and what eats your time. Be honest and ruthless in your evaluation of how you spend your time and with whom you spend it.

8. If your business is struggling and you haven’t

got the work coming in, then get off your butt, get out there and go see some clients. Why is it, that many people just don’t like to sell their business, so they try every conceivable way to attract customers, spending an arm and a leg on advertising in every vehicle with the promise that this will bring you heaps of work. Poppycock and you know it! Get out there and speak to people!

9. You can do anything you want, if you want it

badly enough! You can be anything you want to be!

You can accomplish whatever it is that your heart desires, if you hold to the above with singleness of purpose and you are not derailed, diverted or disrupted from it.

10. Never give up! This world is full of people

who nearly got there! How many people go through trials and tribulations, pain and failure and then just before they are about to break through the pain barrier and reap the harvest, they give up and spend the rest of their lives thinking ‘if only’?

If you would like help with building your business plan and would like to scale your business, then call me for an appointment.

I can help you make money, save money and save you time.

Contact Kim Allen Author and Business Advisor 021 027 24797 www.overleaf.co.nz

www.clubphysical.co.nz

Sarah Martin

to trust or not...

There has been a great deal of noise lately concerning the formation of family trusts and why people should consider establishing one. But is this the right way to help protect your assets?

child. A similar sort of protection could be arranged when you’ve doubts about the ability of a child or other family member to manage their financial affairs.

Looking after your trust

Simpson Western has helped thousands of people form discretionary family trusts. However, after carefully considering each person’s circumstances, we’ve recommended that sometimes there’s little or no point in forming a family trust. So what are the primary advantages (and disadvantages) of forming a family trust?

I’m a firm believer in the advantages of having a family trust. But there’s little point in forming a family trust if you don’t administer it properly.

Poor or sloppy trust administration and paperwork means that the trust may not be effective when you need it most, that is when someone is attempting to attack it or its assets.

Asset Protection Downside The protection of your family’s assets is usually the prime motivator in forming a family trust. If you’re involved in business, whether as a sole proprietor, a partner, or a director of a private company, then the transfer of your personal assets into a family trust is likely to be of considerable benefit. Provided sufficient time has gone by from when the assets were transferred into the trust, then these assets are likely to be protected from, say, creditors and the Official Assignee in a bankruptcy situation.

Having your assets transferred into your family trust does make it a little more complex when it comes to buying and selling any of those trust assets. Although it’s a bit cumbersome sometimes having to confer with all trustees, and to get them to sign additional documentation such as trustees’ resolutions, the benefits to your family in having a trust more than justify the paperwork inconvenience.

Summary

Relationships Family trusts help protect assets from relationship break-ups. A trust works particularly well if it’s established, and your assets transferred into it, before your relationship begins. In the event that a relationship has already begun, then it would be prudent to also enter into a contracting-out agreement in conjunction with the transfer of personal assets to a trust.

Family trusts are useful vehicles to hold and protect your family’s assets. A trust, however, doesn’t suit all people and all circumstances. If you’re thinking about establishing a family trust, it’s essential to talk with a trust law expert before deciding whether or not to go ahead.

Sarah Martin is a Partner at Simpson Western.

Information in this article should not be a substitute for legal advice.

Children Having a family trust can ring-fence some assets for a child with special needs such as a disability, or a separate trust could be set up for that individual

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Sarah Martin 09 4863058 sarahm@simpsonwestern.co.nz

FOR SMART LEGAL SOLUTIONS YOU NEED SPECIALIST HELP

• • • •

Asset protection, trusts, wills and estates Lifestyle planning for seniors Business law Property (buying, selling and leasing)

• • • •

Litigation and dispute resolution Employment law Immigration law (corporate work visas) Relationship property

For legal excellence, exceptional results and a real commitment to personalised service, contact Simpson Western today.

Takapuna: Level 17, 5-7 Byron Avenue

North Harbour: Silverdale: Cnr Apollo Drive & Cnr Millwater Parkway Antares Place & Polarity Rise

P: (09) 486 3058 E: enquiries@simpsonwestern.co.nz enquiries@simpsonwestern.co.nz W:www.simpsonwestern.co.nz simpsonwestern.co.nz

SMARTER SOLUTIONS FROM SPECIALISTS

Have you ever found yourself sitting at your work desk trying to focus, but switching off, your body leaning forward, while your mind wanders thinking about something in the past or future?

This may be a sign that you are not having enough fun in your workplace.

According to Forbes Magazine, more than 30% of us smile more than 20 times a day and less than 14% of us smile less than 5 times a day. In fact, those with the greatest superpowers are actually children, who smile as many as 400 times per day!

When we take things too seriously, our energy can become flat, which robs our lifespark, our creativity and productivity.

Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute of Play states that, “There is good evidence that if you allow employees to engage in something they want to do, (which) is playful, there are better outcomes in terms of productivity and motivation” Play can also lower your stress levels, boost your optimism, and increase your motivation to move up in a company and improve concentration and perseverance. A number of emerging studies also show that engaging in play opens up new neural connections in the brain, leading to greater creativity.

Alex Rodwell

the smile effect

When we don’t smile enough, reward centres in the human brain are not activated, causing people to look for reward from more destructive things like eating sweet food, smoking, or an unhealthy thought life.

Maybe that is why Google, LinkedIn, and many other leading edge companies make regular play a compulsory part of the woraking week.

So if you find yourself flat, disinterested or just plain stuck in a rut, what are the top 5 key things you can do to turn the fun up in your job and life, and make this year a game changer?

1. Micro-breaks - for 3-5mins each hour, take a micro break with someone different in your office.

Tell a joke. Find some common ground. Connect emotionally. Make it your aim to have the other person smile at least once by the time you both sit back to your desk.

2. After work catch-ups - studies have shown that people who catch up socially outside of work hours with work mates creates better bonding, and a sense of team, togetherness and common purpose.

3. Moving well - moving our body is an essential nutrient, just like drinking enough water or breathing fresh air. Movement of each of the spinal joints

Dr Alex Rodwell www.lifeexpressions.co.nz www.lifeexpressions.co.nz 09 475 9700

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Life Expressions Centre 40 St Benedicts Street, Auckland

About the Author – Dr Alex Rodwell is an Author, Speaker and the Founder of Life Expressions Network Spinal Analysis Centre in Auckland. For the past 12 years, Dr Alex has been studying everything he can about health, healing and maximising human potential.

To ask Dr Alex a question, or receive your very own complimentary copy of ‘The 4 Pillars of Feeling Younger and maximising your Genetic Expression’, simply contact alex@lifeexpressions.co.nz or phone us today on 09 475 9700.

leading edge companies make regular play a compulsory part of the working week

creates a vital ‘life force energy’ that flows from the body to the brain, charging the executive areas of the brain that are used for thinking, planning, logic, reason, clarity and creativity.

4. Talk to a friend - if you are feeling flat or down often, talking to someone about how you are feeling is often a vital first step. Share with them that you want life to be different. Ask them to check in with you and check up on how you are going. We can achieve more together than we ever can on our own.

5. Have your nerve system checked - you live your life through your nerve system. Whether you know it or not, every stress you have ever experienced, physical, lifestyle, environmental, chemical and emotional can overload the delicate circuits of your nerve system causing you to function at less than 100% of your inborn potential. Having your spine and nerve system in tune - freeing interference from your nerve system is not only good for you, but can be an essential part of finding your way back from stresses and overloads to experiencing the vitality and wellbeing that you deserve. www.marketshare.co.nz

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