thinkBIG issue 15

thinkBIG achieve a bigger goal—live a richer life $8.95 inc GST Volume 3.5 Oct/Nov 10

The Stigma Facing Single Parent Families Andrew morello's boardroom bonanza Disney's Club penguin Keeping things real

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• Self esteem equals market value • Education in popular culture • Improve your discipline • Care & compassion for kids in crisis

JK Rowling

A single mum's spell for a successful lifE

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Contents Regulars 6 8 14 72 74 76

Editor’s Letter As You Think Your Story Inspiring Stories Bigger, Biggest Thought Leadership

Section 1: Mindset 20 22 24 26 28

Benjamin Harvey: How to change for good, part 3 Terry Barber: The 7 principles for inspiring employees Ron Lee: What can we learn from the movies?

Earl de Blonville: Check the decimal point Rhondalynn Korolak: Is optimism killing your business or career?

Section 2: Business 38 Damian Kay: Entering a new zone 40 Angie O'Shannessy: 5 things that quickly grow your business 42 Sharon Pearson: Money, success, & growing a profitable business

Section 3: Wealth 50 52 54 56 60

Chris Howard: Think big, then take action Justin Beeton: Superannuation versus mortgage Lachlan Elsworth: A $50,000 opportunity Andrew Barnett: What are you going to quit...?

Tracey Maclean: Tools for transformation

Features

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Cover Story

Breaking the mould

Single parent families, in particular single mothers, are often treated like second class citizens. However, there are plenty of single mothers and single mother groups busting the myths. Jonathan Jackson talks with a couple of single mums about balancing career with motherhood and examines the work being done by famous single mum, Harry Potter author JK Rowling, to empower this demographic.

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A whole new world –by Jonathan Jackson

34

The kids are alright –by Jonathan Jackson

44

Reality bites –by Carl Rhodes

46

Following a golden path –by Jack Delosa

58

Australia's got talent & persistence –by J Delosa

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Special Franchising Feature

Playground environments that exist to protect children are rare, but Disney's Club Penguin is an online environment that is set to shake things up.

SchoolAid is a national schools-based philanthropy network empowering kids to help other kids in crisis.

Popular culture can teach as much or more about management practices than even the best business book.

Andrew Morello, the winner of hit television show The Apprentice, says that Gen Yers must be accountable if they are to find success.

Siimon Reynolds is recognised across the globe for his achievements, however he says that even the best talent in the world can't guarantee success.

Franchising is an important economic consideration in the growth of an economy. Sherpa Group has once again 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

Dreams & reality go hand in hand Karaoke can be fun, but after a while it does become tiresome, particularly when people who can’t sing butcher good sings. The natural extension to this ‘follow-thebouncing-ball’ type of fun was to create Karaoke-based reality shows. The X-Factor and Idol franchises, while occasionally presenting some genuine talent to the world and uncovering feel-good stories in the Susan Boyle mould, really do allow bad singers to butcher good songs.

So why are these shows so popular? There are several answers here: the drama, while manufactured is far more entertaining than watching your favourite fictional soap; the production values are second to none; there can be genuinely exciting talent uncovered and finally some people are hooked by the bile that comes out of some judges’ mouths.

There is no doubt there is a place for these shows; one day I’d like to interview the producers to ask what the formula for success is. In the meantime, I will continue to watch these shows with a mixture of thrill and dread, hoping the next superstar emerges, while at the same time asking the question: ‘who told these people they could sing?’

I understand the power of dreams. I understand the power of following those dreams. I understand the value of never giving up on your dream. I remember standing in the shoe shop I used to work in, thinking I was never going to find a job as a journalist. I persisted and my persistence was eventually rewarded. I knew what my reality was and I knew what I wanted it to be, but most importantly, I knew I had the skills to make it happen. In the end it was just a matter of time—albeit with a fair amount of frustration thrown in.

It’s important to know what you’re good at. I would have loved to have become a musician, instead I realised my limitations pretty quickly and became an average guitarist with a little bit of an ear for the piano. I am not a singer, and nobody wants to hear me sing. I am not offended when people tell me I can’t sing. I know they are right.

In fact I am probably the one offending when I exercise the vocal chords.

So, who tells the talentless people on talent shows that they should give showbusiness a shot? And why don’t these people know their limitations?

The quickest way to become successful—and not fritter away important periods of time—is to identify what you can do, what you can’t do, what you are exceptional at and what you enjoy doing as a hobby. Knowing what you can do and then pouring all your time into becoming brilliant at it, will ensure you excel, while protecting you from heartbreak (or if you do go on a reality show, the vile attempts at humour and ‘constructive’ criticism spewed by angry judges).

Featured in this issue is Andrew Morello, who ‘starred’ in the Australian version of The Apprentice. Andrew didn’t finish school, but he knew one thing: he could sell and he was exceptionally good at it. So he pursued this skill in relentless fashion. He didn’t need to step on any toes or raise the ire of competitors in the industry. Andrew focused on himself, what he was good at and made himself the best he could be and successful at what he does. This attitude is what won him the title of The Apprentice, and a dream job with Mark Bouris, one of Australia’s most successful entrepreneurs.

Now, I’m not saying don’t follow your dream, I’m just saying be realistic about what your dreams are and when you’re confident that you can turn those dreams into reality, go hard, persist and give no quarter in pursuit of what you’ve always wanted. TB

Jonathan 6

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Our Team

Publisher Graham Maughan graham.maughan@thinkbigmagazine.com Ph: 02 9925 8012 Fax: 02 9925 8099 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 Terry Barber, Justin Beeton, Earl de Blonville, Jack Delosa, Lachlan Elsworth, Benjamin Harvey, Chris Howard, Damian Kay, RhondaLynn Korolak, Ron Lee, Tracey Maclean, Angie O'Shannessy, and Sharon Pearson 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

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Breaking the mould The stigma facing single parent families, in particular single mothers, is often unjust and mostly unfair.

Jonathan Jackson examines the myths surrounding single parent families and looks at a couple of groups that offer strength and support.

S

ingle parent families are an ordinary part of family life. Throughout the world they make up a large proportion of family structures. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2004–2006, there were on average 486,000 one-parent families with children under 15 years. They accounted for 22% of all families with children of this age. In this period, on average one in five children aged under 15 years (20%) were in one-parent families.

Over the last two decades, one-parent families increased substantially as a proportion of all families with children under 15 years. In 1986–1988, one-parent families accounted for 14% of such families on average.

The proportion increased to an average of 20% in 1996–1998, reached 23% in 2002–2004 and then fell slightly to 22% in 2004–2006.

In the United Kingdom 23% of households with dependent children are single parent families and there are 1.9 million single parents in Britain today. There are three million children in those households, accounting for 24% of all dependent children.

The numbers surrounding single parent families are substantial, but so are the myths: single parent families are made up mostly of teenagers, are unemployed females and many claim more government benefits than

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allowed. The harshest myth is that many will never break the cycle of poverty and don’t want to.

So let’s break the myths. While many single mothers struggle, 56.7% are employed (albeit on low wages).

Only two per cent of single parents are teenagers and the median age for a single parent in the UK is 36 (many are or were in careers). The majority of single parents give birth within marriage before separating.

Despite these myths, there are plenty of women out there who are single parents with successful careers. Many more are single parents with successful home lives.

forward. Dominique says without childcare, raising a child and returning to work would have been more difficult.

Although she feels she would have balanced the two, no matter what.

“After time, raising a child becomes second nature. You don't think about it. Yet, balancing business with a child requires a lot of hard work and a daily checklist. Once you have that To Do List you find your way through it all. You feel enthusiastic about achieving daily tasks effectively and accordingly. And even though by the end of the day you're feeling absolutely exhausted...you're feeling rewarded at the same time.”

The parent factor

It took Dominique almost a year to find child support and for Amanda it was not so much about finding child minding facilities as it was about finding independent groups who could provide confidential support.

“Any department you approach whether it is for counseling or advice will tell you they are bound legally to report anything they deem fit to authorities,” Amanda says. “For some women who do not know their rights this is scary enough to make them shy away from the prospect of getting help.”

With some women in desperate circumstances and afraid they will lose their children, going to authorities or government departments is not an option they feel they can consider.

And unfortunately for every successful working mum, there is another who is struggling to put a roof over their children’s heads.

Yet it doesn’t have to be that way.

There are support groups who think big enough to have influence and empower single mothers. In Australia, the National Council for Single Mothers and their Children (NCSMC) was formed in 1972 to act as a national voice for the network of State based single mother councils.

The NCMSC was formed by a group of women committed to improving the social conditions for single and unmarried mothers. This group has been able to secure income support for single mothers and change the legal status of their children. The NCMSC also monitors policy impacts for single mothers.

The growth of rights for single mothers provides an interesting history

Dominique Bambino is a single mum and Public Relations consultant.

Dominique says there is a stigma facing single mothers, but this drives her further and harder.

“Most single mothers are stereotyped,” Dominique says. “It doesn’t matter whether we are looking for employment or an apartment to rent, we’re instantly judged! The fact is, and what people don’t realise, is that raising a child on your own requires that you be expert in multi-tasking.”

This ability to multi-task has led Dominique to take on a part-time job while also working in PR, but she intimates that her ability to succeed is always brought into question.

“Whether it is the real estate agent or a potential employer, my ability to succeed is questioned constantly. It is why I strive to do better and advance myself as best I can. Some people believe because I'm a single mother my ability to succeed will be unsatisfactory, but I deal with it by balancing my time with my child, with maintaining high energy levels and finding the motivation to achieve my highest goals.”

Occasional thinkBIG contributor Amanda Peros agrees. “I find some people are quite judgmental when they meet me as I appear young and am a single mother. I feel I am stereotyped into something I am definitely not. I try not to dwell too much on others’ opinions and make sure at the end of each day I know I have done the best for myself and my son and am moving forward.”

It is sometimes difficult to move www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Real support for real families

lesson in politics and social morès. Before the 1970s, under the Commonwealth Social Services Consolidation Act (19471970), the mother of an illegitimate child (was defined) as a person who does not qualify for any other pension, benefit or allowance, who is unable to provide for himself or his dependents without assistance. These women would sometimes be entitled to special benefits at the discretion of the Director General, however the rate was not to exceed that of sickness benefits and was usually varied according to age. In effect, women could receive special benefits for a period of 12 weeks before the birth of a child and six weeks after (this may be exceeded if a women was prevented from working due to breast feeding).

The only Commonwealth benefits for which single mothers were automatically eligible were the Maternity Allowance, on the birth of a child and child endowment, a non-means tested payment to all mothers with dependent children, irrespective of marital status.

This was all changed when a group of Victorian single mothers who had experienced prejudice and discrimination due to their status as being single mothers, came together to form the CMSC. By 1973, this group had created a charter.

Five of these aims and objectives are: 1. To ensure that any child born out of wedlock had a fair start in life.

2. To promote the understanding and acceptance of single mothers so they are free from legal, social and economic discrimination and prejudices.

3. To offer practical assistance and emotional support to single mothers.

4. To provide the opportunity for single mothers to meet and assist each other.

5. To press for better services.

The CSMC had immediate impact influencing the Whitlam government in 1973 to include single mothers under the new Commonwealth Widow’s Pension Scheme on the same basis as all other unsupported mothers.

The group became a national organisation (NCMSC) in 1973 and continues to provide a voice for single mothers. They approach their work from the perspective of empowerment, working from the notion of a rights philosophy and not that of a welfare Volume 3.5

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philosophy. It is a philosophy that pays the ultimate respect to single mothers.

Respect is all this demographic is looking for. Amanda says single mothers do not need to do anything more to win respect. “I think society could be slightly more understanding and appreciate how difficult it can be being a single mother, however that being said I do feel lucky to have so many resources available to me and my son. I know myself and many other women out there would not be able to provide a stable and nurturing environment for my son as well as allowing myself to have professional independence without the initiative of many government programs as well as the understanding of family/work balance in most companies.”

This is a social change that has been brought about by the work of groups such as NCSMC. In the last 10 years society has made significant strides in creating fairness for single mothers.

Work life balance is crucial for mothers to feel worthy at home and in the workforce. For Amanda it means a different sort of fulfillment than she gets looking after her son. “I feel as though I am a valuable member of society in more ways than one.”

Humanity before politics Empowerment can work both ways.

Some single mothers have raised famous children, some have become famous themselves. Famous children to single parent households include: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Olympic Gold medal swimmer, Michael Phelps.

However, the poster mum for successful single parents and someone who works to empower this demographic is Harry Potter author, Joanne Kathleen Rowling. Not since Enid Blyton, (who is currently having her works butchered (in the name of political correctness) has a children’s author had so much impact around the world.

The seven-book Harry Potter series has netted Rowling an OBE and countless riches. Forbes has named her as the first person to become a US-dollar billionaire by writing books, the second-richest female entertainer and the 1,062nd richest person in the world. Rowling disputed the calculations but in addition, the 2008 Sunday Times Rich List named Rowling the

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144th richest person in Britain.

Rowling has received honorary degrees from St Andrews University, the University of Edinburgh, Napier University, the University of Exeter and the University of Aberdeen. On 5 June 2008, Rowling spoke at the Harvard University commencement ceremony where she received another honorary degree and in 2009 was awarded the Légion d'honneur

by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

“I think society could be slightly more understanding and appreciate how difficult it can be being a single mother," says Amanda Peros.

These are amazing credentials for someone who, for a short time, was a single mum on welfare in England. Yet it is not only her books, which showcase her ability to think big, it is her generosity also, in particular working with groups and charities that help single parents.

In 2000, Rowling established the Volant Charitable Trust, which uses its annual budget of £5.1 million to combat poverty and social inequality. The fund also gives to organisations that aid children, one parent families, and multiple sclerosis research. Rowling said, "I think you have a moral responsibility when you've been given far more than you need to do wise things with it and give intelligently."

UK group Gingerbread, which merged in 2004 with One Parent Families, has been around for over 90 years.

Gingerbread is the charity which works locally and nationally, for and with single parent families, to improve their lives.

The organisation boasts Rowling as its president and she remains outspoken when it comes to single parent issues.

This is not just an honorary position.

Rowling works hard to promote the core values of the organisation and isn’t afraid to get down and politically dirty. In April 2010, Rowling published an article in The Times in which she

heavily criticised UK Prime Minister David Cameron's plan to encourage married couples to stay together by offering them a £150 annual tax credit.

Following is an extract of what she wrote, titled 'The Single Mother’s Manifesto': I had become a single mother when my first marriage split up in 1993.

In one devastating stroke, I became a hate figure to a certain section of the press, and a bogeyman to the Tory Government. Peter Lilley, then Secretary of State at the DSS, had recently entertained the Conservative Party conference with a spoof Gilbert and Sullivan number, in which he decried “young ladies who get pregnant just to jump the housing list”. The Secretary of State for Wales, John Redwood, castigated singleparent families from St Mellons, Cardiff, as “one of the biggest social problems of our day”. (John Redwood has since divorced the mother of his children.) Women like me (for it is a curious fact that lone male parents are generally portrayed as heroes, whereas women left holding the baby are vilified) were, according to popular myth, a prime cause of social breakdown and in it for all we could get: free money, state-funded accommodation, an easy life.

An easy life. Between 1993 and 1997 I did the job of two parents, qualified and then worked as a secondary school teacher, wrote one and a half novels and did the planning for a further five. For a while, I was clinically depressed. To be told, over and over again, that I was feckless, lazy—even immoral— did not help.

(Yesterday’s) Conservative manifesto makes it clear that the Tories aim for less governmental support for the needy, and more input from the ‘third sector’: charity.

It also reiterates the flagship policy so proudly defended by David Cameron last weekend, that of “sticking up for marriage”. To this end, they promise a half-a-billion pound tax break for lower-income married couples, working out at £150 per annum.

Even Mr Cameron seems to admit that he is offering nothing more than www.thinkbigmagazine.com

a token gesture when he tells us “it’s not the money, it’s the message”.

Nobody who has ever experienced the reality of poverty could say “it’s not the money, it’s the message”. When your flat has been broken into, and you cannot afford a locksmith, it is the money. When you are two pence short of a tin of baked beans, and your child is hungry, it is the money. When you find yourself contemplating shoplifting to get nappies, it is the money. If Mr Cameron’s only practical advice to women living in poverty, the sole carers of their children, is “get married, and we’ll give you £150”, he reveals himself to be completely ignorant of their true situation.

(NB: The full article can be read at http://www. timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/ guest_contributors/article7096786.ece)

It is unfortunate that the welfare of mothers and their children is a political soundbyte, but the more people speak out, especially if they have the clout of Rowling, and the more influence groups such as Gingerbread can have, then this pilloried demographic becomes more empowered and perhaps produces another single mum who raises another US President or writes a best-selling series of books.

Breaking the mould Yet, for now, the battle against stereotypes continues. Fiona Weir has been the chief executive of Gingerbread since April 2009. Weir says, “I naturally get angry when society picks on groups who need support. It gets regularly fuelled every time I pick up another newspaper article about a lone parent in a six-bedroom house somewhere. What’s that telling anybody about the 1.9 million single parents in this country, as opposed to council’s rather foolish housing policy?”

To combat the stereotype Weir has set ambitious goals. “The government has to address the availability of jobs that really lift people out of poverty,” Weir says, “or the talk of work as a route out of poverty is going to sound very hollow— particularly once you’ve got the element of coercion introduced.”

