thinkBIG issue 16

thinkBIG achieve a bigger goal—live a richer life $8.95 inc GST Volume 3.6 Dec 10/Jan 11

NATALIE COOK

Turning Olympic glory into business gold

PLUS

• Ethics and good business go hand in hand • Do what you do best • Jack Canfield's life of purpose • Fulfill your expectations and succeed • Joseph Law's secrets of a great life

WHY

OPRAH

is one of the most powerful women in the world

Free Ticket Offer Inside:

Valued at $1,790

Breakthrough to Success—Wealth & Power Weekend

8 offiCes With over 250 stAff

AdelAide

Perth

Melbourne brisbAne

sydney

We sPeCiAlise in All industries

2

Suite 1, Building B 34-46 Brookhollow Ave Baulkham Hills NSW 2153 (02) 8853 9100 icfrithteam@icfrith.com.au Level 1, 175 Melbourne Street South Brisbane QLD 4101 (07) 3004 7400 frithqld@icfrith.com.au

Choose a Professional insurance broker!

You will be glad you spoke to IC Frith!

Directors & Officers Liability (Public Companies)

Level 10, 179 Queen Street Melbourne VIC 3000

Business Interruption

Management Liability (Private Companies)

(03) 8610 9500 frithvic@icfrith.com.au 4th Floor, The Professional Ctr 9 The Avenue Midland WA 6056 (08) 6274 0500 team@icfrithwa.com.au

Property

Workers Compensation

6/53-57 Glen Osmond Road Eastwood SA 5063 (08) 8272 5503 team@icfrithsa.com.au thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

Workers Compensation

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Business

Comprehensive business insurance reviews

(02) 8853 9100

take the iC frith Challenge!

Register your business to receive a complete business insurance assessment

“

exPerienCed, ProfessionAl & foCused

“

W

e always thought our previous broker had our best interests at heart.

With IC Frith we managed to save on our workers compensation, increased our P.I. insurance coverage and our business interruption policy for less than what we had paid in the past.

It was certainly worth the effort.

Mark da Silva Concept Marketing

Take the DECISION today to find out what an IC Frith Insurance Broker may do for you

visit

www.icfrith.com.au/audit www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Insurance

Professional Indemnity

Volume 3.6AFSL# thinkBIG 291260

3

thinkBIG

Contents Regulars

6 Editor’s Letter 8 & 70 As You Think 9 Big Words 40 Your Story 64 Bigger, Biggest 66 Thought Leadership 68 Inspiring Stories

AUTHORS 14 Andrew Vincent: You just haven't suffered enough 16 Earl de Blonville: Talking straight defines the leader 17 K. Fenton & P. Ombler: Understanding motivation in kids 20 Ben Harvey: The scientific equation for happiness 22 Damian Kay: Taking your business global 27 Tom Petryshen: A new room with a view 34 Des Tubridy: Fulfil your expectations & impact your bottom line 36 Michelle Mills: Do what you do best, outsource the rest 38 Jessica McGregor Johnson: The signpost to a fulfilled life 44 Chris Howard: One size may not fit all 53 Tracey Maclean: Tools for transformation 58 Vanessa Hall: The 7 truths about trust 62 David Solomon: Did you hear about the one-armed chef?

Features

Cover Story

10

Oprah Winfrey: Rising Above Oprah Winfrey is the queen of daytime television and one of the richest women in the world. Her new venture, OWN, The Oprah Winfrey Network, is likely to make her the most powerful woman globally. Her ambition stems from a childhood of abuse and the determination to make something of herself in the face of adversity.

4

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

18

There's more to life –by Daniel G Taylor

24

Do you really care? –by Prof. Timothy M Devinney

30

The circle of business life –by Jon-Michail

32

Living a life inspired by purpose –by Joseph Law

46

Special Franchising Feature

54

The Midas Touch –by Jonathan Jackson

Joseph Law is an Australian author and entrepreneur who realised that he wanted more out of life than reaching the top of the corporate ladder.

Marketers and strategists need to examine their customers' ethical preferences.

To build a brand takes time, effort, and an integrated approach to marketing.

Jack Canfield is best known as the co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul, and is referred to as America's number one success coach.

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.

Four-time Olympian Natalie Cook speaks about the value of team unity in the face of individual ambitions. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

$1,000 One business trip (airfare, car hire and hotel)

vs.

Do the maths. With GoToMeeting, you could hold a year’s worth of online meetings (including audio) for less than the cost of one business trip. Deliver engaging presentations or collaborate with colleagues online – without traveling.

Try It FREE for 30 Days gotomeeting.com.au

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

5

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

Our Team

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

The standard line I

n one of my other guises as an editor, I put together a plumbing magazine. While some of you may think that may entail writing about blocked toilets and plumber’s cracks, I can tell you without hesitation that the building industry is more political and business-focused than any other industry I have come across.

While the finance industry is highly regulated (and for good reason), you can multiply that level of regulation by ten when venturing into building industry classifications, compliancy and control mechanisms. For some, it is a frustrating wait for certain methodologies to be officially recognised, for others the delays have been necessary to ensure that all modern issues and problems are legislated for.

One issue is the emergence of green plumbing—which now presents an enormous business opportunity for anyone with a water or energy-based product or idea. In fact sustainability has become a key issue in the building industry as construction companies look at building 7 star facilities with the latest energy saving gadgets including solar panels, low flow shower heads, low flush toilets, photovoltaic systems, and the list goes on.

All these changes are bound by set standards and the people who have to install many of these products are plumbers bound by the Standards that government approves and Standards Australia write. Oftentimes, plumbers can be frustrated by the red tape they have to go through to get a job done, however think about the problems that may arise when standards are not met.

The most horrific problem—and one that those of us living in wealthy countries cannot fathom—would be the decline of proper sanitary conditions. Without standardised sanitary conditions disease spreads, at worst people die.

Standards are the fabric of society; they represent our value systems, culture and morality; they are the pillars by which we live our lives. Therefore, to make the best of our lives we maintain high standards.

When standards slip people get hurt. Our cover story today focuses on Oprah Winfrey—the most successful talk show host in history. No doubt, Oprah has a high set of personal values and feels that all people of all walks of life and in all situations deserve a standard of care. This stems from her childhood which was a mixture of high discipline, teenage rebellion, astute education and abuse.

From the ages of nine to 14, Oprah was sexually abused by relatives. Clearly the standard of care she received during this period was almost non-existent. She would have been forgiven for becoming a criminal (she says she was close), but a move to her father and stepmother, where the standards of achievement were high put her back on track and on the path to utilising the near-genius aptitude she showed as a child.

Oprah’s story, like many we have featured in thinkBIG illustrate the value of having high standards and what can go wrong when there is a failure to meet those standards.

If you want to be successful you should think about your standards. Do you have high standards? Do your standards meet a certain criteria? If you fail to maintain your standards who, other than yourself, gets hurt? If the plumber drops his standards, sanitary conditions suffer. If the businessman drops his standards, the shareholders get hurt and when standards of morality are low, people can get hurt.

So, no matter how long a job takes, or how long you have to wait for legislation to be written, or how much rubbish you sometimes have to endure, know what the highest standard you can achieve is and maintain it. If you do, this you’ll find you’ll be handsomely rewarded. TB

Jonathan 6

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

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 Earl de Blonville, Timothy Devinny, Kim Fenton, Vanessa Hall, Benjamin Harvey, Chris Howard, Jessica McGregor Johnson, Damian Kay, Joseph Law, Tracey Maclean, Michelle Mills, Penny Ombler, Tom Petryshen, Des Tubridy, and Andrew Vincent Creative Design Abigail Westbrook ASourceOfJoy Graphic Design http://graphics.asourceofjoy.org Website/subscriptions www.thinkbigmagazine.com Enquires info@thinkbigmagazine.com Mindset Media Pty Ltd ACN 129 256 300 ABN 94 129 256 300 GPO Box 519 Sydney Australia 2001 thinkbig Magazine ISSN: 1835 7733

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

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

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

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

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

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

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Does Your Business Have What It Takes?

The economic environment is changing once again. To be in business in the new decade clearly means we have to be leaders in all aspects of business to stay ahead of the game. So what does this mean to your business?

Do you have the right strategies in place to ensure your business thrives during the changes in our economic environment?

Discover What Successful Businesses Do To Stay On The Leading Edge!

Leadership Expert Reveals How To Get 175% Growth On FREE CD CD Reveals: • Proven, instant leadership success strategies successful businesses have implemented to generate business growth.

• Valuable insight into the 7 biggest leadership mistakes that could cost your business a fortune in lost profits and how you can avoid them.

Request your free CD and Report that reveals ‘HOW’ to Re-ignite the Power, Passion and Control in your Business.

Visit www.distinctiveleadership.com.au to request your free CD & report.

Distinctive Leadership – Leadership Driven Profits

as you think i

If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.

~John F. Kennedy

I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognised wiser than oneself.

~Ma rlene D iet rich

as you think The man who has no imagination has no wings.

We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated. ~M aya

~Mu hammad ali

Angelo u

The wheel of fortune turns round incessantly, and who can say to himself, 'I shall today' be uppermost.

~C onf u ciu s

Don't find fault, find a remedy.

~H en ry fo rd

A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction

is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.

~G andhi

We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries

or the size of our automobiles,

rather than by the quality of our service relationship to humanity.

~ Ma r tin Luthe r King

NB: We'd like to see some quotes from our readership. If you think you have a great saying that you would like to share with other ThinkBIG readers send your quote to jonathan.jackson@thinkbigmagazine.com and if we like it we will print it in the next issue.

88

thinkBIG thinkBIG

Volume Volume 3.6 3.6

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

s d r o W BIG Let ter s to the Edi tor

Where the buck starts Dear Editor, In his article Australia’s got talent and persistence (Oct/Nov ’10), Jack Delosa refers to the creation of the Fortune Institute as a protest against the “slow theoretical based teachings of universities.” He then quotes Siimon Reynolds as saying, “People with a learning mindset beat everybody else.”

Both Jack and Siimon are correct in their observations. Those studying MBAs or undertaking a basic business degree, want to learn and they want practical experience. However, they are lacking in some basic learning fundamentals. MBAs need to move from cognitive learning into developing or strengthening their personalities as ethical leaders.

University-based business schools should draw from executive education programs where participants engage in thought-provoking and often controversial conversations. Executive education programs offer experience in leadership style and self-awareness. Some of the most effective leadership programs also include ways to provide future leaders with an opportunity to broaden their humanistic worldview.

More human and ethical business practice is something all business should strive to attain. Good business is not just about making money; it is about the growth of the individual leader, those working with the leader and good community outcomes. So perhaps, it is time to look at more unorthodox methods of learning to actually make a difference.

Thank you,

Callum Elliott www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Coporate alliance creates better aid Australians are well known for their generosity in the face of natural disaster and this is no more evident than in the SchoolAid program highlighted in the article The Kids are Alright (Oct/Nov '10).

However, while not-for-profit groups are doing a great job, more corporations need to get on board.

There are many different needs in our society and many different types of donors and institutions seeking to address them, including individuals, foundations, and government. The question is: where can corporations use their giving most effectively to tackle social problems and achieve broad social impact?

Not surprisingly, the answer is in areas related to their businesses where they have expertise, contacts, and skilled employees who allow them to add value beyond the money.

So, it is up to aid groups to approach like-minded corporations to form an alliance that not only produces better outcomes for the charity, but also for the business and shareholders. The pairing of likeminded organisations creates worthy outcomes for everyone.

Kind regards,

an education, or even both with the demands of family life can be extremely difficult if not impossible. Jonathan Jackson’s article Breaking the mould (Nov/ Dec ’10) raises some interesting points about how women can help themselves, however fails to make any mention of online learning facilities.

With most institutions for online learning you, the student, are able to decide when and where you 'attend' class, so you can set your own pace and ensure that you won't miss important moments with your children.

Some women like JK Rowling may get lucky and write a bestselling book, others will never see a fortune like that, but that doesn’t mean they can’t build a successful career. There are many empowering courses available online. It’s worth having a look at something that interests you and then work your learning around your busy schedule as a mum.

Single mothers can be successful.

