thinkBIG Issue 14

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Contents

thinkBIG

Regulars 6 8 16 58 74 76 78

Editor’s Letter As You Think Your Story TeamEXP—Istanbul to Sydney Bigger, Biggest Thought Leadership Inspiring Stories

Section 1: Mindset 24 26 28 30 32

Benjamin Harvey: How to change for good, part 2 Ron Lee: What's holding me back?

Earl de Blonville: Exploring with a pin Amanda Peros: Making the best of your situation Jenetta Haim: Living with purpose

Section 2: Business 40 42 44 46 47

Damian Kay: Organic growth or acquisition, part 2 Tom Petryshen: Making sense of Twitter Angie O'Shannessy: 5 things that quickly grow your business Lee De Coster: Local window to the global world Tony Gattari: A window to risk taking

Section 3: Wealth 52 Chris Howard: Face it: society doesn't want you to be rich 54 Justin Beeton: Is now the time to invest?

56 Lachlan Elsworth: The trader's shining light

Features

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Cover Story

Empowerment begins where aid ends

When the drama surrounding a natural disaster subsides, the work for aid groups is only just beginning. ThinkBIG looks at several organisations and one celebrity who offer empowerment to developing nations and countries who have suffered major disasters.

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Self belief is an incredible concept –by J Jackson

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Engineering a better future –by J Jackson

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Inspiring a 21st century renaissance –by J Delosa

60

Keeping an eye on a more fragile ball

63

Special Franchising Feature

By studying the tapes of Tony Robbins, Jordan Wirsz turned a childhood of loneliness and little prospect into a life of inspiration and success.

Glenn Armstrong has a personal portfolio of 192 properties. However it is his time spent recently with a less fortunate family that has changed the direction of his life.

Creel Price is a new breed of entrepreneur, the 'socialpreneur' who is focusing on the big global picture rather than self-interest.

–by Dr Aileen Ionescu-Somers & Ann Duffy What are the measures that need to be undertaken when addressing sustainability issues at major sporting events?

Franchising is an important economic consideration in the growth of an economy. Sherpa Group has put together this special section to give you an insight into the benefits of franchise ownership.

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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E D I T O R I A L : J O N AT H A N J A C K S O N

Our Team

Publisher Graham Maughan graham.maughan@thinkbigmagazine.com Ph: 02 9925 8012 Fax: 02 9925 8099

Embraceable you While Australia is sometimes referred to as culture-less by other countries, the misconception is not so much that we lack culture—indeed we have a distinct culture that is an integration of many different cultures—it is more that we have less traditions.

When you compare a country that is a couple hundred years old, to one that is thousands of years old, there is a difference. This was made apparent to me on a recent trip to Shanghai. It was apparent in the tea drinking rituals and in the way our meals were prepared and presented (and possibly our inability to identify some of what was served— chicken lips anyone?). It was even apparent in the crazy Shanghai traffic where the pushbike riders carrying tens of kilos of goods rule the road, despite the traffic signals.

Known as the Paris of East Asia, Shanghai is a fully modern city which many travellers describe as East meets West. Yet in spite of its Western influence, and hidden behind the modernisation, Chinese traditions are paramount in defining this city.

Moving beyond Nanjing Road, where your Levis may cost more than the same pair at your local shopping precinct, the sights to see are the ones you see beyond the tourist destinations. The local markets (not the ones you buy dodgy DVDs and watches from), but where the locals gather to bargain, barter and buy are an incredible lesson in old school trade and interaction.

In many parts of Shanghai, and China in general, it is the market trade that keeps the local district economies ticking over. The way trade is undertaken and the way people deal with each other is steeped in the tradition of socialism (which seem to work in China—not that I’d want to adopt it in Australia), but more importantly respect.

In Shanghai, people respect each other. They are polite, friendly and as evidenced by the many companies from Western countries setting up operations, (reporting this was the purpose of my visit) they take pride in their business dealings.

I was there for the Asia Pacific head office opening of a company named Geberit—a leader in sanitaryware manufacture and innovation. The event provided another lesson in tradition and featured one of the greatest traditions in Asian culture—the drum.

Some are masculine, giving off a sense of invincible might; some are more delicate, with nimble and graceful dancing steps; and there are still others that possess both qualities. The Chinese drum beats proudly and the rich array of artistic expressions from the Chinese drum culture give full expression to the vitality of the Chinese nation.

The use of the drum by Geberit was a nod to the great Chinese traditions that the company draw upon and integrate into their European agenda.

Geberit are taking Eastern lessons and using them to their advantage. When you consider that German and Swiss culture and tradition is so prominent, do they need to embrace the traditions of others?

The short answer is yes. For anyone to survive, thrive and better themselves in this day and age (business, entrepreneur, individual, and family) it is necessary to adopt other cultures and traditions. And not just adopt them, but wholeheartedly embrace them.

Experiencing the Chinese culture and traditions, particularly the intriguing mix of culture that is embedded into Shanghai, made me realise that it is okay to take risks and embrace new things. Opening my eyes up to different ways of doing things, means I can now move forward in my own pursuits with a fresh outlook and better considered options. TB

Jonathan NB: Further to our cover story from last issue, we would like to point out that the Olivia Newton John Wellness Centre is for both male and female patients and will not be fully operational until 2012.

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Managing Editor Jonathan Jackson jonathan.jackson@thinkbigmagazine.com Subscription/ Business Development Manager Amanda Peros amanda.peros@thinkbigmagazine.com Ph: 02 9925 8005 Fax: 02 9925 8099 National Sales Manager Paul Jackson Ph: 02 9925 8027 Fax: 02 9925 8099 paul.jackson@thinkbigmagazine.com Director Ken Wood Contributors Justin Beeton, Lee De Coster, Earl de Blonville, Jack Delosa, Lachlan Elsworth, Tony Gattari, Jenetta Haim, Benjamin Harvey, Chris Howard, Damian Kay, Ron Lee, Angie O'Shannessy, Amanda Peros, and Tom Petryshen Creative Design Abigail Paul, ASourceOfJoy Graphic Design http://graphics.asourceofjoy.org Advertisement Designer Jeanne Joy-Mouche, jeanne@mouch.name Website/subscriptions www.thinkbigmagazine.com Enquires info@thinkbigmagazine.com Mindset Media Pty Ltd ACN 129 256 300 ABN 94 129 256 300 GPO Box 519 Sydney Australia 2001 thinkbig Magazine ISSN: 1835 7733

Important Message—Copyright and Disclaimer thinkbig magazine is owned and published by Mindset Media Pty Ltd (ACN129 256 300).

The publisher, authors and contributors reserve their rights in regards to copyright of their work. No part of this work covered by the copyright may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means without the written consent of the publisher.

No person, organization or party should rely or on any way act upon any part of the contents of this publication whether that information is sourced from a website, magazine or related product without first obtaining the advice of a fully qualified person.

This magazine and its related website and products are sold and distributed on the terms and condition that: •The publisher, contributors, editors and related parties are not responsible in any way for the actions or results taken any person, organization or any party on basis of reading information, stories or contributions in this publication, website or related product.

•The publisher, contributors and related parties are not engaged in providing legal, financial or professional advice or services. The publisher, contributors, editors and consultants disclaim any and all liability and responsibility to any person or party, be they a purchaser, reader, advertiser or consumer of this publication in regards to the consequences and outcomes of anything done or omitted being in reliance whether partly or solely on the contents of this publication and related website and products.

•The publisher, editors, contributors and related parties shall have no responsibility for any action or omission by any other contributor, consultant, editor or related party.

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You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth.

Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it.

~SH ira tehrani

~E lla williams

It is not good for all our wishes to be filled;

through sickness we recognize the value of health;

through evil, the value of good;

through hunger, the value of food;

through exertion, the value of rest. ~greek proverb Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.

~A mbrose Redmoon

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.

So throw off the bowlines.

Sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the trade wind in your sails.

Explore.

Dream.

Discover. ~M ark twain Your current safe boundaries were once unknown frontiers.

~anonymo us

It is important that you strive for humility, but not humiliation; for a cool, level-headed confidence, not a stiff, delusional arrogance.

My life is my message.

~Michael johnson

~M ahatma ghandi

It is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich. ~ H enry

Volume 8 8 thinkBIG Volume 3.43.4 thinkBIG

If you would live your life with ease, do what you ought, not what you please.

ward beecher

~A nonymo us

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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Volume 3.4

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ADVERTORIAL

Team building key to a successful workplace  By Stacey Grims

A

n important factor to staging a successful conference is the quality of the venue and the opportunities it provides for team building and staff development.

SurfAir on Marcoola Beach by Wyndham features first-class conference and event facilities for groups of all sizes. On top of this, it offers fun and engaging team building activities that promote improved team performance.

Getting out of the office and into the fresh air will not only motivate staff but will encourage team bonding and positive communication with the people they spend a significant amount of time with. Successful team building results in selfdevelopment, enhanced leadership skills and the ability to work closely together and problem solve. Taking your staff on a team building based conference can also alleviate work-related stress and improve health.

Activities that incorporate team bonding as well as exercise are good for both physical and mental wellbeing. Studies conducted by Beyondblue, the national depression initiative, have found that exercise not only helps to keep you fit, it also benefits your mental health by increasing levels of mood lifting chemicals in your brain like serotonin and endorphins. Also by improving sleep and boosting energy, exercise creates a better feeling of overall wellbeing.

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In a joint initiative with Surfing Queensland and Mudjimba Surf School, SurfAir on Marcoola Beach holds a Learn to Surf program, an ideal place to start when organising your team

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building program. The surfing classes, taught by Surf Lifesaving accredited teachers, are the perfect bonding exercise for corporate groups who are looking for a break from the office.

“Surfing lessons encourage self-development and can teach groups how to work closely together as a team,” said head coach of Mudjimba Surf School, Heath Campbell.

“Surfing is also a great form of cardiovascular exercise providing an upper body and core work out.”

Mudjimba Surf School also runs ocean and river kayak tours for corporate groups and families.

If you’re able to bring the family along to a conference at SurfAir on Marcoola Beach there will be plenty to keep them entertained both in and around the resort. There is an onsite beauty and day spa, heated 60 metre lagoon style swimming pool, bistro and bar plus a children’s games room. The multitude of family attractions nearby includes the world-famous Australia Zoo, the largest tropical oceanarium in the Southern Hemisphere, Underwater World and fantastic dining and shopping choices.

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For that well deserved break, SurfAir on Marcoola Beach also offers families the ultimate getaway—stay in a onebedroom apartment for three consecutive nights and stay the fourth night free.

To enquire about team building and conference packages at SurfAir on Marcoola Beach or to book a family holiday call 07 5412 0100, email surfair.reservations@wyndhamvrap. com or visit www.surfair.com.au. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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Through many of the world’s natural crises, charity groups, humanita

resource and aid problems. Jonathan Jackson looks at the work bein

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arian organisations, financiers and volunteers band together to solve

ng done behind the scenes to bring stability back to the danger zones.

Empowerment

BWhere e gi n s Aid Ends

T

he cost of natural disasters (including the cost of rebuilding developing nations) is staggering: while whole communities mourn the tragic death of loved ones, those same communities are then faced with the cost of cleanup and reconstruction. And it’s not cheap.

The 2005 earthquake that struck Kashmir registered a 7.6 in magnitude. What followed were landslides and heavy snow, that made help all the more difficult. Most water systems were damaged or destroyed and many suffered from malnourishment. Power to the region was out for six days. Overall 3.5 million people were affected, with 500,000 people left homeless and 87,530 people dead.

The cost of the damage was US$3.5 billion (AU$3.98bn).

In 2009, fire caused by arson spread through Victoria,

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Australia during a record heat wave. The cost of the damage was AU$500m, 173 lives were lost, while 414 were injured. 7,562 people were displaced. Relief efforts are still in motion, and the towns involved are only now starting to return to business.

Hurricane Katrina caused havoc in the Bahamas before crushing New Orleans. The category 5 hurricane rose greater than 15 feet above high tide and the storm surge affected three States. 60,000 people were displaced, mental health services were inundated and 1,836 people lost their lives. The cost of the disaster is between US$150 and $200 billion.

Finally (and this is only a few of the disasters that have occurred recently, when you factor in volcano eruptions and various flu strains among other things), the 9.1 magnitude tsunami that swept Sumatra

took 230,000 lives across 10 countries, costing US$4.8 billion. More than 51,000 homes had to be rebuilt.

So, who is behind the reconstruction of these nations and cities and who looks after the people to help them rebuild their lives; to educate, feed, house, clothe and create long-lasting infrastructure.

Brian Brandenburg, who was at the scene to help re-plumb Kinglake, Victoria area says, “when we arrived on site you could hear a pin drop among 35 tough blokes such was the devastation of the area.�

Chadoak boss Greg Miles says as far as the plumbing community was concerned they could only concentrate on houses they knew could be habitable.

The Victorian bushfires are an excellent example of how a nation galvanised to

rebuild whole communities and how small organisations like plumbing companies gave up their time to reconnect humanity with the very environment that was the cause of so much pain.

Tom Henderson's organisation, Shelterbox, was recently featured on CNN's Heroes segment. Shelterboxes are temporary homes large enough for a family of up to 10 people to live for as long as six months and are equipped with supplies to keep families independent.

Tom, a Rotarian and former Royal Navy search and rescue diver, saw that the aid response to most disasters was in the form of food and medicine to help people survive the immediate aftermath.

Little or no assistance was given in terms of proper shelter to help them through

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the first few days, weeks and months as they tried to rebuild their lives.

The first consignment of 143 boxes was sent to earthquake victims in the Indian state of Gujarat in January 2001. Over the next three years the project matured and by the end of 2004 nearly 2,600 boxes had been dispatched, following 16 major disasters. On 26 December 2004, news came of the devastating Indian Ocean Tsunami and ShelterBox faced its most significant challenge. Donations and volunteers poured in and the charity grew its operations on a scale unimaginable just six months earlier.

In 2005 ShelterBox sent out more than 22,000 boxes, almost 10 times the number of the previous three years.

Not only did they send aid to victims of the Tsunami, but were also able to help those who had lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina in the USA and the massive earthquake that hit the Kashmir region of Pakistan.

The efforts of ShelterBox to go beyond financial support are commendable and with all the work they are doing, their reputation should grow to the same proportions of such groups as World Vision.

World Vision's Tim Costello led outfit is one of the more highly recognised aid organisations in the world and has star pulling power, which is fundamental in its ability to attract donations and provide humanitarian support in a range of regions.

Actor Hugh Jackman is well known for his support of humanitarian organisations and initiatives.

This ambassador for World Vision taped a series of public service announcements urging Volume 14 14thinkBIG Volume 3.4 3.4 thinkBIG

support for humanitarian agency World Vision's Haitian earthquake relief response.

The announcements aired on television stations and social media platforms in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and other countries where the aid group provided fundraising for its Haiti response.

"The earthquake in Haiti left thousands of children homeless and vulnerable," said Jackman. "World Vision aid workers have been rushing life-saving relief to survivors.

Join me in standing with the people of Haiti."

Jackman’s support for World Vision goes beyond the Haiti crisis. He has advocated for additional funding to mitigate the impact of climate change on poor communities in developing countries and has also visited World Vision's microfinance, agriculture and health programs in Ethiopia and Cambodia.

Most famous for his role as Wolverine in the X-Men series, Jackman spent part of 2009 in Cambodia and Ethiopia learning about community economic development. In an interview he did with World Vision magazine in April 2010, he pointed out that aid was not about giving a “hand out”, it is about giving “a hand up”.

He went on to say: “When you are spending time with people in their communities you see firsthand the dramatic effects that programmes have on people and their families.

Then of course, you see the ripple effects that this has for the entire community. I remember very clearly one woman receiving a loan for the first time in her life.

Finally, she had the chance to get ahead. I spent time with her family and got to know

about her real life, and also saw the broader work going on in the community. I could really see how poverty needs to be tackled from many levels: infrastructure, health, climate change, so many aspects contribute to poverty.

A comprehensive approach is needed…When communities are empowered, the effects can be far reaching and quite astounding.”

Groups such as AidCamp, The World Food Programme (the largest of the humanitarian agencies fighting hunger) and Opportunity International are several other groups working to empower those who have lost, or had very little in the first place.