Weir worries about leaving the interpretation of childcare in the hands of people who are ‘out of their comfort zones’ and believes the government

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

In 2000, JK Rowling established the Volant Charitable Trust, which uses its annual budget of £5.1 million to combat poverty and social inequality. The fund also gives to organisations that aid children, one parent families.

is setting itself up for failure by not addressing childcare in a systematic wellfunded manner.

Where success will come is in the rally to action by single parents. “I wouldn’t underestimate the punch we’ve got at the moment,” Weir says. “Single parents are telling us they want their voices heard.

They want to see more challenging of not just the stereotypes but of policies that are really having a negative impact on them.”

The galvanisation of single mothers is a global phenomenon. And while few will be as successful as Rowling, in fact many women will never reach the levels of fame and success the author currently enjoys, success is not necessarily measured by money earned. For Dominique, success means a stable family life, solid growth for

her career and the implementation of empowerment tools garnered from self help books, seminars and life coaches, into her daily life.

For Amanda it is the ability to keep her professional and family life separate, but still feel empowered by both.

Both women are successful in their own right (Amanda is also a cancer survivor) and are driven to create thriving, flourishing lives. They live by the advice and encouragement that Rowling gives to all single mothers: "My feeling is if you really want to do it, you will do it. You will find the time. And it might not be much time, but you'll make it. If you really want to, you'll do it." TB

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Y O U R

S T O RY

I would like

you to cast your mind back to when you were 16.

Although it was a while ago for me, I still remember how it felt to believe that I could change the world and achieve anything I set my heart on.

At 16 my senses were on fire, everything was bright and sensual and vibrant and my emotions well, they were all over the place and took prominence in everything that I did and all the decisions that I made.

I knew without any doubt who I was and what I wanted from life and love. As my figure blossomed into fullness, so did the interest of many young nubile, men. It was great. I remember the whistles when I walked down the street. You don’t hear them that often these days; political correctness takes precedence.

I am sure that for some ladies it is embarrassing, but for me it was fabulous and I revelled in the attention.

At 19 I married a boy who was two years older than me, he seemed so worldly; he was a soldier and he would tell me stories about all the places he had visited and the people he had met. I adored him.

At 20 I had my first child—a girl—and two years later gave birth to my son. We settled into family life, moving around as my husband was

still in the army and we lived this life for 20 years.

During this time, I felt uneasy, somewhat confused and unsettled and I could never work out why. I loved my husband and had two wonderful children; my family were supportive, but what was happening to me? I played the role of loving wife and mother and when the children were old enough to leave, I returned to full time work.

Still the unsettled feelings continued and life with my husband started to suffer. ‘’Is it me?’’ he would ask constantly.

Of course it was not him, not really: it was me.

Something had not happened for me and, honestly, I had no idea what that was.

At about the age of 35, I started to look at various businesses to find out if working for me would put this unsettled feeling to rest.

I tried multi-level marketing, online businesses and I sold all sorts of things door to door in my ‘spare’ time, evenings and weekends. My husband looked on in complete bewilderment, he had no idea what was happening and neither did I. At 42, after 22 years of marriage, my husband gave up and left. He really didn’t know how to keep me happy

real me

Will the please step forward Sandra Wheatley explains that finding your true path in life can take almost a lifetime.

However, if you have the patience to stay with your journey, you will eventually find success.

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and stop me from looking for that elusive ‘something.'

He found someone who was happy just to be with him. I am still devastated when I allow myself to dwell on that time for too long. However, my quest to find my utopia continued in earnest.

During this time, I bought CDs, DVDs and self help books. I went to seminars, meetings and anywhere where I thought I would find the answer—my utopia. I heard about people looking inside of themselves for the answer to whatever it was they were looking for, and really, I did not have a clue what that meant. I had no talent: I could not sing, dance, tell a joke or work out a spreadsheet or a map, so what would I find if I looked inside myself?

This quest lasted for 18 years and I lost count of the money I spent trying to find my pot of gold and peace of mind—the answer to my feelings of exasperation for not knowing what on earth I was looking for.

I saw my friends settle into ‘normal’ family life, content to watch the soaps and go on holiday for two weeks a year and retire on a small pension.

They downsized their houses and their lifestyles to fit their new reduced incomes. This filled me with horror and dread and still does.

At some stage in my life (I can’t say exactly when) I came across the principles of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP); I had no idea what it meant, it just sounded good and very intellectual and whenever I could I would say, “Well, according to NLP...”

Friends would look at me

in amazement. I would smile, put my head to one side and utter something about it being a science of the mind.

This normally stopped the conversation in its tracks as neither they nor me had any idea what that meant.

Then, instead of reading NLP books, I decided to go on an NLP taster day. The one I chose was being run

by Lindsey Agness, someone I came across by chance. If I tell you that while doing this I found my utopia, you’d be sceptical about my story, and you’d be right to be.

Two days later, I woke up very early. This is unusual because in the mornings, I and my pillow and bed go together very well. However I woke up early, felt different, in control, calm, confident and I had an idea. I followed up on that idea and almost overnight, I trebled my income.

I knew that Lindsey had become a best-selling author, so I decided to do some more intense training with her. While on this training, a further calmness came over me. It was as if a mist had lifted and I could see myself clearly for the first time since I was 16. I had an idea that would bring financial freedom for me and my family and at the same time give hope to people who came from deprived and difficult backgrounds. As the days went on, the training finished and all the hugs and kisses had finally subsided (you know the ones you get at the end of the course with people you will probably never see again but with whom you have shared an intense experience!). Well after all that

had ended, my idea kept on becoming clearer and clearer.

The story about the field of Diamonds finally meant something to me. I knew without any doubt that I had reached my place of inner peace, my utopia and in doing so I would not only help myself but so many others as well.

I now know after all these years exactly who I am and what I am meant to be doing with my life. My purpose is to create a lifestyle for myself and my family and along the way generate ideas and money so that I can help others to do what I have done and in much quicker time.

So many of us are in this modern day trap of working for someone else and retiring on a small pension and downsizing.

I will be upsizing in a really spectacular way. My project will empower my children, my grandchildren and those who come into my life from now on. Why did it take me so

long? I really cannot answer that. I know that there is a time to reap and a time to sow and that you cannot do both of those things in the same season.

My time of sowing has been long, and has been arduous at times; many days and nights I wondered what I was doing and where I was going. I asked myself why my husband could not have been more patient.

I almost gave up hope, yet something kept me going and gave me the strength to continue.

So for all of you who are still looking, please, never give up. I promise you that you will find the real you and your real purpose in life, and in doing so you will empower others along the way.

Lindsey once told me that we all have a purpose. I now know that we do.

So I have just one question: Will the real you please step forward? TB

Do you want to reach high net worth individuals with a new, powerful marketing tool?

property LAUNCHING JANUARY 2011 thinkBIG

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Email: graham.maughan@thinkbigproperty.com.au Volume 3.5 thinkBIG

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A whole new

world

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T

he safety of children in an online environment is paramount in the modern age. As user paradigm has shifted from accessing professionally produced content to interconnected personal platforms, more and more people including children are exposed to potentially damaging vision and information.

A Smart Internet Technology Report CRC© commissioned in 2005 predicting what the Internet would be like in 2010, reported: The Internet by 2010 is likely to emerge as a more user-friendly, more accessible, indispensable lifestyle communications tool.

What the report failed to take into account were the possibilities—good and bad—of what might happen in this age of broader accessibility. One company that did imagine the advantages and disadvantages was Disney.

The company that has owned the children’s entertainment space since founder Walt Disney first sketched Mickey Mouse in 1928, recently expanded its online presence.

While Disney has enjoyed an online presence since 1996, it is Disney Online Studios that has had the most impact with children and their families.

Robb Beeston (pictured top right) is in charge of Disney Online Studios, Asia Pacific and is responsible for the creation and delivery of Disney branded interactive entertainment and informational content online. Robb is also responsible for the long-term strategic growth and day-to-day operations of the Group which includes products such as Club Penguin, Pixie Hollow and the World of Cars.

Club Penguin is having an enormous impact in the online stratosphere and with kids and parents who have found a safe haven for contemporary playtime and interaction.

“We have built a safe, fun environment for kids,” Robb says. “In this day and age, kids can grow up too quickly, but what Club Penguin stands for is that old fashioned environment, albeit in a modern digital delivery, where kids can be kids. Parents have peace of mind that we have created an environment where kids are not exposed to anything that isn’t kid friendly.”

Club Penguin provides one of the largest and fastest growing virtual worlds for children. It is described as a snow-covered wonderland populated by

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colourful, animated penguins; a virtual playground where millions of children from around the globe gather to interact with friends, explore, play games and let their imaginations soar.

This interactive world was designed with Disney’s original intention in mind.

“Disney has always been about strong storytelling and I think this is a modern approach for a company with a strong heritage in this area,” Robb says. “A lot of what Club Penguin is based on was Walt’s vision for the parks.”

Robb intimates that Disney and Club Penguin fit hand in glove because both entities are about solid narrative; in Club Penguin’s case the narrative is open-ended.

“We give the kids the tools to create a story and run with it the way they want.

Often we’re surprised by the direction the kids take their story, paths we didn’t think about.”

This is the strength of Club Penguin, which started life as a Canadian-based company and was acquired by Disney in 2007. Prior to leading the Disney Online Asia Pacific Studios team, Robb was Disney’s head of Club Penguin Asia Pacific and oversaw the opening of the Australian office in August 2008.

For Robb, one of Club Penguin’s strengths is in its ability to nurture imagination. When children create their world, they are able to manipulate the future of their characters. Robb gives two examples of how children set the game play.

“Rock Hopper is a Pirate Penguin who came to the island to deliver one item and was never supposed to be seen of again. We were inundated by kids demanding to rescue Rock Hopper and we had to quickly develop a quest for the kids to be able to do so.

So Rock Hopper has become an institution and is a good example of kids changing our plans. That’s fairly reflective of what we see day in and day out. Content changes all the time and that gives us the ability to be reactive. It’s definitely driven by the kids and at the end of the day they tell us what they like and we try to turn that into a story as much as possible.

“Another example is the kids decided there were ninjas in the shadows of the games. That mythology existed for years until last year we decided to put ninjas into

Playground environments that exist to protect and teach children are rare. Jonathan Jackson speaks with Disney’s Robb Beeston about Club Penguin, an online safehaven for kids that encourages kindness, education and social responsibility.

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One of Club Penguin's strengths is its ability to teach real world skills, including an aptitude for social responsibility.

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games and create a story around them.”

While kids are able to let their imagination run free, another of Club Penguin’s strengths is its ability to teach real world skills, including learning skills as well as an aptitude for social responsibility and philanthropy.

“A lot of the experience they get in games has some real world reflection,” Robb says. “My generation sat in sandpits and built castles, but today kids interact with computers, so this is a good way for them to learn those creative skills online and use them.

We build in keyboard skills and reading and writing practicalities that kids are not aware of and the parents often comment that they find it a great feature of the game.”

In terms of philanthropy, Club Penguin runs the Coins for Change campaign. This campaign allows children to donate virtual coins (earned playing games in the virtual world) to a cause that matters to them.

Players can choose to support kids who are sick or less fortunate, or donate to the environment. At the end of the campaign, the players’ donations serve as votes to determine how a $1 million contribution will be divided to fund projects being conducted by charitable organisations selected by Disney Online Studios.

“Since we launched Coins for Change in 2007, we’ve been blown away by the passion our players display for getting involved and doing their part to effect change and make the world a better place,” says Lane Merrifield, one of Club Penguin’s co-founders and executive vice president of Disney Online Studios Canada and Disney Online.

Players can donate virtual coins at multiple locations around the island and can also place a personal donation booth in their virtual igloo and host fundraising parties for their penguin friends.

“With so many kids from around the world playing, we want to encourage that sense of community online and offline, and really get them thinking about their role as true global citizens who have the power to

help others both where they live and around the world,” Merrifield adds.

Kids can choose from four organisations to donate to and they decide how the money is split. According to Robb, this is the best way to teach them about social responsibility.

“The nice thing about our virtual world is it is immersive not passive, so it gives them the chance to have a voice and speak about what they are passionate about,” he says.

“They can also see where the coins are going and how they are helping the charities we are feeding into, so they get a good sense of the impact of their actions. They know what the outcomes are.”

The Coins for Change campaign represents one element in an organisation that has become conduit for change.

Not only has Club Penguin created a very successful connectivity outlet and made the online social paradigm shift its own, it has also created a learning environment that is family-friendly and safe.

The site is kept secure by moderators who are not only up to date with what is happening in the lives of its participants, but who ensure the kids are protected from any dangerous outside elements. Yet this is not the only safety aspect of this business.

One gets the impression that by raising the standards of interaction, integration and learning, these children will bring to bear the lessons they have learnt to create a more secure and friendly society. TB

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M I N D S E T:

C H A N G E

Part Three

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 the three final roadblocks to creating authentic change and how to remove them with ease.

W

e all want change in our lives, sometimes as quickly as yesterday! But in our haste to move forward, most people don’t realise the key to change is often what holds them back.

Over thousands of coaching sessions I have seen that if you release just one of the final three roadblocks you will surprise yourself with the speed of your results.

Roadblock #7—Unfocused learning plan People are often attracted to what I call ‘bright shiny objects’. They get excited about learning a technique, then halfway through they are attracted (or distracted!) by another one.

The result is they never get to grow their results. It’s like spending your interest every month instead of letting it compound!

The truth is that there are many paths that reach your destination. You just need to pick one and stick with it.

Solution: Create or find a learning plan that has clear steps of what you need to do every day or week. Realise that being excited about something new is rarely an accurate measure of its value. Instead, write down your idea and review it in a few days’ time.

Roadblock #8—No reporting structure Imagine your high school teacher said to you: Here is your half-yearly assignment. I am never going to actually check if you have done it. Would you do the assignment?

Please stop and think about the answer.

The same also applies

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for things you give yourself to do.

In most cases, less accountability is followed by fewer results. The reverse is true too. It explains why people work harder when the big boss comes, or how people mysteriously do more exercise when someone is watching them.

This doesn’t mean pressuring yourself throughout the day, but it does act as a great kickstart to get things moving. Just like booking a personal training session gets you to the gym (which is often the hardest part).

Solution: Ask yourself How can I have more accountability? Perhaps it’s finding a goal buddy, scheduling something in, making a promise to yourself, finding a coach or simply telling a friend.

Roadblock #9—Not enough pain or pleasure When do you buy more toothpaste? If you’re like most people, it’s only when you nearly run out! Until then, there’s just not a big enough reason to make it a priority.

Similarly, if you don’t have enough pain (or pleasure) driving you to change, you won’t.

Solution: Write down what you intend to change. Then ask yourself, How will changing this affect my finances, relationships, lifestyle etc? Feel the pleasure of having it and the pain of not having it. These feelings will give you the power to act.

So what's the next step?

Set aside some time to implement these three roadblocks and watch your results improve.

And above all, remember to have fun. TB Thanks for reading this article series. As a gift, please visit www.AuthenticEdu.com/freestuff. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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M I N D S E T:

I N S P I R AT I O N

The 7 principles for

inspiring employees

Terry Barber is a speaker and corporate trainer and founder of Inspiration Blvd., LLC. InspirationBlvd.com

If someone asked you for a good synonym for inspiration, what would you say? Some might answer that stimulation is a good substitute. Others might choose influence or encouragement.

But by and large, when people think of inspiration, the word that immediately comes to mind is motivation.

Y

et, are motivation and inspiration really the same and from a leadership standpoint, which is better? As leaders, we all want certain things from those who report to us. So do we motivate them to action, or do we inspire them?

Leaders genuinely inspire others by tapping into people’s dreams—then extracting the best from them. Here are seven principles for inspiring your employees that you can take action on today.

1. Authenticity—get out of the image management business for yourself and your company. Share with the people in your organisation where you are weak.

Verbally express just how much you need them. Let them know that you know your limitations. Invite them to partner with you to get through these difficult times.

2. Connect with other's dreams—use these difficult times to uncover the latent dreams and ambitions of your key talent. Tell them you are more committed than ever to helping them get to where they want to go. Be creative in aligning their tasks for today with their dreams for tomorrow.

3. See in others the abilities they don't see in themselves—take time to be observant.

Quit the craziness long enough to notice the talent in those around you. This even works if you are trying to manage up. This principle works best by breaking it down into three steps: notice, name and nurture. After you have noticed a talent or strength in a person, let them know you noticed it and be specific about what you noticed. Don't just say "I noticed you are a hard worker." Rather, "I notice you care very deeply about making sure the details are in order” or “I notice you are very articulate on that subject." Look for ways to bring that talent out by providing

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opportunities and training to support that particular talent.

4. Speak and live with credibility—I also refer to this principle as leading with moral authority. It does not mean much for you to say "let's keep looking for the opportunity ahead" while living in fear and operating with a scarcity mentality.

5. Inspire with great stories—this is the principle of overhearing. This is not to be confused with the art of storytelling. The emphasis here is looking and telling stories that have a lesson. What can you learn from the story of a mountain climber? What can you glean from the story of one who has gone from rags to riches or better yet, from riches to rags? Pull your team together today and use story to inspire.

6. Help people to live on purpose—remind them that what happens at work is only a portion of their life. As important as that portion is, it is not all that there is to life.

Help people write down a vision statement for their life first and then for their job. If work can be a conduit towards that vision for life, great!

7. Create a culture of inspiration— following the example of John Wooden, UCLA's iconic coach, become teachers committed to excellence and character development. Chasing numbers and making decisions by looking only at the ‘bottom line’ causes us to be reactive and impulsive.