I now run a successful small business from home because I was able to find something that interested me and that I could do an online course in to gain a qualification and some credibility.

Kind regards,

Dimi Mibus

Jeff Green

Editor's note: You don't have to hold yourself back Dear Editor: Many mothers are waiting for their children to grow up before they go back to school or return to work. For many mothers, balancing a career,

Thank you to all who take the time and write in to thinkBIG, we value your contributions. If you would like to make comment on anything we have printed on the website or online please send your correspondence to: jonathan.jackson@thinkbigmagazine.com I look forward to hearing from you. —Ed. Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

9

COVER

STORY

RisiR

“If all this happened to you wh

you in terms of your life from th

10 thinkBIG 10 thinkBIG

Volume Volume 3.6 3.6

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

The way in which we react to problems in life’s formative years can often affect how we deal with similar problems in adult life. For some, this means sink or swim. For others who choose to ignore their problems it means never moving forward from the pain that holds you back.

For Oprah Winfrey, recognising her childhood problems, led to an understanding of how she wished her life to be and her subsequent rise as one of the most powerful women on earth, writes Jonathan Jackson.

ing Above Rising Above

hat paradigm might you develop? How might that paradigm affect

hat point on? There are no failures only lessons to be learned.”

–Oprah Winfrey

S

S h e i s a b i l l i o n a i r e whose soon to be wound up syndicated daytime talk show has earned her the title of one of the most powerful women in the world. In some circles, Oprah Winfrey would seem to have more power than the elected officials with whom she holds court, acting (in a positive way) to affect change that politicians only dream of before being strangled by red tape.

She is worth an estimated US$3 billion, built mainly through the influence of Harpo Inc, which enjoys annual sales of $315 million through its interests including, The Oprah Magazine, Harpo Films, Harpo Radio and Harpo Studios.

It is further charged that through her new venture the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), she will raise her wealth by another $1.5 billion in the next few years.

One look at Oprah’s resumè beyond talk show host and entrepreneur and it is easy to see the reasons behind her power and status in the business and celebrity worlds. Aside from keeping company with the world’s biggest actors, musicians and politicians, she has worked tirelessly to bring change to www.thinkbigmagazine.com

various community sectors to which she has turned her attention.

One of the most important sectors is children. From poverty to child abuse—a combination which is often linked—Oprah has turned her attention to empowering less fortunate youths, bringing hope, education and the possibility of a future to communities in hardship. Her dedication to this cause is due, in part, to her own poverty stricken and abuse-riddled childhood.

Childhood maketh the woman Initially raised by her grandmother when her parents parted ways, Oprah showed an aptitude for education and had learned to read by the time she was two and a half. The schooling she received in the care of her grandmother saw the prodigal granddaughter skip kindergarten and move straight into the first grade.

Adept at her studies, she also skipped second grade.

No doubt gifted, Oprah knew early that she would break through the stereotypes of the ‘poor black woman’.

Her grandmother washed clothes for

white people. One day while watching her nan, she was told ‘Watch me now, Oprah Gail, cause you’ll be doing this one day.’

“I thought to myself, ‘no I won’t.

O won’t be doing that’. I don’t know where that came from, but I knew that wasn’t going to be my life,” she told Essence magazine.

It was an idyllic life on the farm where she was growing up; a disciplined but happy time. Then her world changed.

By age six she was sent north to a Milwaukee ghetto to live with her mother and two half brothers. By age nine, the abuse had started. Oprah was sexually abused until the age of 14 by a teenage cousin and then by other male relatives. It wasn’t until 1991 that she spoke openly about her experiences, revealing that she couldn’t free herself of the shame...”Until 1990 when I admitted to myself that I was not responsible for the abuse.”

Rarely at home, her mother had little idea of what was happening in the family, nor could she properly manage the emotional and intellectual needs of her daughter. So Oprah acted out. She staged a burglary and ran away.

Tired, Vernita Winfrey tried to send her daughter to a detention centre only to find out there was no room. It was then Oprah went to live with her father and his wife Zelma, where she flourished.

Crediting her father and stepmother for ‘saving’ her, Oprah told Washington Post Magazine, “If I hadn’t been sent to my father, I would have gone in another direction. I could have made a good criminal. I would have used these same instincts differently.”

Under her father, she lived a disciplined life. Vernon was a stable man, who lived with purpose. He was a councilman, a grocery store owner and a deacon. He expected responsible behaviour and set the example for it. Meanwhile his wife Zelma was rekindling Oprah’s passion for reading by taking her to the library every two weeks. Oprah was asked to choose five books, read them and write reports which she would orate to her family.

Vernon’s attitude towards education was reaping benefits for Oprah.

Her early life sowed the seeds for her future benevolence. The recently disbanded Oprah’s Angel Network made impressive contributions to a range of causes. She has donated to Morehouse College, the Harold Washington Library, Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

11

The United Negro College Fund and her alma mater, Tennessee State University.

In 1994, Oprah committed $6million to Families for a Better Life, a program designed to help 100 families get out of Chicago public housing, off welfare rolls and into their own apartments or homes. Unfortunately, only five families had completed the program by 1996 and the project was put on hold. Despite, the program’s failure, it exemplifies Oprah’s work in the field, particularly with families and children.

God bless the child In 1991, the tragic story of a four-year-old Chicago girl’s molestation and murder, prompted Oprah to act beyond her status as America’s most successful talk show host. As a former abuse victim, she felt she could use her position to make a difference.

“I wanted to take a stand for the children of this country,” she said. With the help of former Illinois governor James Thompson, she proposed federal child protection legislation designed to keep nationwide records on convicted child abusers. Her efforts came to fruition on December 20, 1993 when President Bill Clinton signed the national ‘Oprah Bill’ into law. The bill guarantees strict sentencing of individuals convicted of child abuse.

Since that time, she has been active in helping children. She has hosted countless shows about child abuse and sexual predators, but in January 2010, she sat down with four admitted child molesters and their therapist Dawn Horwitz-Person for a frank discussion about the cycle of abuse, details of their crimes and how they groomed their victims.

“I was raped at 9 and molested from

12

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

the ages of nine through 14, and because of that, I’ve always wanted to be able to sit down and talk to a group of child molesters and ask them why and how they do what they do,” Oprah says. “It’s the most honest conversation I’ve ever had with sex offenders.”

The greatest gifts There are no positives in child abuse or neglect, but there can be positive outcomes if enough people, groups and organisations educate the public about preventative measures and post-abuse programs.

These programs allow children (sometimes as adults) to come to terms with what has happened to them. For Oprah, the realisation that she was not at fault, meant she could come to terms with her weight problems. For many children, it is often anger issues that linger.

Oprah has battled a weight problem since 1977; food became a stress reliever.

“My greatest failure was believing that the weight issue was just about weight. When I started to gain the weight back, I felt I had let people down and that triggered my greatest fear in life: the fear of not being liked, of not being good enough.”

When she finally realised that her weight gain was linked to the stresses associated with her abuse, she was able to move forward personally and professionally.

She told the Academy of Achievement about her recovery as an abuse survivor: “Part of the process for me as an adult has been recognising that my inability to say no, my disease to please as a female, is the same thing that caused me to be victimised as a child. Many times I would get myself into a situation as an adult where I didn’t want to say ‘no’, because

I didn’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings.

I didn’t want to say ‘no’ because I didn’t want anybody to be angry with me.”

This gift of realisation has been given back in multitudes. In fact Oprah has been given many gifts in her life: the gift of discipline, of education, of love and a second chance by her father.

Oprah draws from all these gifts and those emotionally crippling experiences mentioned above to ensure that she helps as many children as possible.

This was no more evident when in 2002 she took a film crew to South Africa to bring attention to the plight of young children affected by poverty and AIDS. During the 21 day trip, the show visited orphanages and schools and distributed Christmas presents to 50,000 children.

Throughout the show Oprah appealed to viewers for donations to Oprah’s Angel Network (founded to encourage people to make a positive difference in the lives of others) and pledged to personally oversee where the money was spent. From that show alone, $7,000,000 was donated.

She told Essence magazine of that experience: “That moment changed my life. I realised this is why I was born.

These children are my children. This is why I don’t have children. This is why I was never married. This is why I have the fame and the money and all the attention—to become a voice for these children. Because in the world nobody pays attention to you unless you have some bucks to back it up. These children will become my life’s mission. I felt that as strongly as I felt that day standing on my grandmother’s porch when I knew I was not going to be a washerwoman.”

In January 2007, having invested $40 million and much of her time, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls opened near Johannesburg with an enrolment of 152 students. Nelson Mandela praised Oprah for overcoming her own disadvantaged youth to become a benefactor for others and for investing in the future of South Africa.

The campus includes dormitories, a dining hall, libraries, two theatres and a wellness centre. Oprah has built a state of the art facility. “I wanted to provide the girls with a place that inspired them to dream beyond what their life had previously shown them, to let them experience what the world has to offer.”

Unfortunately the school was mired www.thinkbigmagazine.com

in scandal a year after it opened when abuse accusations were made by students who had the courage to speak out against a female staff member. Oprah took immediate action by flying to South Africa to handle the situation herself and make staff changes. The staff member was only recently acquitted, disappointing Oprah.

However her philosophy which she applied to the school after the scandal maintains, “Every time a heart cracks...somewhere, something beautiful is being born. I look forward to the rebirthing.”

Being true to herself Oprah is currently undergoing her own rebirth. The closure of the Oprah Winfrey Show was supposed to see her enter semiretirement. Yet the enticement of running a cable network was too big a lure.

OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) will commence broadcast in January 2011 and is a network that will be dedicated to issues-based television, reaching 77 million households. The network was first touted by boyfriend Stedman Graham in 1992. The idea shook the first lady of television.

“If I am a businesswoman and a brand, where is my authentic self? If it’s

all ‘busin-ified’, where’s the authenticity.”

Authenticity is what has made Oprah so successful. Over the years she has learnt to merge her identity as a brand and business with her calling to help people in need.

Her brand is so powerful that in 2007 when she was approached by the CEO of Discovery Communications David Zaslav, he told her, “I don’t want your money. I want you.”

Thus OWN became a 50-50 partnership. Discovery has put in US$189m and Oprah has dedicated 70 hours of time, some of which will be taken up by a new globetrotting chat show.

The network will be based around Oprah’s mantra: “Live your best life” and should it be as successful as the Oprah Winfrey Show, is certain to reap her more of a financial windfall. Oprah has an estimated wealth of $3 billion.

The expectations are that OWN will be worth $3 billion or more in just a few short years. This is split between the two owners—Harpo Inc. and Discovery Communications.

Already, multi-nationals have expressed interest in advertising or signed up. General Motors and Nissan

are on board and Proctor & Gamble have dedicated an estimated $100 million over three years. OWN will attract more than $145 million in revenue in its first year.

Yet the money is unimportant. What matters is that Oprah is able to keep her identity—her brand. Through OWN she hopes to be able to extend her passions for cause—including her dedication to children in need. The programming will reflect this and in so doing will allow her to remain true to herself.

Oprah is an Emmy winner (15 Emmys sit proudly on her mantle), the most successful television host ever, a billionaire who holds court with the most powerful people, but she is respected and powerful in her own right because she uses her influence as a means for change and remains true to a past which shaped one of the most successful careers in history.

Oprah has achieved this success through Harpo Inc. and will continue her vigilance through OWN. For the children of this world, who grow up needing something positive and the many others who have benefitted by her generosity and dedication to raising awareness for important issues, her influence is immeasurable. TB

The ofgiving giving The gift gift of Oprah Winfrey’s charity, The Angel Network, is soon to close its doors as Oprah looks at other means to give.

However, since it first opened its doors in 1998 it is estimated to have raised more than $80 million through 150,000 donors. In 2000, the Network began presenting a $100,000 ‘Use Your Life Award’ to people who helped improve the lives of others. She has donated to over 50 local organisations including the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Children’s Memorial Hospital and Chicago Academy of Arts.

After selling some of her clothes, she donated a box full of money—including a $1 million cheque—to Chicago’s Providence St. Medical School. Its best known projects have included funding for rebuilding projects for Gulf Coast communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina (over 300 homes have been built in the area) and building 55 rural schools in 12 countries. TB

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

13

CHANGE :: ANDREW VINCENT

You just haven’t suffered enough ...is that why you won’t change?