Opportunity International is one group that has effectively utilised the microfinance model. Rebekkah Nolan, whose article about Opportunity International can be found online at www.thinkbigmagazine. com explains "microfinance offers people living in poverty, often women, access to financial services—such as small loans, savings accounts and insurance. It works like this—by helping a mother buy a sewing machine to start a tailoring business or a father to buy seeds to plant a vegetable garden, a loan as small as $100 allows a person living in poverty to start or grow a business, earn an income and afford food, shelter and an education for their children.

"Essentially, microfinance gives people living in poverty the tools they need to help themselves out of poverty, with a real focus on entrepreneurship."

Microfinance is an industry that is still relatively young.

It is only in the last 30 years that it has begun to make a difference in countries like

Bangladesh, the Philippines and India. However 2005 was dubbed the year of micro-credit by the United Nations and in 2006, founder of Grameen Bank and microfinance pioneer Professor Muhammad Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2008, founder of Opportunity International Australia David Bussau was named Senior Australian of the Year for his role in its development.

Not-for-profit organisation Opportunity International Australia has been using this business approach to alleviate poverty in poor communities for more than 35 years, but it was just two years ago that it launched its India Program.

“When we started researching India, it was clear that this was a country of extreme contrasts,” says Stephen Penny, Opportunity International Australia’s chief financial officer. “Chronic poverty sits alongside modern skyscrapers, and the country’s slums and poor rural areas give away the fact that many people in India have not benefited from the nation’s economic growth.

We needed some big ideas on how we could have a substantial impact.”

When the organisation’s India Program launched in 2007, estimates from the UN Human Development Report suggested that 80% of the country’s population were living in poverty, struggling to survive on less than $2 a day.

Out of a population of more than 1.1 billion, that was close to 900 million people—a huge challenge for any poverty alleviation program. “Where do you start in a country where the need is so great?” said Stephen. “Getting the program off the ground required a lot of local knowledge—research www.thinkbigmagazine.com

to uncover people’s needs and to discover what was and what wasn’t possible. We did a lot of listening, learning from people who had been involved in microfinance and poverty alleviation in India for decades.”

In the two years since its launch, the India Program has grown to 15 partnerships with microfinance institutions who, in turn, serve over one million people. Having invested more than $24 million in India, Opportunity International Australia has partnered with a mix of local start-up and established Indian microfinance institutions to distribute the funds as loans in poor communities. The program is making a substantial dent in the landscape of poverty in India.

Around the world, Opportunity International Australia is currently serving more than two million clients through its programs in India, Indonesia and the Philippines. On why they are called clients, Stephen observes: “They are active clients, not just idle recipients. They are the entrepreneurs and they do the work to make their businesses grow—we just give them the tools to make it happen.”

It is not just those who have suffered the vagaries of natural disasters who need help. Poverty, malnutrition, lack of appropriate shelter and barely livable conditions are rife among those who have been struck by disaster and those who must endure it every day.

There are many aid groups offering solutions, including temporary shelter to the more long term programmes such as micro finance. Each has its merits and each organisation should be commended for the work they are doing. The devastation of something like Hurricane Katrina will remain in our memories forever, however we shouldn’t forget the work that continues to be done behind the scenes beyond the disasters in order to stabilise nations and build futures. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

'Aid [is] not about giving a “hand out”, it is about giving “a hand up.” ...When you are spending time with people in their communities you see first-hand the dramatic effects that programmes have on people and their families. Then of course, you see the ripple effects that this has for the entire community... '[P]overty needs to be tackled from many levels: infrastructure, health, climate change, so many aspects contribute to poverty. A comprehensive approach is needed…When communities are empowered, the effects can be far reaching and quite astounding.'

—Hugh Jackman

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Y O U R

S T O RY

Children in third world countries are being exploited in unimaginable ways.

However, there is one organisation that is making a difference. Donna Tunley gives us an insight into the work Destiny Rescue is doing to minimise the impact of poverty leading to child sexual slavery.

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f you’re like me, you’re aware of the desperate poverty in third world countries, however it isn’t until you visit some of these countries—stood on the dumps in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and watched mothers fossick through the rubbish, desperate to find something to recycle, sell or food to eat—that you appreciate the devastation. It wasn’t until I smelled the smells, breathed the air and held little children in my arms that had been rescued from the sex trade that I came to a place where I knew doing nothing wasn’t an option.

In the western world we can’t begin to comprehend the thought of having to take our children to a dump everyday just to survive. Out of this dire poverty comes desperate need.

Often a result of poverty is Human Trafficking, and more often than not a child is involved. A child is being raped in a brothel for the first time every 26 seconds and then goes on to be raped an average of 10 to 15 times a day—every day. That’s 3,000 kids everyday becoming new sex slaves. Forced to ‘service clients’ in such ways that are almost inconceivable to a normal loving human being. But this is their lives and it will be the same tomorrow and the day after that. These children are performing services a child shouldn’t even know exists.

I’m continually hearing stories that bring tears to my eyes. I don’t want to lie in bed at night being confronted with different images and stories, but I need to. I need to know what’s going on in the world. I can’t do anything about it if I don’t know.

Let me tell you a story of one young girl in our care:

I

Pim was a normal 8 year old girl living in rural Cambodia.

Sadly tragedy struck when one

afternoon Pim came home from school to find her father dead, hanging from a tree.

Pim’s mother was poor and desperate and soon she brought a new man into their home.

But within a week Pim’s new ‘daddy’ began visiting her bedroom at night to molest her. The 8 year old was petrified and confused, not knowing what to do.

Before long Pim’s mother discovered what was going on. She beat Pim until she couldn’t stand, accusing her of bringing shame on the family. She then took Pim to a brothel where she sold her for $300.

In the space of three weeks, Pim went from being a happy little 8 year old girl to working as a child prostitute, forced to have sex with up to 15 men daily.

This was Pim’s life for almost four years until she was rescued. She’s now safely protected in one of our Cambodian Rescue Homes.

Destiny Rescue is rescuing these children. We have male staff members that are out on the streets every night, going undercover into brothels and rescuing the children. The children are taken to one of our rescue homes—we currently have 30 homes at the moment in Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Africa and India. We are rescuing children out of brothels as young as five and six.

My heart breaks for these kids. Where are their mums and dads? They’ve been betrayed by the very ones who were meant to be protecting them. These kids don’t have parents to care for them; parents are most likely dead or they are the ones that sold them into the brothel.

It’s hard to believe that in the 21st century slavery still exists, let alone child

sexual slavery. It exists for one reason— we let it!

There are 27 million people— estimates range from 80% to 98% of these being women and children in sexual slavery today. There are more slaves today than in any other time in history. The slave trade was not abolished years ago, it is flourishing and is bigger than ever.

The United Nations estimates that there are over 10 million in the child sex trade. At the moment human trafficking is the second highest traded commodity in the world. In Cambodia alone over 1/3 of those in the sex trade are children.

In Destiny Rescue Homes in Cambodia 44% of our rescued girls are under 13 years old, 73% are under 15 years and 23% are under the age of 10.

Our actions must be more than tears.

We have to make a stand and come to a place where doing nothing cannot be an option. I believe that slavery—especially child sexual slavery can be stopped in our lifetime—but only when ordinary people become passionate and speak out, boldly fight and generously resource the work. Destiny Rescue is made up of ordinary people willing to rise to the challenge. These kids don’t have a voice, we desperately need people to join us in being their voice.

Tony Kirwan, who is the Founder/ President of Destiny Rescue, is my brother.

He had an electrical business in Cairns and upon visiting Thailand 10 years ago saw a real need for something to be done to rescue children trapped in sexual slavery.

He, his wife Jenni and three children sold their business and home, set up Destiny Rescue and moved to Thailand to begin rescuing these children. When I look at what has been achieved in such a short time, I am amazed. We now have over 1,600 children in our care and this

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number is growing rapidly. Over 100 staff internationally and a large contingent of volunteers. When Tony moved to SE Asia there wasn’t a How To Rescue Children Out Of Sexual Slavery manual. So he and his team have been learning as they go. They are just ordinary people with a passion to change and transform a child’s destiny.

My husband and I have always been involved in what Destiny Rescue has been doing. It wasn’t until I saw for myself the desperate need of these children, that we sold our catering business and I took up the role of running the Promotions Office for Australia which is based in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast. I now find myself travelling all over Australia speaking at conferences, churches, schools and clubs raising the awareness of human trafficking and raising much needed finances.

For myself and my family, we have come to a place where doing nothing is no longer an option. This is real...this is happening to real kids.

Human trafficking earns more in one year than Google, Starbucks and Nike put together. This is a multi-billion dollar industry we’re dealing with. You can sell drugs, arms etc just once, but with a human obviously you can sell them over and over again.

Let me tell you a few more stories of some of the girls in our care. Some of these are children I have met and held in my arms.

Pisey has been raped since she was four years old, she is only seven now.

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Pisey never had dolls, a father who loved her or a mother who protected her. She can still picture the faces of many of her abusers. It is going to take a long time for Pisey’s body to heal from the abuses she has endured.

Pisey sleeps with the light on...

Moa is only 12, she was sold to a brothel where, in addition to having to service customers, she was drugged and made to participate in satanic rituals.

Seoun is 10 years old, she was violently raped by a man in her village who, while raping her, severely tore her internally and left her to bleed to death. She was found almost dead.

She has tested positive for STDs and typhoid and many other illnesses from being emotionally traumatised.

Vanary is barely 17, she was sold several years ago into a brothel by her boyfriend where she was forced to work as a stripper/pole dancer and service clients on demand.

Poch has been sold many times, raped and sent home. When she is home her step father would rape her in his bed, while Poch’s mother would sit there in the room doing nothing to protect her.

If you’re like me, when you hear these different stories you tend to put your own children’s faces there and imagine them in these situations. What motivates me to action when I think about my own four

children is knowing there is very little, pretty much nothing that myself and my husband wouldn’t do to rescue one of our kids from this environment. Doing nothing is not an option! My heart yearns to step up and be their mum, their big sister and I long to be the hero that never gives up on them.

For anyone to be raped is a shocking thing, but for a child—10 to 15 times every single day with no hope for their future, it’s unacceptable. The horror and terror that these kids are experiencing is something that our brains cannot even begin to comprehend.

We only have two choices today.

We can choose to do something to help these kids, we can be the heroes they are praying for, we can be the reason a child is rescued from a life of abuse and sexual exploitation or we can choose to do nothing—there is no middle ground.

Late last year a report came out that revealed Australians are the worst offenders for child sex crimes in Thailand.

Out of the whole world, Australians were ranked number one. How shameful is that? Destiny Rescue’s hope is that as Australians we will join with them and make a statement to the world saying ‘This is not OK’. Sure some Aussies have done some bad things in the past, but as a nation we are not okay with this and we are doing something about it. TB For information about the difference you can make go to www.destinyrescue.org.

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O

n the inside flap

of his book Become Incredible, Jordan Wirsz writes: I knew I was going to be successful when I was seven years old. I know that sounds almost comical to picture the little kid having absolute confidence that he was going to make something of himself, but it’s true.

At seven years old, that confidence seemed to have little place in Jordan’s life.

His single mother worked two to three jobs a day, putting in almost 14 working hours to support her son. It meant Jordan spent most time by himself; home alone watching television.

“I would watch television, but it was an old television that required rabbit ears and plenty of fiddling with them to get a picture. I grew tired of this pretty quickly and looked around for things to keep me occupied.”

What he stumbled upon was a set of old Anthony Robbins motivation tapes.

Although he was so young he didn’t quite comprehend all that was being taught, Jordan was hooked and listening.

“There was about 10 to 15% comprehension, enough to change my life,” Jordan says. “I studied neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and was applying it by the age of 10.”

In fact, despite being moved around the country, not being able to settle at school (he attended 15 schools) and being lonely to the point where he would call directory assistance just to hear a voice, Jordan was determined to blossom out of difficulty and adversity.

He backed this determination with a belief in his own personal development.

For Jordan this was an extreme need to move beyond his circumstances.

“Fear can be a powerful and extraordinary emotion,” Jordan says.

“Like anger, it is not always a bad emotion. It can give you direction and show you the right way to go.”

So, following the advice he’d heard on tapes, Jordan took control of his own life.

His desire to fly—something he says is a psychological reaction to his circumstance— was the catalyst for coming ventures. It ties his personal development with his professional. As he says, “to be a success means being who you are.

“Aviation requires freedom and discipline. If you are not 100% dedicated and focused and you can’t master the task, you die.”

This is how Jordan lives his life: 100% dedication and focus to his task built on the creation of environmental familiarity which creates patterns. This staves off the fear of returning to the days of trying to manipulate rabbit ears to give reception to the television.

Barter & Better Jordan Wirsz started in business by trading aviation models: first a glider, and then a helicopter. He was bartering his way to bigger and better things and it all started with a small advertisement in a newspaper.

At age 13, this upstart began his first real business selling Herbalife™ products out of the front basket of his bicycle. At the age of 14, Jordan used his experience in bartering models to successfully broker a helicopter over the internet. The deal went through for $55,000 and Jordan

collected $2,500 in commission.

In the meantime, he was building himself a base of mentors who could guide him and who would talk to him.

They included a neighbour, a local police officer, an aviator and a dentist. He was receiving an adult education, which was cause for problems at school where he tried hard, but failed to communicate with kids his own age.

He was home schooled and earned a degree, but didn’t see the point in going to college. Yet, to this day Jordan’s desire to learn knows no bounds. “Never stop learning,” he says. “The more I learn, the more I realise what I don’t know. And if you don’t know something it will inevitably come back to slap you in the face.”

Jordan made his first mistake, and learnt his first important lesson, after he invested the $2,500 he earned for brokering the helicopter into some dud commodities.

He took the lesson onboard and, undeterred, started Xtreme Aviation brokering helicopters, airplanes and pilot supplies. The success of the business sent him to flight school where he would also wash planes and fuel the craft.

Flying solo at age 16 was Jordan’s dream come true. He was free. He was disciplined and he was making good on the words of one of his idols, Ghandi: Live life like you are to die tomorrow. Or in Jordan’s own words: “Be willing to die for what you believe in.”

Version & Vision Jordan is no overnight success. Young as he may be, his ability to build and grow stems back to early childhood

Self-Belief Self-Belie is an incredible concept

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ef www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Jordan Wirsz turned a difficult childhood to his advantage by studying the techniques of great motivators such as Tony Robbins. He speaks with Jonathan Jackson about finding the courage to transcend any limitation.

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Jordan’s Keys to Success: 1. Be passionate.

2. Never stop learning.

3. Be a risk taker and live on the edge, but at the same time don’t think you have everything figured out.

4. Listen.

and to being a six year old listening to those old Robbins tapes that he didn’t fully understand.

So when he became a commercial pilot at age 18 flying all over the country and logging hundreds of hours, he looked back at his life and reassessed his dreams. He realised he wanted to remain an entrepreneur and fly his own corporate plane.

“To be successful, you need to see the world from an angle which the rest of the world is unfamiliar,” Jordan says.

It is this very edict by which he has lived his life and built his businesses.

As the CEO and founder of a Las Vegas based private investment firm, Diamond Bay Investments he grew his company to multi-millions in profits by implementing the lessons he’d learnt through childhood. Jordan’s version of life has been vastly different to many who endured what he did as a child.

While a lot of children in the same boat either give up, go bad or accept their lot, Jordan’s success was created by his relentless pursuit of happiness, which unlike the world’s material possessions, can never be taken away from anyone.

He explored this in his first book.

The Maverick Millionaire is an apt description, chronicling his rags to riches rise. His second book, The Ultimate Guide to Trust Deed Investing is an educational tool for investors seeking alternative real estate investments. The recently released Become Incredible is Jordan’s vision of empowerment; a lesson in taking the bull by the horns, living your own way and reaching your goals.

In Jordan’s vision, success is not about copying. If imitation is flattery, it is not fulfilment. He says the best way to succeed is to know who you are and act on what you want—live the version of your life that is true to your own vision.

Happy Is As Happy Does Speaking with Jordan you get the impression that he is comfortable in his own skin and appreciates the success that has been afforded him. His success in investment (he sold his firm after five years at the helm), gave him the opportunity to become one of the youngest airshow pilots in America, flying the world’s best high performance aerobatic aircraft. Jordan has thrilled tens of thousands of people around the Volume 22 22thinkBIG Volume 3.4 3.4 thinkBIG

world pulling more than 10G forces and tumbling nose over tail.