Focusing on raising the inspiration factor through developing people yields incredible value for stakeholders, customers and employees alike. Raising the inspiration factor one principle at a time will change the culture of your organisation. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Is now the time

to invest in the Australian share market?

Leading share market strategists say YES! Strategists June 2011 forecasts for the S&P/ASX 200 Deutsche Bank UBS Citigroup Goldman Sachs Macquarie JP Morgan Average

6250 5800 5500 5375 5068 5000 5499 points Source: AFR 1.7.10.

Leading strategists are tipping the Australian share market (ASX 200) to reach 5499 points by June 2011. If these forecasts play out as expected investors have at least 1300 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 5332 points by December 2010, that’s over 25% of upside from current levels in less than 6 months. If the 12 month target forecast by Deutsche Bank of 6250 points is reached, the market will have moved 2050 points, or 49%!

To take advantage of these forecasts JB Global has created the JB Global Income and Equity Accelerator ASX200 opportunity.

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Volume 3.5 thinkBIG

23

M I N D S E T:

L E S S O N S

What can we learn

from the movies?

Ron Lee, The Corporate Ninja, is a high-impact, interactive conference speaker and executive trainer who helps clients to increase team and stakeholder engagement, retention and productivity. corporate-ninja.com

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Ron Lee, The Corporate Ninja, shares some lessons from his experiences in film auditions and movie-making.

H

aving trained at NIDA, I still do some acting if the project is interesting. My agent, Martin, phoned to ask if I would be interested in a principal role in a film on the Gold Coast. I was reluctant, preferring to focus on my passion of helping people to empower themselves.

Martin told me that the director was Jerry London, whose name sounded familiar. Mr London directed episodes of television classics Bonanza, Hogan’s Heroes, I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched and others. I asked Martin if I could go just to meet the great man. Martin said that if I went, I would have to audition.

Mr London, a New Yorker, said, “We got a President of the United States and a President of China. Can you do a president accent?”

“I’ll do my best”, I said.

Keeping in mind that I look Asian, I said in my best Bill Clinton voice, “Ah did NAART have sexual relations with that woman.”

The director rubbed his chin as if he was deciding whether I seriously misunderstood his instruction or was just being silly. “We had you in mind for the Chinese President,” he said.

“I’m sorry Mr London, but you didn’t make that clear.”

With no hint of impatience, or any appreciation of the irony, he asked, “Can you do a President of China voice?”

So I did a

combination of Bruce Lee, 'The Spanish Inquisition’ from Monty Python and ‘The Craw’ from Get Smart.

“We’ll be in touch,“ he said deadpan.

I thanked him for the audition and left knowing that I was off the hook.

The next morning, Martin called and, with an impatient voice, asked, “What did you do with Jerry London in that audition?!”

“Nothing! I was well-behaved. I didn’t muck around too much.”

“Well, I don’t know what you did, but his office said that he was quite insistent about wanting you for the President role.”

“Which President?”

“The President of China of course!”

The lessons?

The experience reminded me of some lessons in effective communication: 1. Be polite.

2. Be positive and in the moment.

3. Listen intently and be receptive and spontaneous.

4. Don’t attach too much to the outcome.

5. If you don’t want to do something, just say, “No.” In another film, Mao’s Last Dancer, I played the head of security in the Chinese Embassy.

In one scene, world-renowned director Bruce Beresford, said to me, “You will burst into the room, grab Li (the lead actor) and take him up the stairs.” I nodded and we did a rehearsal.

Harry, the stunt co-ordinator, then came up and quietly said, “Ron, I couldn’t help but notice that you put him in a wrist lock.”

“Yes”, I said, “that’s what I would do in that situation.” www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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The 7 step system to having your own successful home-based coaching business How to stand out from the crowd and have coaching clients wanting to work with you Harry replied, “It’s like this, I’ve instructed the actor to struggle really hard, and it might not be appropriate for the star of the movie to break his own wrist.”

“I hear you, Harry.”

In the next scene, the other security guard was played by Chan Cheuk Fai, a former kickboxing champion and son of a Kung Fu Grand Master. The director said, “You take down the big Texan.”

Cheuk Fai nodded. The actor playing the Texan was a method actor, which meant that he was going to attack without holding back. “This is going to be interesting,” I thought.

For rehearsal, the Texan did as expected. Cheuk Fai stepped slightly to the side and dropped his knee into the back of the actor’s knee, tucked his hip under the actor’s hip, and threw him over the top, giving him a lot of air time.

You could clearly hear a loud CRACK! as he landed on the marble floor.

The actor grabbed his head and side and said, “Ow! That really, really, REALLY hurt!” Cheuk Fai looked down and gave a brief nod and grunt as if pleased with his handiwork.

The director then said, “That looked great. We’ll have one more of those on the day” (for the take). The actor didn’t go in quite as hard the next time.

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The lessons?

1. Sometimes it’s better to hold back in order to achieve the right effect, as long as the perception is right.

2. Sun Tzu wrote in The Art of War, “Know the enemy, know yourself, know the terrain and your victory will not stand in doubt”. In other words, find out what is intended to happen and work towards that result. It might be counterintuitive, but we must focus on the group outcome. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

1800 094 927

www.thecoachinginstitute.com.au 25N Y O U R S U C C E S S . .Volume . O U3.5R thinkBIG PA S S I O

M I N D S E T:

S E L F

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

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With self esteem and self reliance you can find your true market value, writes Earl de Blonville.

I

magine you are a proven IT manager, with a reputation for bringing in big projects on time and under budget. In fact, the record is a bit better than that. You started when the employer had just one lonely computer and by the time you left, over a decade later, you had directly supported the growth of a complex $300 million business unit.

Now imagine that you achieved all this having started with no proper training, no qualifications, and that what you built had no precedent in Australia. Then, despite such a meteoric rise, a new managing director arrives and you are told to clear your desk with immediate effect. Yes, the payout fills your personal account, but the experience also empties your well of self-esteem. What next?

A consultant friend of mine had a client who made widgets, but couldn’t make a profit.

The suspected problem was the widget price,

set too low for the market. He told them to increase it 1.5% each month until complaints arrived. Six months later he checked back: no complaints. But the price looked odd. Instead of increasing it 1.5% each month, they forgot the decimal point and increased it 15% per month, and yet no client complained. The market was speaking clearly, matching price with perceived value. Hmmm.

My client, the IT manager, was gutted, which is the best place for a professional to begin their market re-evaluation. The challenge was to understand his value offering in order to determine new employer, position and remuneration package. With that big question, we began our work. First, we did a history of self, family, training and employment. Then we examined his last role in detail, which is where the first key distinction emerged.

Turned out my client was not an IT geek, but a natural business growth manager who used IT to deliver measureable business growth goals. Big difference. In fact, it’s a unique difference. So instead of thinking local IT positions and incremental package value, we looked at global positions supporting corporate ambitions. In short, he went from thinking ‘more of the same’ to a whole new career as CIO in proactively driving business growth, meaning potential roles around the world.

To underpin the transition, I tasked him with reading certain books and learning meditation, and sent him out solo bushwalking to promote self-reliance.

In just months he re-entered the market, with a quadrupled package, as CIO for a $2 billion global organisation committed to doubling its turnover, where IT would play the central role. Like the widget maker, he needed to check his decimal point to find his true market value. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Mindset Media Pty Ltd, publishers of thinkBIG Magazine & thinkBIG Business, are proud to announce the launch of

property thinkBIG

January 2011

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To find out how to be part of this special launch issue, ring us on:

02 9925 8027, 0407 849 257 For a very special launch offer register your details at:

www.thinkbigproperty.com.au Volume 3.5 thinkBIG 27

M I N D S E T:

C O N F R O N TAT I O N

Is

Optimism Killing Your Business

or Career?

Rhondalynn Korolak has 17 years business experience with expertise in relationship building, the power of influence and leadership. imagineeringunlimited.com

We are currently living in interesting times...the global financial crisis continues to adversely impact overall spending and consumer sentiment—and this has hurt many businesses and families. It’s no good hoping that circumstances will change— in order to survive and prosper we must dig deep and find creative ways to work smarter not harder.

O

ptimism and a positive attitude are nice to have but they must be accompanied by purposeful and effective action. In order to take action that will produce the desired result(s), you really have to know exactly where you stand.

I was reminded of this brilliant principle recently when I spoke to one of my mentoring clients about a book I recommended to her— Good to Great by Jim Collins. In it Collins talks about this very interesting paradox that he calls ‘The Stockdale Principle’. According to Collins, “you have to be realistic about your current situation and yet, stay optimistic about the future.”

General Stockdale was the highest ranking American prisoner of war in Hanoi, Vietnam. Over the many years he was incarcerated, he began to notice an interesting phenomenon—optimism could in fact be a liability. His fellow prisoners (who were eternal optimists) constantly set themselves up for disappointment. They set huge milestones— “we will be rescued by Christmas”—but those milestones came and went year after year and with it... their will to live.

Similarly, the pessimists were quick to give up hope and they viewed each new day and circumstance as further evidence that they were doomed to die in that camp.

Conversely, the small handful of prisoners who looked at the painful day-to-day reality they were in and channelled their energies to

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the right places, survived. This is not to say that this third group were closet pessimists but rather, they were in fact realists that maintained an unwavering faith in the end game, and a commitment to survive despite the brutal fact of their incarceration and torture over a period of years.

Here’s how General Stockdale put it in his own words: “I never lost faith in the end of the story. I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade.”

How many of us would look back on seven years of detention—with regular torture, dismal living conditions and an uncertain future—as an experience we would not trade?

In fact, if we were honest with ourselves right now, how often do we choose to look at the challenges and adversity we have faced as evidence that we are somehow ‘damaged’ or a failure? And what would it mean to our compelling future if we were simply able to make this one small shift in our thinking and meaning right now?

When will you be ready to embrace the greatest obstacle or challenge in your life as the defining moment that shaped who you are today? Isn’t today the very best time to let go of the excuses and reasons that no longer serve www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Take Charge Of Your Life

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Mobile: 0411 47 53 78 • ron@corporate-ninja.com www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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you and have been holding you back?

Have you ever sat back and thought how this distinction between optimism versus reality could apply to your business/career or your life in general?

Where in your life are you ignoring reality in favour of being optimistic and thus missing a crucial opportunity to take purposeful action?

Take for example my business mentoring client that I mentioned briefly above. She has an employee who doesn’t take responsibility for her actions, doesn’t pay attention to detail and is often defensive and reluctant to take direction and feedback. This employee is negatively impacting the entire work environment as everyone, including fellow team members and customers, are caught up in the drama of it all. My client doesn’t want to face the truth and let the employee go. She is resisting doing what on some level she knows that she must in order to save her business. She hopes that it will somehow improve without any action on her part—she is now learning the very important distinction between reality and optimism. When she sees the difference for what it is, then and only then, will she become decisive and take action.

Things don’t change—we change.

We cannot reasonably expect to get a different result if we insist on ignoring reality and abdicating responsibility. Our survival and success, both in our personal and professional lives, are directly proportionate to our ability to face the facts head-on, make decisions and take purposeful action.

Another area where it’s easy in business to be blinded by optimism is in the financial arena. Do you have detailed financial reports, KPIs and forecasts in place to drive your decision-making or are you simply relying on your optimism and gut feel? The financials represent reality in a business. The numbers don’t lie. They are one of the few objective indicators of how a business is performing and why.

Regardless of any justifications you use as an owner, manager or investor to explain why the business is not performing—the poor economy, shortage of ‘good’ staff, competition online, skyrocketing rent—the numbers tell the truth and can lead you to the solution. Failure to face reality and take effective action (especially in these tough times) could lead to a cash crunch and the demise of your business/career.

Take a moment today to examine your relationship to optimism, pessimism and realism in all areas of your life. Success

belongs to those who operate from both sides of the Stockdale Paradox. The key is balance—knowing when to accept reality and take appropriate action and never losing faith in the end of the story. If you can walk this delicate line of balance and responsibility, you increase your odds of making good decisions and this will lead to your inevitable success and breakthrough results.

In life, we will all experience setbacks, disappointments, loss and challenges. What separates successful people from the rest is how you deal with those inevitable struggles. This is a very important distinction and it is what divides the winners from the losers. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which is something that you can never afford to lose sight of—with the discipline to confront the brutal facts and reality of your current situation, whatever that might be. TB

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.”

-William Arthur Ward

Property Development—Property Investment Strategies & Technologies—Legal—Finance— Customised Investments—Assets—Real Estate—Capital Markets—Hotel & Leisure— Property Options—Property Portfolio Strategies—Property Management Software

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property thinkBIG

LAUNCHING JANUARY 2011 www.thinkbigmagazine.com Email: info@thinkbigproperty.com.auVolume 3.5 thinkBIG

30

“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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At the Wealth Propulsion Weekend, you will learn to totally overhaul your thinking in the area of finances so you have a massive propulsion towards the wealth you’ve always deserved.

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The Kids Are Alright

SchoolAid is a national schools-based philanthropy network empowering kids to help other kids in crisis. Jonathan Jackson spoke with SchoolAid CEO, Julie Urquhart, about the success of the program and why it is so good in building the emotional intelligence of its young participants.

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he purpose of SchoolAid is to promote a world where Australian children live the values of care and compassion and develop a lifelong sense of moral and social responsibility.

Founded in 1999, the organisation has thus far raised over $2 million through 200,000 participating students across schools throughout the nation.

SchoolAid enables and empowers primary school kids to make a tangible difference to the lives of other children – kids helping kids – through commitment and action. Primary school teachers are provided with a full suite of learning and activity resources that readily promote the engagement of students in active philanthropy, as well as reinforcing the values-learning benefits associated with their students' activities.

Founder Sean Gordon had been the principal of four schools in two www.thinkbigmagazine.com

States over a period of 18 years and served on many State and national peak association committees for principals before founding SchoolAid. “The program came about because of Sean’s dream and vision,” SchoolAid CEO Julie Urquhart says. “Sean was concerned about the impact on the hearts and minds of children exposed to natural and man-made disasters.

“It was also to give kids a sense of perspective about how lucky they are compared to others. It’s important for them to understand that even though may have lost something themselves, there is someone worse off. Their help in historical events such as Cyclone Larry and the Victorian bushfires allow them to realise their capacity to help others.

During the Haiti appeal, participating schools were some of the first ones to sign up to aid.”

With the heightened awareness of world tragedies through media, SchoolAid is a response to not only help devastated communities, but to also help build a generation of kids who aren’t overwhelmed by tragedy.

“Emotional intelligence is easy to see but hard to describe. We encourage kids to not just send money, but hope. Cheques are sent with love and compassion because kids have to put themselves in someone else’s shoes and think about what it’s like to be in the situations they are supporting.”

SchoolAid began as a small project in NSW, when Sean enlisted some mates to raise awareness of the impact kids helping kids can have. As word spread, SchoolAid mobilised; it now spans all school systems including public, private and the Catholic system where Sean’s reputation grew as a principal and humanitarian.

“It grew because this is a tangible way to demonstrate care and compassion,” Julie says.

While Julie recognises that there are many worthy fundraising efforts adopted by schools, she also believes that sometimes the kids involved in these drives don’t know what their fundraiser is for or why the ‘muffins are being sold’.

“Our critical point of distinction is to let kids know that they make a difference.”

During its 10 year lifespan, SchoolAid has seen thousands of schools participate.

This year alone there are 1,500 schools adopting philanthropy into the Years 2-6 www.thinkbigmagazine.com

curricula. This means 20% of all Primary schools are on board.

“We have chosen 8-12 year olds because the really lovely thing is they have an innate empathy,” Julie says.

“They are not too young to be exposed to the realities of life, but they haven’t yet hardened into their cynical teenage years.”

Julie says the program is designed to teach moral and social responsibility and lifelong values. “We want to create engaged and informed young philanthropists.”

The conduit to do this is the teachers, who are given resources to make SchoolAid programs a legitimate part of the classroom. The creativity of teachers and their ability to integrate the various philanthropic programs into their lesson plans mean the entire school community is engaged in the work.

SchoolAid uses a number of criteria to help decide who receives support. “We look at every tragedy as a potential for involvement,” Julie says. “We look at the number of kids impacted and if this is a tragedy that can have a positive impact on the hearts and minds of Australian kids. If we launch an appeal we want to know if we can make a difference to the education of Australian children as well as the wellbeing of children going through these disasters.”

Having partnered with organisations such as World Vision, Plan and Save the Children, SchoolAid is able to have a significant impact. With their partners they work out whether they can make a difference on the ground, they then provide information to the schools network, (a database of over 7,000 receives the information).

One point that Julie does make is that SchoolAid does not go into these situations pretending to be experts. “We work with existing relationships, we are not there to be project experts, and we just want to ensure that money goes directly to kids who have been impacted.”

The mantra is SchoolAid draws upon strong relationships with an extensive network of ‘education advocates’— including principal, parent and teacher associations along with reputable NGOs to implement projects in areas where there are children in need. We recognise that these organisations have the best people on the ground, ready to effectively allocate funds towards the most pressing needs for affected children in emergency situations.

Schools take it upon themselves to decide if and what to support. Projects have included building a school in Banda Aceh and assisting the efforts toward the Victorian bushfires.

“We rose close to $900,000 for the bushfire initiative. However, it was more than just funds raised and that’s where philanthropy can play a fantastic role. There is a whole range of psychosocial needs to be catered for and we can do this via music therapy and other initiatives that government department s can’t budget for.”