A

bout a year ago I was at a BBQ with a group of friends and one of them announced he was going into business and wanted a few words of advice. For the sake of this article let’s call him John.

A few of the people attending had run successful businesses and each one made the mistake of offering some advice on what he needed to do to succeed.

I say it was a mistake because everyone was met with the “my business will be different and that won’t happen to me” response. Then one of the guys gave up in frustration and before walking off said “best of luck mate you just haven’t suffered enough yet! Get back to me when you have and I will be happy to help.”

I realised he was spot on. Why is it that when people first go into business they are reluctant to take on any advice?

And then once they are in the thick of the day to day of running a business they are then too busy to ask for help?

Recently I caught up with John and asked him how the business was going. He was busy working six days and sometimes seven days a week. Then the usual story of trying to do the books at night, chasing debtors, his employees were all hopeless, not enough ‘good’ clients, not making enough money etc., etc.

I reminded him about the conversation from 12 months earlier and he remembered the comment about “not having suffered enough.” He says he is suffering from the long hours, stress and uncertainty and wishes he had acted on the advice. Unfortunately he was now too busy and would like to chat again about how to improve his business ‘when he wasn’t so busy’. I think that means that he still has some more suffering to go.

What John has to realise is that the difference between success and failure for him is some basic business knowledge. He just doesn’t know what he doesn’t know.

As Albert Einstein said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking that we used when we created them.”

But why are business owners in

14

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

particular so hard to help? Is it because people that go into business are born optimists and they think if they just work hard it will all happen for them?

What will motivate John to start learning and doing things differently? Is it the cold hard facts of business failure in Australia?

I have often heard that 80% of small businesses fail in the first five years so I went searching for some supporting statistics. I found a research paper from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (8165.0—Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, Jun 2003 to Jun 2007) which said that

that 60% of business owners would make more money if they had jobs, many say this is okay because they will make their money when they sell the business.

I rang a number of business brokers and asked what percentage of people, sell their business for the type of premium that would make up for the years of working at reduced wages.

On average I was told up to 70% would get much less than expected.

This is shattering for those approaching retirement who have invested very little in superannuation or anything else except the business.

thinkBIG

To move forward in business, small business owners must sometimes ask for help. However, this is not as easy as it seems.

things were nowhere near the 80% failure rate; it was only 42%.

Wow, I was so relieved to read that.

Then I looked at some of the actual numbers. Over a four year period 777,106 businesses ‘exited’ (i.e. quit, went broke, some sold). This is an average of 3,736 businesses per week.

That is a lot of shattered dreams.

What about the lack of financial success of many business owners?

The good news was that 58% of businesses survived the first four years.

But are these businesses making money?

I couldn’t find any research on this topic so I rang some accountants with small business clients (<20 employees).

I asked what percentage of business owners were earning more money than they could as an employee. The answer was around 40%.

One accountant tells his clients that they should be earning what they could as an employee plus a premium of 50% for the risk and effort of running their own business—very few take on this advice.

What about making money when the business is sold? When you tell people

One very experienced broker told me that 90% of the businesses he sees aren’t even saleable. He often gives advice on what people should do to improve the value of their business but by the time they have decided to sell, they don’t have the interest to reinvent.

So what is the greatest motivator for a business owner to change?

From this anecdotal research, only 7% of business owners earn more that they could as an employee and sell their business at a premium. But for some reason this is not enough to make people change how they are running their business.

I am afraid from my experience that in the majority of cases it is only a good old dose of pain and suffering that will work.

You can’t help anyone until they get to this point. The greater the suffering, the more willing people are to ask for help, learn from their mistakes and eventually make the changes needed. TB Andrew Vincent is an experienced business coach and was the creator of the Channel 9 television series Your Business Success. Go to www.yourbusinesssuccess.com.au to find out more. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Fr o pe m $ r n 16 ig pp ht

The Most Affordable, Family Friendly, Beachfront Resort On The NSW Mid North Coast 7 Reasons YOU Should Stay at Seashells Beachfront Resort • Affordable—you don’t have to “Break the Bank” to stay at Seashells • Family Friendly—we ensure families have a safe and happy holiday • Beachfront Location—a few steps and you are right on the beach • Heaps to do—Swimming, Fishing, Spas, Tennis, Golf, Kids Play Ground...

• Many Great Local Area Attractions—Lakes, National Parks and more • Comfortable, Well Equipped Apartments • Satisfaction Guaranteed

Full details are available at www.seashellsresort.com.au or fill in your details below to join our Holiday Club and win a share of $25,000 of holiday prizes.

Stay 2 Nights and Get One Night FREE Plus receive these bonuses: * • 20 Minute Massage for Mum and Dad Valued at $80 • Breakfast Pack for the whole family Valued at $35 In all savings of $250 or more!

Hurry—limited to first 37 “Big Thinkers” who book & mention this offer!

Stay 4 Nights and Get 3 Nights FREE* Plus receive these bonuses: • 20 Minute Massage for Mum and Dad Valued at $80 • Breakfast Pack for the whole family Valued at $35 In all savings of $520 or more!

Hurry—limited to first 23 “Big Thinkers” who book & mention this offer! *Conditions apply

 Yes, please enrol me in the Seashells Holiday Club and I will receive the following benefits— • FREE Bottle of Bubbly the next time I stay at Seashells • Entry into the Monthly FREE Holiday Draw • Advanced notice of Special Holiday Offers, Savings and Bonuses in our monthly newsletter and more...

• FREE Resort Info Pack

363 Diamond Beach Rd • Diamond Beach, NSW 2430 Ph: 02 6559 2779 • Fax: 02 6559 2811 Info@seashellsresort.com.au www.seashellsresort.com.au Bookings and enquiries very welcome! www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Name:__________________________________________ Address:________________________________________ City:__________________________ Post Code:________ Email:__________________________________________  Mail this coupon to address at left.

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

15

LEADERSHIP :: EARL DE BLONVILLE

Talking straight defines the leader T

he American guru David Miles, once told me: ‘Talk straight and take what you get.’ Hoo-aah, stand back! Are these some of the scariest words you’ve heard in business?

I have often provided these words to leadership coaching clients, to help them manage difficult situations with peers and reports, but had never needed to use them myself like this.

Recently a friend, a highly successful and widely respected entrepreneur, agreed to help get my new business off to a flying start through a short-term investment and some ongoing expert advice; I was excited and felt honoured.

But then came silence, and more silence, and emails and phone messages

that went unacknowledged and unanswered. Once, a short email explained that he was terribly busy with some other deals but would definitely get back to me by a certain date. That date came and went, and a new date was offered which also passed without any contact.

Meanwhile, my professional advisors were waiting for action and I felt my credibility draining away. Along with it was the likelihood that my powerful speakers would be lost and the crucial sales launch event for high rollers would have to be cancelled. My business prospects suddenly began to fade, although my resilience accepted that maybe the timing wasn’t right.

Then I realised this was totally unlike

my friend. Was he even aware of what was happening, and how it was costing him? His reputation and personal integrity were being trashed. Out of genuine

think BIG Being straight with people not only defines you as a leader, but nurtures honesty from all circles.

concern for my friend, I acted. In a well-crafted email, opening with David Miles’ wise words, I explained the full ramifications to us both of his silence and broken promises.

The result was immediate and gratifying. Instead of hitting back, his email revealed that he took it on board, acknowledging my words as not only a generous gift, but a lesson that marked a tipping point in his life. He realised that his name and integrity were his most valuable assets and yet, unaware, he had been stuck in a pattern—possibly for a long time—that may have already cost him heavily in the past, both in terms of reputation and business possibilities.

As for our business deal, he had meant to say ‘No, he couldn’t fit it in with all his other commitments.’ Had I waited any longer to call him to account, he could have easily become an enemy.

But, guided by David Miles’ powerful words, and love and respect for my friend, I took the risk of losing everything. In fact I lost nothing at all, but instead gained power and understanding. Talking straight enabled me to create clarity and define reality, the hallmarks of the leader. TB Earl de Blonville FRGS is an Arctiic explorer, author, and leadership coach. More information is at earldeblonville.com.

16

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

BEHAVIOUR :: KIM FENTON & PENNY OMBLER

Understanding motivation in kids M

otivation is a complex emotion.

For many adults, it’s a challenge to fully understand what motivates them from day to day. If you’ve tried, but not succeeded in maintaining a diet and exercise routine, or struggled to get out of bed in the morning, you will know how difficult it is to consistently tap into the intricacies of your own motivation.

So imagine what it’s like for kids. They are yet to develop the maturity and experience that we have, and yet we expect them to maintain consistent levels of motivation each day for superior results at school, in sports and at home. When it comes to motivation in kids, the key is helping them channel their motivation in the right direction.

We know that there are times when our kids appear to be completely demotivated. But the truth is, every child is motivated. All human behaviour stems from motivation. So when they are doing something, they are motivated.

On a day when your child appears lethargic or uncooperative, you might say ‘Nothing is going to motivate Andrew today’. In fact, what you’re actually saying is ‘Nothing that you do is motivating Andrew to do what you want him to do’. So rather than asking yourself what you need to do to motivate Andrew, you might try asking yourself what motivates Andrew to do what he does?

Let’s look at the case of Maggie as an example. At 11 years of age, Maggie is physically developed beyond her years.

She is embarrassed to get changed for sports lessons at school because her body looks very different to her prepubescent classmates. She is also too self-conscious to tell anyone that she’s embarrassed about this. She would rather crawl into a hole than bring up the issue with her parents or her teacher. Instead, Maggie finds ways to avoid school sports. She feigns illness. She misses the bus. Or she simply doesn’t show. Her behaviour creates havoc every week. Her once positive image is now challenged by her

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

sudden rebellious behaviour. Her parents and teachers may say that Maggie has lost motivation. They might try to motivate Maggie with the prospect of rewards or the threat of punishment.

However, Maggie is already very motivated. Her primary motivation is to avoid embarrassment and it’s likely that no threat or reward will supersede her desire to avoid humiliation. However no one has figured that out yet, possibly not even Maggie.

And then there’s Donovan. He’s 8 years old and his parents are valiantly trying to encourage him to help out around the house. He has a simple list of chores. Take out the garbage, clean his room and pick up after himself. At the moment, his mum is working on a specific project with Donovan... she’s trying to help him remember to replace the empty toilet roll with a new one should he be the person who finishes the roll. The frustration is palpable each time she glances into the bathroom and

parents are comfortable and easy. For others, opening up to parents, teachers, or anyone for that matter, is extremely difficult. The challenges associated with these conversations also vary between age groups. As kids become more articulate, they may be better able to identify and describe their drivers.

However, as they get older, they may also become more private.

Be prepared to ask lots of questions in a sympathetic and supportive way. They may or may not have the understanding and the language to be able to explain it to you in one conversation. It may take a few discussions, with thinking time in between, for your kids to develop an understanding of what drives their behaviour. Once they have this understanding, you can work with them to devise a plan that will allow them to get what they want, while still functioning as a contributing member of their community.

Of course, there won’t be one

thinkBIG

All human behaviour is based on motivation, but for kids finding out what motivates them can be a difficult task.

spots the empty toilet roll. Donovan’s parents may say he’s unmotivated to help out around the house. However, just like Maggie, Donovan is very motivated—to get back to his video game or construction set. Or perhaps he’s motivated to simply avoid chores.

In both Maggie and Donovan’s situations, they have motivation. It’s simply misdirected. Our challenge as parents is to work out how to help them redirect their motivation in the most constructive way. In this way, we can find out what motivates their current behaviour and help them channel it as more constructive behaviour. This is easier said than done in many cases. For some kids, open discussions with their

universal solution for every age group.

Each circumstance will involve different emotions and require a different strategy and timeline. No doubt, it may also involve a few deep breaths on all sides.

As parents and guardians, it’s about asking the right questions in the right way, to get to the core of your particular situation. At the very least, you’ll be talking to your kids. TB With over 33 years combined experience, Kim Fenton and Penny Ombler founded Successful Minds with the vision of providing personal and organisational development via compelling and constructive coaching and training. www.successfulminds.com.au.