He has also been featured on Fox News, NBC and its affiliates and acknowledged by the US Senate and Congress. He has won the SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year and was Top 40 under 40 in Las Vegas business.

He has a right to be happy. However, what makes him happiest (aside from his aerobatic displays) is the ability to help others. Jordan Wirsz International Inc. is an organisation that empowers goals, ideas and confidence in anyone who asks for his help.

Jordan has changed the lives of thousands of people through speaking, mentoring and coaching. From A-list Hollywood celebrities to Fortune 500 executives, to addiction afflicted addicts, alcoholics, people in bad relationships and those who suffer phobias, Jordan has had a hand in their transformation.

“The more you have, the more you give,” Jordan says. “Just look at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates and how much money they give away to Foundations and charities.

“My goal is to donate $250 million to charities throughout my life. And to be able to pass on about $250 million.” To do this he needs to continue to build his own worth.

His goal is to have $1.2 billion in net worth. He wants to be a billionaire.

Jordan has actively supported the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation, which provides children and adolescent cancer patients or survivors and their families with education and support and an orphanage in Mexico, where he built a home in three days.

Sunny Reifel, a US airways pilot with whom Jordan has flown describes Jordan as one of the most genuine people he has known.

“He is so unique, not just because he is so young and successful, but because success has followed him because he always has the best intentions.”

Wirsz says his success is based on respect and the ability to listen.

These are traits he adopted young and carried through his early maturity.

They are the same traits that have allowed him to become incredible and carve a path for himself that he, and he alone, has chosen. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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M I N D S E T:

C H A N G E

Part Two

How to Change

For Good

Benjamin Harvey has held 3,500 oneon-one coaching sessions and numerous courses for individuals and organisations like Youth Challenge Australia and Optus Communications. authenticedu.com

Benjamin Harvey shares three more roadblocks to creating authentic change and how to remove them with ease.

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hat does it take to create permanent change? Most people focus on how to accelerate their success but never realise that removing what stops them is equally important.

How does removing roadblocks help? Look at ‘the axis of change’ below. Remember the last time your friend set a new year’s resolution or joined a gym? Their excitement was sky high even though they had no results.

Where were they four to six weeks later?

The excitement has worn off but they have no significant results to spur them on. This is where roadblocks pop up. Knowing them means the difference between giving up and succeeding.

Roadblock #4—No supportive environment If you’re trying to learn something new but have nobody to discuss it with, what happens?

You get stuck, confused and end up putting it on hold…permanently!

Ever found a new group of friends and started acting like them automatically? Your environment can change you with zero effort by you. A supportive environment is critical to offer encouragement and answer questions.

Solution: Share it with a friend, find a group (eg. meetup.com) or coach.

Roadblock #6—Loving effects When Roger Federer is practising tennis, do you think he’s thinking: “I hate this game, but I can’t wait to win the US Open and get that prize money”?

This sounds absurd, but many people do things because they love the effect but not the cause. They love the idea of being rich but not trading stocks. They would love abs but hate sit-ups!

Solution: Fall in love with the process. How? The nine roadblocks do this superbly. Also, write down all the things you like to do.

Combine as many as possible. If you like catching up with friends and nature, then call a friend and go for a jog outdoors.

So what's the next step?

Set aside some time to put these points into practise over the next two months. The results will surprise you.

Next issue we will go through the last three roadblocks to change as we build on your progress from this month.

Until then, remember to have fun! TB

Roadblock #5—Unrealistic expectations Can you transform your life in a single weekend? Perhaps, but expecting to is the quickest way to kill your motivation.

If you’re not a millionaire and don’t have a six-pack after two weeks, you’ll quickly move on to the ‘next big thing’.

Solution: Realise that it takes time to build a house or learn a new language. Building a fortune or learning a new skill is no different. Set realistic expectations. You will actually get there quicker in the long run.

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M I N D S E T:

B A L A N C E

What's

The Corporate Ninja, Ron Lee, CSP, uses Eastern/Western philosophies, universal laws, and practical

Holding Me Back?

As a continuation of last month’s column, The Corporate Ninja discusses why everything that happens to us is based on our perspectives and perceptions.

metaaphysics to achieve outstanding results for corporations. corporate-ninja.com

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t one of my seminars, Leon was brought to me by his wife and mother-in-law. I knew the mother-in-law quite well and had met the wife a couple of times, so the issue had to be based on his needs.

“Well, I’m 42 years old and I’ve been in jail, on and off, for more than 20 of those years,” Leon said.

“For what reasons?” I asked.

“Mostly for violent crime: armed robbery, assault, three times for stabbing.”

“Did you only attack men?”

“Yes.” Picking up on the obvious Freudian implication, I asked, “How was your relationship with your father?”

“I hate him.”

“Why do you hate him?”

“Three or four times a week, he would come home drunk with his mates, beat up my mother and smack us kids around, then he left us when I was eight.”

“So you have dual emotional charges around him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Everything has polarities, so the first is that you hate your father.”

“Yes!” “The second is that you want love, affection and acceptance from your father.”

“No! I hate him!”

I wasn’t about to argue with this man who was over six feet tall and powerfully built.

This was a person who didn’t trust readily, but it took about two minutes for him to do as I asked—which was the simple, yet difficult task of balancing perceptions. This involved four pages of 36 lines per page. In the first column, I asked Leon to write down every negative

characteristic that his father possessed. He filled out the spaces in record time.

Then I asked him to write down all of the positive traits.

“There are none,” he said emphatically.

“There must be some. He was a human being, everyone has positive characteristics.”

“No, there is none!”

“You seem quite powerful, physically.”

“Yes, all I did in jail was read, write, paint and work out.”

“I understand your artistic side, but why did you work out?”

“It’s jail. You have to be strong in jail.”

“So, being strong is good?”

“Yes, being strong is good.”

“Was your father strong when he beat you and your mother?”

“Er…yes.”

“Then write down ‘strong’.”

Leon reluctantly did it, them put down his pen and said, “That’s it, there are no more.”

For the next hour and a half, I verbally hammered him, and to his credit he stuck with the exercise, which involved eight other columns that were more detailed than the first two.

When he couldn’t fill in any more spaces, I asked Leon what he noticed. He looked at the pages and said, “All of the columns are equal,” meaning that all of his perceptions about his father, both positive and negative balanced each other out. The hatred had turned into gratitude. Leon then wrapped his arms around my shoulders and started to cry. When he raised his head, everyone in the room could see a shining face and sparkling eyes. I did other processes with him to ensure that he appreciated himself as a genuinely powerful being. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

After the seminar, Leon opened his own business and adopted a more optimistic view of society and the people in it.

Perhaps your barriers aren’t as extreme as Leon’s were, but if you’re not where you want to be in your career, business, family relationships, intellect, health, socially, spiritually or financially, there are ways in which you can dissolve those blockages by bringing your perceptions into a state of balance.

The pendulum always goes from one extreme to the other to the same degree.

At a party, I saw a young woman I knew and asked her how she was.

“Oh, I’ve just met the most amazing man!“ “Really, tell me about him.”

“He’s kind, considerate, generous...”

After she used about every positive superlative in the English language, I asked her if he had any negative characteristics.

“That’s the thing. He doesn’t have any. That’s why he’s so special!”

Three months later, I happened to see her again and asked about her relationship.

“What relationship?” she asked.

“Remember, you had met a special man, the love of your life?”

“Oh, THAT bastard! He lies, cheats, steals. He totally misled me...”

“What are his positive qualities? He’s a human being; there must be something good about him.”

“NO! He has none.”

I suppose I shouldn’t throw stones. Something similar happened to me. After wanting a particularly gorgeous woman for 13 years, we finally connected and during the following eight months I discovered that we came from the same gene pool, but she came from the shallow end. That infatuation turned to resentment, as it will inevitably do. It was an epiphany in that I transformed from ‘undeserving’ to ‘deserving’.

On another occasion, (as a guest of promoters) I attended a four-day seminar. The facilitator was a ‘Rah Rah’ type. He would have the auditorium full of people standing on their chairs, punching the air and chanting positive slogans. During one of these, I was the only one sitting reading a book. One of the disciples encouraged me to join the hundreds of others on their seats. I said, “To be honest, I’m feeling quite balanced, thank you”.

“No, no, you don’t understand”, she insisted, “you should get up on your chair and do what we’re all doing.”

“May I ask you a question? Do you agree that everything is a series of magnetic fields, right down to the atom? It has been proven scientifically.”

“Well, yes, I guess so…”

“Then would you agree that any perception of a positive is equalled by a perception of a negative, and in any case, they’re ONLY perceptions?”

“I suppose so…”

“Then what’s the opposite of this?”

“Deep depression, I guess.”

“Where would you say these people will be shortly?”

“I don’t know. Where?” she asked confused.

“It’s okay, I’ll be fine thank you.”

What’s your hot button? What’s preventing you from your ultimate success? Click here for details on how you can dissolve those issues: http://corporate-ninja.com/html/July2010.html TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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M I N D S E T:

L E A D E R S H I P

Exploring

With a Pin

Earl de Blonville FRGS is an Arctic explorer, author, and leadership coach. earldeblonville.com

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To change the world, you must first understand what is happening to you, writes Earl de Blonville.

I

magine you’re an explorer, probing your way through the jungle, when suddenly an elephant appears. He’s mighty big and angry as hell, and he’s headed for you. In a moment, you will discover the truth of the elephant’s supposed power. But first, I want to introduce a friend.

Mike is a gifted English musician and entrepreneur who has recorded with rock icon Brian Ferry, toured globally with one of Britain’s most famous female singers and composed for Sony games, TV shows and cult movies. A natural entrepreneur, Mike began licensing his material through a new business venture. All normal so far.

But then came the call from a famous Alcohol company. Mike’s business name, they claimed, infringed their trademark. At issue was a common adjective.

He could either change his business name or he would be crushed.

Mike was stunned.

Although Alcohol didn’t have a valid case and were just bluffing, in England, if you can’t afford to defend yourself, however innocent, you automatically lose. For Mike this could mean bankruptcy.

In Alcohol’s boardroom, Mike faced hostile lawyers offering a miniscule cash settlement. It seemed to him a case of pointless ritual humiliation. Feeling devastated, he left England and travelled to Australia and told me his painful story.

I asked if he knew how much money Alcohol had spent attacking

him. He did: and it was a large amount. I asked what this indicated, but Mike was at a loss to understand. So I reframed the situation, as I wanted him to release his negative feelings and take back his personal power and innate worth.

We went for a metaphorical walk in the jungle, to meet the elephant, asking: if one small pinprick could make him react so strongly, is it just the pin, or is it something obviously much greater? In which case, is the elephant powerful, or vulnerable and therefore at risk?

Remembering Alcohol—if a mere adjective could cause them to overreact—didn’t this indicate far greater problems troubling them?

Just for fun, I asked Mike how Alcohol might have reacted if he’d asked 10 friends to each ask 10 more friends—a total of 100 activists— to each register a business name with the offending adjective in it. What then for Alcohol? Meltdown in the legal department?

The light came on for Mike. Yes, Alcohol was vulnerable, blinded by misguided power and without the balance of effective leadership.

Eventually, a real leader at Alcohol would have realised the issue being highlighted

by Mike and his colleagues: that instead of protecting its brand and goodwill, the company was actually destroying its brand value.

It’s no secret that without meaningful leadership, employees will create their own agenda and rules, according to their skillsets.

And that inevitably means the company losing its way, its market base and its overall value.

As a result of our coaching, Mike realised he was the explorer who discovered that the elephant was not powerful at all, but in fact at risk. As individuals and leaders, we need to remember that we are all explorers with the power to change the world simply by understanding what we see. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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M I N D S E T:

Amanda Peros

C O P I N G

Making the Best

Of Your Situation

has undergone much hardship in her life, to the point where she has become a mouthpiece for getting your life back on track.

The attitude taken by most children to ‘not sweat the small stuff’, may be a great coping mechanism for adults as well writes Amanda Peros.

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hile watching my son play in the park, I found myself wondering about the machinations (at age 3) of his thought process. Playing with a stick and poking ants is an activity that seems to give him nothing but endless joy; he is content and at ease with his world.

I can’t help but wonder, then, what he has made of all that has happened in his life in the past 12 months and how he has coped so well. In the past year he has endured his mother (me) getting sick with cervical cancer, his parents separating, moving away from his father and finding the dynamic of living with a single mother. He has also started pre-school and is spending four full days a week away from home.

As adults we are so concerned with coping mechanisms and de-stressing, that we further complicate issues that affect our lives. Yet, what if we were to approach these problems from a child’s perspective? Do we really need to stress, worry and fret over every little occurrence, change and event? It seems my son sails through life with a philosophy that says ‘if it doesn’t bother me, I won’t bother it’.

When we grow older, we seem unable to accept things we cannot change and move forward. Yet, imagine how much more carefree we would be if we were able to take life and its challenges at face value and make the best of what we have.

I worry about what being a single mum will do to my son’s social life when he reaches school age.

Statistically, the majority of his generation

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will come from single-parent, step-parent and blended family situations. Is it possible that this diversity in family life will actually produce a generation more accepting of ‘the modern family’, as well as ethnicity, religion and cultural differences? Will it produce a generation of young adults who are much more adept at coping in general?

If nothing else, one positive that can be said about the children who come from these families is that they seem to gain an understanding of empathy and acceptance and an ability to deal with life’s challenges.

The same can be said for working mothers and fathers. I feel extremely guilty at times when I see other mothers who stay at home and spend their days at kindergarten, gym or in the park. Yet, I am constantly complimented on what an amazing child my son is: waking every morning, getting himself dressed and ready for school, he already has a sense of responsibility and structure. All I can hope for is that having to deal with so much change at such an early age, will enable him to utilise these skills later in life.

The most amazing thing is that as I watch my son play he is completely unaware that he is able to do these things; he accepts his world for what it is because he does not know any other way. He simply makes the best of the situation and can always be counted on to naturally adopt the ‘glass is half full’ attitude.

The next time I feel stressed and anxious about things beyond my control, I may just grab that stick and poke a few ants…you never know it may be quite therapeutic. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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M I N D S E T:

P O T E N T I A L

Living With

Purpose

Jenetta Haim runs 'Stressfree Management' and specialises in developing health and lifestyle programs to assist people to live to their fullest potential. stressfreemanagement.com.au

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Are you in tune with your purpose in life? Do you know how to take the best of your talents and use them to reap not only rewards for yourself but for those around you on a personal and business level?

For many the answer is negative. So how can you find touch with your purpose with such a passion that it becomes a fulfilling journey?

W

hether you are aware of it or not, your journey has already begun and so has fulfilling your purpose. It is when you become aware of your purpose and pursue it with a passion that you begin to enjoy the fulfilment.

Think of the things you love to do: the hours you spend on pursuits which are now ‘hobbies’ but take up every waking hour. The things you love comes easily to you, so why not openly express your passion for these things? Often, I have people tell me about their passions, but follow up with the belief that it will not earn them their living or become a career. My answer is always the same: ‘Why not?’

Believing you can’t pursue the talents you have and turn them into a career is a limiting belief. Who told you that it is not possible to consciously and purposefully pursue the things you love? How old were you when you decided that? You will probably find—if you do recall—that it was a long, long time ago. If you overcome this limiting belief your life will be better balanced and filled with a greater zest for living, sense of freedom and happiness.

This in turn will shine in the skill with which you deliver your talent to your clients. Passion creates a self-fulfilling circle.

Belief can be exemplified by the passionate lawyer who fights for her client's cause as if it were her own, or the shop assistant whose attitude has somehow mysteriously brightened your day. Both these people have their heart in their work; they have the ability to breathe life into their work and not only reap the financial reward but rewards on other levels.

There is no ‘ideal’ career because we live in an intercommunicative society where we are interdependent on each other. No matter what your job you are dependent on a multitude

of others in order to function. We need plumbers, lawyers and gardeners as much as the other. Each of us has a unique role to fulfil, but you need to realise that no one else can fulfil your role quite the way you do. When you come to terms with this, you begin to live your purpose by performing your work with passion. By using and expanding your talents, you will reap the rewards of a relatively stress-free life.