SchoolAid doesn’t spend all money raised at once. In terms of the bushfire appeal, they partnered with the Pratt Foundation and Bendigo Bank to help save money for what was needed a year later. This is the strength of the initiative as more communities and children can be empowered once the dust has settled and when it’s time to get on with life.

The success of the organisation recently led SchoolAid to launch the first annual Kids Helping Kids Awards, which recognise the achievements and outstanding fundraising activities of teachers and students.

Finalists for each of the six categories and the overall ‘Best of the Best’ award will be selected by a panel of judges representing fields of education, philanthropy and commerce.

“This is the culmination of years of thought around just how to best recognise and reward Australia’s budding philanthropists,” founder Sean Gordon says. “The first Kids Helping Kids Awards provides Australia’s first national framework whereby kids and schools can be recognised for the great Julie Urquhart philanthropic work they do and their generosity celebrated within their community and across the country. “It’s also an opportunity to win some great prizes and have a celebrity visit their school.”

The Kids Helping Kids Awards has attracted a number of celebrities including children’s author and television presenter Andrew Daddo and World Champion Australian netballer, Anne Sargeant.

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“I remember the focus of our time at school was on academic and sporting achievement,” Andrew says. “The life lessons were generally learnt at home.

It’s good to know that these days, with programs like Kids Helping Kids, children learn about the benefits of helping, it’s not something everyone does instinctively. It’s a good lesson, one that will hold children in good stead for the rest of their lives.”

Julie says celebrity support has increased the incentive for schools to participate. Winners can nominate who they would like to come to their school, for instance Andrew could do a reading of one of his best-selling books, while Anne could hold a sports clinic. There are several celebrities involved and Julie is humbled by their level of commitment.

“This is a deep commitment because they record the message first,” Julie says.

“It is a message for hope-filled kids who can make a difference and our celebrities go above and beyond their duties.”

The endorsement of some of the community’s most respected politicians (including the Hon. Julia Gillard), sports stars and celebrities is testimony to the work that has been done by SchoolAid in the last 10 years. It gives Julie confidence that the organisation will continue to expand and have even more impact on the lives of Australian school children as well as those children who are being aided.

“We have 20% of schools participating, we have 80% to go,” Julie says. And you believe her when she says that the number will continue to multiply. TB

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Current projects that need your support

4 Past projects & success stories

1. Kids Helping Kids Awards The 2010 Kids Helping Kids Awards is SchoolAid's inaugural national Awards program recognising and rewarding excellence in school based philanthropy. The Awards provide teachers and students across Australia with the opportunity to celebrate and showcase their fundraising activities. The Awards represent a first in Australian schools—the opportunity to demonstrate how your school 'walks its values talk'.

1. Burma Emergency Appeal Launch date: 1 May 2008 Cyclone Nargis hit the Eastern Irrawaddy Delta in Burma in May of 2008. In the aftermath, SchoolAid formed a partnership with Save the Children, to deliver specially designed school kits (right) for Burmese children to restart their education.

Around 320 schools Australia-wide raised $101,137 for the delivery of these kits directly to kids affected by the cyclone. In addition to this, over 100 Messages of Hope were received.

2. Haiti Earthquake Emergency Appeal Launch date: 14 January 2010 In response to the tragic earthquake in Haiti, SchoolAid launched the Haiti Earthquake Emergency Appeal in partnership with Plan International Australia and Save the Children.

SchoolAid achievements

After the 2009 Victoria Bushfires, over 230,000 children from across the country united to raise over $860,000 through SchoolAid— its most successful appeal ever.

SchoolAid provided grants to rebuild schools and to provide therapy and support to assist in re-building the lives of affected children.

Students rose over $250,000 for the 2004 tsunami, and SchoolAid, in partnership with Plan Australia, rebuilt an entire school in Banda Aceh, which included a garden for children to grow vegetables and learn about health and nutrition.

School Aid has also run an appeal with SurfAid in response to the Samoan and Sumatra earthquakes in 2009.

Coming up soon are two new campaigns, one partnered with Vodafone Foundation Australia and the Alannah and Madeline Foundation to combat cyber-bullying and Indigenous Literacy Campaign supporting Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, supported by Telstra Foundation and mecu.

2. Cyclone Larry (Innisfail, North Queensland, Australia, 2006) SchoolAid worked in conjunction with the Queensland Department of Education and the Arts to raise around $170,000 with the involvement of over 540 schools to help students and schools in Far North Queensland that were affected by Cyclone Larry. The cyclone ripped the heart out of many communities and their education infrastructure, and a big task of rebuilding was left in its wake.

7. Beslan Friendship Park (Russia) The horrendous siege at a school in Beslan in early September 2004, left 326 people dead, half of whom were children, and a community destroyed by the loss of so many young lives.

SchoolAid with the help of 1,158 Australian schools opened their hearts in a national effort to bring hope to the survivors. An all-schools appeal for donations of funds and messages resulted in $463,400 being raised, along with 6,000 Messages of Hope and condolences to the community in Beslan.

8. Indigenous Youth Literacy (Northern Territory, 2003) SchoolAid partnered with the Fred Hollows Foundation (FHF) to assist with the needs of Australian Indigenous young people in the Northern Territory. FHF asked SchoolAid to help with a project that would work on improving the literacy levels of the Jawoyn people in the Katherine Region.

With the help of just over 260 schools, $260,000 was raised and presented to FHF for this invaluable project. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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Gladstone Property for $1 deposit Photo credit: lonewolfsh at www.sxc.hu

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oaring Heights consists of a 30 acre of future urban now accepted as residential A land by Gladstone city council. With its extensive frontage to Kirkwood Road and Boundary Road, 3 minutes to Gladstone airport. The site is currently unused apart from open grazing, with developments being completed on its land perimeters.

Directly to the west of Gladstone village city area, the No 60 Highway that reaches right to the heart of the Gladstone CBD. The Central Business District is less than 7 minutes away or 3-4 miles away. Directly North of Gladstone Village is the backyard of residential area of Rockhampton Keppel Ave, Roselyn Close etc.

Land Size: Blocks are between 700–1400m2 (Low Maintenance Design) Home Size: 240—270m2 Bedrooms: 3 + Study The average price per 700 to 1400 sq mt for land in this area was $80.000 in 2003. In 2006, the average price per hectare for residential development has risen to $250.000 to $350.000. The average price of a house in Gladstone is currently $450000 to $550000, compared to the Australia average of $395.000 to 1 million.

The numerous miners that are enjoying the high salary income and the lack of housing will ensure a good boost in the land and property prices in the Gladstone area. The land enjoys good rental income for investors and house owners.

The Coal Seam Gas industry are spending many billions of dollars on the conversion of LPG plants in Gladstone and the Calliope areas.

The workforce directly employed by the projects is likely to grow by nearly seven times its current labour contingent with projected growth under the 28-30 Mtpa scenario of over 6,000 direct long term (20 year plus) new jobs by 2020.

Highlights • We allow customize house planning whereby the owner can build the house based on their own design requirement. Price is fixed with limitation.

• Soaring Heights consists of a 30 acre of future urban now accepted as residential A land by Gladstone city council.

• Extensive frontage to Kirkwood Road and Boundary Road, 3 minute to Gladstone airport, Sports Hall will be built to cater to the residential requirement • Directly North of Soaring Heights is the backyard of residential area of Rockhampton Keppel Ave, Roselyn Close etc.

• High rental income possible from miners in the neighbourhood, since there is a shortfall of 6000 houses announced by the Gladestone City Council.

• Being in the Great Barrier Reef area means that the resident can travel 5-10 minutes from Gladstone Village to the beaches.

• Gladstone is the largest Coal port City in the world, which is located in Great Barrier Reef • Largest aluminium smelter plant in Australia, the exporting port for Australian coal, makes Gladstone City and attractive location for Industrial activity.

QLD: Neville 07 4975 6222 • neville@willmott.id.net • or Jacquie 0414 513 450 NSW: Lex 02 9238 0430 • landlex@bigpond.com • or Dianne 0468 654 978 www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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One of Australia’s fastest growing Telco resellers is expanding its operations by launching an ANZ Operations Centre. ThinkBIG speaks with Telcoinabox founder, Damian Kay about this important milestone and about its technology innovation.

Entering a new zone

T

ThinkBIG (TB): What prompted the launch of the ANZ Operations Centre (ANZOC)?

Damian Kay (DK): ANZOC is an important step in the evolution of the business. As we embark on our international expansion plans, it is important that we first get the support for our customers right. We have always prided ourselves on providing exceptional customer service and support and it did not make sense to replicate what we already had in Australia for New Zealand if we haven’t got the flagship office for operations 100% watertight. Extending our capability in Australia to include New Zealand was a logical decision as we are both in the same timezone and hemisphere. It also allows us to play around with this model so we can lean on it as our blueprint for our European operations centre (EOC).

TB: To what do you accredit the company’s growth and what makes this particular time the right time to expand?

DK: When we went live in 2004 we were ‘disruptive technology’ in that we completely changed the landscape.

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Today we are still the market leader as a value added wholesale provider of telecommunications. The barriers to entry into the telecommunications reseller market are still high, in that there is a deep industry knowledge required to succeed, not to mention volume and other considerations. In effect we take the hard work out of the mix and make it easy for anyone with a phone, internet connection and a computer to become their own phone company and operate it autonomously under their own brand.

No-one really does this which gives us prime position as a leader which flows naturally into growth. We have also invested heavily back into systems and products which has allowed us to grow without the usual indigestion pains many businesses feel when they grow quickly.

Having the right people has been fundamental to our growth. We have amazing people who live and die for the company. We have a strong culture which we nurture our staff through personal development not just career. Those that don’t fit don’t last and usually leave quickly through peer group. People are either with us for a short time or for life and we are very ‘cult like’ in this regard.

Luckily we pick our people well and the average tenure in our business is very long.

Having long tenure means that we are not constantly training and we have continuity.

The Australian business is fantastic and has strong cashflow. It made sense to use that cashflow (without stressing the Australian business) to expand into markets like NZ and the UK. NZ is still a long way behind Australia in the telecommunications reseller space in terms of sophistication of systems and billing.

Some resellers are still using spreadsheets to bill from. In short it comes down to timing, opportunity and readiness. We are ready and definitely willing.

TB: What is it about Telco’s model that makes it so successful?

DK: It’s about how we make money for our service providers and for the core business. Service providers just have to sign up one customer and they have a recurring revenue stream. The more they sign the larger the revenue. Our Money Go Round™ financial model is our security check and the foundation of our business’ success. Many aggregators in the past have failed as they are dependent on being paid by their service providers at the end www.thinkbigmagazine.com

of the month in order to pay the carriers.

Telcoinabox designed and implemented an automated business system that enables it to directly receive money from the end user and automatically allocate it against the applicable service providers’ Telcoinabox wholesale invoice. When the wholesale invoice is cleared the excess funds are cleared through to the service provider. This has been key to our success and sustainability. Telcoinabox gets paid first and this is crucial for success. As far as we know we are still the only telecommunications aggregator to have deployed this security. A key benefit is that it further breaks down the barriers to entry as it removes the need for large security deposits by potential service providers.

TB: You recently said, “Our aim is to increase the number of service providers we support by 25% with minimal increase in head-count,” How will this be done?

DK: To some degree we are lucky, we have economies of scale so this is achievable. Our strength is our systems and processes, and continued investment in this allows us to be more automated and therefore more efficient. We will spend $2m over the next two years on improving, replacing and developing systems. This is exciting (if you are into this sort of thing). It is not just increasing the number of service providers we have that is key, it is also ensuring that we grow the service providers we already have; allowing them to spend more time selling and growing their business rather than being bogged down in manual processes is how we are tackling this.

TB: How has the business plan changed and expanded since the company first began trading?

DK: Funnily enough, not much. We have always been focused on organic, sustainable growth as opposed to growth by acquisition. That was the plan at the beginning and has been the plan up until now. I guess you could say the plan has expanded to include an international push, but it seemed like a logical step rather than anything more formal. The plan is changing now though. Acquisition of smaller providers in the market has been included in our growth plans so that is definitely a change to the business plan. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

TB: How has the business itself changed/ grown in its outlook of the market and where is the market headed?

DK: We remain very positive about the market and we see new entrants all the time indicating that there is still growth to be had. At the end of the day, Telstra still controls a vast majority of all telecommunications spend in Australia (in excess of 80%) and so there is still a lot of opportunity. The market in telecommunications was robust during the GFC as it was in other downturns.

People travel less so they talk more, it is a fact. Small businesses also were more willing to move from their current provider even though given Telstra still has the dominant market share. There has been a lot of activity away from Telstra retail and that was seen in their results.

The market is in for some enormous change which is both exciting and also a little nerve racking. In an NBN (extremely fast broadband) world voice and internet access will become more subscription based pricing as opposed to the usage pricing model of today. Voice traffic (landlines) will be delivered over the fibre network so VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) will become the norm. We are gearing ourselves for a new world and we are well placed to take advantage of such a massive change.

TB: What is behind the projected move to Europe and how will this be managed?

DK: We have been in the UK since February 2008 and we have had a reasonable level of success. One of our larger customers from Australia asked us to set them up in the UK and that was the catalyst. We have been focused on getting a core stable of products and integrating with carriers and now we are expanding the business to grow enormously. We are learning about how to manage a business from so far away.

We have had to remove the CEO in the UK as he was not the right person and this is the key to success. Getting the right people on the right seat on the bus is always a challenge and we got it wrong. We are replicating the ANZOC model so that all operations will be supported from a central point which will allow the CEO in each country to concentrate on growing the business.

TB: Can you further explain the launch of your new product lines?

DK: ‘Business Grade Hosted Voice’ is the priority at the moment. The demand for Virtual PABX solutions is gaining pace and will be the norm moving forward.

Now a business does not need to buy and maintain equipment at their premises.

They will have their handsets plugged into the network and all the functionality (Voicemail, diversions etc) are all done on a carrier grade solution in a data centre, hence the term ‘Hosted Voice’.

It is business grade VoIP with the added functionality. It truly is a game changer and those providers in the market that service the SME/SMB market that do not embrace it will slowly die or be bought.

That is a fact.

We are also relaunching and investing in web hosting and email SPAM filtering.

90% of all mail in the world is SPAM and these products are in high demand.

TB: How important is it for the company to keep innovating in this way?

DK: Crucial. Not innovating means death.

We have seen it time and time again in the industry as it has deregulated and many have fallen by the wayside. We have a responsibility to keep our service providers on top of their game. We will never be the leading edge (and therefore the bleeding edge) but once a technology or product has been tried and tested we will make it better and launch it. We have been successful in this endeavour thus far and will continue to follow this path.

Innovation in systems and products has been key to our success and that won’t change. An NBN world presents some challenges for us in that we will need to skill up and play more at the leading edge, but we are ready.

TB: How would you describe the next five year growth phase?

DK: Exciting. Australia continues to book consistent organic growth, acquisition is high on the agenda, New Zealand is really taking off and we have resolved our people issues in the UK. All guns are blazing at the moment. We are looking to possibly go to IPO within this time to provide the capital to really step up the growth. My aim is to deliver growth of AU$100m in 10 years and we are on track, so watch out! TB Volume 3.5

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BUSINESS:

H E L P

Five Challenges

Every Small Business Owner Faces

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

I am sure that you have heard that small businesses are the backbone of our economy; and it's true. Some 98.6% of all businesses are considered small, so they're significant. And let's not forget: every large business was, at one point, small.

H

ere are five challenges small business owners face:

1. Staffing How can small businesses attract and afford the best talent? This is tough, because larger firms and even the not-for-profit sector and government might dispense better benefits and even compensation. So the small business has to sell potential employees on the fact that they'll gain experience, get hands-on training, and see more growth possibilities with their company. I believe that if you create a good culture in your business you will attract the right people to you. Employing staff can

be quite challenging, but when you get the formula right then it’s amazing.

2. Leadership & Management Skills Most small business owners are great at some tasks, whether it's cost containment, niche marketing, or creative skill. But they tend to not have formal training in how to manage their business, or what to do, strategically, to make them better and to get their people to perform better. If you want to grow your business you must be the best leader, and your team will then follow you by example. I never expect anyone on my team to do anything that I would not be willing to do, so when the not so glamorous jobs are there I will step in and do them if needed.

This type of management leads by example and stops the tall poppy syndrome in the small business culture.

3. Sales Every business can use more sales, and as one of my clients said, there are few problems in business that can't be fixed with a few more sales! Even if you’re great at selling, you probably don’t have enough time and probably wear too many hats to focus on taking the business where you want it to go.

Sales are one of the most important things that a business should focus on. Income producing activity is what pays the bills.

Working on sales and sales training is a must for all businesses. If you're too busy to do it

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its size. It is especially slow to abandon products that no longer contribute to profits, but that are held in esteem because "they put us on the map!"

Monitoring and manageing productivity of your business is vital to the success and growth of your business. One thing that small business owners do that is crutial to their success is act like a small business…. What I mean is that if they ran their business like a large company but on a smaller scale their success would be much greater, role modelling a successful business model could just be the missing link.

yourself then get a sales trainer in to do it for you.

4. Training Without a capacity to train new employees quickly and efficiently, businesses can't grow. Too little effort is put into the training of staff, and there is too little investment as well. Think about the consequences if you’re not investing in training for yourself and your team…Training your team is vital to the growth of your business; it keeps your team involved and motivated to stay with your company and most importantly productive enough to keep your business growing.