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

17

There's

M O RE to

LiFE ✽

by D a n i e l G T ay l o r Australian author and entrepreneur Joseph Law has brought together an eclectic group of teachers in his first book, Living Greatness: A Practical Guide to Living an Enlightened Life.

From billionaire business coach Bill Bartmann and international leading thinker Edward de Bono, to meditation master Mingyur Rinpoche and quantum physicist Fred Alan Wolf, and many others including the no-need-to-beintroduced Jack Canfield and John Demartini.

18

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

L

aw himself is no stranger to everyday success. He was on the fast-track to become the CEO of a successful organisation but realised he wanted his life to be about more than reaching the top of the corporate ladder. To swipe something from Dr Stephen Covey, Law saw that his ladder was leaning against the wrong wall and he placed it against the right one.

His book is one rung on that ladder, as is Living Greatness (www.livinggreatness. com), a social organisation he founded that defines its purpose as making the world a better place by empowering individuals through education and charity. He’s also an ambassador for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and joins leading figures, celebrities, TV personalities and sport stars to inspire hope in children with life-threatening diseases.

He shares his journey with thinkBIG. thinkBIG: Can you please tell us about your early career?

Joseph Law: I started my career as a financial analyst for Bank of America and Morningstar. At that time I was always asking what I wanted to do with myself. I set a goal to become the general manager of financial services by the age of 30.

I read Think and Grow Rich (by Napoleon Hill) and gained an understanding of the mechanics of the mind. I set a goal within three months to meet with a renowned CEO in Australia in financial services. Almost at the end of three months I was sitting at Starbucks waiting to meet someone for a coffee. After 15 minutes I realised I was sitting right opposite a renowned CEO and I went up and introduced myself to him.

After five interviews he offered me a job.

My goal was to stay with him one year. I’d read Rich Dad, Poor Dad and realised I needed more communication and selling skills, so I applied for a sales position in a fast-growing company. In 2008 I was offered a position as general manager responsible their financial services business.

TB: What happened to make you start asking the ‘fundamental questions’ of life?

JL: At that time, when I was 28, I seemed to have everything that I wanted but I wasn’t happy.

For over a decade, I was looking for answers to many of life’s questions, the same www.thinkbigmagazine.com

questions that all of humanity struggles to understand: What is the purpose of my life? How do I create more meaning and happiness in my life and in the lives of others? To find the answers I needed, I read many books, immersing myself in ancient writings to gain the wisdom and knowledge contained within. Through this process I found peace, meaning and purpose in my life.

A soul-searching trip in India in 2007 inspired me to write my book, Living Greatness. I knew that I wanted to condense what I had learned over the last 10 years by interviewing some of the world’s leading minds and experts on finding peace, happiness, and true success. I chose the contributors carefully, knowing that I wanted only those who had once struggled, but had found happiness and purpose in their lives. I also wanted them to be well known to the world but approachable enough to speak to readers on a personal level.

Know the difference between what can be changed and what cannot be.

“Devise your strategies for getting there, as well as how much time, resources and assistance you’ll need.”

TB: How has your life changed?

JL: One of the biggest changes I’ve experienced is the newfound sense of inner peace, purpose, and happiness in my life. I wake up each day with anticipation that it’s going to be another good day filled with purpose instead of a day that just slips through the fingers like sand while pursuing life aimlessly.

Rather than approaching life by wondering 'What’s in it for me?' I think about what I can give to others. It makes life a whole lot easier and it’s the effortless way toward finding true contentment. As a result of these changes, I’m now pursuing something I’m passionate about rather than going through life robotically. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Top 5 laws for living a great life 1. Understand that living a life with happiness and meaning is possible. “The concept of Living Greatness is about how one’s life is lived, not how much money, fame or status one achieves, which is how modern society defines greatness.

2. Define what happiness means to you.

“You need to look at life holistically on every level. Write down and envisage what you want for each area and what success means to you. What are your 10, 5, 3, and 1-year goals?”

3. Focus on what you want in life, not what you don’t want. “Visualise and see the new you. How would you think, feel and act if you were already successful?”

4. Know the difference between what can be changed and what cannot be.

“Devise your strategies for getting there, as well as how much time, resources and assistance you’ll need.”

5. Take action, beginning with baby steps, to work towards the attainment of your desired outcome. “Do three things today that will help you create the future you long for.” TB Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

19

HAPPINESS :: BEN HARVEY

The scientific equation for happiness A

team of scientists were commissioned with the task of discovering the happiness formula. After compiling their research they came up with the following equation for happiness: H=S+C+V H: Happiness S: Your cellular set point C: Conditions of living V: Voluntary actions or choices you make daily The interesting part of this equation was the percentage breakdown of the different areas. They found them to be as follows: 50% Your cellular set point 10% Conditions of living 40% Voluntary actions or choices you make daily.

In an attempt to be happier, most people focus the majority of their attention on

changing their conditions of living. But as the equation shows, that only makes up 10%. No wonder they feel like they aren’t making progress!

So the next time you are looking to make yourself happier be sure to focus the right amount of energy on the right areas: S: Your cellular set point Simply put, this is the balance point that all your cells (including your unconscious

point? The majority of your time needs to be spent feeling the feelings of what you want through activities like visualisation, meditation or contemplation.

Any activity that replicates these feelings will create new 'foods' for your cells to get addicted to. And if you were to get your cells (including your unconscious mind) addicted to wealth, they will do everything in their power to draw that to you.

thinkBIG

Ever wondered what the formula for happiness is?

Benjamin Harvey looks at a new set of research. mind) will always try and return to.

Some people have a higher set point, so their ‘average’ day will be happier than someone else’s.

How do you increase your cellular set

C: Conditions of living No matter how much you change your conditions of living by buying new clothes, TVs, shoes, cars, stereos, watches etc., it will only ever be 10% of your actual happiness. Plus the happiness from shopping has been shown to only last between one and three days.

Think about that for a moment and ask yourself, "How much time do I actually dedicate to increasing my conditions of living?"

As you begin to realise how little effect it actually has on your happiness you may find now is a good time to rewrite some of your goals.

V: Voluntary actions or choices you make daily Ask yourself the question: "When something happens to me during the day what meaning do I give to it (empowering or not) and what type of voluntary choice or action do I take as a result?"

So there you have it some practical uses for the Happiness Equation. TB Benjamin Harvey has held 3,500 oneon-one coaching sessions and numerous courses for individuals and organisations like Youth Challenge Australia and Optus Communications. Online: autenticedu.com

20

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Will you survive the upcoming global recession?

Even the most optimistic economists are now suggesting things are only going to get worse before they get better. Some are even suggesting we are heading into the biggest economic depression the world has even seen. Whatever the future holds if you are not one of the select few who are educated to profit massively from it you are almost guaranteed to be part of the crowd that continues to watch their income, assets and retirement funds dwindle.

Would you like to: > Know where to invest right now to not only protect your wealth but grow it exponentially?

> Partner with actual billionaires and get access to exclusive private IPO’s that are set to skyrocket?

> Buy extremely cash flow positive investment properties that pay for themselves in only 3 years?

> Have access to some of the greatest financial minds and proven investment advice on the planet?

> Know what the smart money is really doing (and no you wont read this in the AFR or hear it on CNN) who are right now positioning themselves to profit massively from the upcoming economic turmoil?

> Sleep soundly at night knowing your wealth is secure and growing no matter what the economy throws your way?

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

“ An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest. ” Benjamin Franklin

For further information 1800 72 12 51 www.theWealthaccelerator.com.au Volume 3.6 thinkBIG 21

G L O B A L I S AT I O N : : D A M I A N K AY

Taking your business global G

oing global is a big step. For any business, large or small, it is a decision that should be taken lightly.

While globalisation can be challenging, there are moments of exhilaration that are so rewarding they remind you why you decided to take the plunge in the first place. Be prepared that you will make mistakes along the way, but don’t be disheartened. Below are a few essential steps that can help you avoid the more common stumbling blocks.

Step 1: Why do you want to go global?

The short answer is to build money and resources. This is probably the most important step, however if you don’t get this it could be a huge waste of your time. Really think about why you need to go overseas. Is it because your growth in Australia has plateaued? Is it because you have a great opportunity because of an existing local customer? Or is it just because you can?

Expanding overseas can be very lucrative and rewarding but be aware it can also lead to disaster. Firms will typically globalise when their local market can no longer offer growth opportunities. Even so, it is crucial that you understand the drivers to globalisation and whether it is for growth or for profit. Profits from overseas expansion can be a long time coming, so if it is for short term profit growth this can be a flawed strategy depending on the particular circumstances. If the driver is for growth to get better capacity (say in manufacturing) to bring down the per unit costs, this could be a winning strategy.

The bottom line is if the strategy for the decision to expand is solid and well thought out then don’t think twice. Do it.

Step 2: Are you ready?

Overseas expansion is a major commitment of financial, managerial and organisational resources. You need to be sure that your business has the capacity to absorb the increase in resources, or that it is able to increase its capacity sufficiently to take on

22

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

the extra required resources. Business at home must be strong financially before you make the move overseas, because moving offshore requires money and like many things costs more than you think.

Ask yourself if it is the owner expanding the business, can the local business operate without them?

Sustainability is the key. The resources need to be 100% available without hurting the home base.

Step 3: Do your research Just because your business is successful in Australia does not mean it will be successful elsewhere. Local laws also need to be seriously considered such as employment, IP and taxation. Some countries also limit the amount of money you can take out of a country in profits (such as some South American countries).

I would also strongly recommend finding out if other firms in your industry have ventures off-shore and what the results are and why. More importantly, what country is the right fit for your organisation? Should your target be an advanced country or a developing country? What is best suited to your product or service?

Step 4: Understand the risks Exchange rate factors have the potential to make or break your venture. We have lent considerable amounts of money to two of our overseas operations. With the strengthening Australian dollar (A$), the amount of money that has to be generated in these countries to repay that loan has increased significantly (25%+).

This puts pressure on the subsidiaries.

Another aspect to consider with regard to the increasing A$, is whether supplying your overseas operations with product, it will cost them more money rendering the product uncompetitive in their local market. On the flip side, the amount of seed capital required to set up business in a foreign country could be less as it will take less money to fund the amount of

local currency required for start-up. Other key risks have been discussed above and they revolve around sustainability and whether the home country can do without their fearless leader for the time it takes to get the overseas operation profitable. They also include financial strains.

Step 5: Get advice/help There is so much help available and Austrade is excellent. Austrade has people on the ground in many countries that can help with advice before you even head overseas. There are grants available for research and marketing.

State governments also provide grants for overseas ventures. We have been successful in our applications for grants, but be aware there a lot of hoops to jump through and forms to complete.

Step 6: Determine the right model/ structure for your international operation Do you expand through start-up or acquisition? If you choose start-up then do you expand through engaging local sales agencies and distributors? Do you set up a sales office only or a full subsidiary operation? Every business will be different based on their circumstances, but these are vital questions. We have deployed fully operational subsidiaries due to the nature of the requirement to look after our customers. We support New Zealand out of Australia, but in the UK this is not feasible due to timezone constraints.

Going global is a huge decision. While it has the potential to bring everything you have worked hard for undone, the flipside is it can take your business to a whole new level; one you would never have imagined if you had decided to stay at home. TB Damian Kay is managing director of Telcoinabox—a telecommunications wholesaler and franchisor. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

In each issue of 2011 thinkBIG magazine will be giving away a FREE week-long holiday.

To win, subscribe online to receive six issues of the hard copy of thinkBIG magazine delivered to your door. Then refer thinkBIG to everyone you know, asking them to log onto the thinkBIG website and view the free online digital version of the magazine.

You will then be in the running to win a week-long holiday for two at Diamond Beachâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beautiful Seashells Beachfront Resort on the NSW Mid North Coast. The prize will also include a free six-issue subscription of the hard copy for you to give as a gift to a friend.

The winner will be the first person to have the most referrals for that particular issue.

To find out more about this great prize, go to the subscription page at: www.thinkBIGmagazine.com

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

23

Do you REALLY care?