We all have the capability to do things in a totally different way to anyone else. The challenge is to discover your ‘niche’ so you can fulfil your greatest potential for happiness. If you live contrary to your niche, you will become depleted of energy and feel low mentally, emotionally and physically; there will always be that feeling that you are missing out on something. Such underlying feelings increase our stress levels and lead to anxiety, depression or both which in turn lead to other illness.

Illness is always a sign we are not following our correct path. It’s a sign we are not as connected as we could be. If we act on these signs and open ourselves up to other possibilities we can begin to make the necessary changes to heal and better understand our purpose. An interesting exercise is to imagine you have all the money you have ever wanted and ask yourself what you would do with it. If you would still follow the same career path, then you have found your niche and purpose. True, you may first take a huge holiday, but what would you do after that, would you still go back to the same career?

When you are connected to your purpose, you will be in sync with your work and you will experience your full potential, energised and living with passion. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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What Does It Take To

Become Incredible?

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Two Powerful Days – LIVE with Jordan Wirsz When Jordan Wirsz was 10 years old he started his first business. By the time he was 14 he was selling airplanes and helicopters across the United States. By the age of 16 he was flying planes solo. And on his 18th birthday he received his commercial pilot’s license, all while building a successful aeronautical supplies business.

At 18, Jordan sold his company and moved to Las Vegas where he built and sold over half a dozen companies, turning over $500 million and becoming a three times best-selling author, internationally renowned expert in entrepreneurialism and human behaviour and a multi-millionaire in the process. And yet, it wasn’t always like that.

Jordan’s early childhood was one of extreme deprivation and loneliness. Left alone for days at a time when he was as young as 6, he rarely attended school and used to phone information lines just for some human companionship.

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The science and art of success, how you set goals and achieve them through real techniques that anyone can use How to build wealth through your passions, turning fun into riches How to create INCREDIBLE relationships that will launch you into new levels of success in your personal life and your professional future New decision making skills that will create the life YOU want and deserve The secrets of health and energy levels that will reflect success in every area of your life.

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Glenn Armstrong is 50 years old with a personal portfolio of 192 properties worth over ÂŁ30 million. He talks to Jonathan Jackson about building something from nothing and how important it is to give back to the less fortunate.

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Engineering a better future

U

nited Kingdom property I left engineering the day I qualified Half Live, Glenn drew on the support millionaire Glenn Armstrong to expand my mobile video library his own family gave him when he was missed 50% of school due to asthma business; I wanted to push the just starting out and began to mentor a problems. However, a nurturing family boundaries and myself to see how far I financially less fortunate family. It is these supported his every ambition and he could go and what I could achieve. philanthropic efforts that will drive his overcame the lack of school hours by next ventures.

I sold my company to Video Store Plc. applying himself to the things he knew for £1.5 million. I took most of it in shares When I was 5, I wanted to be Father he was good at. and they went bust 18 months later.

Christmas because he only works one Glenn became well-known for his day a year! I am sure being Father enterprising spirit; his career history is I moved into video games after I read Christmas would have been paid better diverse and reflects his successes. Before an article that the Princes Trust Young than a UK engineer; UK engineers are becoming a property millionaire he Entrepreneur of the Year had a computer notoriously low paid. qualified as a mechanical engineer and game mail order business. I calculated it also ran a mobile video library, which was a good bet and this developed into I ran a few ventures when I was he built into 15 shops and later sold for a computer game wholesale business. younger: growing vegetables in a £1.5million (AU$2.47million) in 1989.

Unfortunately, when Tescos got into the neighbour’s garden and selling them to In June 2004 Glenn turned his market my customers started going bust. friends’ mums; I had a leaflet delivery attentions to property—his very first round which earned me £14.00 to £16.00, deal cemented his belief that there was Afterwards, a friend who sold top but I subcontracted this for £1.00! serious money to be made if you knew marquee cars—mainly Ferraris and what you were doing; he Lamborghinis—said most negotiated a deal on a property of his customers were into worth £60,000, but managed property. It seemed like a to buy this for £30,000 and natural and profitable market rent it back to the previous for me to get into. owner who is still renting the property off him now!

I am successful in property, Some of Glenn’s success but I want to give something stories will be uncovered in his back to society before I book entitled 52 Properties in concentrate on being in an 52 Weeks the UK Way. Glenn even better place to give more. has also appeared on a BBC I also wanted my nine-year-old local radio tour and on BBC2’s to see that there is another side The Money Programme. to life. That’s why I took on After taking part in Channel Car enthusiast Glenn Armstrong moved into property because it the Channel 4 project How the seemed like a natural and profitable market.

4 documentary How the Other Other Half Live.

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It was long hours and somewhat frustrating that I could not announce my plans for the family. It was also frustrating that they did not want to move out of the area. However, it was a really worthwhile experience. I have now agreed a deal on a four bedroom house with a good-sized back garden two miles from where they live and hope Channel 4 will do a follow up.

I cannot believe a one hour program took over 100 hours of filming!

However, it was really satisfying to see hope for the future in not only the family you support, but in others.

From this experience, I would like to set up an Entrepreneurs School for kids in poverty. I would like to fund their start up businesses and mentor them and then take 20% of any profits they make to support the ongoing venture, thus making it self sustainable on an expediential curve, (all donations gratefully received).

I’ve made some changes to my own business after appearing on the show. I am looking for a business partner to help fund my business to be able to go to the next level so I can get going sooner. Buying and selling property needs huge cash flow, but is very profitable if you know what you are doing. I am also starting a competition to find someone to turn into an equity millionaire within five years.

Giving back is what is currently driving me to take business and life to a whole new level. It is not about looking to the past or future, I just play every day out as best as I can. I can neither change the past, or do no more than spend every day trying to better my family’s future and I hope that those who come under my mentorship will run with this attitude as well. TB

Glenn and his son Reece worked with and mentored Marie and Micah and reinforced the notion that the power of family is equal to the power of wealth.

H

ow the Other Half Live is a documentary series that aims to show what it means to grow up in poverty in 21st-century Britain. In each episode, a wealthy family decides to assist one that is living below the poverty line.

Glenn’s episode examines how the crippling costs of childcare negate the financial benefits of working. The episode explores life on the edge of the poverty line for working single parents and their children.

It follows nine-year-old Reece Armstrong (Glenn’s son) and his family’s impending move into their new home, which has a cinema and a pool room. Glenn’s wife Mandy runs a successful ironing business.

They admit to spoiling Reece a little, but think he deserves it: he has to take medication and painful injections every day because of ill health and a growth impediment.

But they want to make sure he doesn't grow up taking his lifestyle for granted.

Meanwhile, life in South London is very different for 13-year-old Miguell. He shares a cramped, two-bedroom flat with his 14-year-old brother Micah, his mum Marie and younger sisters Crystal and Shekaria.

Miguell dreams of becoming a footballer and Micah of training as a chef, but these are hard goals to achieve on their estate. Mum Marie goes out to work, clocking up 25 hours a week at a local adventure playground and taking whatever overtime is on offer.

She has to work part-time because she couldn't afford the childcare rates if she went full-time, but the amount of money she spends on childcare and rent means she would almost be better off being unemployed.

In the months spent with the family, Glenn and Mandy help the boys to realise their dreams and improve the family's living conditions. They also teach the boys that family bonds mean more than money, while Mandy encourages Marie to appreciate what a good mother she is already. TB

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The Ten Million Dollar Business Makeover Challenge “GET A FREE BUSINESS MAKEOVER FROM AN ENTREPRENEUR WITH A $35 MILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS…”

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Then you present your plan to a Master Entrepreneur whose company is valued at $35 Million and generates $10 Million in Sales a year – $5 million of which is profit. Sharon Pearson, Founder of The Coaching Institute will assess which team has come up with the most effective and profitable “Turnaround Plan.”

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BUSINESS:

Damian Kay is founder Telcoinabox, Australia's leading telecommunications wholesale provider. telcoinabox.com

C R I T I C A L

M A S S

Part Two

Organic Growth or Acquisition: Which Way to Go to Grow?

In part one of this series, we explored growth by acquisition as a means to gain economies of scale and size. In part two, we will explore organic growth—the act of growing your business in two ways—winning customers and getting more out of the customers you already have.

S

ustainable and controllable

I am a big believer that if you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got. If you are growing your business successfully and the growth is consistent, then maintaining organic growth is a good option. There is no doubt in today’s business environment that sustainability is vital. We all know the statistics: most small businesses fail within the first five years. The sad thing is many fail not due to a lack of revenue but due to ‘death by indigestion’, in more professional business terms—unsustainable growth. This can come in the form of: • Cash pressures to fund the growth; • Lack of processes and getting ‘out of control’; • Poor financial management; • The business cannot keep up with demand and leads to poor customer experience; • Business owner gets burned out.

Sustainable growth is a must for any business and depending on the maturity of your business organic growth is the means to ensure that it remains sustainable. It means that you can predict labour requirements, customer demands and trends and measure your business while getting the overall balance between order and chaos right. It is definitely a less stressful option compared to the acquisition path.

Cash flow is by far the biggest challenge of any small business. Controlled organic growth in addition to good financial

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management and sufficient working capital is a must if a business is to manage the cash flow challenge effectively.

Culture I have and will always believe that culture is a key success factor in any business as it dictates how you treat customers, the people you attract to work for you, staff tenure and vendor and supplier relationships. My opinion is that too many businesses ignore or underestimate how important culture is to a business.

Culture is reflected in your core values and it is worth exploring these for your business. Through a discovery process with staff we identified our core values at Telcoinabox to be: • We give a s..t; • No bulls..t;

your business mean that there is a certain amount of loyalty. You have a history with your customers and that counts for a lot in most cases. You have a track record of payments, you know their personality and what they like and don’t like. When you acquire a business you acquire their revenue stream and cash flow which is derived from customers. Although the acquired customers now become your customers, there is no immediate loyalty. It will happen just with time. Getting to know your customers can be a risky and time consuming process. If they leave and find another alternative the acquisition could be a disaster.

In the telecommunications industry the rule of thumb is to expect a 25% loss of customers in an acquisition. Think about that and what it means to the financials of an acquisition.

Organic growth is the safer road to travel for customer loyalty.

• We don’t do a half-arsed job;

Why go organic?

• Have fun.

Sustainability is crucial and the path taken in short comes down to the maturity of the particular business on all levels including:

Core values are not right or wrong, they just are. They personify the culture of your business. Nurturing culture is infinitely easier when organic growth is the sole growth strategy. When you acquire a business, you not only buy their customers but you take on their core values and culture which may be vastly different to your own. This can have a very unsettling effect on your business.

Customer loyalty There is no argument that customers ‘won’ and nurtured by

• Strength of culture; • Strong (documented) processes and discipline; • Strength of balance sheet; • Good people.

Growth by acquisition and organically can be achieved when the business is sound. The choice to grow organically or by acquisition may seem obvious, but at the end of the day it is all about timing. TB

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BUSINESS:

N E T W O R K I N G

Making Sense of Tom Petryshen is the chief executive officer and founder of Amplify. amplify.com.au

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Twitter

The benefits of using Twitter may be more than just informing someone of what you had for lunch writes @ Petryshen.

D

espite considering myself an early adopter of technology, I must admit, I was a bit of a sceptic and a laggard when it came to signing up and using one of the most popular social media tools today, mainly Twitter.

While I signed up relatively early to see what all the fuss was about, I was slow to incorporate the social media tool into my personal and business life.

Like so many social tools before it, such as Friendster (2002), Myspace (2003) and Orkut (2004), I had seen and in the case of Orkut been caught up in the initial hype. This quickly faded once the excitement wore off and the few friends that used it moved on. So when it came to Twitter, I was somewhat cautious about jumping in with both feet. In fact, I didn't really give Twitter much of a chance.

So what's changed my mind about Twitter and why do I now believe this new messaging platform is an effective business tool?

Like SMS, Twitter allows you to send out short messages, up to 140 characters in length to your friends and followers. Unlike SMS, you

can broadcast a message to tens of thousands or more followers from your computer or phone with no extra costs. Or—if you're like me—it's a great tool to send direct messages to your friends and colleagues regardless of where they're located.

While you may not initially see the marketing potential, it serves as an excellent customer engagement tool. By taking advantage of some of the third party web based tools available for Twitter such as Hootsuite or Seesmic, your customer support or marketing team can easily monitor what is being said about your brand and if necessary engage with your customers to solve an issue before it blows up.

Twitter gives you insight to your customers unlike any other channel available today. It’s like having a ringside seat to what people are saying moments after it's said.

Yet Twitter's potential for business does not end there. While companies such as Optus (@ Optus) and Dominos Pizza (@Pizza_Dominos) are effectively using Twitter as a customer service tool, others like Atlassian (@atlassian) an Australian software company are using it as an effective vehicle for announcing new products.

What's more, a few like Ubank (@Ubank) are now having real two way conversations with their customers.

For me, the key turning point came down to who I followed. I noticed that my usage increased almost immediately once I started to follow people I was interested in and they in turn started to follow me back. I now use the tool for sharing insight or thoughts (I still haven't made a habit of telling them what I've had for breakfast though), contributing to the conversation and for direct communications much in the way I'd use SMS. At the end of the day though, Twitter is still just a tool. It's the personal touch that makes it useful and effective. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

How to incorporate Twitter into your business?

1. Sign up for an account to start to see what the fuss is all about.

2. Follow friends, colleagues and others of interest. Watch and listen before you jump in.

3. Track your brand mentions and find out what others are saying about your brand or your products.

4. Get your customer support team involved early to ensure they are following what is being said about the business and give them the first opportunity to engage the customer.

5. Listen to what people are saying about your company, the product names and even the industry.

6. If your Twitter account is for personal use, upload a photo and add some bio information to make it more personal.

7. Let customers and colleagues know about your presence. Add a button to your website, include links from your own personal profiles, your email signature and add your Twitter name to the next round of business cards.

8. Engage your audience and talk to people about their interest. While what you had for lunch might be interesting (if it's a grizzly bear you took down with your own hands), it's likely not going to be enough to engage others to start a conversation with you.

9. Use direct messages for personal conversations if you don't believe the conversation is worth sharing with others.

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10. Allow more than one person in the business to twitter on its behalf to ensure the tweets don't go quiet when that person goes on holidays or leaves the business.

11. Twitter about other people and provide links to their blog, article or website.

12. Be human and transparent. Try to share what is happening within your business.

13. Use third party tools such as Hootsuite (Hootsuite. com) or Seesmic (seesmic.com) to help organise all the messages.

14. Add a Twitter app to your iPhone, Blackberry, Android smartphone to stay in touch on the go.

15. Keep your emotions in check. It's easy to overreact and even easier for something you say to go viral. TB

Twitter: www.twitter.com Hootsuite: www.hootsuite.com Seesmic: www.seesmic.com www.thinkbigmagazine.com

So get found locally, by listing globally.

Register your business with Uglii for FREE at:

r

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BUSINESS:

A C T I O N

5 Things That Angie O'Shannessy is a national master coach at The Small Business Gurus, and specialises in marketing and business growth. thesmallbusinessgurus.com

Quickly Grow

Your Business

What was your vision when you first wanted to become a business owner? Did you just want to build a business that would fund your dream lifestyle? Maybe your desire was to have a company that would one day provide for a great retirement. Or perhaps you wanted to start a company, sell it for billions and spend your time buying islands like Richard Branson.

S

uccessful business owners understand that starting a business takes hard work and commitment, but when you have your business up and running, how do you take it to the next level?

Though growing a business can be challenging, there are five powerful actions that you can take immediately that will propel you and your business to the next level.

Prepare for growth A growing business consumes two things; time and money. When the growth of your business begins, it’s best to be prepared to feed your business what it needs to grow.

Let’s say today your blog gets a spike in traffic that brings an extra 10,000 visits a day. Are you ready for the floods of emails, comments and offers that will come in? If you have an offline business, be prepared to have a buffer of cash for hiring, upgrades and support. It’s better to have cash on hand instead of trying to raise the capital in the middle of a boom.

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Not being prepared for the growth also means you will be losing out on customers and leads. This sort of ill preparation can cost a lot more than a few sales. Bad experiences can cost your reputation.