5. Change Management Because of its size, the small business owner should, theoretically, be able to change quickly, but it is more resistant than many companies hundreds of times

These problems are not by any means insurmountable. They can and should be addressed with the help of coaches, consultants, and others who can be brought in on a project basis.Using outsourced resourses can save you time and money in the long run.

There is a sixth challenge small business owners face; it’s the willingness to ask for help! Lots of business owners think that by asking for help they will be judged. That’s simply not the case. Asking for help when needed is simply good business practice.

Successful people love to help others and share their experiences. My thoughts are if you don’t ask you will never know what the outcome would be. The worst case scenario is a negative response from the person you are asking help from. I don’t think that’s too bad. Just keep asking and eventually you will get the help or advise that you need. If someone has achieved what you wish to achieve then it's possible to duplicate it and do it easily.

I am always getting emails and calls from people for advice and I am happy to help any way that I can. Just remember there is always help if you want it! TB

Categories to which we can lend our expertise include: Promote your business the ‘write’ way Wot wood happen to your busyness if words went oot like this?

Everything you send out into the big wide world is a reflection of how you do business. That’s why all representative material, including company letters, media kits, press releases and sales brochures, must reflect a professionalism that is second to none.

At J²Media we offer a range of media solutions to cater for all your company needs. We understand that good presentation equates to success.

We provide expertise in writing, copywriting, editing, marketing and media management.

• Marketing materials (brochures, media kits etc…)

• Web copy • Press releases • Business reports • Magazine and book editing • Copywriting • Ghost writing And more…

Find out how we can equip your business with the ‘write’ stuff.

Jonathan Jackson: 0413 713 744 email: jjackson@j2media.com.au or Jonathan Green: 0403 068 217 email: jgreen@j2media.com.au

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www.thinkbigmagazine.comFor a special advertising launch offer: 02 9925 8027 or paul.jackson@thinkbigproperty.com.au Volume 3.5 thinkBIG

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BUSINESS:

T R U T H

Money, Success, and Growing a

Sharon Pearson is the founder of The Coaching Institute and the Small Business Mastermind Club. smallbusinessmastermindclub.com.au

Profitable Business Like you, I’ve invested a lot of money in my education. And the investment has paid itself many times.

H

owever, it’s also cost me money. Why? Because I’ve found the 'gurus' don’t always teach what works. Or they reveal only a fraction of how to apply a strategy. So I made a commitment that I’d never assume anything, ever again. I’d test the idea for myself…and then let the results speak on their own merit.

The up-sell mistake that cost McDonald’s millions As you may know, up-selling is a quick, easy and free way to bump your average dollar sale by between 15% to 25%. McDonald’s added hundreds of millions in profit by asking customers “Would you like fries with that?”

However, they cost themselves way more in lost sales—and you are too if you’re making this critical up-sell mistake. That’s because asking an up-sell question is only half the formula. The other half is how you ask it.

Instead of McDonald’s staff asking their famous question, they’d have made more money asking “Fries with that?”…and raising the pitch of their voice towards the end. Why? Because this keeps the customer in right brain, emotional buying mode. By asking “Would you like fries with that?” the customer enters left brain analysing mode, and is more likely to say “no.”

3 magic words that double sales Did you know you can double sales by greeting customers with three magic words? It’s true.

Say to people “I trust you are well today” and, on average, 16% purchase. Ask customers “How are you?” and 33% purchase on average. That’s over double the sales!

Why does this work? Commitment and consistency. If we state that we’re feeling good, and have committed to that, there’s less excuse to say “no” to a request. That’s why you must make your customers feel good.

Write clearer, sharper sales copy instantly As you may know, the copywriting experts tell

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you to “write as you speak.” So your sales copy is conversational, and it flows. But if you’re not experienced, it’s tough to write as you speak because it’s not how you were taught in school.

Here’s a better way: use the 'follow the thread' trick. What’s the 'follow the thread' trick? I just used it! Can you see what I did? If not, here it is again: the secret to writing better, clearer copy is to pick up a keyword from the last sentence and carry it through to the next.

By picking up the keyword and carrying it through, readers can follow what you’re saying.

The truth behind goal setting Ever set goals? Sure you have. So you know that writing down your goals is extremely important. And you know that almost every self help guru says to write down your goal. But have they ever told you why? If your experience is like mine, you’ve been told, “writing it down makes it appear real to your mind”…or “it commands the Universe to give what you ask for,” and so on.

I don’t like answers like that. So I went out and researched the truth for myself. Writing down goals works because it stimulates your brain’s electrical charges to fire 420% faster. The secret lies in the reticular activating system (RAS).

The RAS is why you buy a new car… and then see other people driving the same model wherever you go. The RAS is also the mechanism that lets you spot new money making opportunities… leverage business relationships in new ways…and create new ideas to grow your business. Activation of the RAS requires high states of brain activity… and writing the goal induces these higher states. This is why you can’t just imagine your goal in your mind. You need to write it down, over and over again. Doing so makes your brain go into overdrive and seek out ways to make it reality. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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Reality Bites

Charles Bukowski, Bruce Springsteen, David Brent and Homer Simpson all talk to the world of work, but their stories are nothing like the ones you’ll find in a popular management book. As Professor Carl Rhodes reports, we can learn a lot about management from popular culture.

I

f we want to learn about the meaning of work and its management, popular culture is an excellent source of education, and one that tells a very different story to what we read in an MBA textbook or a popular management book, or hear in a leadership training course.

In 1975, American poet Charles Bukowski wrote in his book Factotum: ‘I’d get an idea. I’d spring a loan. I’d hire and fire. I’d keep whiskey in my desk drawer. I’d have a wife with size 40 breasts and an ass that would make the paperboy on the corner c... in his pants when he saw it wobble. I’d cheat on her and she’d know it and keep silent in order to live in my house with my wealth. I’d fire men just to see the look on their face. I’d fire women who didn’t deserve to be fired […] I’d build an empire upon the broken bodies and lives of helpless men, women and children—I’d shove it to them all the way. I’d show them!’

Factotum is a semi-autobiographical novel about a man who wanders across the US from town to town, job to deadend job, bar to bar. In it, Bukowski used his poet’s sensibility to paint an extreme picture of what working life means for so many people.

At this point in the novel, Hank Chinaski, the main character, is fantasising about what it might be like to be one of the bosses for whom he works. For Chinaski, managerial ambition is about sex and power—about an aggressive masculinity that wants to dominate others in the pursuit of its own goals. Chinaski has no such ambition: for him, a job is just a means to an end.

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It is a potent example of how fiction can present an alternative view of the world of work, and, like much of Bukowski’s writing, it’s about the meaninglessness of work and about alienation from it. It is a book about how ‘the job’ demands everything and repays little.

Elsewhere. Bukowski writes: 'How in the hell could a man enjoy being awakened at 6.30am by an alarm clock, leap out of bed, dress, forcefeed, sh.., p..s, brush teeth and hair, and fight traffic to get to a place where essentially you made lots of money for somebody else and were asked to be grateful for the opportunity to do so?'

Although Factotum makes for great reading, its picture of working life is not unique. Ever since Charles Dickens started writing about London’s poor, factories, offices, hospitals, law courts, police stations, myriad other workplaces have featured heavily in popular culture.

As far back as 1855, Elizabeth Gaskell was writing about industrial hardship and conflict in North and South and, in 1917, Sinclair Lewis wrote about the challenges faced by working women in The Job. There’s bureaucracy in Franz Kafka’s The Trial, factory work in Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and excess in Martin Amis’ Money.

But what are all of these things telling us about work, organisations and management? Is it all as desperate as Bukowski would have us believe?

Truth in fiction

Anthropologist Clifford Geertz claimed that a people’s culture is made up of the stories they tell themselves about themselves. So when we turn on our televisions or go to

the movies or listen to the radio, the stories we hear both reflect and help to create the culture in which we live.

We laugh at Homer Simpson and C Montgomery Burns in The Simpsons, and at David Brent in The Office, because we see our own lives reflected in their stories. When Homer receives the ‘First Annual Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence’, we recognise the hollowness of so many workplace programs designed to reward achievement. When David Brent spouts maxims such as: ‘Trust people and they’ll be true to you.

Treat them greatly and they will show themselves to be great’, we cringe because we’ve all heard these empty platitudes before in the workplace.

Popular music—and rock, in particular—has long been built on a spirit of resistance and rebellion. You might sing along to Roy Orbison’s Workin’ for the Man or The Easybeats rocking through Friday on my Mind. Chuck Berry sang about a poor boy dreaming of the Promised Land, escaping to California to work in one of the defence-related industries that were pulling in labour in the postwar boom economy of the 1950s.

In the 1960s, The Animals screamed We Gotta Get out of this Place—a song that celebrated escaping the hardworking lives of those of previous generations, who had toiled in low-income, backbreaking jobs. Cilla Black sang Work is a Four-Letter Word. Bruce Springsteen affirmed in 1978’s Darkness on the Edge of Town that he still believed in the Promised Land, despite work making him feel so weak that he wanted to explode.

It’s all there, whatever your taste— Johnny Paycheck’s Take this Job and Shove it, Donna Summer’s She Works Hard for the Money, Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5, The Smiths’ Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now, Fountains of Wayne’s Bright Future in Sales, or The Ramones’ It’s Not My Place (In the 9 to 5 World).

Popular musicians seem to know that the promises of work are hard to keep.

But there is one thing you will never find in popular culture: though work is everywhere in films, books and music, and on television, the organisation is never represented as an entirely positive or meaningful thing. Hit movies American Beauty, Disclosure, Fight Club, The Devil Wears Prada and Glengarry Glen Ross www.thinkbigmagazine.com

all suggest that people have dark and complex relationships with their work.

Popular culture does not tend to play out the ambivalence, contradictions and moral dilemmas we experience as part of work, however. Instead, it tells us the stories that make up our working culture—not the imagined culture of ‘corporate values’ or ‘vision statements’ but the culture of real life on the shop floor and around the water cooler.

Utopian fantasy

Next time you are cruising the corridors of the corporation, take a look at the books on the shelves in managers’ offices. You’ll notice two things. Firstly, they are generally unread. Seldom do you see crease-lines on the spines and dog-eared page corners indicating frequent use and hours of late-night reading. Secondly, more often than not, they are management bestsellers of the type found in airport bookshops, such as Jim Collins and Jerry Porras’ Built to Last, Tom Peters and Robert Waterman’s In Search of Excellence, Michael Hammer and James Champy’s Reengineering the Corporation and Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

While popular culture is telling us stories about the difficult and ironic relationships people have with work and management, these books tell quite a different story. Most management bestsellers contain a highly utopian vision of what organisations can or should be like. The management gurus assure that if you follow their advice, your organisation can be an idyllic dreamland in which heroic managers lead entrepreneurial and motivated employees towards a shared vision.

For the vast majority of people, however, this is far from reality—not just because work can be difficult but because these books are works of fantasy. Read one and you will be told that with the right practices, habits, characteristics and attributes in place, yours, too, can be a corporation of prosperity and longevity.

In these books, the real organisation— the one you go to each day—is always considered inferior to the ideal organisation it could be.

But as Bob Dylan sang in 1965: Advertising signs that con you Into thinking you’re the one That can do what’s never been done, www.thinkbigmagazine.com

That can win what’s never been won, Meantime, life outside goes on All around you.

So much of what passes for management knowledge is just like those signs. Reality is deprived of importance—better to live in the dream of an impossible utopia. But it doesn’t seem to work: life goes on all around you; your organisation goes on all around you.

Every year, more and more ‘popular management’ books are published, each author promising to solve your problems if you just do what he or she tells you to do. But they rarely offer the solution to the problems—there is always another book chasing the market for unhappy managers. The promise of an answer eases anxiety in the short term but it is unlikely to deliver. At best, stressed-out managers might get some temporary relief from the burden of their pressures.

The guru on the hill promises that you can slay your dragons but the sword is made of paper; it blows away in the wind. As that other prophet of the proletariat, Bruce Springsteen, once sang: Is a dream a lie that don’t come true, or is it something worse?

Popular culture offers a superior basis upon which to learn about the meaning and practice of work and management than does the vapid utopianism of ‘popular management’ books. Even though the stories told through popular media channels are, for the most part, fictional, they do a much better job of tuning in to the realities of work than do the idle imaginings of the management gurus. I would go so far as to say that many fictional representations of work in popular culture are more realistic than the utopian representations in popular management books. They may not always make you feel better but they don’t tell as many lies.

If you really want to learn about management, don’t head off to the management section of the airport bookshop. Better to turn on the TV or radio, go to the movies or read a novel.

There you will find out what is really going on, with no false promises. TB Carl Rhodes is Professor of Organisation Studies at UTS Business. An internationally renowned scholar, Carl researches and writes on issues related to ethics in organisations, knowledge and identity in organisations, and popular culture and organisations.

5 Lessons About Management From Popular Culture 1. Beware of careers in management: chances are people will make fun of you and won’t like you.

2. Resistance is not futile: what is futile is managers thinking they can control or eliminate it.

3. People have a complex relationship with work: don’t insult them with simplistic management programs and techniques.

4. Avoid being seduced by the corporation: it brings out the worst in people.

5. Work is not a promised land.

Classic Picks From Popular Culture About Work and Organisations Movies • Factotum (2005), starring Matt Dillon • Office Space (1999), starring Ron Livingston • Wall Street (1987), starring Michael Douglas • Disclosure (1994), starring Demi Moore • Clerks (1994), starring Brian O’Halloran Television • The Simpsons (1989-) • The Office (2001-2003) • The Bill (1984-) • The Wire (2002-2008) • Dilbert (1999-2000)— see also the comic strip!

Songs • ‘Workin’ for the Man’

by Roy Orbison (1962) • ‘Factory’ by Bruce Springsteen (1978) • ‘Fast Car’ by Tracy Chapman (1988) • ‘Career Opportunities’

by The Clash (1977) • ‘Friday on my Mind’

by The Easybeats (1967) Novels and books • Post Office by Charles Bukowksi (1971) • The Trial by Franz Kafka (1925) • The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (1906) • Money by Martin Amis (1984) • Working by Studs Terkel (1974)

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Andrew Morello won the Australian final of the hit television show The Apprentice, hosted by Yellow Brick Road Wealth Management and Wizard Home Loan founder Mark Bouris. Andrew talks with Jack Delosa about his success, Generation Y and what young guns can do to get ahead.

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I Following a

golden path

f you are unfamiliar with Andrew Morello, he was the guy who could talk the ears off a corn kernel, sell ice to the Eskimos and launch a pitch that would make a New York Yankee jealous.

He is the reality television guy with the big smile and an attitude to match; an approach that won him a lot of armchair fans as well as a boardroom victory and job with one of Australia’s most successful entrepreneurs, Mark Bouris.

Victory as The Apprentice changed Andrew’s life: when he made his own way down the yellow brick road, the new apprentice, who already had heart, the brain and the nerve, needed to learn how to balance working within a business with managing an arm of that same business.

Andrew’s own yellow brick road means he has taken the journey that requires him to go from entrepreneur to intrapreneur: an entrepreneur within a business.

Having started his first business at the age of 14, Andrew admits that this is the first time he’s ever been a ‘wage earner’. Yet, as a career move this is an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

Working with Mark means he is mentored by one of the most respected businessmen in Australia, as well as having the opportunity to run an arm of Yellow Brick Road.

Finding the wizard within In his short time with Yellow Brick Road, Andrew has come to personify what it means to be an intrepreneur.

As a 24-year-old success story, Gen Ys can learn a lot from the challenge Andrew has set himself. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

“I treat this business as if it’s my own,” Andrew tells me indicating that he has a certain level of ownership over what he’s doing at Yellow Brick Road. He says it’s as simple as the terminology you use, “ask someone how big they’re department is and often they will say, ‘the department is’, where as I try to say ‘our department is’ so it’s about the ‘we’ and the ‘us’ rather than the ‘I’ or the ‘them’.”

Andrew argues that intrepreneurs will typically work harder than the average employee because they’re bringing a results-focused approach to what they do.

However this doesn’t have to mean working longer hours. “It’s not necessarily about the hours you put in either, it more comes down to productivity and the quality of your work.”

Given the media attention that’s been aimed toward Gen Y, Andrew believes it’s important Gen Ys differentiate themselves and seek out a place where opportunity finds them. “It’s very easy at universities and at TAFE colleges to fall into the mix; to become another number, another student. You’ve all got your degrees, but at the end of it you’re all standing there with your hats and your robes and then you go out and you're fighting against each other in the job market.”

He explains that the main thing that will differentiate Gen Ys in the job-market is experience. While many Gen Ys may be too reliant on their piece of paper to get them where they want to go, Andrew explains the ones that have the ‘do whatever it takes attitude’ will get the experience needed to stand out. “Back yourself. Believe in what you have to offer and actually get yourself into a position where you have an edge over your peers.”

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Andrew Morello's Tips for Gen Y Success 1. Get an accountability partner. A peer who is at the same organisation or running a similar business to you. Set targets and hold each other accountable.

2. Get a mentor. The best of the best have mentors; it gives you an opportunity to leverage off years and years of trial and error.

3. Work for free in the beginning. If you’re just starting out and are looking for experience, do whatever it takes to get into a business that operates in the space you’re looking to play in.

The lessons you learn will be more valuable than any salary you may have earnt.