Professor Timothy M Devinney thinks the idea that people will change the world through what they buy, enabling companies to save the world through their actions, is hopelessly naïve. But that doesn’t mean corporations can’t view the world through ethical lenses.

In fact, marketers and strategists need to know much more about their customers’ ethical preferences.

24

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

K

aty Perry, singer of ‘I kissed a girl’, declares herself a ‘Red artist’. Georgio Armani, American Express, Starbucks, Apple, Dell—all these companies consider themselves to be ‘Red’, as do Converse, Bugaboo and Hallmark. They have pledged themselves to the Red initiative, spearheaded by U2’s Bono and politician Bobby Shriver.

They have specified that 50% of the profits from designated ‘Red’ products and services will go towards buying and distributing antiretroviral medication to AIDS patients in Africa.

Since its inception in 2006, the Red initiative claims it has raised more than $140 million for its partner The Global Fund so that this fund, in turn, can provide medication to nearly 80,000 people in Ghana, Lesotho, Rwanda and Swaziland. As Katy Perry says: ‘It’s not just like they are coming to my concert: when they purchase a ticket, they are helping out someone across the world—someone who needs medication, who doesn’t have resources; someone to help in the fight against HIV and AIDS.’ Inspirational stuff.

With numbers like those, it would be churlish to argue that initiatives such as Red are not worthwhile. Yet such high-profile activities hide the fact that products with ethical or social dimensions have far more limited uptake than many executives and social activists might hope, leaving many in business expressing uncertainty, in private, about the financial efficacy of ethical consumerism and the role their customers play in sharing obligations to social ethics. Despite the hype it has generated, there is strong evidence to suggest that even Project Red hasn’t had the impact on consumers its partners had hoped for.

In fact, our research shows that the ideal of the ‘ethical consumer’— that person who is guided in their purchasing decisions by broad ethical or moral concerns—is a myth. That doesn’t mean people aren’t influenced by issues other than price and product— they are. But we find that when you look carefully at people’s purchasing behaviour, it does not tally with what those who promote the idea of the ethical consumer would expect. All too often, survey radicals can turn into economic conservatives at the checkout.

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Horses for courses The ethical consumer, as an ideal, fails to match reality in a number of ways. When you examine how people purchase, you find that they do so in a much more utilitarian way than promoters of the idea of the ethical consumer claim. As our coffee-shop experiment shows how ‘ethically’ people decide to consume is a socially determined factor, and a subsidiary one at that.

People may care about a variety of issues that form part of a broad ethical agenda: third-world debt, child labour, pollution, animal welfare and so on. But they tend to be hard-nosed when they trade these things off against matters that are more salient, immediate and mundane: children’s schooling, healthcare, their mortgage— even simply spending less time at the checkout counter.

The question, it seems, is a relative one: ‘How important are social issues when compared with other economic issues?’

Consumer social responsibility These findings might tempt strategists to side with the financially driven sceptics.

If ethical consumers are a myth, why cater to them—particularly if it is going to cost you money? It may be true that the ‘ethical consumer’ is a myth, but consumers are influenced nevertheless by their social concerns, in the same way that they are influenced by other aspects of the consumption landscape: price, branding, taste, positioning and the context within which consumption occurs. It’s just that you can’t rely on a simple conception of ‘ethicism’ in your marketing strategy.

Instead of conceptualising an ethical consumer, it may be more helpful to think about ‘consumer social responsibility’.

This differs from the ‘ethical consumer’ construct because it recognises that consumers’ decisions are influenced by many factors and that the social component of a product is just one.

What’s more, it doesn’t attribute a broad and generic ‘ethicism’ to individuals, who are likely to have far more subtle social preference delineations than we give them credit for.

Individuals reveal their social preferences through their patterns of consumption; in fact, it would be almost impossible for them not to do so, since

social preferences are an inherent aspect of consumerism.

But you can not determine from their consumption patterns whether or not someone is ‘ethical’.

One person may reveal that he cares deeply about animal rights but is indifferent to the ‘right-to-life’ cause.

Another may be a passionate right-to-lifer but have no position on the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Which of these people is ‘ethical’? Both, surely.

People actively decide the extent to which they will support one social cause over another, and these decisions are reflected in their consumption behaviour.

But you can’t use these decisions to predict from one social category to another. Ethicism is not generic.

Nor are people’s ethical concerns strongly influenced by their cultural heritage. Europeans do not appear to be significantly more socially aware than Americans. Consumers from developing countries seem to be no less concerned about environmental issues than those hailing from richer countries.

The reality is more complex than that: our research shows that the rationalisation of behaviour and a person’s understanding of the idea of ‘ethical consumerism’ are culturally informed—but behaviour is remarkably similar.

Ethics is a much more granular subject than the proponents of the ethical consumer would have us believe.

It does a disservice to the human race to categorise some aspects of consumption as ethical or unethical.

Instead, it’s better to think about individuals revealing their social preferences through their behaviour.

In turn, these preferences are useful in understanding how marketers can influence behaviour.

The socially responsible corporation Understanding that social ethics is a complex and relative concept that differs markedly among individuals and communities sheds much light on the idea of the socially responsible corporation. Many commentators have promoted the idea that companies can ‘do well by doing good’.

But if we understand that ethics are a complex and individually determined phenomenon, we realise that the idea Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

25

that corporations can determine what is ‘good’ is naïve.

In fact, taking this argument to its logical conclusion reveals that handing over social policy decisions to corporations would lead to what most would consider to be an unacceptable loss of democratic rights.

To see why, it’s only necessary to take a walk down my street. I have neighbours who were born in China, Korea, India, Syria, Japan, the Netherlands, Croatia and 10 or so other countries. The local election ballot has to be printed in more than 20 languages. Yet, in the same street where several wives were imported for arranged marriages lives a lesbian couple and a dozen individuals cohabiting in de facto relationships, some with ‘illegitimate’ children.

Would corporate policies and choices that appeal to one of these families be likely to appeal to all? Certainly not. Any attempt to do well by doing good among my neighbours would get bogged down immediately in an energetic debate about what was and wasn’t ‘good’.

Corporations, by their very nature, have conflicting virtues and vices that ensure they will never truly be socially responsible, even by the broadest of definitions.

Would you want Walmart running society? The answer is, ‘Probably not’, for two reasons: firstly, because you can’t guarantee that what Walmart decides to do for society will in any way match your conception of a social good; and secondly, because there is a strong likelihood that instead of the corporation being forced to act in ways society deems ‘good’ (even if we could define such an idea), society will be forced to act in a way the corporation thinks is good.

26

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

What’s more, you can’t vote Walmart out of office—there is no governance mechanism limiting the actions of a corporation in the way there is around a democratically elected government.

As Elizabeth Taylor said: ‘The problem with people who have no vices is that generally, you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.’

Social marketing From an overall strategic perspective, it is important for corporations to understand that there are social responsibilities within all aspects of their businesses—whatever that means for the societies in which they are operating. Better companies work to enable these responsibilities to be fulfilled, however they arise (not simply through giving to select charities or enabling particular programs favoured by the CEO).

Corporate social responsibility, as it is traditionally defined, implies that there is a responsibility at the level of the corporation as a whole. But the company is not a being; it is simply an entity that allows humans to interact. It is the humans who have social preferences and responsibilities—as individual customers, workers, owners, investors and executives. Companies that put out glossy brochures proclaiming their extensive environmental, social or ethical activities are not being socially responsible—they are engaging in public relations.

More important is understanding the social links that exist across the corporation, understanding their interplay, and being able to understand and act upon the opportunities that arise from them.

This means enabling workers to have fulfilling lives and time with their families, customers to contribute to a variety of social causes through their consumption decisions, executives to create value for shareholders and investors to contribute to economic growth. The most ethical companies enable all of these and more, in concert, and profit over the long term as a result.

Fair trade coffee, sir?

One experiment we undertook in investigating whether or not the ethical consumer exists took place at a coffee shop in central Sydney over a period of several weeks.

This coffee shop displayed a large and

prominent sign indicating the products available, their prices and active specials.

To this we added, quite obtrusively, another special, indicating: We have Fair Trade coffee! No extra charge. Just ask.

Unprompted, with only the sign to notify them of the availability of the ‘ethical’ alternative, less than one percent of customers bothered to ask for Fair Trade coffee, even though it was free.

When we opted for the McDonald’s strategy—prompting customers with a reminder that the ‘ethical’ alternative was available—the number of customers opting for the Fair Trade option rose to 30%.

We then went a step further and took the customer’s privacy away: each time the clerk prompted a customer with the Fair Trade option, we ensured there was someone standing next to that person at the counter. In this situation, the number of ‘ethical consumers’ rose to 70%.

Throughout the experiment, we gave different coloured cups to customers who indicated that they wanted the Fair Trade product. We then questioned those remaining in the coffee shop about the meaning of fair trade and what they thought they were doing by purchasing, or not purchasing, Fair Trade coffee. On the whole, we received informed and insightful answers: customers talked about fair trade; they talked about the conditions of Guatemalan farmers; they could cite many reasons why they had opted for Fair Trade coffee.

None of this meant anything, however. When a customer chose the Fair Trade alternative, his or her decision was based entirely on the context we had created; it had nothing to do with that person’s values or preferences.

What this reveals is the degree to which ethical consumerism, like all consumerism, is strongly determined by the social context in which it is served up: something the marketers behind the Red campaign, and Katy Perry, are likely to have taken into account. TB Timothy M Devinney is a Professor of Strategy at UTS Business. His research interests include international business, corporate and social responsibility and social consumerism, corporate strategy and technology/knowledge management. He has also published a number of papers regarding ethics and the role of ethics in consumers’ lives. Timothy M Devinney’s latest book, The Myth of the Ethical Consumer, is available from Cambridge University Press. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

MEDIA :: TOM PETRYSHEN

A new room with a view S

tep right up. It’s that time of year again to stand up and proclaim the end of some old dinosaur.

Print, as you have almost certainly heard, has died numerous times and TV advertising has had its share of near death experiences. Even Wired magazine, the iconic publication built on the back of the digital revolution is at it claiming the Web is dead (thankfully, for my business, the Internet is still thriving).

Personally, I’ve never been a big fan of death, proclamations or the two of them used together. I've always cringed when I read or heard someone say it was the end of ‘insert old dinosaur here’. And, I’ve always told myself I’d never be so daft to make such a claim myself. That is until now.

While I can’t put a finger on the exact moment the realisation finally hit me; it’s probably a number of instances this past year that have galvanised my thoughts; it’s become clearly obvious that traditional media consumption is dead.

Over the past decade, there have been some fundamental shifts in the way we consume media. We no longer wait for the news to arrive at our doorstep. Today, the latest news is only one click away on our computers, phones or e-readers, at the moment it breaks, sometimes via a completely new channel such as Twitter.

Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) such as Tivo and iQ allow us to watch TV on our schedule, not when someone else hopes to win ratings. Devices such as the iPad or Amazon Kindle are giving us even more choice as to how and when we consume information.

I love traditions as much as anyone, especially the one that includes breakfast, coffee and the paper. It’s an Australian right of passage passed on to me during my first visit in 1996. Today though, I’m struggling to warrant the need for the weekend subscription. Over the past few months, the papers have rarely made it out of their wrappers.

Instead, I’m finding myself flipping through the top stories on my iPad rather

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

than trying to sort through the real news from the clutter of ads in the paper.

As an avid Tivo user I can't remember the last time I viewed an actual commercial barring any on The Gruen Transfer. And I’m not alone. I’m finally starting to see my peers abandon traditional TV consumption in increasing numbers.

For a true glimpse of tomorrow’s reality though, all you need to do is spend some time watching my children watch TV. At four and six years old, my children have already figured out how to skip through the ads with a few clicks of the remote. While other parents worry about how much advertising their kids see while in front of the tube, it’s the last thing to cross my mind.

Yet, TV owners and advertising agencies continue to sell ads in the same way they did 40 years ago, turning a blind eye to changing habits of consumers.

They helplessly cling to the ways of the past, in the hopes that businesses won’t realise that no one is actually watching.

bin I politely told him they were once used to look up people's phone numbers.

His response was interesting as it was laughable. "Dad, are you joking? That's what Google is for," he chirped.