Be everywhere Your business or blog is not going to grow unless people see it and are reminded of it. Make sure that your brand is all over the digital market space. One of the reasons we can recognise the Coca-Cola symbol is because we’ve seen it thousands of times. If you want to gain similar brand recognition, you have to make sure that people know your business exists.

Whenever I meet entrepreneurs that ask me how they can increase their online presence, I usually ask them the same question, “what are you doing now?” I usually get the same answer: “Well, I have a Twitter and Facebook account.”

Just having those profiles doesn’t do much for your brand. You have to be actively participating to be effective. Seek the opinions and needs of your readers, customers, and clients. Make sure that the world knows who you are and what you do and remind them as much as you can without being annoying.

Lose your ego In business, your ego is your enemy. There is a difference between having confidence and having a big ego. Confidence gives you the courage to take risks. Your ego may stop you www.thinkbigmagazine.com

from getting help when you need it. It may also cause you to be closed off to good ideas because you’re determined to do things your way.

As entrepreneurs, we like being in control. Sometimes that is not a good thing. As leaders we have to know what we can and can’t do. If there is someone better than us for the job, and it will help grow the business, we have to step back and let them do it. This will also eliminate stress and make life a bit more normal.

That includes allowing mentors, consultants, customers and even our competition the freedom to evaluate our business objectively. Once we let go of our ego, new doors and opportunities will present themselves that will help our business grow at a much faster rate.

That also means trusting the people who work for the company. It’s important to trust your employees' ability to do the job they were hired to do. Give them the freedom to use their skills and talents to make your business better.

Just make sure they know the rules.

So many times people tell me: “Oh, that employee of mine was great when she started, but is now driving me crazy. She consistently makes mistakes.” If you can relate to this just think how they were inducted into your business. This can make or break all the hard work that you have done so far.

An entrepreneur’s ego is one of the biggest dangers a business can have. Let go of yours and you will see how much easier it will be to manage the business.

grow. All of them touched on creating a need or demand for their product or service in the market place.

The key is providing so much value that the consumer feels as though they need your product or service. The same is true for a high quality blog. If you offer outstanding content, your readers will feel moved to visit the site often and even share it with their friends and contacts.

From there, they will be more likely to buy your e-book or a product that you recommend. This is how you build trust with your target market. Good content will give you more customers.

In order for you to sell your product or service there must be a demand for it. The way you present the business will help create that demand.

endorsing your blog, product, or service.

With online businesses it is much easier to form alliances. An alliance can be formed by trading guest posts, links and other promotion strategies. It’s also easier for internet entrepreneurs with blogs because blogging is about connecting and community.

If you want to grow your business, leverage your relationships with people and other businesses, take these five action steps and apply them to your business strategies and see the dramatic change that happens.

Make this day a great one! TB

Form an alliance Partnering up with similar businesses can be a powerful move. The opportunity for growth can be tremendous if the right alliance is formed. If you form an alliance that is mutually beneficial for both parties, you increase your growth potential extremely quickly.

By aligning yourself with a similar business, you are exposed to their customers. You also gain credibility by having a respectable partner

Create a need Before I wrote this article, I asked a few different successful business owners how they were able to make their businesses

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BUSINESS:

O N L I N E

Local Window to the

Global World

Lee De Coster is the co-founder of Affiliates Australia. affiliatesaustralia.com.au

In previous articles I have discussed the next online giant and the perfect business. In this article I discuss the challenges in giving global enterprises a local flavour.

T

here’s something comforting about familiarity. For example whenever I travel, there are some things that are new and different, and some things that are pleasantly familiar. With many global brands and franchises, it doesn’t matter where you are; it still feels local and familiar, so much so that once you are inside you can easily feel right at home. Its human nature to like familiar things, we feel more secure and safe.

With travel being so easy these days, and because business is conducted from all corners of the globe, it’s important for some things to be the same, wherever you go. It just makes things that little bit easier. Having to re-learn something on a local level, can really slow you down.

On the other hand, everybody in the world likes their local feel and flavour. After all that’s why they live there. If they didn’t like it they would move somewhere else and look for a new ‘local’ that they liked better.

History has shown that businesses that succeed on a global scale are those that manage to blend into the local scene; they are familiar, while maintaining a global strength and presence. These two objectives on the surface appear at odds with each other. The goal is to have a local feel, but at the same time provide all the security, strength and certainty that come with being global.

If it’s an online business, it’s even harder. How do you appear local wherever you are, but at the same time be everywhere in the world? It’s not that easy to pull off!

Imagine that you are sitting in your own house looking out the window. The first and closest things you see are the most familiar, in other words the most local. You see your neighbours and friends’ houses, your favourite café and shops. The further you look the less local things become. If you could see for hundreds

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or thousands of kilometres then you would be looking at global stuff, but through your familiar window, the one that you know and love.

Now, let’s take that experience and translate it into an online experience. Imagine doing all your online business through a local portal with local information, but at the same time allowing you to see and access all of the business information in the world. This is a global platform that is always viewed from your local perspective.

Imagine if that platform always knew where you were and automatically centred itself on you, giving you a bird's-eye view of your neighbourhood, but at the click of a button showed you every available offer, from anywhere in the world. Always Local, with access to Global.

Research shows that around 70% of online search leads to an offline purchase somewhere locally. Platforms that facilitate this process and make it faster, easier and smarter are going to be the ones that not only succeed in the future, but will dominate the landscape.

Likewise, people and businesses that affiliate themselves with these kinds of platforms will find their own fortunes improving too. It’s great to stand alone and be successful, but there is also strength in numbers. Imagine thousands of people from around the world tailoring their search to their local area, and yet still be able to search globally at the same time?

That is a powerful marketing model. A search platform to the world that lets you embed it with your own local content. In other words, it lets you see the world through your own window rather than someone else’s.

When a system such as this launches, and it will soon, it will literally change the way the world does business.

Fortune favours the brave, and riches go to those who recognise and seize the moment. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

BUSINESS:

M A R K E T I N G

A Window to

Risk Taking

Tony Gattari was the general manager of the computers and communications division of Harvey Normam and oversaw the growth of this business from $12 million to $565 millioin in nine years. He is now founder and Chief Energy Officer of Achiever's group. achieversgroup.com.au

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

A significant reason why Harvey Norman came to dominate the computer market was not due to the size of the stores or a strong product offering. It was the result of a simple marketing initiative.

O

n 24 August 1995, Microsoft was about to launch its latest operating system— Windows ’95. In the computer industry this was like the second coming. No one thought the Microsoft Windows ’95 launch would be big in Australia until after the ‘real launch’ in America.

Then, one of the proprietors suggested we take advantage of the difference in time zones and launch Windows ’95 at midnight, a few hours prior to the launch in the US. It meant we would be the first company in the world to sell the program. At first I dismissed the idea but later, realised its potential.

We pitched the strategy to the other computer proprietors who thought we were idiots.

However, even against quite strong internal opposition I stuck to my guns and placed adverts in all the major media outlets and implemented an aggressive public relations campaign.

The increasing media interest leading up to the launch created such expectation a week out from the launch we knew our gamble had paid off. This was going to work!

People began to queue outside the stores hours before. Then, midnight struck.

There was a mad rush. People fell over themselves to get the new Windows ’95 program. All the major television stations and news outlets filmed the event and interviewed the proud new owners of the program. During that first month, we sold 82,000 copies.

The campaign also meant Gerry Harvey was interviewed by the Today show, where he proclaimed, “I love Bill Gates. I wish he would bring out Windows every year!”

It was a huge success. Harvey Norman, nationwide, became firmly established as the place to buy your computer equipment.

The principle is—just have a go. One of the great things about Harvey Norman is it has a culture that allows people to try new ideas and then gives them some leeway if they make mistakes. Entrepreneurial companies are built by people who take risks and learn from the experience.

When we decided to launch Windows ’95 at midnight, it was risky and we were not 100% sure it was going to work. I do however remember thinking to myself, “…just have a go.” TB

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Creel Price is part of a new breed of social entrepreneurs, or as Creel calls them ‘socialpreneurs’. As Jack Delosa writes they are no longer motivated by their own selfinterests, but are focusing on the big picture.

inspiring a 21st century

Renaissance c

reel Price has scaled some of the highest mountains in

the world, he has taken workshops with Richard Branson on the future of philanthropy, exited his business for over AU$100 million and more recently captained Australia in the World Elephant Polo Championships.

Creel is a high octane adventurer at the forefront of what he now calls the ‘entreprenaissance’.

“A socialpreneur is someone that uses their entrepreneurial ability to make a difference on the planet,” Creel explains.

Like many socialpreneurs, Creel believes that the problems faced by the planet won’t be fixed by governments, corporations or charitable ventures but rather by social enterprise—organisations that utilise commerce for social benefit.

“Government’s try to use regulation to redirect funds, but often with little success. Corporations can be well meaning but often have to serve the needs of their shareholders before anything else. Charities can do a fantastic job on one hand, but sometimes a large percentage of funds go to administration and they need to put out their hand out again at the start of each year. I don’t think this is sustainable.”

Rather, Creel believes the major paradigm shifts will come from entrepreneurs. “For me it’s entrepreneurial thinking that’s actually going to take the world to the next stage. It’s about how we put the intelligence of commercially savvy entrepreneurs to good use. What we’re talking about is a combination of commerce and charity working together.”

In order to encourage more social entrepreneurship, Creel now dedicates the majority of his time to developing entrepreneurs all over the globe.

Having co-founded his business at the age of 25 with $5,000, Creel built Blueprint Management Group to 1,000 staff and within a decade sold the business for over $100 million. However Creel’s advice for entrepreneurs remains profoundly simple.

“Business has become too complex.” Creel explains. “But it doesn’t have to be. There are so many components that can overwhelm entrepreneurs.

They have to do the finance, HR, marketing, sales…there’s just so many things that can overwhelm you but the role of an entrepreneur can be a lot simpler than that.”

Creel sees the role of the entrepreneur as being the ability to find and engage great people. “If you can help your people have clarity of what their

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role is, they can achieve amazing things— particularly when the entrepreneur empowers them with responsibility.”

When asked if entrepreneurship can be developed, Creel answers, “if it can be named it can be trained”. He was recently named the Virgin Unite Entrepreneur of the Quarter as a result of the training he’s been involved with at The Branson School of Entrepreneurship in Johannesburg.

“There’s a school of thought that says entrepreneurship can’t be trained and that you’re born with it. For me, I don’t think that stacks up because only a very few successful entrepreneurs have been able to be successful without some decent training.”

Creel disagrees with a lot of the business education that is currently available to entrepreneurs. He argues that much of the information available is too complex and if designed in the corporate or academic world, may not apply to small business. This creates a divide between idea and implementation for those looking to start a business and to effect change on the planet.

“I think start-ups are all about experimenting. You can plan your business model to death, but until you start with the business you don’t really know what it’s going to be like. So I’m not a huge believer in a lot of planning during the start-up stage other than to focus on how you are going to get your income.”

During the start-up phase Creel also encourages entrepreneurs to start with the end in mind; he draws on lessons learnt from the time he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro at the age of 25. “The goal in mountain climbing is not to get to the top of the mountain, it’s actually to get to the top and back down safely and that’s where it parallels business.” He argues it’s not enough for entrepreneurs to know to how to build a big business; it’s also about succession and exiting that business—something the vast majority of entrepreneurs neglect to fully understand.

“One of two things is going to happen, either you’re going to outgrow your business or your business is going to outgrow you.” Creel calls this ‘the entrepreneurs curse’ and explains “entrepreneurs can get so excited about an opportunity, but then they fall out of love with it and so they move on to the next opportunity. Unless entrepreneurs build the business to a point where they can sell it, they can get stuck in a rut and

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lose the passion for which they started the business in the first place.”

Alternatively, the organisation will grow to a point where the entrepreneur is no longer the best person to be sitting in the chair. “Entrepreneurs are great at coming up with an idea, innovating and building it to a certain stage, but then sometimes they have to realise that the business has moved beyond their skill-set.” At this point he advises the entrepreneur step aside from the role of CEO and become a non-executive director, putting someone with greater management experience at the helm.

Aside from the personality traits of an entrepreneur, Creel explains that it is also financially beneficial to eventually sell the business. “You can earn an income working for someone else and you can earn an income working in a business, but it’s sort of capped. Whereas when you build up equity value within a business, you can make a substantial return because someone’s willing to pay a multiple of your income, so you can bring some of those future earnings forward.”

Creel emphasises that in order to achieve the highest possible price in the sale of a business, it is important that the entrepreneur is no longer there.

“Execute a succession plan to maximise value. The business is worth a huge amount more if the entrepreneur isn’t in the business.” This is about systemising the business to a point where it is scalable, and eventually putting in place a management team and board to manage the company; something that entrepreneurs need to be aware as they’re starting and building a business.

Executing these key components of building and exiting a business, has given Creel the resources to be able to make a significant impact on the lives of entrepreneurs globally. He is now motivated to create a movement where more people can think entrepreneurially in solving the key issues faced by the planet. He adds that you don’t have to exit your business in order to make a difference.

“You can do amazing work through your business and through the partners in that business. It’s about being socially responsible and not making money for the sake of making money, but doing it in the right way so that you’re helping people.”

When asked about his main message for entrepreneurs he replies, “It’s about how we unify as entrepreneurs?

Entrepreneurs don’t tend to flock together, they do their own thing. It becomes about how we actually create a movement of entrepreneurs committed to working together to create a lasting legacy; a 21st century renaissance inspired by entrepreneurial endeavour—or what you could call an entreprenaissance.”

Today Creel is involved in numerous ventures that are about encouraging this movement. He educates entrepreneurs of all ages starting at the age of 10 with his Club Kidpreneur Foundation, working with aspiring entrepreneurs at the Branson School of Entrepreneurship in South Africa and established entrepreneurs as part of his Accelerate your Business program in Australia. To be involved, visit www.creelprice.com. TB Author Jack Delosa is a Gen Y Media Spokesperson and leading entrepreneur in Australia. He has been named in the Top 30 Entrepreneurs under 30, in Australian Anthill 30Under30. He is the founder of The Entourage, a movement of young entrepreneurs (18-35) leveraging off the experience the top entrepreneurs globally. Jack recently joined Creel in a trip to South Africa to aid the development of the curriculum for the students. Contact Jack via email at: jackd@the-entourage.com.au

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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W E A L T H :

CHALLENGES

Face it: Society Doesn't Want You to be Rich

Chris Howard is CEO and founder of The Academy of Wealth and Achievement. chrishoward.com

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A challenging life is a rewarding life, writes Chris Howard. That‘s why leading a rich life requires you to move beyond mediocrity.

I

t is very unfortunate that so many people in our society walk around in a state of disempowerment. They have been conditioned and programmed for scarcity, or even poverty, and to live lives that are devoid of real fulfillment. In behavioural psychology, this condition is called ‘learned helplessness’. The mindset is that of a dog whose leash gets jerked whenever he tries to move forward.

After a while, he stops trying to move even when there’s no leash. He’s been conditioned to think, 'What’s the use?' So he gives up once and for all. Lots of people—maybe most people —do exactly the same thing.

In the movie The Matrix, the character named Morpheus explains that the world as we know it is nothing more than an elaborate façade created by machines. It’s all an illusion; a virtual reality, albeit a very clever and convincing one. This reality of the Matrix gives people the impression that they are living in a wonderful world, while hiding the truth that they were born into slavery for the survival of the machines.

In a key scene of the movie, Morpheus holds out two pills to the character named Neo. Morpheus says to Neo that if he takes the blue pill, he will go back to sleep and continue life as he had known it. Or he could take the red pill and wake up and learn the truth. Once unplugged from the Matrix, Neo sees that the world is actually in ruins. Neo finally sees people in their true condition, as withering bodies soon to be discarded by the machines once the bodies’ energy has been depleted.

Another film, called The Island, takes place in the year 2019. Most of the earth at this time has supposedly been rendered uninhabitable.

Two characters named Lincoln and Jordan are living in an enclosed, dome-like community where they are encouraged to remain healthy, work menial jobs and live mundane lives. All the while, the residents are hoping to one day win the lottery and go to ‘the island’, a beautiful

paradise on earth and one of the last places capable of sustaining human life.