4. Take calculated risks. While you’re young, you can afford to push the boundaries.

Men who do nothing but good deeds One of the ways to drive your own performance is to have an accountability partner says Andrew. Someone who is in a similar role or running a similar business to you, and have a weekly meeting to set performance targets and hold each other accountable. “Number one is getting an accountability partner, whether you’re starting a business or working within an organisation. If you’re a young lawyer at a law firm, get yourself a person who’s at the same level as you and have a competition around who can meet the most people, who can bill the most units, and the loser shouts the coffees for the day.”

The other thing Gen Ys can do to differentiate themselves is to get a mentor. Not having been through university, Andrew’s education has come solely from experience and mentors with ‘been there done that’ experience.

“Doesn’t matter what level of business

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you are, get yourself a mentor. I speak to guys at the top of their game and they’ve made millions of dollars and lost millions of dollars, and they’ve still got a mentor.”

Within corporate Australia, there is a divide between the leadership offered and the engagement required from Gen Y employees. “It works both ways, sometimes it’s the business owners or the managers who aren’t encouraging people to reach their full potential.”

Andrew cites a recent speaking engagement where he was instructed by the heads of department at a wellknown Australian bank to ‘not motivate them too much’. With the business environment changing at such a rapid pace, Andrew believes a lot needs to be done to get the leaders of Gen Y up to speed. “I think there’s a massive gap right now between staff performance and leadership.”

Like many others, Andrew does share the belief that the Gen Ys who stand up in this environment, will be in a place where opportunity can see them.

“Some Gen Ys are motivated and doing things and are trying to make the world a better place. But then you meet guys our age at every function you go to and…” He pauses reluctantly. “They’re not doing anything. And then we wonder why everyone gives our generation a hard time. Let’s go do something and prove them wrong. Their reluctance should be our enthusiasm.” TB Andrew is now walking the Yellow Brick Road as the Head of Business Development and can be contacted at andrew.morello@ybr.com.au.

Jack Delosa heads up the Entourage, a movement of young entrepreneurs (18-35) connecting Australia's best entrepreneurs with Australia's next entrepreneurs. Email him at: jackd@the-entourage.com.au. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

ADVERTORIAL

Let the sun shine on your business

 By Graham Maughan

I

woke up early one morning and took a leisurely stroll with my wife to a beautiful long stretch of golden sand where the sun glistens onto the turquoise blue of the Pacific Ocean. The waves lapped gently over our feet and as we walked hand in hand, we transitioned from a comfortable night’s sleep to considering return to the resort for a hearty buffet breakfast before the day’s ‘work’ commenced.

WORK! This doesn’t sound like the way most of us start our work day. However, SurfAir on Marcoola Beach resort, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is the ideal venue to combine business and pleasure.

I had heard from various people that it is not only a fantastic place for a holiday but is also ideal for a conference or meeting venue. So I went up there a few weekends ago to see for myself.

SurfAir on Marcoola has more than 200 rooms and apartments and

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six conference rooms, this beautiful resort can accommodate small groups for meetings and up to 250 people for conferences or conventions in their Beachfront Ballroom.

Today, businesses of all sizes are under pressure with both time and budgets. The Information Technology age provides an opportunity to communicate remotely from any location in the world, but also presents a challenge to enable us to relax and switch off. Despite the availability of technology, there are also times when the old fashion ‘face to face’ is the most effective way to communicate with your team or customers.

I spoke to the resort general manager, Damien Keenan who said that the Sunshine Coast is proving to be a popular destination for companies wanting to hold conferences, conventions, forums and meetings. The proximity of the resort to the Sunshine Coast airport makes it very attractive for interstate businesses as it is only a few minutes away.

“Our dedicated events specialists help businesses tailor programs to suit their needs, providing the right balance between work and fun at a very affordable price. Some of the more popular activities incorporated into conference programs at the resort include

golf, surfing lessons, beach activities— particularly segue over the dunes—and even cooking schools.”

When it comes to providing your taste buds with a party, SurfAir on Marcoola has it covered; their chefs are first class providing meals that are world class. With the poolside Restaurant and Bar located on site, the resort can provide a gourmet garden BBQ, relaxed Bistro dinner, banquets for up to 180 people or an exclusive cocktail function in the central penthouse watching the sunset.

If you decide to bring your partners while you work they can indulge themselves in the day spa (which I highly recommend), relax by the 60m pool with a cocktail, go to the beach (1 min. walk) or there is also a fully equipped gym for the energetic. After work you could choose the nightclub to unwind, buy a bottle of wine in their bottle shop to take back to your room or just relax in the restaurant.

So next time you’re looking for a conference or meeting venue, or you need some space to let the sun shine on your business, consider the Sunshine Coast. It’s a world-class destination and SurfAir on Marcoola Beach by Wyndham provides a fantastic venue, professional service and most importantly a location ideally suited to fresh ideas and restoration. TB Volume 3.5

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W E A L T H :

CHUNK UP

Think then Big, take action!

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

The human mind works in many different ways. Some people are detail-oriented thinkers, and some think in terms of the big-picture. But who makes more money, the micro thinker or the macro thinker; the janitor or the CEO?

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he answer is pretty obvious. The CEO makes more money because the CEO sees the big picture. The CEO’s mind operates on the largest possible scale and the CEO’s financial compensation exists on that very same scale. When one element of your career is big, the other elements will fall in line—provided you take a few very important steps. These steps are not only a matter of what you do, but of how you think. You’ve got to see the big picture in your mind and then you’ve got to expand what you see into the physical world.

People who are massively wealthy don’t just stop once they’ve conjured a big-picture vision. They also turn it into real-world results.

Plenty of big-picture thinkers aren’t sufficiently grounded to produce tangible results. Thinking expansively is directly correlated to the value you create in the marketplace and the money you make there.

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In line with this, let’s look at a concept called chunking. Chunking is simply a way to think about information: Are you thinking detail or thinking abstract? If you are committed to making more money, ask yourself, “What must I do to create more value?” If you are selling your time for money, there is only so much value you can create because you have only so many hours in a day. You need to be more expansive in your thinking. You need to chunk up to deliver more expansive value to the world.

That means asking yourself, “What is this an example of?” or “For what purpose does this exist?” Or, if you’re already thinking of the big picture, you need to chunk down. Ask yourself, “What must I do specifically?” This will help you become more detail oriented.

You can also chunk laterally by first chunking up one level and then asking yourself, “What are other examples of this?”

As you begin to use these techniques, think about how you think. Do you need to chunk up or chunk down? Remember: chunking is a way of thinking about information. You can chunk up or chunk down in your thinking. You can think macro or you can think micro. You can think in terms of the big picture or in terms of the operational details. Chunking up and chunking down are both very important and needed to master each of these styles.

Imagine for a moment that you’re the owner of a yoga studio. To chunk up, you might ask, “What kind of business is a yoga studio? For what purpose does it exist?” You could answer, “Well, yoga is an example of body work,” or “It’s an example of stress relief.” Stress relief or body work are both www.thinkbigmagazine.com

larger-level chunks on yoga. If you wanted to chunk up even more, you could chunk all the way up to personal development or helping others. You will find yourself in an entirely different field but coming from the same genesis.

Then you could consider launching an online school of instruction in mind-andbody medicine. You could think, “I’m not just a yoga instructor, I work in the field of relaxation and inner peace. I am going to create a series of relaxation products, or I am going to open my own spa resort where people can go to find the peace of mind they really crave, and I will have other instructors who work for me at the resort. Perhaps I’ll launch an entire chain of resorts.” Chunking up is wider and more expansive thinking.

Once you’ve gone in this direction for a while, you can start chunking down again to think about the practicalities. But the first step is to think on the macro scale. Chunk up before you chunk down. Remember those ads with the picture of Bill Gates and the line in big print that said, “I love a big idea.” Keep that in mind and then put your big ideas into action, starting right now.

One of the biggest mistakes an

entrepreneur can make is waiting too long.

Again and again I’ve heard people talk about all the great ideas they have, but when I ask them when they’re going to put those ideas into action they slow down very quickly. Usually there’s something else they need to take care of before they’re ready to make any kind of dramatic change.

They’ll say, “I’m waiting until I have more money,” or, “I need to get my kids through school.” It’s always something—but all those somethings add up to nothing in the way of change.

You’ve got to see where you are today as the starting line for really expansive change. Don’t wait one day longer. Start thinking of your current business or occupation and then look for ways to chunk up or down. What would this mean for you and your business? Start considering how you can take what you’re currently doing and chunk up on it—that is, expand your thinking to gain flexibility and see other places you can direct your energy. If you’re really thinking expansively and thinking of delivering more and more value, you can conquer the world once you put those thoughts into action. TB

This article is from Chris Howard’s new book, Instant Wealth—Wake Up Rich!

For more information on Chris or to purchase his book, please visit www. wealthandachievement.com

Wealth Propulsion Intensive Dates in 2010: Sydney 3-5 December

Dates in 2011: Auckland 2-4 September Melbourne 16-18 September Perth 23-25 September Brisbane 7-9 October

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

A 2.5 day FREE event with the Christopher Howard training team!

To register for your 2 free tickets valued at $1,790 go to:

www.wealthevent.com.au Volume 3.5

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S T R AT E G Y

Super vs. Paying Off Your Mortgage Justin Beeton is the founder of JB Global Investment Services. jbglobal.com.au

Are you better off paying down your mortgage or investing more into your super, asks Justin Beeton.

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ntil the recent legislative changes to superannuation, it was widely accepted that the best investment strategy was to pay off all non-deductible debt as fast as possible. For most of us, that meant the home mortgage.

But, with the latest government rules making super even more tax effective, the answer is no longer as straight forward.

Paying off your mortgage provides many benefits as it will reduce the interest you pay now and effectively give you an after tax investment return equivalent to your mortgage rate.

Whereas home loan repayments come from after tax dollars, super contributions can be made from pre-tax money through salary sacrifice. This means you pay 15% on your super contributions (rather than your marginal rate) and therefore have more money to invest into super than you would have available to pay off your mortgage. This gives you more money to invest, giving super a key advantage over paying off your mortgage.

As Investment earnings within super are also taxed at a concessional rate—rather than your marginal rate—for most Australians the benefits of investing in super are now greater than merely paying off your mortgage.

The process involves: Step 1: Review your finances to determine if you have, or could make available, any additional money for investment. Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to free up cash by re-scheduling your commitments or by altering the structure and terms of your mortgage. For example, you could reduce your current mortgage payments by extending the term of your home loan, or by converting to interest only.

Step 2: You invest the spare or ‘freedup’ cash into super up to the concessional contribution limit, using salary sacrifice, so your

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contributions are taxed at 15% rather than your marginal rate.

Step 3: At retirement you pay off your mortgage by drawing the funds from your super—tax free. The tax advantages you gain by putting money into super, plus the growth in super over time leave you significantly better off. And, you still benefit from any capital growth in your home.

Example Rebecca is 45 years old and on a marginal tax rate of 41.5%. There is 20 years remaining on her $200,000 home mortgage. The interest rate is 6.475%.

Rebecca can convert to interest only repayments to reduce the repayments on her mortgage from $1,496 per month to $1,079.

This gives Rebecca an additional $5,000 in her pocket each year. Rather than merely spending the funds, Rebecca can elect to have the funds paid into super via salary sacrifice.

As such, rather than being paid the $5,000 income after tax each year, her employer can divert $8,547 (pre tax) into Rebecca’s superannuation. As the superannuation contribution tax is 15% the amount that can be invested within super is $7,265.

Over the 20 years, if Rebecca had merely maintained the principal plus interest repayments she would have only just paid off the mortgage.

By converting to interest only and using the cash flow savings to invest within super, Rebecca can accumulate an additional $457,713 within super over the 20-year period by achieving a 10% per annum return within super. As Rebecca is now 65 she can draw down $200,000 tax free and pay off her mortgage. Rebecca therefore has paid off her home in exactly the same period yet accumulated an additional $257,713 within www.thinkbigmagazine.com

super just by being a smart investor.

Rebecca’s monthly cash flow has not been affected as we have merely restructured her loan to generate additional cash flow benefit, we have then elected to invest the additional cash flow into super where there are huge tax benefits.

This is one example as to how super can be extremely sexy.

You just need to develop the knowledge to take advantage of the many benefits super offers or employ an expert that does.

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.

–Benjamin Franklin From here knowledge alone will not create wealth unless you do something with that information. You need to take action and actually do something.

The value of an idea lies in the using of it.

–Thomas A Edison Only when you take action will you progress. Restructuring your interest repayments and investing in super involves no short-term pain, as your monthly cash flow will not change.

It involves absolutely no financial sacrifice at all yet you can accumulate hundreds of thousands of dollars from just being a smart investor.

What are the factors to consider?

Whether you can benefit from a super versus mortgage strategy will depend entirely on your personal circumstances and, because the issues are complex and interdependent, it makes sense to seek professional financial advice.

Your age is important, as you obviously can’t access your super until you reach your preservation age which is currently 55. This means that you have to be comfortable locking away your money in super rather than having access to it as equity in a home.

You also need to be aware that the returns achieved within superannuation will also have an impact on the success of this strategy. In years when investment markets perform poorly, low or even negative returns are possible. This is an important consideration if you are planning to use your super savings to pay down your mortgage at retirement.

Your income level will also impact the effectiveness of the strategy—working best if you are on a 30% or higher marginal tax rate.

Despite the various strategies you have to grow and invest more money into the tax effective paradise called superannuation, when it comes to planning for retirement the first step you should implement to start the journey towards financial independence is to seek professional advice. When it comes to super it is even more important to seek professional advice as investment decisions should be based on an individuals own goals, time horizon and your tolerance for risk.

While seeking advice is important, so to is developing a general understanding of the various super strategies available. TB To receive a free copy of Justin Beeton’s latest ebook Making Super Sexy and to register for a free comprehensive super review valued at $495, go online to: www.jbglobal.com.au/makingsupersexy www.thinkbigmagazine.com

The secret one business is using to single handedly dominate an entire industry From $12k to $10 million in 5 years this business is the first to “corner the market” with an astounding 61% market share.

For the first time this year, a new business event is taking place around Australia called Breakthrough To Business Success (BTBS). At this event, highly successful businesswoman Sharon Pearson will reveal the secret that’s made her company the dominant force in its industry.

This secret is the centerpiece behind her company’s awesome success. And it’s so simple anybody can do it. At BTBS you’ll discover how to apply this secret in your business step by step. You’ll know how Sharon’s business routinely does over $1m per month – while she works on it part time. You’ll be given a blueprint that leverages all the hidden profit potential you’re leaving on the table. And you’ll know how to remove yourself from the day-to-day operations, so you live life on your terms.

This event is fully interactive with exercises that burn this newfound knowledge into your mind – automatically. So you’ll also have loads of fun. Note: This is NOT a “pitchfest”. There’s only one speaker, and that’s Sharon for all 3 days. Tickets are valued at $2995 each. For a limited time however you may attend – FREE. Just call 1800 094 127 or email action@smallbusinessmastermindclub.com.au.

Do so now as there’s only a few tickets left in each city (really!).

The Coaching Institute 335 Ferrars Street South Melbourne VIC 3205 Telephone 1800 094 927 www.smallbusinessmastermindclub.com.au Volume 3.5

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W E A L T H :

EMPOWERMENT

A $50,000

Lachlan Elsworth is quickly becoming a household name when it comes to Day Trading Education and Performance. His is an international advocate for the disabled and the Senior Trader for Traders International. tradersinternational.com

Opportunity Lachlan Elsworth shares his personal commitment to excellence in helping the disabled.

F

or many years I have witnessed firsthand the struggle that disabled people face every day just to make ends meet. I have had the pleasure of growing up with a little brother who has Cerebral Palsy. Scott, six years my junior, has not let this stand in his way, competing in two Para Olympics and multiple international and national competitions.

Despite these obvious positives, I am finding life more and more frustrating as I hear of people in wheelchairs, for whatever reason, facing life on a disabled pension. I continue to hear stories about disabled people being refused employment opportunities simply due to their disability. So, earlier this year I decided that it was time that something was done to empower these amazing people.

In March, 2010 Traders International Australia launched its Disabled Trading Scholarship pilot program. This scholarship

is intended to test the viability of a more comprehensive scholarship program. My intent is to empower a selected ‘less able’ person to trade the amazing Day Trading opportunity Traders International is trading already. The live trading rooms and the multi-award winning education package serve as the foundation for the pilot test.

To my knowledge this is the first time this has been attempted in Australia, or in fact, South East Asia.

Well I can report that the Pilot Test has been a complete success with our first graduate, Phil, now a confident and proficient FOREX Trader. Phil’s success, documented on our blog, thetradersinternationalblog.com. au is wonderful testimony to what we can achieve by giving the right people the right opportunity.

Traders International is now seeking the next Scholarship Winner.

The scholarship is valued at over AU$50,000.00 and includes the entire Traders International Education Package as well as a year of private trading tuition, every trading day, with the Traders International Senior Trading team.

To apply, or to seek more information, simply go to www.tradersinternational. com or email: support@ tradersinternational.com.

Together, we can and will make a huge difference to these wonderful people. TB

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www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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David Koch's Business Travel Tips • Technology has made your business more efficient. It’s done the same with airlines…download your boarding pass on to your mobile.

• Cruise through security by thinking about what’s in your carry-on luggage and wearing travel friendly belts and shoes.

• Just like when choosing a financial product it’s not all about price. It may be worth paying a little more for greater flexibility.

• Airport lounges can be your travelling office. Catch up with emails and calls to ensure home time is family time…not work time.

• A business trip must be productive.

Get organised. List your appointments and what’s needed.