Finally, after spending some time with the Flipboard application on the iPad, which combines content from your favourite websites with you social network to organise and rank the content, I’m starting to see that even Wired’s claim about the Web holds some validity.

As electronic devises become more portable and make consumption easier, the need to hold a real printed copy is diminishing. Even long term fans of comics are warming to the idea of receiving their fix in the digital form.

While all this change may be bad news for some industries and businesses, there are some clear winners, mainly us.

With this change, we'll have more opportunities than ever to consumer our media when it fits our schedule.

The methods we use to consume media

thinkBIG

The changing face of media means the web is not dead, but has evolved to allow us to consume what we want, when we want it.

A few weeks back my four year old daughter asked to use my iPad which in itself is probably not that interesting.

What is though is that she was still using the iMac at the time she asked (and had just finished watching Dora on the iTouch 10 minutes earlier).

Our kids today are device agnostic.

They don’t give a damn how they get their favourite shows, as long as they can watch it when and how they want to.

More recently my son questioned me about the two large books that were acting as a door stop at the front of the driveway. When I told him they were phone books he looked at me with confusion and immediately asked "what?" As I threw them in the recycling

today will cease to exist to make way for electronic devices like Amazon’s Kindle, Apple's iPad or something so revolutionary it hasn’t been thought of yet. Even TV is in for a spin with Apple and Google now joining Tivo and others to help us consume content on our terms.

Long live choice. TB Tom Petryshen is the chief operating officer and founder of Amplify: www.amplify.com.au Disclaimer: The author has received no funds from Apple, Amazon, Tivo or Foxtel for overuse of their respective brand names in this article.

Links: The Web is Dead. Long Live the Internet http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/08/ ff_webrip/all/1

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

27

BTS 2011

Breakthrough to Success

in 2011

with the Christopher Howard Training Team Free Gift Offer Your 2 FREE Tickets valued at $1,790 are on the opposite page now!

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to go through life easily building their wealth and success, while others seem to be destined to constant struggles?

Dates in 2011

(Friday evening, Sat and Sun)

Sydney February 25-27 Perth March 4-6

Overcome the inconsistencies or blocks in your career, relationships, health & finances Learn to “install” the “mind software” for rapid success in all areas of your life Release false associations and limiting beliefs such as... “I have low self-esteem,” “I can’t have a great relationship” or “It’s hard to make money” and replace them with thought patterns that guarantee success

Brisbane March 25-27 Melbourne April 8-10

thinkBIG

Starting today, you can take charge of your life and get the results you desire and deserve.

Whether you have already achieved significant success or if you have just started on your journey of success, this fun 2 1/2 day weekend event is jam-packed with so much valuable information that will transform your thoughts and actions like never before.

You choose the results:

Auckland March 11-13

28

What if you could break through any obstacles or limitations and achieve outstanding success today? What could you be, do and have in your life right now?

Take charge of your financial future, think big and play a bigger game Accelerate your success and gain massive propulsion toward your dreams.

Volume 3.6

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

UN362

Chris Howard is an Internationally acclaimed lifestyle and wealth strategist, best-selling author, prominent speaker and CEO of The Academy of Wealth & Achievement. For almost two decades, Chris has researched the success strategies of the world’s greatest business, philanthropic and spiritual minds.

His extensive knowledge is shared through his books, home study courses and public seminars worldwide. As a result, Chris Howard and his Training Team have helped hundreds of thousands of people globally to create the wealth and engineer the lifestyle they truly desire.

“Increased My Net Worth by $2 Million” This is the most powerful, life changing information available.

Last year I completed 4 of Chris’s programs and since then have increased my net worth by more than 2 million dollars.

These programs guarantee success!

Johnnie Cass, Senior Trainer

-Phil Anderson, Entrepreneur and Former Mr Australia

Take immediate action and book now.

Your 2 Complimentary Tickets valued at $1790, enrol online now at:

www.btsthinkbig.com.au

ADMIT 2

Cut here

Johnnie Cass is constantly achieving excellence and empowering people to create and live their ideal dream life.

With over 10 years experience in the personal development field, he is a senior faculty member for Chris Howard’s Academy of Wealth and Achievement.

A recognised face from Australian television, Johnnie brings to the Academy a broad cross section of expertise and knowledge; including film, media, property investing, as well as an extensive background in business management, leadership, coaching and training & development.

Suite 513, 15 Lime Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Phone (02) 9925 8000

Enrol Now at www.btsthinkbig.com.au www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

29

BRANDING

The circle of business life

by Jon-Michail

B

randing is the most important tool a business can use to sell its products and services. Without a successful brand culture, your business will either fail or be unable to hit its target expectations.

However, building a brand takes time and effort and not everybody does it properly. This is usually because they are not looking at the business from a holistic point of view and are disregarding the power of marketing and public relations.

Branding is the sum of its parts I can’t stress enough how important it is to take a holistic approach to business building. I find the best way to do this is to draw a circle. Through that circle overlap six other circles which represent the following six arms of the business: behaviour, products and service, customers, design, communications and culture. Once you have drawn this diagram, it’s time to revisit your business and ask yourself whether you are currently where you want to be. I can guarantee, if you are not covering off all of the abovementioned arms of business, you have a lot of work to do to build a successful branded business.

This model of holistic integration is referred to as Authentic Image

30

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

Management (AIM) and all the top brands are using it. If the main circle represents your business, the six circles within this indicate the way the business functions including systems. Further to this, they represent the way the business is perceived.

Your brand is all that holistically communicates the product service or business to build equity. This is broken down into external and internal aspects— all of which should be listed in your circle. External aspects incorporate the logo, name, taglines and trademarks.

Everything from buildings, your address, the uniforms your staff wear and community social responsibilities has an effect on the external perception of your business. Internally, your brand should be about people. Big corporations are looking more and more towards their employees to build brand recognition.

It’s called employee branding and even the Prime Minister’s office has jumped on board endorsing awards for the best employee brands in the market place.

It is important to realise, however, that branding and even rebranding takes time.

You can draw your circles, come to the realisation of what needs to be done, but then you have to spend the time putting

systems in place to affect change. Good brands are like the best part of nature.

They start as a seed and eventually become a flower or tree.

Great brands make a stand, but you know what they represent The top brands like IBM and Google, represent consistency, clarity and authenticity and they have built these traits over time. It is perhaps authenticity that is the most important of these traits.

Take McDonald’s for example. This is a service that no matter where you go, you know what you are going to get. There is simplicity about McDonald’s message that hides how complex their systems might be.

McDonald’s is a Super Brand. It shares this category with the likes of Microsoft, Apple, Virgin, Rolex, Nintendo, Chanel, Manchester United and Google among others. Where these brands are distinct is in their clarity of vision, longevity, value, quality and trust. They are timeless yet constantly evolving; head and shoulders above their competition in all areas.

They know their brand is valuable and they treat their brand building as an investment. They know if they spend a dollar, overtime they will get two to three or more dollars back. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

To create their Super Brand these businesses have buy in from the top. The brand should not only be the owner’s or board’s vision, it needs to be the vision of everyone working for the company, including the executives and the guys in charge of finance. The CFO needs to be on board. Very few financial people understand the intangible and emotional benefits of brand building. They fail to understand that consumer decisions are made from the heart and it is the branding and marketing that tug at the heart strings. It is therefore important to make sure, if you are building your own brand, to engage the customer’s needs emotionally and rationally.

In terms of the circle, the abovementioned values can all be seen in the circles representing culture, behaviour and communications.

Even small business can be big In the big scheme of global business, very few can be considered Super Brands, but this does not mean that the small to medium enterprise can’t build a strong, well-appreciated brand.

While small business is often run ad hoc, the same principles Super Brands draw on should still apply. When you are sitting down to draw your circle. Branding and marketing should be part of the business strategy and not an afterthought. Remember, we are looking at the business holistically, not just the numbers, but the systems and how those systems are represented.

Unfortunately, most business put together start up plans where feasibility and marketing are an afterthought and not part of a holistic strategy. Like the Super Brands it is important to remember that marketing is intangible and has emotional impact. It should therefore be incorporated as part of your vision because it is equally as important as the numbers.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a small or big business, effective brand building from the beginning means your brand will one day be worth more than the total cost of the business.

Take Coca Cola for example, this brand value equates to 66% for name alone.

For a small business to be big, or more to the point well respected and influential, everyone from the CEO down has to

To build a brand takes time, effort and a holistic approach to business integration and marketing. be working on the business. When people share a common goal that is when you are building an authentic brand.

No matter whether you are a Super Brand or start-up SME, consumers react to authenticity. It may sound like a cliché and most business do have a ‘fake it til you make it’ component, but long term success is measured by how well you can ‘keep it real’.

This is what the Super Brands do and it has never been easier to replicate their systems. Today, the little guy can start a business in his garage. Ruslan Kogan did this and today Kogan is a $20m electronics business; an Australian entrepreneurial success story.

So it’s time to create your destiny by knowing your systems and values. Move your people towards your vision and drawing up a circle of life that incorporates a holistic business approach. TB In the next issue we’ll look at personal branding and how leaders sell their vision. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

31

Inspired b Living a life

Inspired by Purpose

J

Jack Canfield is affectionately known as “America’s number one Success Coach” and the cocreator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, which currently has over 100 million copies in print in over 40 languages. Jack holds the Guinness world record for having seven books simultaneously on the New York Times bestseller list. He has also been a featured guest on Oprah, The Today Show, Larry King Live, Fox and Friends and The CBS Evening News. He

speaks here with Joseph Law about self acceptance and tuning into life’s purpose.

32

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

by Purpose  interview by Joseph Law

Joseph Law (JL): How did you start out?

What early experiences shaped the person you are today?

Jack Canfield (JC): I started my professional career as a history teacher in an all-black inner-city high school in Chicago. Most of my students were not highly motivated, so I quickly became more interested in learning how to inspire them to want to learn and succeed than I was in teaching history.

In my quest to find effective motivation techniques, I discovered W. Clement Stone, who was a self-made millionaire worth US$600 million. The real turning point in my life came when I decided to put all of the inspirational stories I had been sharing in my speeches and workshops into a book, which I eventually co-authored with Mark Victor Hansen.

That book was titled Chicken Soup for the Soul®, which—after having been rejected by 144 publishers—went on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide in more than 40 languages. There are now more than 200 books in the series with total sales exceeding 115 million copies.

JL: What do you believe to be the secret of true hsappiness?

JC: The first is to truly love and accept yourself just the way you are. Most of us have to relearn how to do that. Teaching people how to develop self-esteem has been a huge focus in my work. The next step is to trust yourself: trust your feelings; trust your preferences; trust you intuition.

Finally, you have to learn to trust the universe and to have faith that everything is unfolding as it should.

Another major key to happiness is learning to take 100% responsibility for everything that happens in your life.

That means giving up all blaming and complaining about how the world is.

We have to be willing to let go of our judgments about how other people should be. Most of our pain comes from trying to control things we have no control over and from believing that other people and conditions should be different than they are. When you give up judging and trying to control others, and focus instead on creating what you want for yourself, you find an inner peace from which you can more effortlessly create your life as you’d like it to be. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

JL: How would you define genuine success?

JC: I think genuine success comes from discovering what you love to do and finding a way to do it so that it serves yourself and others at the same time.

Every one of us was born with a set of unique talents and abilities. We have inborn preferences and natural styles that we need to honour. Some of us are natural leaders; others are happier in support roles. Some are natural salespeople; others are born to be creative in the arts. The trick is to pursue your greatest interests. When you discover your true purpose and develop a vehicle through which you can express it, you will experience a great sense of

Jack Canfield shares a special, loving moment with his wife, Inga.

success. And if you can find a way to make money doing it at the same time, then all the better.

JL: What is the true meaning of ‘living on purpose?’

JC: I think we are all born with a deep and meaningful purpose that we have to discover. Your purpose is not something you need to make up; it’s already there. You just have to uncover it. You can begin to discover your purpose by exploring two things: 1) What do you love to do? What makes you happy? and 2) What comes easy to you?

Of course, it takes work to develop your talents—even the most gifted

musician still has to practice—but it should feel natural, like rowing downstream rather than upstream. If you are struggling and suffering, you are probably not living on purpose.