But when Jordan wins the lottery to this island paradise, Lincoln stumbles on the truth behind the Utopian reward. In reality, all the residents of their world are clones. They’re harvested only to provide replacement organs and body parts to the residents of the world, which was never really incapable of sustaining human life. It was all a ruse. The promise of the island was fabricated to keep them happy and docile until they were required for harvesting.

Many people today, as a result of programming and conditioning, have a very self-limiting and restricted way of life. They’re victims of a disempowering social hypnosis, in which they’ve been conditioned to believe that everything is good enough. They are sleepwalking through life. The vast majority of the population is taught to get a job, exchange their time for money, and spend 70% of their life in work they are by no means passionate about. They are taught to sell out on their dreams, live in scarcity, so that one day they can win the retirement lottery. As in The Matrix, many are content to choose the blue pill, satisfied with the almost sheep-like existence that most of the population lives in.

But (I sincerely hope and believe!) you’re not satisfied with that. You’ve chosen the red pill, and that’s obvious by your reading this magazine. Just as a diamond can never be changed back to its earlier form, “A mind once stretched to a new dimension can never return to its original shape again.” Opening your eyes and seeing reality for what it really is won’t be easy. Taking advantage of the real opportunities won’t be easy either. But it’s not supposed to be easy. It’s supposed to be challenging and, in the end, hugely rewarding. So accept the challenge and earn the rewards! TB This article is from Chris Howard’s new book, Instant Wealth—Wake Up Rich! www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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W E A L T H :

SHARES

IstoNow the Time Invest in the

Australian share market?

Justin Beeton is the founder of JB Global Investment Services. jbglobal.com.au

The current investment market offers up some great opportunities, writes Justin Beeton.

I

n October 2009, the Australian sharemarket witnessed one of the biggest rallies of all time, rising 54% in seven months. At the time, a common catchcry from many investors was that they were waiting for a ‘bit of a pull back’ before buying in. This pull back is now here.

The first step to investment success is to buy assets when prices are low. There is an old saying that ‘the best time

to buy is when there is blood on the streets.’

That is, the time to buy is when many others are being forced to sell because they can no longer afford to keep the asset. In such times, assets are often sold well below their true values. The GFC in 2008 and early 2009 was a perfect example of this. Savvy investors who picked up shares when there was ‘blood on the streets’, are still enjoying gains of around 50% for 12-18 months work. And if the leading strategists are correct, there is more upside to come.

Leading sharemarket strategists are tipping the Australian sharemarket or the ASX 200 to reach 5,499 points by June 2011. If these forecasts play out as expected investors have at least 1,300 points of upside to look forward to over the next 12 months, that’s over 32%.

These same strategists are tipping the ASX200 to reach 5,332 by December 2010, that’s over 25% of upside from current levels in less than six months If the 12 month target forecast by Deutsche Bank of 6,250 points is reached, the market will have moved 2,050 points, or 49%!

Strategists June 2011 forecasts for the S&P/ASX 200 Deutsche Bank UBS Citigroup Goldman Sachs Macquarie JP Morgan Average

6,250 5,800 5,500 5,375 5,068 5,000 5,499 points Source: AFR 1.7.10.

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Investment success is easy It involves buying when prices are low and selling when prices are high. Opportunities to buy at low levels usually only exist for a short period of time, so when opportunities come along you must act fast and act decisively. The ASX200 reached 5,000.9 points on 15 May and the market has since experienced a bit of a pull back of some 15% to be hovering around the 4,200 mark. Now is the time for investors to be looking for reasons to re enter the market.

Here are some of the key reasons why I think there is significant upside over the next 12 months: • Uncertainty in the international markets will fade over the next 12 months, which will restore investor confidence.

The global economic growth picture, notably in Europe, will become much clearer once all the austerity measures have flushed through the system. This will also flow through to confidence in the recovery of the US markets.

• An improvement in private consumption expenditure over the next 12 months on the back of solid employment growth, and personal income tax cuts from 1 July 2010.

“I need some inspiration & a fresh business strategy!”

—Jeremy Ayow, Chief Marketing Officer (Would benefit from attending this marcus evans’ summit)

As consumers become more marketing savvy and the global market itself highly competitive, senior marketers have to utilise all of their creative and innovative resources to maintain and increase market share. The CMO Summit focuses on the top priorities of the modern Chief Marketing Officer: driving profitability and growth through strategic marketing intelligence.

• A marked improvement in business investment, especially in the resources and resources-related sectors.

• Much stronger growth in export volumes as our trading partners' economic growth improves—the latest figures released by the RBA show the trade surplus was the highest for 14 months and the third highest on record at $1.645 billion. That was three times the market economists' forecast.

• The recent reporting season confirmed that the earnings recovery is underway for the Australian market.

Knowing all this information is a good starting point to becoming a successful investor, but if you do not do anything with this knowledge it is wasted. To actually make money you need to look to the fundamentals as described above and take action.

Great opportunities arise when strong investor emotions, rather than fundamentals, drive the sharemarket.

I believe investor emotions are driving the current fall in the market, rather than sound fundamentals. This makes the current markets levels a great buying opportunity.

Significant profits are made by those who can overcome their emotions and only look to the fundamentals of the market. If you look at the fundaments alone it is no wonder so many strategists have such positive expectations of the Australian share market over the next 6-12 months. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

27 – 29 September 2010 Sheraton Mirage Resort & Spa Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

www.cmoanzsummit.com summits@marcusevanscy.com

The intelligence behind the world's leading business events Volume 3.4 thinkBIG 55

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W E A L T H :

SHARES

The Trader's

Shining Light Lachlan Elsworth is managing director of Traders International Australia and New Zealand. tradersinternational.com

As fear threatens to grip the world markets for a second demolition, those in the know are sharpening their pencils in preparation. Why? They are just a little smarter than the average bear (market).

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earing yourself for the possibility of a second crash may seem a little pessimistic at first, but the reality is that it just may occur when you least expect it. Analysts the world over are suggesting that it is only a matter of time, banks are tightening their credit arrangements and auction clearing rates all over Australia are slowing across multiple property sectors.

Regardless of the perspective you choose to adopt, fear of a fall in the markets is exactly that, fear. The key to you mastering this fear—and instead turning it into opportunity—is ensuring that you have taken three simple steps to help you get ready for the correction, boom or bust.

Step 1—select a strategy Modern financial markets offer a multitude of trading techniques (instruments) including Options, Shares, Warrants, CFDs (Contract for Difference) to name just a few. Do not get confused by the choices and do not get ripped off. I started trading and fell into the hype trap. I learnt a valuable lesson—just keep it simple and cheap.

When I chose the strategy I now use, I wanted to have access to three key advantages over the market and other instruments: 1. I wanted freedom to trade the market in both directions. No matter what happens tomorrow, I could take a signal and make a trade.

2. I wanted my trading to be very cheap, so that I did not give away most of my profit in brokerage and market maker fees.

3. I wanted to start with a small amount of capital and slowly build my way up from there.

I chose to trade an EMINI because it gave me all of the above and much more. When I started trading I did not know that some traders pay up to $60 to get into a trade, when I was paying $2.50. That has a huge impact on your profitability!

I use the EMINI because of risk aversion.

All I had heard from friends and family is

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that you can lose a lot of money trading, so I was naturally wary about starting. I did my research and decided to trade an EMINI because as an instrument it enabled me to trade an entire market in one go, like the entire US Share market.

Step 2—Evaluate the potential return gained out of each trade Many traders would be delighted with a 10% return in say three or four months. Unlike most share positions, a 10% return as an index trader is very simple to achieve, even for a brand new trader.

So how can a trader get a 10% return on a regular basis? Every time the S and P 500 moves 1 point in your favour it returns 5% on your money. This can happen in minutes.

With the S and P 500 moving up to 60 points in a typical trading day it’s a very powerful foundation for generating great returns. The key to trading successfully is simply spotting the opportunity and taking advantage of the market as it moves in your favour.

Step 3—Choose short term trades that aren't subject to overnight corrections It may be a simple point, but the markets can get hammered overnight and destroy your profits in one fell swoop.

Risky trading is just not smart in the current market conditions. If you have a live position in a share market, while the market is closed, you are asking for trouble. Why? If the market starts to fall, and the market is closed, you cannot liquidate your position. The potential loss in this situation is enormous.

This is where the EMINI shines again.

We never hold overnight positions and the average trade is less than half an hour. This means that your money is safely locked away and you are safe and sound and ready to trade another day. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

“The PercePTion SoluTion”

VIRTUAL OFFICE “A virtual office is a combination of different support services, providing you with the exact services required no matter where your business is.”

• Virtual Office clientele have the flexibility to match expenses with revenue fluctuations immediately, as the costs are usually variable.

• Virtual Office users have the advantage of receptionists (management of telephone calls), mail management, diary and appointment management, email management, Marketing, book keeping and invoicing, professional meeting facilities and administration duties.

• A Virtual Office user can reduce their environmental impact, as well as the personal negatives of a daily commute.

• A Virtual Office blends home and work to gain efficiencies in both. Office expenses are low, while the user’s professionalism retains the IMAGE of a traditional, high cost office.

• A Virtual Office can allow for low-cost expansion with no long term commitments.

• A Virtual Office mostly eliminates the traditional burden of health care, payroll, insurance, and rent also traditional time off (sick days, holidays, personal leaves etc • Expand hiring choices and provide a more comfortable working environment, less stress and a more balanced lifestyle while increasing productivity with time and money saved.

The new generation of entrepreneurs is embracing the Virtual Office instead of the traditional and incorporating the flexibility into their culture – Working Virtually is the future.

“our ProFeSSionAl TeAM Will Be PArT oF Your TeAM.”

Call & speak to one of our advisers NOW: 02 9994 8000 or email offices@serviced.com.au to create the right package for your company & receive your gift of the first month’s free service by quoting ‘thinkBIG Magazine’ Level 14, Lumley House, 309 Kent St Sydney NSW www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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TEAMEXP:

EXPEDITION

ISTANBUL-SYDNEY

In this first part of our 6 part series following the exciting global expedition (a challenge that hopes to raise more than $100,000 for Oxfam) soon to be undertaken by TeamEXP, development manager Valerio De Simoni shares the behind-the-scenes secrets to getting you places, by thinking really big.

How thinking big gets you places

I

recall the very first time

we were discussing our big trip back in 2007. When I was told about the initial concept of travelling overland from Europe, through Africa to Australia on an ATV I was a little concerned about how much planning, research, logistics and money it would take for us to complete the global journey. At the time, it seemed a little too big.

Two-years, a full road team, an HQ team, an office, sponsors, media partners, fans and a whole lot of big ideas later Expedition Istanbul-Sydney was born.

As I learnt early on, it’s hard to think big when you are constrained in a society such as ours, which educates youths not so much to think big, but to think normally.

That’s why I define thinking big as thinking differently—as thinking broadly—as thinking bigger than the norm.

When we mention to people that we are in talks with some of the biggest

companies in the world, they simply don’t believe you, or don’t believe that you can achieve it. When an email doesn’t go through, when you don’t get a reply, when your 10th voice message goes unheard and when you think you are all finished and that there is no hope, that is exactly when thinking big, outside the norm comes into play.

As John F Kennedy, former President of the United States of America once said, “Only those who dare to fail greatly, can ever achieve greatly.” I could not say it better myself. And for all the big-thinkers out there, take this small inspiration on board and you will find yourself overcoming every single obstacle that you come across.

Part of our global challenge is supporting one of the world’s largest not-for-profit organisations, Oxfam Australia, by aiming to raise a minimum of $100,000 for global poverty. Our team manager Kristopher Davant hopes that by highlighting Oxfam’s mission their

“incredible story will be a wake up call for young Australians to get out there and see the world with togetherness rather than as separate entities.”

TeamEXP will drive 50,000km from Turkey, through Europe, descending through Africa and crossing Australia covering a total of 34 countries across three continents. The journey spans a full 365 days before the team returns home to Sydney, Australia on 16 July, 2011.

TeamEXP will also be looking to break the Guinness World Record for the longest journey on an ATV quad bike, which is currently held by two Americans and stands at 27,141km.

“The ATV represents a vehicle which can go almost anywhere and do almost anything,” team development manager James Kenyon says. “For a challenge such as this, the ATV is the ultimate vehicle, allowing us to really connect the world, together by visiting remote towns and remote peoples and then breaking the record at around 50,000km.” TB

To be inspired by this year’s biggest global adventure-challenge, please go to: www.expedition.org.au 58 58 thinkBIG thinkBIG

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TeamEXP members Valerio, Kristopher and James are looking to break the Guinness World Record for the longest journey on a quad bike.

By travelling across the globe on an ATV, TeamEXP hope to raise money and awareness for Oxfam. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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Keeping an eye on a more fragile ball

Billions watched the FIFA World Cup to see what nation would emerge victorious on the field. At the same time, many others watched to see how well South Africa performed in addressing the challenges of hosting a major sporting event from a sustainability perspective.

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S

outh Africa can

showcase both sides of the coin: a richness of natural resources second to none and also a panoply of ongoing social headaches such as inequality, poverty, statistically the worst HIV/AIDS levels on record, as well as significant insecurity around property rights and personal safety. Any major sporting event in South Africa presents an interesting discussion about its relevance to the Rio Declaration’s triple dimensions of sustainable development: environmental, social and economic.

Global sporting events have increasingly focused on sustainability, since often host countries see the opportunity to not only run a successful event but also to further a set of political, economic and social promises.

Sustainability of such high profile events—be it ‘greening’, safety, fair employment of minority groups or a

multitude of other considerations— can come under significant public scrutiny. Public discussion about the lack of snow at the Vancouver Winter Olympics (itself owing to unseasonably warm weather attributed by many to the effects of global warming) and the considerable fracas around the safety of the luge run (owing to a fatal accident) are cases in point. This type of exposure on a global level pushes sustainability up the agenda for brand sensitive corporate sponsors as well as sporting federations and committees.

The International Olympic Committee was actually a forerunner in responding to sustainability issues and first started incorporating structured environmental practices in the implementation of the Lillehammer 1994 Winter Games. With each subsequent Games, the bar has been raised higher. More recently, the Vancouver Organising Committee www.thinkbigmagazine.com

for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) incorporated sustainability dimensions to planning, implementation and monitoring systems.

VANOC communicated its comprehensive approach to sustainability on its web site.

VANOC applied its sustainability commitments throughout the seven-year life cycle of the mega-event project. These commitments were aligned with its own organisational, host-region and national culture, since the importance attributed to social and environmental issues can vary significantly from place to place.

Organising committees have the task of identifying, communicating and living the values that they wish to promote behind an event. Since culture is the sum total of beliefs and values affecting behaviours within organisations, a key to successful transition from event to event is to ensure that everyone is on the same ‘values’ page.

Based on interviews with executives at IMD, culture is also the single organisational attribute most resistant to change for companies in addressing sustainability challenges. Once firmly anchored, culture can outlive products, services, founders, leadership and all other physical attributes of organisations.

Because of this, it is becoming essential for companies wishing to align their organisations behind sustainability strategies to engage with human resources departments in recruiting managers with values that already represent an organisational ‘fit’ in this respect. Sport organising committees also need to recruit the ‘right’ type of manager. However, owing to the transient nature of the events and their organising structures, getting managers on board with the ability to adapt and demonstrate resilience in the face of change becomes even more of a core value and element of a Games staff hiring policy and organisational culture.

What are the other challenges involved in organising sustainable events? Like many mega sport events, the FIFA World Cup has significant impacts in terms of carbon footprint. Almost half a million tourists travel to the event for a protracted period of time (last year, South Africa attracted just 100,000 tourists for the entire year). With such an influx over a competition period, the waste, energy and water consumption implications www.thinkbigmagazine.com

are significant. Building capacity and supporting socio-economic development goals can be achieved through early planning associated with sourcing and procurement, skills training, job creation and business opportunities.

VANOC sought solutions to such challenges by seeking opportunities for volunteerism, co-op and internships and staff loans from other organisations in the community or region. VANOC provided job completion and job-transition planning support services for staff over the last two years of the project cycle to reduce the potentially negative social impacts after the event’s completion.

The event worked through many challenges on its journey to achieve some unprecedented and extraordinary goals.

VANOC considers that it was successful as a result of: • Starting early in the seven-year life cycle, seeking partnerships and collaboration with organisations, the government and corporate partners. Thinking of lasting legacies helped to prepare a comprehensive and shared plan.