Tick them off before leaving.

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W E A L T H :

DISCIPLINE

What are you going to quit to improve your

Discipline?

Andrew Barnett is CEO of LTG GoldRock, a worldwide foreign currency trading and financial services business.

If something is going to change for you—or continue to change for those already taking action—you need to be moved and inspired, writes Andrew Barnett.

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ive years ago I decided to invest $5,000 in myself and quit the things that were really getting me nowhere. Many of these things would make people shudder, however since I made the decision I have been amazed by the things that have come my way. So, if good things can come from quitting the bad, is it time for you to quit some things you are doing?

I am not telling you to do exactly what I did, nor am I telling you some of the things

below because I have an ego, but here is a quick outline of what I quit, why and I quit it and what resulted. The moral of the story is if a high school dropout who just passed Grade 10 and quit school can be successful, you can too.

What I quit and why • I quit my job—I hated my job and was making $55,000 per annum.

• I sold our house—We were living six weeks in front of the bank if I lost my job. We were incredibly stressed about paying our bills. We did have some equity, but we had no cash and it was making my marriage incredibly stressful.

• I quit hanging out with some friends—I stopped hanging with people that were negative, always complaining about their life.

What I actioned • I made a commitment to continue to love my friends and family but be more careful about what I listened to and who I hung out with. Most people who told me not to do something had never done it themselves. I wanted to be around successful, positive people. I started trying to hang out with people that were living the life I wanted to live.

• I decided for once in my life I'd believe in myself and stop believing I wasn’t good enough. In my early 20s I was among the top 10 waterskiers in the world, but I never reached number one. I had more natural

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It all comes down to discipline: never deviate from what you want and stay true to your plan. talent than most, but I lacked belief. I realise that now and wish I could have that time again.

• I attended seminar after seminar and finally found one that resonated with me. I didn’t procrastinate; I knew if something was to change I needed to give ‘something’ a go. Was I scared? Yes, petrified!

I was a complete failure at trading for well over eight months, until one month it started to click. I was about to quit and decided as a last ditch effort to trade as small as I could (hey my money was drying up fast) and just chip away for the next six months to see what happened. Within that time I realised I had made it. Crawl, walk, jog, run, and then sprint were what I did and I continue to have this philosophy today.

Please keep in mind all I wanted was to be a trader, but look what has happened as a result of me just doing one thing well and investing $5,000 in my education. Doors have opened and I have passive income coming from myriad places as well as my trading.

After 12 months I made more money in one month that I used to make in one year. And I have a self managed fund that is growing at four times the rate of the industry average and multiple six figures. I now have the pleasure of having someone else trade my account when I am travelling or don’t feel like trading.

I hired them! I have met some incredible traders who also taught me how to invest in the stockmarket. I doubled an account from 50,000 to 100,000 inside 12 months with no leverage. I used the deposit for one of the houses I have built. I have built two recently and am starting my dream home that has a back door onto the beach. I also own and operate a multi-million dollar debt free trading company with offices in five countries.

These may not be your goals and won’t be your outcomes, but how can you get what you want? It all comes down to discipline: never deviate from what you want and stay true to your plan.

What is the real meaning of discipline? Discipline is actually about self preservation. Think about it. If you want to lose weight you need to be disciplined and stay with your diet and exercise. If you don’t, you will selfdestruct and become overweight or worse, obese! What makes you disciplined when you want to lose weight? Self preservation. And it works exactly this way for everything including investing and trading.

Seriously! How are you going to reach your goals and make lots of money in the markets? What it will be is your discipline towards your self-preservation, your willingness to take action and your self-belief. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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3.5 thinkBIG 57

“Pick one thing and try and become the greatest in the world at it.”

“70% of your time within the first year of a new business should be spent on sales and marketing.”

Australia’s got

talent & persistence From a two-man operation to the world’s 15th largest advertising group, Siimon Reynolds grew his company in eight years to 6,000 staff, 50 companies and a value of $500m on the ASX. Today he is recognised across the globe for his success, having taken home almost every advertising award in the world for his creativity. He speaks with Jack Delosa about money, marketing and why talent is overrated.

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“Talent is overrated,”

Siimon tells me as we drive along in a black Mercedes. “People who are just talented lose out to people who are persistent.”

However, the man who recently authored the book Why People Fail recognises the irony when he tells me that failure rarely comes down to a lack of talent.

“What are the reasons people or their organisations fail?” I ask.

“Well there’s a stack of them,” he says laughingly. “And I’ve experienced most of them.”

Although he’s built one of the largest and most successful marketing groups to come out of Australia, Siimon remains intimately connected with what entrepreneurs in the start-up phase must do to stay ahead of the failure curve.

His message is clear, “Pick one thing and become the greatest in the world at it.”

Siimon illustrates the importance, particularly in the early stages of business, of knowing your core business activity and sticking to it.

“There’s so much competition, unless you specialise and unless you focus, why should anyone go to you?”

Although SMEs and corporations can diversify into other markets, Siimon argues that that’s not how they got there.

“What happens is that we see successful companies and see that they do many things, but what we sometimes don’t see is they became successful by owning one niche and becoming expert at it.”

While building The Photon Group, Siimon went from a two-man operation to owning over 50 companies—most of which were still in the growth phase of their business.

He talks about the importance of business owners not only focusing on one thing, but also being efficient in the way they develop their model. “We get stuck having meetings, talking to staff and doing emails, all this peripheral stuff that is not actually generating new income.

“70% of your time within the first year of a new business should be spent on sales and marketing, but in reality that’s not the case. The research shows that 11% of a business owner’s time is spent on sales and marketing. But that’s the stuff that keeps you alive.”

Siimon explains the keys to marketing are what he refers to as ‘recency and frequency’ and that by systemising, and wherever possible automating the way www.thinkbigmagazine.com

you market to prospective clients you will create a cash-generating machine. All it takes is focus and discipline. “Often it’s the recency and frequency with which you have contacted a client that gets you that client. It gets you on the short list and gets you top of mind and this makes them want to ring you or go and buy your product and service.”

By automating this frequent contact with your target market, Siimon indicates that you will outperform your competitors, simply because you will have business finding you.

While in advertising, his companies would contact prospective clients 16 times a year. Most of these contact points were automated, and some were managed by a person who had it diarised to contact prospects each and every week.

“We moved from people hearing from us once a year, to people hearing from us 16 times a year. And that’s everything from articles that were useful, phone calls, presentations or inviting them for lunch or sending them gifts, books or giving them a birthday card.”

A move which obviously paid dividends, “What happened was that numerous times we’d be put on short lists for big accounts, simply because we had recently contacted them when they wanted to look for a new ad agency.”

For small business owners Siimon explains the importance of applying this strategy. “Have a calendar of contact points, so that you know that over the course of 12 months you’re going to be hitting your target market this many times and in this many ways. And diarise it.”

He encourages entrepreneurs to experiment, particularly during the early stages, with different marketing strategies and different business models. “Keep refining the model, the organism gets healthier and eventually you’ve so refined it that it looks like magic to a competitor who can’t understand that it was tiny changes that made it successful. It just looks so far ahead of everybody else that it’s incomprehensible.”

Siimon indicates that having the right mentors around you, who have “built a business themselves or can show you tangible results they’ve produced with other clients” can make the difference in the success or failure of a venture.

In a protest against the slow and

theoretical based teachings of universities, Siimon has recently built a business school, The Fortune Institute, to educate entrepreneurs who want practical business education—quickly. With all his successes Siimon still spends an hour every day, learning something new. “People with a learning mindset beat everybody else. They just beat everybody else.”

He explains that talent isn’t everything and that the persistent learner will outperform the naturally talented every time.

“I don’t have to be brighter than everybody else. I don’t have to have more money than everybody else. I don’t have to have more luck than everybody else. I just have to outlearn everybody. And that’s a very easy thing to do because almost no one is focused on continual learning.

If you spend just one hour daily learning and then the rest of the day applying what you learnt, you would revolutionise any industry. You would be a top-performer.”

Perhaps this is why Siimon built his house around his bookshelf, instructing his architect that the bookshelf was the first priority and the bed his second. 25 years in, he still places the source of his success with his thirst for knowledge.

“We follow nature. We’re a part of nature, even though we act like we’re not. You’ve got to plant a seed and keep persisting as it grows until finally like a snowball you’ve got momentum picking up on itself.” TB Jack Delosa heads up the Entourage, a movement of young entrepreneurs (18-35) connecting Australia's best entrepreneurs with Australia's next entrepreneurs. Contact him at: jackd@the-entourage.com.au.

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W E A L T H :

CHANGES

Tools for Transformation:

Questions

To Change Everything From Health to Wealth Tracey Maclean is CEO of Master Mindset Events and the director of Compass Coaching International. As a relationship strategist, she works with people to create outstanding relationships even when they think they are over. compasslifecoaching. com.au mastermindset.com.au

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Questions determine our thoughts and everything we do, questions can lead you to think about your life, assess your behaviours and challenge your beliefs.

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he quality of your life is directly proportionate to the quality of the questions you ask yourself. In most cases, when a person is 'stuck' in a problem, they will ask themselves questions that validate their position: “Why do all my relationships fail?”, or “Why am I so unhappy?”

One thing I know for sure is if you ask an unresourceful question, you are sure to get an unresourceful answer.

Questions are powerful tools; they change what you focus on and as a result how you feel. As a change agent, I like to ask the power questions that entice the unconscious mind to search for the answer, minutes, hours and days later, even when the person has already answered verbally.

I’m going to share with you five outstanding questions for transformation; they can help you to refocus your attention, make distinctions and bring even more awareness to the resources and resourcefulness that will move you closer to your goals, easily and effortlessly.

These questions are designed to enrich your mental blueprint and assist you to gain emotional mastery so, as you consider answering these questions now, you might like to think about a quiet place where you can sit uninterrupted.

Beliefs drive our behaviour and are most often confused with fact. You may hear yourself or others say “That’s just the way it is.”

Yet beliefs are not fact, they are generalisations about what will happen. Most people believe that it is the events in their lives that shape their destiny, yet it's not the event but what you make it mean that shapes you. Beliefs are made up and they have the power to destroy and to create. So, once you discover a limiting belief you can begin to ask great questions— how does A = B.

Questions to blow out limiting beliefs: • “How do I know?" This is a great question to elicit your blueprint—it reveals the process you run through in order to know what you know! Then you can ask “ is it true.”

• “What would happen if I did/could?” People often flag a limiting belief with the words “I can't” and this question will take you from the problem to the non-problem and allows you to 'try on' what is truly possible.

• "How would I know if it wasn’t true?”

This question will challenge your limiting belief directly. You have to explore the limiting belief and imagine a new, more resourceful one.

Every behaviour has a positive intention even when the behaviour is unresourceful. On a conscious level this behaviour doesn’t appear to support us and yet at the unconscious level there are reasons why we continue to do it.

Questions to blow out un-resourceful behaviours: • “What is this choice costing me and those around me?” We tend to think that behaviours just turn up…. Oops, there’s procrastination again. But the truth is that we choose all of our behaviours—good and bad! This question will assist you to identify the cost to you and others and move you to take action toward change.

• “What does this behaviour give you that changing wouldn’t?” This is a great question for discovering an unresourceful behaviours—“I’m always busy…”

• “What does this behaviour give you that changing wouldn’t?” Excuses! TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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

Blame no-one.

Do something.

Expect nothing.

I

n our last issue we discussed the difference between franchising and licensing and what these growth models entail and which is the best model for expansion. From our point of view it depends on only one factor—the level of CONTROL. Making the decision to expand your business is not an overnight decision or process, nor a get rich quick scheme; it is a committed long term strategy.

We also discussed the models for expansion, now the next step is to assess the psychic and mentality needed to expand your business.

Franchising is when you (potential Franchisor) say to someone: • If you have passion for my business and if you agree to do your best to follow my tested rules, I will grant you the right to run a copy of my business (franchisee drives business); • We will show you what you need to do; • We will give you the tools to do the job; • We will support you in your efforts to do it;

to see a vibrant person that they want to be associated with.“A positive attitude conquers all” as it will grow the individual and drive the entire network. You know what they say, it takes 17 muscles to smile and 42 muscles to frown.

A Franchisor is also a leader, a person who influences others towards achieving a goal. As a leader, one of the models I follow is the 3P’s—Person, People and Purpose.

In any leadership role, whether you see yourself in a role as an Entrepreneur, Franchisor, or Manager to name a few, you are a person who needs to be motivated, driven, enthusiastic, and passionate about your role as you are in a position to motive and inspire others to achieve success and reach the desired heights.

1. Person committed to purpose: A good leader excites a network of people to follow their business and in a strategic way where the network follows the business and the leader because they want too not because they have too.

• Together we will grow this business to be bigger and better than the sum of its individual parts; and

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3. People to influence: A remarkable leader is one who has gotten their hands dirty and who is willing to get their hands dirty just the same as any other staff member or franchisee. A leader can then lead from the front effectively and with respect. It is also important for a leader to have the ability to listen to constructive criticism, be open-minded to feedback and suggestions, have the ability to try new things (take risks) and not be afraid to make mistakes, but more importantly learn from the mistakes made.

My final piece of advice to those looking to expand their business is to follow my mantra: Blame no-one, Do something, Expect nothing. FF

Purpose

• You will pay a fair price for the brand, goodwill, support and training and in return you should make a return on your investment.

Franchising is not a business itself but a way of doing business. By rethinking the traditional methodology of the “F word” you can expand your business in an innovative and refreshing way.

As a successful Franchisor you have to be ready to be a mentor and possess great communication skills to liaise with your staff, franchisees—basically your entire stakeholder network.

As a Franchisor a positive attitude is imperative, those around you will want

2. Purpose to achieve people: I see franchising as a tool to motivate people to build and grow, I am so enthusiastic about this I have coined the phrase, “HUMAN AGRICULTURE.”

Committed to

To achieve

Person

People Influences www.thinkbigmagazine.com

FREE CONSULTATION

Take action: don’t be afraid of the ‘F’ word. Leading brands, Telcoinabox, Destination for Men, Cartridge World, and ZEN Home Energy Systems are all successfully using the F word.

Sherpa Group are an international consultancy with a team of experienced and well credited franchise consultants with over 30 years of combined franchise experience. Sherpa Group understands that each journey in business is different, each person has different reasons and motivations for being in business, and we understand your dreams and aspirations are as unique as the business you have built. We pride ourselves on supporting and guiding our clients throughout their business journey – if your vision for the future includes franchising, licensing, or expanding your business have a Sherpa join your team.

Our Products and Services include: Documentation Viability Studies System Development

International Growth Strategies International Manual Preparation

LIMITED FREE CONSULTATIONS: Leading expert, Chief Sherpa Vicki Prout, has real time experience in franchising in over 40 countries and recently won the FCA SA Franchise Woman Of The Year for a record fourth time - 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 .

For your free consultation on any of our products and services register at:

www. sherpagroup.com.au *Valid until end of November or until booked.

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Training and Recruitment Branding and Marketing Strategies

CONTACT DETAILS Sydney Suite 906 / 185 Elizabeth Street Sydney NSW 2000 Phone: (02) 9267 6277 Vicki Prout, Chief Sherpa: 0439 803 078 info@sherpagroup.com.au SYDNEY – ADELAIDE – PERTH – AUCKLAND

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Join an innovative business and take advantage of the booming green market.

ASK US HOW MUCH—You will be surprised!

Better! Greener! Cleaner!

Don’t break the bank or break your back!

www.ecoscrubbers.com.au Franchise enquiries: Call Leanne 0414 789 862 or email leanne@ecoscrubbers.com.au 64

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Your Guide to Franchising and Licensing

Eco Pest Control

Destination for Men

Eco Pest Control provides safe, effective pest control methods which protect public health and property, minimise financial loss, reduce our environmental footprint and exceed our customers’ expectations.

Servicing a wide variety of the community from domestic homes to large commercial and industrial sites we are committed to excellence within the pest control industry.

Destination for Men has created quite an impact within the wider male community. We are proud to be leaders in the male grooming and relaxation industry.

We are looking for applicants wanting a Destination for Men site, or investors interested in becoming shareholders.

Contact: Vicki Prout 0439 803 078 or Email: franchise@destinationformen.com.au http://www.destinationformen.com.au

Contact: Gavin Hutton 08 8354 0470 or Email: gavin@ecopestcontrol.com.au http://www.ecopestcontrol.com.au

Sustainable Directions

Super Shower Seal Fix Leaking Showers – Without removing tiles Super Shower Seal specialise in the Restoration, Repair, and Rejuvenation of existing shower alcoves - by repairing tiles and grout, replacing silicone seals, and sealing the tiles and grout joints with high quality Silane sealants and high grade silicone, the shower is restored to a quality finish, extending the life of the shower and minimising the need for a total renovation. It is a unique service, with its’ simple delivery and easy to pay options it is appealing to many customers.

Contact: Mike King 08 8372 7881 or Email: info@supershowerseal.com.au http://www.supershowerseal.com.au.

A home based franchise that helps small business and householders adopt sustainable practices. Small Business owners are assisted with a proven template and householders receive Home Sustainability Assessments through a contract with the Federal Government's Green Loans program.

Contact: Tony Innes 0416 097 790 or Email: tony@sustainabledirections.com.au http://www.sustainabledirections.com.au

The Fairies Our franchise is fan-fairy-tastic! The Fairies store is a unique retail concept that offers dancing classes, birthday parties and holiday programs plus much more.