JL: What advice would you give to someone who is still searching for their purpose?

JC: First, ask yourself, what are two qualities I most enjoy expressing in the world? Mine are love and joy.

Second, ask yourself, what are two ways I most enjoy expressing these qualities? Mine are inspiring and empowering people. I inspire people with the moving stories that I tell in my seminars and that I write about in my books, and I empower them by teaching them powerful success strategies that they can apply in their own lives.

Once you’ve answered these questions, take a few moments and write a description of what the world would look like if it were operating perfectly according to you. In my perfect world, everybody is living their highest vision where they are doing, being, and having everything they want. Finally, combine all three of the above into one statement, and you will have a clear idea of your purpose. Mine is inspiring and empowering people to live their highest vision in a context of love and joy.

JL: Why do we feel the happiest and most fulfilled when we commit to our life’s purpose?

JC: Because when we are aligned with our life purpose, we are deeply connected to our unique genius. We are doing what we are here to do and playing the role that we were born to play. I have come to understand that every one of us was born with an infallible way to know what is for our highest good. We just have to tune into what we are feeling, and if we are not feeling love, joy, peace, and ease, this is nature’s way of telling us that we are off course. TB Joseph Law is the founder and CEO of Living Greatness, a social organisation dedicated to making the world a happier and better place by empowering people's lives through education and charity. He is the author of Living Greatness: A Practical Guide to Living an Enlightened Life. Joseph is an ambassador for Make-A-Wish Australia.

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

33

INTERNAL CUSTOMER SERVICE :: DES TUBRIDY

Fulfil your expectations ...and impact your bottom line

W

hat makes internal customer service (ICS) imperative for the financial viability of your organisation?

How does ICS influence the customer service that your external customers receive? Rosenberg (1998) defined an internal customer as anyone you count on or rely upon to complete a task or a function or to provide you with information so that you can get your job done…and anyone who counts on you to complete a task or function or to provide them with information so that they can get their job done.

Heskett (1994) proposed the Service Profit causal model. This is based on the proposition of internal customer service provided by internal customer influences on employee satisfaction, which creates the delivery of high value

service, resulting in improved customer satisfaction. This culminates customer loyalty and in turn produces increased revenue and profit for the organisation.

Heskett further stated that internal service quality includes the attitudes that employees have towards each other and subsequently, how they serve each other.

ICS should be viewed as a two way process between different employees, where one employee assists the other as s/he would an external employee.

Quantum believes that strong ICS affects the attraction and retention of employee talent. An organisation’s internal reputation is extremely important when hiring new staff members and a strong reputation in ICS would increase the number of skilled workers applying to work within the organisation and subsequently help in delivering better external customer service.

Why effective ICS is important for your organisation Quantum believes that for an organisation to provide effective and reliable customer service, they need to have an organisational culture which encourages internal customer service.

By nurturing this type of culture, employees would be more likely to assist and communicate cross-functionally between different organisational levels.

Subsequently, with this type of culture, employees would be in a better position to deliver effective customer service resulting in increased customer loyalty, revenue and profits.

However, organisations should be aware that ICS is not always beneficial in certain situations. An article by Hansen, in the Harvard Business Review, reviewed situations where internal collaboration was not always valuable for the organisation. Hansen stated that it was important to see when and where internal collaboration between departments would help the customer and when it would be a disadvantage.

34

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

Often experienced teams that work together did not gain as much assistance from their colleagues as they expected.

This was demonstrated from the fact that the time taken away from the project outweighed the minimal knowledge and assistance that they gained from other teams.

However, Hansen concentrated on what seemed like high-profile and expensive projects in an organisation that were a one-off rather than an on-going service to the customer. On the ground level and especially when delivering customer service face-toface, an article by Gulati in the Harvard Business Review, found four main factors that organisations implemented had a reputation for effective internal customer service: 1. Coordination—a process which allowed seamless information sharing and activities across the different units in an organisation.

2. Cooperation—an organisational culture which encourages employees to work towards a common goal – efficient customer service 3. Capability development—encouraging generalist skill training in the organisation, including knowledge of the organisation’s products and services and the needs of the customers.

Additionally, an awareness of other departments’ roles and responsibilities should be encouraged.

4. Connection—This expands the organisation into different areas by developing alliances with external partners in order to deliver a more diverse range of services and products to customers.

Case studies of ICS implementation Many organisations take ICS seriously around the world. Hyatt, the international hotel chain, applies internal customer satisfaction scores to partially www.thinkbigmagazine.com

determine performance appraisals, bonuses and promotions.

Quantum has worked with a number of organisations and industries in determining the level of ICS within the organisation. Quantum recently worked with a bank in Hong Kong to assist them through the process of developing an ICS plan.

Organisation’s challenges Despite the obvious success of the organisation in terms of its underlying culture (values systems) and its ability to perform, there was one issue that caused concern for senior management.

That is the issue of ICS quality within the organisation. When compared against tough benchmarks of external high performing organisations, their results were below average for their market sector.

Quantum’s approach Before rolling out the survey, Quantum identified possible internal customer issues through personal interviews and focus groups with employees from different levels and departments.

From the interview data gathered, a customised survey was developed and administered to all employees within the organisation in order to measure the internal customer satisfaction level.

Survey outcomes Working with Quantum, the organisation built awareness of the roles and responsibilities of other departments and their teams. Additionally, they implemented strategies for rewarding positive outcomes various departments, which encouraged employees to work cross functionally in order to achieve the best possible result for both the internal and external customers.

After an interim period, Quantum administered a follow-up ICS survey in order to assess changes. A significant improvement in ICS across all departments was established numerically.

Internal customers rated the internal service significantly higher in comparison to the first survey.

When planning an internal communication strategy or cultural change programme, it is important to survey all staff, both to increase awareness of the ICS issue and to give employees a chance www.thinkbigmagazine.com

to participate in the development of the communications strategy. An Internal Communications Survey should look at the following issues: • Satisfaction with the standard and methods of communication between management and employees • Satisfaction with the standard and methods of communication between internal customers and suppliers • Satisfaction with training and development programs to improve internal communications

think BIG Internal customer service (ICS) should be viewed as a twoway process between different employees, where one employee assists the other as s/he would an external employee.

• Satisfaction with support resources for communication technologies • Eagerness to improve the quality of internal communications • Current method of receiving information versus preferred method of receiving information.

How to implement a strong ICS strategy in your organisation Quantum suggests a number of methods to improve ICS in your organisation. Organisations need to implement and nurture a culture that drives the following: 1. A clear set of expectations. The organisation needs to set clear guidelines of what services employees have to deliver to other departments in the organisation. These are called Service Level Agreements (SLA). SLAs are agreements on services expected between the departments which include the response time and the quality of service expected.

expectations. The employees need to be trained to ascertain an internal customer’s expectations of the service provided. At the same time, if the customer has false or unrealistic expectations, then the employee should be able to explain the workflow process and the realistic response timelines taking into consideration other departments’ normal response times.

3. Information provided. Employees need to be trained to give all the relevant information to the different departments when requesting assistance. This lowers the time needed to respond and the frustrations from both parties.

4. Aligning senior management. When implementing an ICS culture, the senior management team should be committed to the strategy before it is implemented. Strong leadership is required within the organisation for internal customers to deliver a high level of service internally. Hall and Maritz (1997) argue that leaders differ in terms of what they perceive to be priorities and how they implement different organisational strategies.

Therefore, this impacts on the type of internal conditions they create in the workplace. A good leader would understand how internal customer satisfaction impacts on the bottom line (Wall, Solum and Sobol, 1992).

5. Training. Organisations often start of by having an integrated training plan to improve ICS. However, more often than not, the organisation will only concentrate on providing training to those employees who directly deal with the external customer. Those customers who deal with only employees, such as HR, IT departments, administrative function and payroll departments are often ignored when implementing training. It is important for all employees to be given this training, as it will increase internal customer service overall in the organisation. TB Des Tubridy has worked for AMCOR as an industrial relations manager and has subsequently held roles as general manager, Human Resources with Bonlac Foods (now Fronterra) and TAC Insurance. He is an accredited MBTI. www.qmisurveys.com.au

2. Fulfilling external customers’ Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

35

SMALL BUSINESS :: MICHELLE MILLS

Do what you do best ...outsource the rest

W

ith 2010 news headlines and a glut of advertisements drawing the battle lines between government and the mining companies in relation to the proposed super profits tax, the power of big business in Australia had seldom appeared greater. Indeed, the layperson could be forgiven for assuming that big business is the backbone of the Australian economy. Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, however would suggest just the opposite, with 2007 data showing that almost two million active small enterprises make up 96% of all private sector business.1 A sector which employs over five million people (or half the private-sector workforce) is not to be sniffed at. Though we may be small, we are strong. And more than that, we also possess several other attributes which, when strategically employed, enable us to prosper, both professionally and personally.

An approach which combines

36

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

strategy with support will ensure the success of your small business—and validate your reasons for establishing it in the first place.

Be strategic Firstly, it is crucial that you have your business and personal goals in place and regularly review them. It is worth noting the use here of the word ‘personal’ as it is especially pertinent to small business people who tend to specialise in areas they are passionate about. Most of us have decided to take this route for personal reasons—be it to spend more time with our family, or to have control of a business which reflects our personal philosophy—so we need to keep these objectives in mind. If we lose sight of them, we’re not staying true to our reasons for embarking on the journey.

It is often said that we spend more time planning our holidays than we do our business and personal lives. Don’t let this

be the case with your small business.

Strategy provides the roadmap and momentum for small business success.

Many small business people don’t have a desire to physically grow the size of their business; after all, they have

think BIG An approach which combines strategy with support will ensure the success of your small business−and validate your reasons for establishing it in the first place.

chosen this path in part for the way it fits their lifestyle—a benefit which physical expansion, in the form of change of premises, or increased staffing and administration, could compromise. It is possible to grow your business in other ways. Successful small businesses often adopt the strategy of providing high margin products to fewer, select clients.

By consistently delivering high quality service to these clients they establish their value and do not feel the need to compromise on price.

A common misconception among small business owners is that we have to work twice as hard to compete with larger businesses. Consequently, we overcompensate by over-delivering or reducing our prices. We don’t need to do this. The important things are the delivery of the services and products we are offering and the perceivable value that our clients receive. Would you judge a cup of coffee bought from a multinational chain to be better than one brought from the independent café on the corner?

Our smaller size in no way www.thinkbigmagazine.com

diminishes the return we give clients. If anything, the opposite is true, because when we run our own small business we are passionate about the service we deliver and the relationships we cultivate—arguably moreso than an employee of a larger company whose vested interest is limited.

Don’t apologise for being small—believe in the quality of your service and have faith in your own worth. When your reasons for running your small business and your belief in the quality of what you deliver are established, your strategy will be sound.

Utilise your flexibility As we are well aware, a large percentage of small businesses are home-based operations. Spare bedrooms, studies and garden sheds across Australia have been converted into home offices from where highly successful enterprises are being run. A 2009 survey conducted

by Serviced Offices International found that more than 82.5% of respondents enjoyed the flexible working hours of a home office. Flexibility is a key benefit of small business, and one of the main reasons that many people embark on this type of employment. Running a home-based business enables you to control your time, and allows better management of today’s ‘Holy Grail’, the often elusive life/work balance.

Small business people also have the ability to grow their business on their own terms. Take the case of the small business owner who chose to avoid the overhead costs and restrictions of being tied to an office while he expanded his business to encompass a team of 15 sales people. By developing a business structure whereby his staff operate from their homes across Sydney while being able to remotely access work files from a central location, he has been able to provide his team with the flexibility that he himself enjoys. All telephone calls are

think BIG When we try to be the bookkeeper, admin support, operations coordinator, and receptionist, we move away from our passion.

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

diverted to the correct contact by a virtual reception team. The client’s perception is of a professional office front, and ultimately all they care about is being put through to the person best able to assist them. Location and traditional corporate structures are irrelevant. By managing his company in this way, the owner has grown his business without compromising the reasons he started it.

And this flexibility is not only beneficial to the business proprietor.