• Tapping into the zeal and ingenuity of staff and volunteers.

• Maintaining sustainability as a corporate value and individual performance measure for everyone in the Organising Committee. With strong leadership and support from the board and senior management, a practical approach to managing financial resources led to staff being empowered to deliver on the sustainability commitments in innovative and practical ways.

• Annual performance GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) and stakeholder engagement helped to define and communicate the scope of responsibilities in regard to sustainability—both internally and externally. By engaging regularly with stakeholders and establishing constructive links, the organisation was able to develop an adaptive approach enabling it to be responsive when necessary.

Similar to the hosting of major sporting events, global companies must apply similar criteria to address their

sustainability issues. It is not enough to talk; walking the talk is what it is all about. First and foremost, oversight of an organising entity is indispensable to ensuring governance and consistency around the implementation of the sustainability strategy. High visibility needs to be given by the organising entity to its sustainability commitments, plans and actual performance. This information should be readily available to internal and external stakeholders through communications including websites and other media. Strategies to support low environmental footprint, high social inclusion and strong economic development can be addressed with consistency through integrated planning and management systems, protocols and standards. For best results, corporate communications, monitoring and reporting must be conducted regularly through the strategy life cycle to ensure accountability, transparency and responsiveness. All of this necessitates significant lead time to incorporate sustainability considerations into strategic, financial and program plans.

Cooperation can be enhanced by seeking dialogue with stakeholders and partnerships at various levels.

IMD research reveals the single biggest barriers to aligning organisations behind sustainability strategies as short term or fixed mindsets, and significant knowledge gaps in corporate organisations about how process innovation and behavioural change might contribute to both being successful with such strategies but also reaping the opportunities (and not only the risks) that sustainability presents. Global sporting events clearly struggle with similar challenges. Yet these are aspects over which each and every organisation has control. TB Authors: Dr Aileen Ionescu-Somers directs IMD’s Center for Corporate Sustainability Management, a membership driven research and learning initiative. Learn more at www.imd.ch/csm.

Ann Duffy is the Corporate Sustainability Officer, Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and President of The Ann Duffy Group. She can be reached at ann@annduffygroup.com Volume 3.4

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YO U R G U I D E TO F R A N C H I S I N G A N D L I C E N S I N G

“It’swww.thinkbigmagazine.com not the business we conquer, but ourselves.” Sherpa Group

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Vicki Prout, Chief Sherpa

Here at Sherpa Group, we are often asked “What is the difference between licensing and franchising and what is my solution?”

Rethinking the 'F' word O

n a very basic level, licensing and franchising both deal with the selling of certain intellectual properties, whether software, trademark, or business process and systems, to third parties.

However, franchising, under the watchful eye of the ACCC, has a much greater deal of control by the owner/franchisor than licensing has by the owner/licensor.

For a business that is seeking to grow their brand across Australia and potentially internationally, franchising offers a methodology that can potentially allow you to reach a larger size in a relatively short period of time due to: • Efficient leveraging of your Intellectual Property, systems and processes • Fast growth with less risk and less of your own funds and sales representatives • Learning from a talented group of franchisees—human resources • Accessing difficult local markets and increasing buying power • Sharing your success with others • Increased marketing spend and power • Increased brand awareness, strength and viability • Substantial financial rewards after critical mass for stakeholders.

Some remarkable businesses that have been hugely successful utilising the methodology of franchising include Cartridge World, Wokinabox, Gloria Jeans, Poolwerx, Telcoinabox and Wendy’s to name a few.

Whereas Licensing in most cases only distributes goods and services and the licensee does not retain rights to use the licensor trademark and licensees usually

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don’t receive exclusive territorial rights.

The licensor is often free to sell similar licenses and products to other people in the same geographic area. Licensees don’t usually receive much in the way of training or ongoing support from the licensor. On the other side, license opportunities are often less expensive than franchises in both the upfront investment and ongoing fees.

The major negative aspect of licensing is a lack of control over licensees to get them to follow crucial systems such as sales techniques, which can eventually hinder the success of the operator and the business.

Businesses need to be aware of their crucial success factor within their business. For example, if it is a critical component for the business to respond to client enquiries and address how they service clients every time, then to duplicate this level of service would usually require comprehensive training and strict compliance to business systems.

This would normally not occur within a licensing relationship.

In order to enable third parties to conduct business in accordance with the business methodology and business system, third parties must be licensed to use a range of business know-how and intellectual property (such as software, documentation, trademarks and so on). It is therefore clear that a license agreement is required.

A franchise agreement is, in essence, a license agreement, but one that is regulated by the Franchising Code of Conduct (Code). The Code is a proscribed industry code under the Trade Practices Act 1974 (TPA).

The question of whether a particular license agreement will be regarded

as a 'franchise agreement' under the Franchising Code of Conduct (Code) depends on a strict set of elements.

Whether a particular agreement, arrangement or understanding will be regulated by the Code depends entirely on if the elements of a 'franchise agreement' as defined under the Code are present.

The Franchising Code of Conduct specifically defines a structure as a franchise if it contains all of the following four elements: • An agreement between the parties, written or oral (Contract) • A payment, either up-front or ongoing for the provision of goods or services, (except at wholesale price) • Provision of a marketing plan substantially determined, controlled or suggested by the franchisor (Control) • Use of Trademarks, Brands or Names owned by the franchisor Take action: Rethink the “f” word—its true value, its compliance, overall control, its systems and processes and blueprint framework. Seek expertise advice early and ask yourself: Why would businesses remove any of these critical elements from their offering to avoid relatively modest compliance requirements? It falsely hinders and limits their growth, quality and brand values, which in return lead to poor performance and limited growth of the business.

The “F” word needs to be taken seriously and the business owner needs to ensure it will underpin the best business model for their business and manage the resulting compliance issues in a cost effective and efficient manner.

The best model whether franchise or licence, from our point of view, depends on only one factor—the level of CONTROL. If you asked any of the top 100 businesses what is their one tip for success, the answer would be to maintain control! FF www.thinkbigmagazine.com

FREE SEMINARS

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Troy Gray, franchisor of Destination for Men and TV Presenter.

When I first looked into starting my own business I quickly realised the importance of market planning and research, and how essential this is to succeeding.

When starting a business begin with the basics:

Research, Research, Research!

I

t’s imperative that you know about market competition, salary costs, product requirements, determining a target audience…and the list goes on and on. However, before you become knee deep in logistics, it’s important to remember the basics when looking to start your own business. Research is a powerful tool when it comes to succeeding in a business environment.

Research the industry Too many businesses fall short when it comes to a long-term financial commitment. They tend to get caught up in all the excitement but forget the necessity to conduct appropriate research. At the set-up stages of starting a business you must gain an insight into the industry you want to invest in.

Realising that there was a gap in the market I was aiming to target (malegrooming), I began looking into what already existed in this industry, the trends and future of the industry, and whether or not this industry was a viable market to enter. The results were very positive!

In a global context, the ‘beauty and wellness’ industry has hit $500 billion, which is “possibly the biggest growth industry of the 21st Century”1. I now find myself in the early stages of franchising and my business Destination for Men has forged a reputation as the ultimate male grooming and relaxation destination.

Travel This is a great way to:

Research your intended target market Starting a business without knowing your target market will prevent you from reaching objectives such as increased sales, market share or brand awareness.

Research told me in simple terms that individuals purchase products or services for two fundamental reasons:

• Assess the market first hand and ask questions in established markets

1. To satisfy basic needs or requirements.

• Research what is already being done, and determine its effectiveness

Using these points, develop a marketing strategy that allows you to achieve a variety of objectives. Trying to determine the best marketing campaigns and tools for your business can be overwhelming, but be sure to maintain focus in order to

• Spark inspiration and motivation to create or improve ideas • Assess what your competitors do and how they do it. Then find a way to do it better.

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Yes, it is true, travelling for research purposes does require both effort and money, but it serves to reinforce your inspiration to succeed. Most importantly, the information gathered first hand became vitally important to the growth of my business and provided me with a variety of fresh and innovative ideas.

Before travelling I knew one thing for certain, I was determined not only to establish a business in a booming and growing industry but as most entrepreneurs set out to do, I wanted to achieve this in a unique way. It goes without saying that originality is one of the key components to highlight the difference between your business and your competitors’. Once an industry starts growing, don’t be fooled it’s never a secret for long! With many business entrepreneurs looking to potentially invest in your chosen market it is essential to create ways to separate yourself from your competitors. When looking to start or expand your business, don’t be afraid to devote adequate time to research— you know what they say, fools rush in!

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2. To make themselves feel good.

discover an option that best suits your requirements—don’t make yourself fit the shoe, make the shoe fit you!

Remember, research isn’t just crucial when starting your business, it is something you should continually undertake for the duration of your business life.

Stay positive and surround yourself with like-minded people Owning a business can be stressful at times and it’s hard to always please everyone (even yourself!). Extensive research highlighted that business, especially in its infancy, can be tough.

Don’t dwell on the negatives, stay motivated, embrace feedback and constructive criticism, and surround yourself with like-minded people. Don’t get caught up with negative individuals, as they tend to fill your head with a million reasons why you can’t achieve something.

Whether you are the boss of many or the boss of few, you will need others to become successful. Even Bill Gates was wise enough to realise that he wasn't an expert in everything. In the early stages of starting up Microsoft, Gates surrounded himself with people that made up for his own deficiencies and weaknesses. Gates is actually a good example of someone that gained the cooperation of a lot of other people to build an organisation as large as Microsoft.

When I first started my foray into the business world as an inexperienced ‘first-timer’, it was important to seek the advice and expertise of others in order to fast-track my success. Never be afraid to ask questions. Over the years, all the advice and feedback I have received has proven invaluable. Some of the best ideas for my business have come from the mouths of other people. FF 1

http://everydayindulgence.com.au/about.php www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Destination for Men

“Finally a salon with the Australian male in mind”

Destination for Men is…

An innovative grooming salon that offers a comprehensive range of male-specific products and services, and creates an experience and relaxation destination specifically designed for men!

Franchise Opportunity…

Now is an excellent time to enter the booming male grooming industry, in fact the industry has grown by over 800% globally in the last seven years. Inspired by sportsmen and celebrities, men no longer feel awkward about having treatments done.

What Destination for Men offers you as an entrepreneur…

Is a ground-breaking franchise! As an entrepreneur you have the opportunity to build your own business in a rapidly growing market, with ongoing support from the Destination for Men national specialist support team.

As a successful franchisee, you will also gain access to our effective and efficient systems, pioneered by the Destination for Men team and based on genuine industry knowledge.

Owning a Destination for Men franchise provides you with more than just a proven business opportunity, it creates a lifestyle choice! Destination for Men – the perfect business destination!

For more information about owning a Destination for Men franchise, please contact:

Vicki Prout M: 0439 803 078 E: franchise@destinationformen.com.au www.destinationformen.com.au www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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Jen Watts, franchisor, creator and CEO of The Fairies

This creative entreprenuer shares her viewpoints about the importance of a brand.

A strong BRAND grows market share W

hen my first daughter was two years old my baby boy arrived. With a five week old son in my arms, I searched desperately for a TV show directed at young girl’s to keep my daughter occupied when I had my hands full. I was adamant that I wanted to find something that was entertaining and beautiful, and after searching and finding nothing that seemed pretty enough, I was inspired to create a show full of magic, sparkles, glitter and everything little girls love, as well as introducing social, moral and environmental values and addressing children’s milestones, something that would fill the gap in the market.

And so, with those key ideas and concepts in mind The Fairies was born. I am proud to announce it is a thriving business at 13 years young and currently in the early stages of franchising, with franchise stores open in Western Australia and Tasmania.

I believe that the key element to why The Fairies has been such a successful venture thus far is because we have built, protected and continually reinvested in our Brand.

It is hard work, costly and in some aspects time consuming to continually build a brand that is memorable, recognisable, and one that you can leverage at many levels. It requires continual reinvestment and systems to ensure it remains strong.

It is vitally important once you have these elements in place that you then seek out and invest in the relevant protection: • trademarks, patents and copyright • style guides (brand book—rules around brand use) • relevant fitout manuals.

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Brand is all about the customers’ experiences.

A brand is a collective vision that tailors entire business models to meet customers demands and to achieve amazing results both with profitability and customer awareness—leaving them asking for more.

Having a strong brand associated with your business provides you with greater strength when franchising and becomes one of the biggest links between the Franchisor and the Franchisee, as you are both representing the livelihood of the brand and the business. However, the franchisee must understand the culture of the brand and what the brand stands for.

The benefits of having a strong brand when franchising is: • It allows you to further develop trust within the market • Grow market share • Brand relationship to customers—its value.

People looking to buy a business are at an advantage if they purchase a franchise business, as they receive added benefits from a brand that is already established.

Franchisees receive support through the brand by having: • Full use of the established brand and logo as well as all intellectual property

concepts and brand into different areas within the market if research deems it suitable.

Applying this concept, we have successfully expanded our original concept by introducing a variety of products and services to our business.

This includes, retail products, holiday and dance programs, and birthday parties.

Although this has been done before, The Fairies have been successful because we researched our market and found gaps in which we could expand our business products and services.

The Fairies now sit within the top five children’s brands within Australia, and is successfully becoming an internationally recognised brand with a top-rating show seen on the Seven Network and Nickelodeon television channels, as well as throughout the United Kingdom, Asia and the Middle East. The brand is continuing to grow, with new series and products constantly being developed and promoted. The Fairies also have national touring concerts, fuelling and growing awareness of the brand.

These elements combined only enhance the positives of expanding via the franchising business model. FF

• Continued exposure via national marketing campaigns • Established trust within the market • Customer relationships.

From the franchisor’s point of view, it is also important to look outside the square, research and understand the market in which you are operating; this will allow you to expand your business, www.thinkbigmagazine.com

The Fairies have spread their wings!

Are you looking for a magical franchise?

Join the internationally acclaimed children’s brand The Fairies as they open their retail, dance and party franchises over Australia.

For more information please email franchise@thefairies.com or contact Vicki Prout on 08 8272 8488

www.thinkbigmagazine.com Š The Fairies 2010

www.thefairies.com Volume 3.4

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Richard Turner, founder and CEO of ZEN Home Energy Systems.

The future looks sunny for ZEN Home Energy Systems, a market leader in Solar Energy for the home.

Turn on the sun O

With every business I started there was a determination to revolutionise that industry and change the playing field for existing companies. Long established companies find it more difficult to change—that’s your advantage as a start-up.

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ne day in 2004, Richard Turner decided he wanted to build a cubby house for his kids. As it turned out, the building part wasn’t the difficult bit. The cubby house also needed power, and Richard thought solar panels might be the way to go. He thought he would buy a panel, set it up on the cubby and let it run. If only it was that easy. Richard found the myriad of products, prices, options and information confusing and complex. It occurred to him that if someone with his business experience found it hard to understand, the average consumer must be utterly baffled. And so, ZEN Home Energy Systems was born—a simple home solar energy solution package that is branded and professionally installed.

“I am an entrepreneur at heart and created four successful businesses from the ground up across four different industries before I started ZEN,” Richard says.

“Business building is in my blood I guess, it was just a case of looking for the right opportunities.”

Richard and business partner Philip Vafiadis began their venture with extensive research. “We researched all kinds of renewable energy including wind power, domestic appliance technologies and finally solar energy. We knew we had to source world-leading technologies to create the best quality packaged and branded home energy system, which we did, complete with wireless in home monitor as standard.”

Their hard work and insight continues to reward Richard, Phillip and their franchisees.

ZEN has experienced an incredible 600-800% growth every year for the last four years. This is well above the expansion rate of the solar energy industry, which is a growth sector in itself. Why the phenomenal success? Richard thinks the answer lies in quality, simplicity and professionalism.

“We are the only branded and packaged

Home Energy System on the market. Not only does this make things easy for the consumer, it also offers the security of knowing the best quality components have already been sourced for you. We are also the only Solar company to be endorsed and engaged by Local Government Associations across Australia to deliver Councilled community-wide solar installations. Councils have engaged with us because of ZEN’s proven track record of managing large scale install projects, but also because of the quality of our product and offering.”

When asked if he has any advice for potential entrepreneurs, Richard is open.