Stax Subs and Coffee

Contact: Vicki Prout 0439 803 078 or Email: franchise@thefairies.com http://thefairies.com/franchise.aspx

Franchising and Coffee a boom that just won’t quit!

A Stax franchise – an opportunity to escape a job going nowhere, replace a job that has become redundant, a chance to become self employed – an opportunity that would be far more difficult without the expertise that comes from buying into an established system.

The franchisee immediately benefits from: Use of established business names, trademarks and proven business systems; Lower risk of failure/high potential for growth; Strong brand and administration support; Low cost entry; Ongoing training, advice and support.

Stax franchise unites the skills and resources of an experienced and established company with the driving ambition and dedication of the individual investor.

ZEN Home Energy Systems ZEN Home Energy Systems is an Australian-owned and operated company committed to the production of user-friendly sustainable energy technology. Through extensive research and product development with the world’s major manufacturers and suppliers, ZEN has quickly become Australia’s leading Home Energy Systems brand.

ZEN specialise in Grid Connected Solar, Solar Hot Water, and Rainwater Harvesting systems, and currently offer these services to the home, commercial, and community sectors.

Contact: Vicki Prout 0439 803 078 or Email: franchise@sherpagroup.com.au http://www.stax.com.au/

Contact Us: (02) 9267 6277 www.thinkbigmagazine.com S H E R PA G R O U P

www.sherpagroup.com.au

P T Y LT D :

Contact: Wes Lacey 08 8211 0600 or Email: wlacey@zenhomeenergy.com http://www.zenhomeenergy.com

info@sherpagroup.com.au Volume 3.5 thinkBIG

SY DNEY - A DELAIDE - PERTH - AUCKLAND

ABN : 59 229 753 776

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

From Farm to Franchise Who would have ever thought that a lad from rural Australia with a love of AFL football would have set out to revolutionise the world of male grooming?

I

was born in country NSW and spent the majority of my childhood on a farm.

Just after my 17th birthday I was drafted to the Sydney Swans and spent the next nine years as a professional sportsman.

It’s funny, when I think back to my times in the masculine world of Aussie sports I can vividly recall the changes in men’s grooming habits. In the early years of my professional football career the footballers would simply run their hands through their hair after a quick shower, put on their clothes and head straight home after a training session.

By the end of my footy career I noticed a considerable change in the grooming habits of my team mates. They started using shower gel, conditioning and using products in their hair, and even cleansing and moisturising their face.

Now, we all know that the Aussie male (in particular the “blokey” footballer) prides himself on being tough and rugged, yet here they were adhering to a fairly rigorous grooming regime to enhance their appearance—times were changing!

According to a recent newspaper article published by the Herald Sun, “The modern Aussie bloke cleanses, tones and exfoliates with the same dedication as his mum, sister and girlfriend.” Researching company IBISWorld estimated that men splurged about $48.8 million on beauty products last financial year; this in comparison to only $5 million spent ten years ago indicates an enormous growth over the past decade.

It is important for men to be aware about the variety of products and different ranges available that

are specifically designed for men. Dr Des Fernandes, a world renowned plastic surgeon has formulated high performance products exclusively for men—nothing complicated, just superior products designed with men in mind and their active lifestyles.

As discussed in the last issue, my goal when making the transition from footballer to businessman was to be diligent in my research. I was keen to uncover the ‘next big thing’, and based on the resultant figures I knew I had unearthed a goldmine! The male grooming industry was starting to boom in some parts of the world and I was determined to be the first to follow suit here in Australia.

So how did I go? I have decided to use the “F word” expansion model (meaning franchise), have conducted a rigorous viability report and stream of documentation and now in the process of actively recruiting for business partners and spreading the word about male grooming.

Destination for Men has forged a reputation as the ultimate male grooming and relaxation destination. Not bad for an Aussie bloke from the farm! FF

My goal when making the transition from footballer to businessman was to be diligent in my research.

I was keen to uncover the ‘next big thing’, and based on the resultant figures I knew I had unearthed a goldmine!

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Destination for Men

“Finally a salon with the Australian male in mind” FRANCHISES AVAILABLE- You don’t have to be a Hairdresser or Beauty Therapist to own a Destination for Men!

Destination for Men is… services, and creates an experience and relaxation

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.

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 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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Sick of the rat race?

50 hour week $65,000pa

35 hour week $72,000pa

Call 13 26 13 or visit

www.vipfranchise.com.au 68

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Change your life with us.

Our clients do.

MASTER FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY - AUSTRALIA • Leadership opportunity • Great culture • Highly supportive corporate team • Profitable and proven business • Room for massive growth potential HAIR CHOICE is an exciting new venture that brings together two complimentary areas male grooming and proven hair loss solutions in a refreshing and innovative manner presenting strong opportunities for the brand to become an industry leader in the Australian market and on an international scale.

HAIR CHOICE are seeking an Australian partner that has the capability to develop and manage a Master Franchise territory. The individual(s) will need to be driven, passionate, have a business background in management and a resume of work history that supports working with people in a team environment while striving for success. A marketing or sales background is beneficial but not required.

This is a people business and the most successful Masters care about helping others achieve success. It is also necessary that the individual(s) has sufficient capital to sustain and support them throughout the Master Development period. The Master Franchisee will benefit by sharing in the revenue from Franchise Development and ongoing royalties and have a guaranteed buyback option after an agreed period of time.

If you believe you possess the qualities and skills to successfully fill this opportunity apply now.

Quite simply - We’re looking for the best!

INVESTMENT: $875 000 - $1M (plus GST) If this HAIR CHOICE opportunity interests you, please email an expression of interest with your resume to: vicki@sherpagroup.com.au

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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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

Products and Services Viability Studies

Documentation

System Developments

International Manual Preparation

Training and Recruitment

International Growth Strategies

Branding and Marketing Strategies

When you are ready‌ Each journey in business is different.

Each person has different reasons and motivations for being in business.

Your dreams and aspirations are as unique as the business you have built.

If your vision for the future includes franchising or licensing your business, have a Sherpa join your team for the journey.

Contact Information Sydney, NSW: Suite 906 / 185 Elizabeth Street Sydney NSW 2000 Phone: (02) 9267 6277 Adelaide, SA: 2/92-94 Unley Road Unley SA 5061 Phone: +61 8 8272 8488

Vicki Prout, Chief Sherpa: 0439 803 078 Sherpa Group Pty Ltd Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Auckland

For your FREE consultation register here:

www.sherpagroup.com.au or send an email to us at: info@sherpagroup.com.au

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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 andaeven breakthrough have changed and inspired the lives of others.

Sponsor CEO scientific to sleep rough on June 17 and help Australia’s homeless

The homeless experience

Following its huge success in Sydney last year, the Vinnies CEO Sleepout went national during LUNA PARK SYDNEY winter 2010, when hundreds of CEOs and business leaders slept out across Australia.

The annual event, which this year was launched by the Federal Minister for Housing, Tanya Plibersek, as part of Vinnies Winter Appeal, aims to raise awareness about homelessness, and to raise funds for Vinnies homeless services across Australia. Last year in Sydney alone, more than 200 business leaders slept out to raise $620,000, which wildly exceeded expectations.

Ms Plibersek said the CEO Sleepout was a fantastic example of private enterprise and

the non-government Southbank). Tasmanian Register online at www.ceosleepout.org.au sector uniting for the CEOs slept out at8666 the or call 02 9560 benefit of the whole Melbourne event. community.

“The Vinnies CEO “Homelessness is Sleepout is rapidly everyone’s responsibility– gathering momentum, governments, businesses, as evidenced by its the service sector and national rollout,” the the wider community all National CEO of the have a role in reducing St Vincent de Paul homelessness,” she said.

Society, Dr John Falzon, “This terrific initiative said. “It captures the by the St Vincent de Paul real concern in the Society engages business community about leaders in understanding social inequality and an and helping to increasing awareness by address the complex business that it can have issues surrounding a role in addressing the homelessness.” situation.

This year the event “The night is not took place in Sydney an easy one,” he said.

(Luna Park), Canberra “Participants literally (National Museum of bed down on a sheet Australia), Melbourne of cardboard on the (Etihad Stadium), ground, with only Adelaide (Adelaide a mug of soup to Zoo), Perth (WACA), sustain them, on what Darwin (The Gardens is usually one of the Oval) and Brisbane coldest nights of the (Suncorp Piazza, year. Last year it rained Proudly supported by

non-stop, but still most of those who were there have indicated they will come back again this year.

“The experience of stepping into another person’s shoes like this, to get a tiny sense of what it must be like to have no home, can change the way you think about the world.

The business leaders who have chosen to do this say it is literally a life-changing experience.”

Dr Falzon said it was especially important for the ‘big end of town’ to understand the issues surrounding homelessness, as they were often the ones who had the power to influence change and make a difference.

“Homelessness is a breach of basic human rights,” he said. “It is an insidious problem, the causes of which are many and complex.

While the Australian Bureau of Statistics puts the number of homeless people nationally at around 105,000, including 34,000 children, the actual number is almost impossible to quantify.

From where we sit at the coal face, we believe the number is probably

much higher.”

Dr Falzon said all the money raised would go to Vinnies homelessness services including night patrol/soup van services, hostels for men, family services, refuges for women and their children escaping domestic violence, mental health services, and education and recreation facilities offering life skills courses, training and access to medical, legal and financial advice.

The Vinnies 2010 CEO Sleepout raised a staggering $2 million.

Almost 700 CEOs were sponsored. Business leaders who braved the cold included: Andrew Forrest, CEO, Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (Perth); CEO McDonalds, Catriona Noble (Sydney); CEO Brumbies, Andrew Fagan (Canberra); CEO VicRoads, Gary Liddle (Melbourne); CEO Great Southern Rail, Tony BraxtonSmith (Adelaide); CEO/ MD wotif.com Robbie Cook (Brisbane); CEO Sportingbet Australia, Natasha Harvey-Baron (Darwin).

CEOS who wish to participate in 2011 can register online at: www.ceosleepout.org.au 

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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BIGGER,

BIGGEST

When you

Wish Upon a Star When it comes to entertainment, nobody does it bigger or better than Disney. From the timeless Snow White (its first film released in 1937), Cinderella and Pinocchio to modern classics The Lion King, Toy Story and Cars, Disney has owned children’s celluloid. Yet there is much more to the Disney story than just movies.

F

or a film that was made 73 years ago, Snow White still sits at number seven on the list of all-time highest grossing animated films with $US178 million ($AU194.5). The Lion King sits atop the ledger with $US312.8 million.

Yet movies are just the tip of the magic mountain. When Walt Disney first founded The Walt Disney Company, his aim was to produce an unparalleled entertainment experience based on quality creative content and exceptional storytelling. Today, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, Disney is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with four business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment and consumer products.

The Walt Disney Studios The Walt Disney Studios is the foundation on which Disney was built, and at its heart are world-renowned animated features and live-action motion pictures.

Walt Disney Studios distributes motion

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pictures under Walt Disney Pictures— which includes Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios and DisneyToon Studios—Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures and up until recently Miramax Films.

On 29 July 2010, The Walt Disney Company announced the sale of Miramax Films to Filmyard Holdings LLC for over US$660 million (AU$737m). The sale of Miramax Films includes rights in over 700 film titles, including Academy Award winners like Chicago, Shakespeare in Love and No Country for Old Men.

Parks and resorts The segment traces its roots to 1952, when Walt Disney formed what is today known as Walt Disney Imagineering to build Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California.

Since then, Parks and Resorts has grown to encompass the worldclass Disney Cruise Line, eight Disney Vacation Club resorts (with more than 100,000 members), Adventures by Disney (immersive Disney-guided travel

around the world), and five resort locations (encompassing 11 theme parks, including some owned or co-owned by independent entities) on three continents: • Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, California • Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida • Tokyo Disney Resort, Urayasu, Chiba • Disneyland Resort Paris, Marne La Valle, France • Hong Kong Disneyland, Penny's Bay, Lantau Island.

Disney World is the largest of all the Disney resort areas. It is made up of four theme parks, two water parks and over a dozen hotels/resorts, two miniature golf courses, a shopping and entertainment area and an indoor theme park. At its peak, the resort occupied approximately 30,000 acres (120 km2) or 47 square miles (120 km²), about the size of San Francisco, or twice the size of Manhattan. Portions of the property since have been sold or de-annexed, www.thinkbigmagazine.com

including land now occupied by the Disneybuilt community of Celebration.

disney consumer products Disney merchandising began in 1929 when Walt Disney was approached by a businessman interested in placing Mickey Mouse on the cover of a children's writing tablet. Disney Consumer Products and affiliates (DCP) extend the Disney brand to merchandise ranging from apparel, toys, home décor and books and magazines to interactive games, foods and beverages, stationery, electronics and fine art. This is accomplished through DCP's various lines of business which include: Disney Toys, Disney Apparel, Accessories & Footwear, Disney Food, Health & Beauty, Disney Home and Disney Stationery.

Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW) is the world's largest publisher of children’s books and magazines, reaching more than 100 million readers each month in 75 countries.

Disney's imprints include Disney Libri, Hyperion Books for Children, Jump at the Sun, Disney Press, and Disney Editions.

media networks Media Networks comprise a vast array of broadcast, cable, radio, publishing and Internet businesses. Key areas include: Disney-ABC Television Group, ESPN Inc., Walt Disney Internet Group, ABC owned television stations, and a supporting headquarters group.

Marketing, research, sales and communications functions also exist within the segment.

the growth continues In 2007, WDP&R announced the purchase of 21 acres in Hawaii on the island of Oahu to build a luxury family resort. The property, located on the island’s western side in the picturesque Ko’ Olina Resort & Marina, one of Honolulu’s premier resort destinations, will be home to Disney’s first mixed-use family resort outside of its theme park developments. The expansive resort, scheduled to open in 2011, will have more than 800 units including hotel rooms and villas for Disney Vacation Club.

Disney’s legacy lives long in the hearts and minds of children and adults alike.

Yet behind the joy brought by the various segments, there exists a business, led by a vision and mindset, that has created the biggest (and some would argue best) entertainment diversification in the world. TB

TB

Title photo: Evening Christmas sparkle at Disneyland Paris. Right: Splash Mountain, one of the popular rides at Disneyland. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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T H O U G H T

L E A D E R S H I P

• By Daniel G Taylor

The Soros Lectures

Getting Past OK

• by George Soros

• by Richard Brodie

After Warren Buffett, George Soros is the world’s most successful share investor.

Over a shorter time period, because of the differences in their ages, Soros has consistently achieved even higher returns.

While the world awaits Buffett’s promised book explaining his investment strategy, in The Soros Lectures, Soros outlines not only how he thinks about finances, but his philosophy for life.

The lectures were delivered at the Central European University and one of their purposes was to launch an Institute for New Economic Thinking with a mandate to “develop an alternative to the prevailing paradigm.”

Core to Soros’s approach is the Human Uncertainty Principle, made up of two parts: 1) “In situations that have thinking participants, the participants’ view of the world is always partial and distorted.” 2) “These distorted views can influence the situation to which they relate because false views lead to inappropriate actions.”

After explaining his theory, he shows how he applies it to the financial markets and explores ideas about the future.

A cerebral read, but a rare glimpse inside a top investor’s head.

The genius creator of Microsoft Word seems an improbable choice for a selfhelp guru and it’s hard to imagine Bill Gates writing a blurb for anyone else in the field.

Brodie explains, “As one of Microsoft’s early employees, I had struck it rich with stock options... yet inexplicably I felt worse than I ever had in my life.”

Invited to personal growth seminar by a friend, he got the idea “that there was something I could do to make life more enjoyable and meaningful.”

Single word chapter titles like “Honesty” and “Power” hide powerful ideas about understanding what goes on in your life, how to free yourself from things that drain your resources and “a step-by-step guide to discovering your own personal formula for success in life.”

Brodie introduces the Success Checklist, a way of identifying your core needs, the feelings or experiences that must be present for you to feel successful.

With this list in hand, you can look at your life and see what changes you need to make to get those needs met.

It’s an excellent book to get you unstuck.

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The Way We're Working Isn't Working • by Tony Schwartz with Jean Gomes & Catherine McCarthy Readers familiar with Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits will recognise the four basic needs that Schwartz addresses. This book shows how to meet those needs in the work place. The core idea is to manage energy, not time. This shift lets you get results in a way that lets you keep on getting them. Filled with practical tips, you’ll easily find a takeaway to make the book worth your investment.

One that’s had a big impact for me is working in 90-minute stretches, without distractions. Afterward, you take a renewal break. Working this way, I’ve been able to do 14.5-hour days, as I write a book and launch a website.

Schwartz gets us to rethink what we count as productive time. Sure, you could keep a machine running its entire life. It just wouldn’t last as long. The time I spend exercising and taking a 30-minute midafternoon nap get counted as work time.

They’re needed to refuel me and let me do the hard thinking work behind my desk.

If you take time to meet your four needs, you’ll have all the energy you could want. TB

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77

as you think w

We are what we repeatedly do.

Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.

We tend to get what we expect.

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The man of wisdom is never of two minds; the man of benevolence never worries; the man of courage is never afraid.

as you think

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Our doubts are traitors,

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is not where he stands in moments of comfort and covenience,

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There are no secrets to success.

It is the results of preparation,

hard work,

learning from failure. ~colin

Tough times never last, but tough people do.

po well

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If you can imagine it, you can achieve it;

if you can dream it, you can become it.

~William arthur

78

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It is the trouble that never comes that causes the loss of sleep. ~ charles

Volume 3.5

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