“If you have a great idea and the passion to take it to market, how do you compete with existing players with established market share and established supplier relationships?

You also have to develop economies of scale in production and distribution. The simple answer is you have to change the rules of how the industry operates and make them compete with you on your terms. If you try and compete with established players you will simply burn cash and most likely fail.

Franchising is another option open to successful businesses and one Richard has decided to embrace. “We strongly believe in the power of local ownership, local knowledge and local management. There are passionate, independent people that believe in the future of renewable energy and the brand values of ZEN. We want to share our success with them.”

Richard believes the future of solar energy in Australia is incredibly bright.

“The renewable energy sector is and will be the fastest growing for many years to come, as the world embraces sustainability for long term survival,” he says. “A business which properly uses this technology to not only offer a market leading product, but also foster our future makes not only great business sense, but great sense for the planet.” FF www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Find freedom.

Grow with us.

Make a difference.

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ZEN907TBDP

Australia’s leading Home Energy System is soon to become Australia’s best franchise opportunity. Get in on the ground floor of the next big thing.

Solar is not only smart for your home, it’s a smart business decision.

Find out more about the ZEN franchise opportunity, visit LiveFree.com.au or phone 1300 ZEN HOME.

SHERPA GROUP’S TOP 10 TIPS FOR BECOMING A FRANCHISOR

using AMAZING. You should be the best and offer amazing results in your business if you’re thinking about 1 BE franchising. So when you have lines going round the block every day then you are probably ready to think

about franchising. If your competitors have lines going round the block and you don’t then you’re probably not the one.

BE UNIQUE. Having something that is different, exciting, unique or new, means your business systems 2 are better than the competition. Franchisees will want to buy that. Another pizza shop with “organic” olives on their Supreme alone isn’t going to slice it!

COURAGEOUS. You have to be determined to learn it all again. You need to be willing to risk 3 BE everything again (after you have probably just given yourself some breathing room) and teach yourself all about franchising and what it takes to make it.

HUMBLE ENOUGH TO COPY. Look at what other successful franchises are doing well and see if it 4 BE would work for you. It’s valuable to have a unique and amazing product or service but proven operating systems and practises do not need to be rewritten.

BE CREATIVE. Come up with an amazing franchise business model that will lead to strong franchise 5 growth and profitability.

BE PREPARED. Research franchising magazines for articles that advise on “How to Find the Right 6 Franchise?” and ask yourself could your business meet those requirements.

THE BOOK. You need to document the whole business, from systems and procedures to marketing, 7 BY technical and financial guides – be prepared to have comprehensive manuals.

BE ENERGETIC. Lead by example, bring energy and passion to your role as a franchisor and your team 8 and franchisees will feed off it. Be prepared to continually reinvest back into your network.

COMPLIANT. Make sure all your legal documentation is prepared by an experienced franchise 9 BE lawyer and be prepared to instil comprehensive compliance management systems.

BE WILLING TO USE ADVISORS. If you can’t find a successful franchisor to mentor you then get some 10 great advisors to guide you through the process. You don’t know what you don’t know.

FREE SEMINARS

Register your interest now to attend FREE “Re-think the ‘F’ word seminars” across Australia at:

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BIGGER,

BIGGEST

Shanghai's

BIG SURPRISE Photos supplied by Irit Livne

If we are talking sheer size and numbers, the Shanghai World Expo 2010 is the biggest event ever held and boasts some of the most impressive Pavilions ever built. Jonathan Jackson visited the expo site and was amazed by the scale and vision.

O

ther than the Olympic Games, The FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world, hosting 32 countries from all continents in the battle for an elite (and very difficult to win) ultimate prize. The FIFA World Cup brings nations together, unites the people of participating countries, and for sheer spectacle is considered sport’s greatest event. At any other time, this event would be the biggest in the world, but currently another spectacle is taking place, one that accepts almost half a million visitors a day and to date has welcomed over 21 million people through the gates.

Size matteRS The Shanghai World Expo 2010 is the 41st World Expo and is an amazing feat in construction, technology and scale.

Running between 1 May and 31 October, 70 million visitors are expected to attend the 242 organisations’ and countries’ Pavilions and events.

The Shanghai World Expo site covers a total area of 5.28 square kilometres.

Walking around the site takes time and patience due to the number of people all vying to get into the same Pavilions.

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This is the only downside: to get into the Australia or United Kingdom Pavilions requires that you stand in a queue for three hours. I’d suggest going to the smaller Pavilions and educating yourself about the culture of a couple of small Baltic or Asian nations, rather than subjecting yourself to the wait at the more popular sites.

Having said that, the Pavilion that houses the United Kingdom is an amazing piece of architectural brilliance and the detail to which the Australians have recounted the country’s history is impressive.

Shanghai has invested 28.6 billion Yuan ($4.19 billion) in its World Expo, including 18 billion Yuan ($2.64 billion) for construction and 10.6 billion Yuan ($1.55 billion) for operations.

There are five standout projects, namely the Expo Boulevard, the China Pavilion, the Expo Center, the Culture Center and the Theme Pavilion. These will be permanent buildings for continual use after the Expo.

Expo 2010 will have a total of 20,000 performances, with half of them coming from participating countries and international organisations. On average, more than 100 performances are being held every day during the six-month duration.

There are 8,000 different licensed products for Expo 2010, including precious metals, toys, accessories, lottery tickets, food and personal care products.

They are on sale at more than 4,000 retail shops across China.

By the end of 2009, some 560,000 people had successfully registered online to become Expo volunteers. The oldest is 99 years old and the youngest is 16.

There are also 1,500 City Volunteer Service Stations on the streets of Shanghai.

Universal vision Above: The United Kingdom Pavilion is an incredible architectural feat.

The theme of Expo 2010 is ‘Better City, Better Life’, representing the common wish of the whole humankind for a better www.thinkbigmagazine.com

living in future urban environments.This theme represents a central concern of the international community for future policy making, urban strategies and sustainable development.

One ambassador for the Expo is actor Jackie Chan, who eloquently summed up the goal of the Expo: Rather than simply trumpeting the World Expo as an image ambassador, I, as a citizen of China and a compatriot of Shanghai, would just like to express the love and confidence Shanghai residents hold for their city.

I want to raise public awareness of environmental protection at the grassroots level.

No matter which city we live in, we share the same blue sky above us, and we also hope to leave this blue sky to our future generations.

For the sake of our cities and everyone living in them, we can all contribute in our daily lives by saving water, recycling water, turning off lights we don’t need, reducing dependence on air conditioners, making the best use of paper, recycling wastes, preferring public transport, rejecting food made from wild animals, and properly disposing of used batteries. When we work together to protect our cities, we are also protecting our earth.

Speaking from my own experience I’d like to tell you that we should not only trust ourselves, but also trust humanity, trust

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Above: The Culture Centre Pavilion is something out of science fiction. Below: The queue to enter the Australia Pavilion was three hours long. Bottom: A long view to the China Pavilion.

kindness, trust mercy and more importantly, trust our nation.

Belief is a power that creates a beautiful life for us all.

I am confident this World Expo will be an unprecedented event in that cause.

The 242 participating nations would all agree. The Shanghai Expo is not only big in scale, it is big in vision.

It is about understanding and the notion of thinking big for betterment of future generations. Those who have put the Expo together have done a stunning job, not only in getting numbers through the door, but in presenting to the world the different cultures: their similarities, their differences, their history and future, but most importantly the goals and visions these nations share.

This is thinking on a grand scale. TB

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T H O U G H T

L E A D E R S H I P

• Edited by Jonathan Jackson

Seventh Journey • by Earl de Blonville Earl de Blonville’s Seventh Journey works on many levels. It is a business book, a musing on the pitfalls of leadership, the tale of an impossible journey made possible by belief and stubbornness and it is a history lesson.

While it would seem that all these elements brought together in the one book may make for a difficult and complicated read, Seventh Journey works because it holds your interest on so many levels: it is impossible not to be swept away by the adventure.

This beautifully written exposé is the first Australian contribution to the canon of Arctic literature and the leader’s inside story of Australia’s first expedition to that region. Seventh Journey follows the expedition which began in 1977 and the nine years in between and $2 million it took to complete the near fatal trip.

It is the story of the many insurmountable obstacles that so often shake the spirit of expeditions told by the tale of a disabled yacht with worn out riggings and torn sails, lost kayakers and a despaired crew that sails from Australia to Greenland.

At the end of the journey, the kayakers were two weeks overdue. They had insufficient food and during that time many savage pitoraqs of 140 knots (260

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This issue’s Thought Leadership section is dedicated to two very special books, written by two thinkBIG columnists. These books, while different in approach provide two of the most powerful insights into life, survival, leadership and success I have ever had the pleasure to read. The section will return to normal next issue, however as Molly Meldrum would say, do yourself a favour, read the following reviews and then go out and get yourself copies of these very insightful , truthful and inspiring works.

kph) had swept through the region. It seemed reasonable to the yacht crew— waiting in a safe anchorage—that the kayakers could not have survived and were most probably dead. And worse, there was no possibility of ever finding their bodies and so being able to report accurately on their fate.

Yet, a few hastily penned words

by Earl on a piece of card torn off an oatmeal box, brought a message of hope that the kayakers had miraculously survived, and signalled that the whole expedition might yet escape the oncoming winter night.

Seventh Journey was originally released as an Author’s Private Edition with only 200 copies printed. This is a book that is 24 years in the making and it is evident that this has been written in paintsaking detail by a man who wanted to get the message right.

In addition to how the author overcame every disaster imaginable, the story involves some wonderful characters, from Arctic explorer Lord Shackleton (son of Sir Ernest) and British Antarctic Survey Director 'Bunny'

Fuchs to Prime Minister Bob Hawke, America's Cup skipper John Bertrand, Antarctic explorer Dr Phillip Law and philanthropist Dame Elisabeth Murdoch.

For thinkBIG readers it is not only the story that will inspire, but Earl’s revelations about leadership as well. “… those who have the advantage of tough experience will understand the ineluctable truth: leadership is neither born nor taught; it is circumstance calling forth a champion.”

The level of difficulty that Earl experienced meant he had to step up to every situation. Some decisions he made were right, others wrong, but during the course of the journey he learnt much about himself, his crew and how to deal with the situations that threatened not only the expedition, but their lives.

Mutinies (the problem of choosing the right people), failures in the steering system of the yacht which show themselves at critical moments on their way to Iceland, and an intermittent radio, are just some of the problems encountered.

However, Earl never wavers in his

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resolve. As the leader of the team he is clear about his responsibilities and is aware of the constraints and potential consequences of his decisions.

“As leader I serve the expedition and am ultimately responsible for every proactive decision and reactive response made along the way, irrespective of the outcome.”

The words he spoke to his crew as they prepared to depart Reykjavik harbour for Greenland sum up his leadership style and way of thinking.

“Nothing can be guaranteed, apart from the commitment of explorers to give it everything they’ve got, keeping flexible and keeping going. No one can ask for anything more, and no one should offer anything less.”

Earl believes that leadership is a world that is often claimed but largely unexplored and he understands that despite his history he is just discovering leadership’s outer frontiers.

So if leadership is neither born nor taught: it is circumstance calling forth a champion, the understanding here is that armed with this single truth the humblest person can change the world.

In 2011, Earl is returning to East Greenland to explore areas of the remote coast to research his next book, which will be an exploration of the enduring nature of human survival and resilience. But Seventh Journey is not only about leadership, it is also about Earl’s resilience and survival, so I await his next book eagerly to see how much deeper he goes. TB

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On the Shoulders of Giants • by Rhondalynn Korolak As already reported in this magazine, Rhondalynn Korolak’s life has been a mixture of tragedy, forgiveness, self-discovery and success. On the Shoulders of Giants weaves Rhondalynn’s fascinating story into a powerful short story of survival, while delivering some important life lessons.

Rhondalynn’s is a different kind of survival to our other featured book, Seventh Journey. Rhondalynn’s life took a turn for the worse when her mother was murdered by her brother. This event strained her relationships with everyone in the family, including her father. Seeking answers, she spent many years keeping her mother’s memory alive, “doing what she wanted me to do and fighting for my right to be the victim.”

Eventually Rhondalynn found her answers. “The answers I was so desperate to find, found me. The surprise was not so much in what I found but rather where I found it. I discovered my own truths, my answers, my power, my meaning...and in doing so I set myself free and began living again.”

On the Shoulders of Giants will enable you to learn things about yourself you never knew.

Rhondalynn does not hold anything back, but her story is critical to the

information she conveys. She skilfully interprets the teachings of her mentors and draws inspiration from some of the greatest leaders, thinkers and businesspeople of our time. Even disgraced former US President Richard Nixon gets a guernsey in the first chapter as Rhondalynn explains why the finest steel goes through the hottest fire.

Each chapter draws on an inspirational quote from one of the world’s most important leaders. These quotes deal with topics such as playing the hand you’re dealt, moving out of a bad head space, seeking new discoveries, destiny, living out of your imagination, following your bliss and much more.

This book is empowering, enlightening and positively changes your perspective on life. You can have everything you've always dreamed of; you just need to see it first.

On The Shoulder of Giants offers tools applicable to everyday life and opens the doors to think much bigger. Through the author's courage in sharing her own journey, and with the collection of quotes (and expansion of them), the reader experiences a true gift.

Rhondalynn has an amazing ability to share her extraordinary life without masking it, and as a result you really feel you can connect with her.

We’ll leave the final words to body language experts Allan and Barbara Pease: “This book shows through real experience and the science of the mind, how attitude and the meaning we attribute to events can conquer difficulties, inspire greatness and transform lives. Learn how to harness the incredible power and potential that lies within us all.” TB

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Inspiring Stories Welcome to inspiring stories. Each month we’ll take a look at people from around the globe whose acts of bravery, courage, skill, determination and even scientific breakthrough have changed and inspired the lives of others.

Setting to sail to achieve your dreams

Jessica Watson has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers and racked up extraordinary statistics during her time at sea on her yacht Ella’s Pink Lady. Jessica’s circumnavigation of the globe affords her the record of being the youngest person ever to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world. This 17 year old has proved that no matter what the odds, if you believe in your dream you can make anything happen.

Jessica’s journey started from Sydney

on October 18 last year and she spent 210 days at sea. The journey she undertook was anything but smooth sailing.

An accident involving a larger boat minutes after she’d set sail, had the naysayers vowing she wouldn’t make it and should never have been allowed to go. Yet, pure determination and a willingness to fulfil her goal ensured she set sail again.

During the 23,000 nautical mile odyssey, Jessica faced turbulent conditions. She battled 12-metre (40foot) waves and six

knockdowns during her journey, which took her northeast through the South Pacific and across the equator, south to Cape Horn at the tip of South America, across the Atlantic Ocean to South Africa, through the Indian Ocean and around Southern Australia. She even had to battle heavy winds as she neared home. The Bureau of Meteorology forecast winds up to 45 knots and waves up to seven metres offshore.

On arrival in Sydney, she was greeted by her parents, relatives, friends, sponsors and her shore team, along with a host of media, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and NSW Premier

Kristina Keneally.

From Sydney she undertook her final journey to her home destination of Mooloolaba on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

"Jessica herself doesn't want any unnecessary or extravagant, excess expenditure and I think that's a great credit to her," said Queensland Premier Anna Bligh.

Before she set sail, Jessica wrote: My goal is to sail solo around the world non-stop, unassisted. I have chosen a route that is a traditionally recognised path and distance for ‘around the world sailors’. As this is a Southern Hemisphere voyage the significant landmarks are the

southern tips of the American and African continents, as well as some of the most challenging oceans a sailor will ever face. The entire journey is a mix of amazing experience and unique challenges.

Jessica’s journey is an amazing feat of courage, determination and sheer single-mindedness to achieve her goal. This was nothing to do with breaking records, she was driven by the challenge not the glory.

While many people questioned the ability of a then 16 year old to circumnavigate the globe, Jessica proved that no matter what age or circumstance you set your goals, they can be achieved."

Jessica Watson arrives into Sydney Harbour on May 15 among much fanfare.

Editor’s note: If you know anyone who has provided inspiration or hope to others in life changing ways, we’d like to hear about them. Send a brief letter about the person you would like to nominate and why you think they deserve to be mentioned in Inspiring Stories to: jonathan.jackson@thinkbigmagazine.com.au

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