The unique ability of small business to quickly change direction and react to circumstances or demands is of immense

able to achieve more billable hours and generate more income than he will spend on outsourcing. After all, an accountant will be able to sort his books out far more speedily and efficiently than he would be able to do himself.

When we try to be the bookkeeper, admin support, operations coordinator and receptionist we move away from our passion. We don’t enjoy the other areas and they drain our precious time and energy. Before we know it, we grow jaded with the business and our passion—the reason for starting our venture—dissipates.

Consequently we don’t grow.

think BIG

By making your passion the focal point of your business, and backing it up with a little strategic thinking and support, you can pave the way for small business success.

value to clients. If you have ever tried to negotiate your specific needs with a large communications provider or financial institution, you will know the frustrations of dealing with the inflexible policies of big business.

With a more personal client relationship and a vested interest in the outcome of each project, small business people are more likely to understand the working of their client’s business, and can quickly gauge whether any changes to product or service are necessary. This is the personal touch that a number of big businesses are now attempting to emulate (note the ‘cosy’ advertising by many leading banks), but which in many instances only smaller businesses can authentically and successfully deliver. Use your flexibility as a small business to outmanoeuvre cumbersome larger enterprises.

Remain focused on your passion One of the temptations of small business owners is to try and perform every function of their business themselves. Although it may seem prudent to do this, spreading yourself thin in areas which you aren’t qualified in can be detrimental to your business.

Outsourcing elements of our business allows us to focus on what we do best.

Despite possessing creativity in abundance, a graphic designer will not necessarily have a head for numbers. Outsourcing his accounting and invoicing will free him up to work at what he does best—which also makes sound financial sense as he will be

The solution is to know what we are good at, to look for support in areas which detract our attention from this, and to outsource. Areas which small businesses can typically benefit from outsourcing include: • Bookkeeping • Entire financial team • Virtual PA • Telephone answering • Professional meeting room and work space • Administration and mail services.

In most cases, these services can be turned on and off according to the current demands of your business.

If we support ourselves, and our business, by outsourcing these areas, we can remain focused on our area of expertise—the thing that made us want to run our own business in the first place. By doing this we are able to keep our strategy firmly on track and vastly increase our chances of business success. TB 1 Source: ‘What small business wants’, Tony Featherstone, smh.com.au, 10 June 2010, www.smh.com.au/small-business/blogs/theventure/what-small-business-wants/20100607xnqn.html

Michelle Mills has 20+ years experience working with small and home-based businesses. She is the managing director of Serviced Offices International. More information is online: www.serviced.com.au Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

37

PA S S I O N S : : J E S S I C A M C G R E G O R J O H N S O N

The signpost to a fulfilled life Y

our passions are not something that are hidden away from you, or something to be discovered that you haven’t previously allowed yourself to see. One person I have spoken with said that when she wrote down her passions nothing new came to mind. How could it? We can only be passionate about what we know or want. You can’t be passionate about something you don’t know, but you can dismiss the passions you do know because things seem too obvious.

When I work with clients who want to make changes in their life, one of the first things we do is to look at passions because they hold great clues as to what the next step could be. Yes, you do want to be passionate about what you do,

38

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

but there is a fundamental difference between feeling passionate about what you do and your actual passions.

Why is that? Well your passions are not just related to your work as some people think. They will most likely include your work, and they will also occupy the broad spectrum of your life. This is important, especially if you decide on taking a new direction into consideration. Your passions are not just one thing that can be translated into a career either. Living a passionate life is far more than that.

What I have seen is that many people think that passions have to have bells and whistles attached, or are something lofty to be achieved. One of my clients

had problems thinking about what he might put on his list at the beginning of the Passion Test process and at the end quickly scribbled down two things

think BIG Passion may be a buzzword, but for so many people it is also their hidden secret.

to complete his list. He thought them rather mundane and that they wouldn’t feature in his passion list—however they turned out to be his top two passions!

Truth be told—your passions are what are important to you right now.

Why is that important when you are looking to change your life? Because right now is when you are looking to make the next move; your passions are elements of that new direction for you.

As I work with clients we identify many different elements that will eventually constitute the new direction. Some of the areas that passions arise are work, fun, learning, home, family, relationships and hobbies to name a few. Passions have no limits.

I want to make this point because I have found that some people get so hung up on discovering the ONE THING that they can be passionate about that their true passions never actually get a look in.

I had a client who when she discovered her top five passions, was surprised to see ‘organising’ among them. When she looked at them on paper, she realised that organisation is a huge part of who she is, and what she loves. This then gave her a new direction when considering a career move.

Why else is it so important to understand your true passions? Because even though you obviously know these things, you are not focused on them and www.thinkbigmagazine.com

are not giving them airtime. It is airtime that makes all the difference. If you know where you are going—even if you don’t have all the answers as to how it’s going to happen—you are 100 times more likely to achieve it.

There are three steps to this: • Intention: Consciously stating what it is you choose to experience in your life is the first step to manifesting it. This is about being clear about the ‘what’ you would like to create in your life— no limits.

• Attention: Give attention to that which you choose to experience in your life, and it will begin to show up. You focus your attention by putting your attention on your intention through engaging with your passions—reading them through and focusing on them daily—and by taking action. Do all you can in the moment and let go.

• No tension: Letting go means no tension. An openness to what is appearing in the moment allows life

think BIG

Passions have no limit...I have found that some people get so hung up on discovering the ONE THING that they can be passionate about that their true passions never actualy get a look in.

to flow. Take ‘easy action’ (without forcing something to happen), then ‘let go’ and let life take care of the ‘how.’

Your passions are right there with you now; they are not some elusive mist. All you need to do is allow yourself to see them and then choose to let them lead the way. TB Jessica McGregor Johnson works internationally as a Life Fulfilment Coach empowering people to create the life they choose and gain fulfilment in every area of life. www.jessicamcgregorjohnson.com

Competition Winners!

Congratulations to Kim Davey winner of the Universal Events Billionaire Bootcamp, held on the Gold Coast in November "I was already enrolled to attend Billionaire Bootcamp in the Gold Coast this November but we were looking for another ticket for my partner Jason. When I saw the competition in 'Think Big' I just knew the law of attraction had delivered and I had to win! With the power of facebook, a great network of friends and a strong belief in my success I reached my goal. Thanks to EVERYONE who helped out and 'Think Big' for the competition. We are super excited for the seminar!!!"

Congratulations to Jane Milne who won 3 nights accomodation at beautiful Surfair Marcoola Beach Resort on the Sunshine Coast.

Congratulations to Danielle Cronin who won the $12,000 photography package experience from Studio 504 Sydney. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Our subscriber referal competition has come to an end.

We are pleased to announce the winners for 2010!

Thank you to everyone who participated!

The following subscribers received a Christopher Howard Ultimate Marketing Seminar or Wealth Symposium DVD: Idaliz Escalante, Anthony Michalski, Yvette Nevrkla, Rick and Susan Crawford, Myrtle Looby, Natalee-Jewel Kirby, Sunam Pradhan, Sam Cocks, Anthony McNamara, Brenda Tillman, Emma Bradley, Jeremy Huggins, Nitin Sharma, Alyssa Jouk, Tukara Mathews, Frankie Lee Slater, Rad Cliff Abringe, Dion Darmanin, Ellis Hebberd, Huai Woods Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

39

YOUR STORY

Pleasure

Mixing business with

As the owner of Food Wine Travel, Karen Ridge can teach us a great deal about living and working our passions.

40

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

A A

start up that merged the best of business with the best of personal life wasn’t always going to be easy. And Karen Ridge had her problems. Before she was nominated as Telstra Businesswoman of the Year in 2001, Karen had to balance her third business with working another two part-time jobs to support herself as a single woman. She worked seven days a week for the first 18 months, which challenged her physically and mentally.

Today, this personal travel concierge walks the colourful markets of Barcelona, enjoys a five-course lunch, prepared by a private chef in a Loire Valley apartment and is living and sharing her dream with likeminded people. And she does this all in the name of work.

I wouldn’t say I was brought up among foodies. Mum and Dad were not big on ‘special’ food. It was always homemade and tasty but it wasn’t gourmet.

Until recently Dad was pretty much a meat and three veg man, but these days he’s become a bit more adventurous..... he’s onto four veg! Mum is certainly a very good cook though, and she taught both my sister and I how to get around a kitchen. There were some notable mishaps while we were growing up, like when my sister used the mix-master to blast her chocolate cake mix across the kitchen roof, but overall we gained some great skills.

Dinner was always an important time in our house. My parents made sure that we ate together as a family every night—and even though I resented this as a rebellious teenager—I have grown to realise how important this type of thing is to a family unit. Cooking and eating is a time when people come together and can enjoy what’s before them, but more importantly communicate with one another. I find it very sad that there is a culture of microwave dinners and sitting in front of the TV out there. This is so unhealthy for society on a number of levels.

Cooking really is such an enjoyable gift to have, but to be honest I never really valued it until I realised that so many people struggle just with the basics. So for that, I am truly grateful.

Until recently with Masterchef and other cooking related shows, I almost feel as though cooking skills are lost in our society. And that I find, is really sad.

As a family we also travelled a www.thinkbigmagazine.com

couple of times a year. We were fortunate to travel overseas to many destinations and I think that gives you an automatic appreciation for food. We experienced everything from the ‘over processed’ food in the USA to the other extreme with natural healthy wholefoods of New Zealand. ‘Orange’ cheddar cheese and boysenberry icecream are the two things that stand out most, respectively. You can’t help but be influenced by these experiences.

My Dad however wanted me to become an accountant, so I could work in the family business. I had other plans and was determined accounting would not become part of my life. Hospitality was one of my BCom majors at Uni but I think I only did it because I thought it would be easy! It wasn’t until I couldn’t find a job after graduation that I ended up by chance working in a family-related travel agency in 1992. All our earlier travels held me in good stead and thus began my career.

I was 21 when I started in the travel agency. It was going nowhere and most likely, so was I. I never wanted to be a travel agent and I never wanted to spend more than two years there, but ended up owning the place and stayed for 10 before selling out in 2003. The agency started out as an independent store, and then joined the Traveland network.

Traveland fell over when Ansett collapsed, and we eventually ended up as a Jetset franchise from 2001 to 2003 when the business was sold.

In those 10 years I grew tremendously as a person and I became a business owner. On a professional level I always wanted to create the ‘perfect business’.

For me that was a business that delivered a consistent product with a great level of service. I built a process that could be taught to others, and that allowed the business to expand and for standards to be maintained. The ultimate goal is always happy clients. On a personal level I think I just wanted to escape living in Mildura. But now I look back and I realise how wonderful and simple the lifestyle was, and in many ways wish I was back there now. Ultimately we sold the business because I wanted to move on.

I see the awards I won in this time as recognition for the innovation and hard work, I guess, more so than

passion. But unless you have that passion in the first place the other two don’t follow. In those days I just did what I did to perfect the process, have happy clients and grow the business. I was young and didn’t really think too much about it.

Food and Wine Travel is my third business. I guess a number of things prompted the creation of this business.

Firstly I tried being an employee ‘between businesses’ and realised I was not good at this. Secondly I wanted freedom and flexibility in my work so I knew another business was the only option, and thirdly more than anything I wanted to wake up every day and do something that I love.

I took perhaps 12 or 18 months to really cement the Food and Wine Travel idea in my head. I kept asking myself ‘what are my passions?’, ‘what am I good at’, ‘how do I want to spend the rest of my working life?’

I really wanted a job that encompassed the things I enjoy most, and I wanted to blur the line between work and life. For example doing a wine tasting in a winery in Portugal, attending a wine dinner here in Melbourne, or enjoying a degustation dinner in Paris can be work or life for me, if you see what I mean. I wanted my work to be an extension of my lifestyle and vice versa.

And it has very much become that.

I have long had a thing for visiting wineries—long before I really knew anything about wine. I recall visiting the wineries of Stellenbosch in South Africa and I am sure I was only 16 at this time. I just loved the environment. I loved everything about wine—and I still do.

Many people share my passion for food and wine. As I said above I believe cooking is an art form that we are losing touch with as a society. Thankfully for the recent spate of TV shows, people are rekindling an interest in actually wanting to cook. Cooking classes are enjoying a resurgence in popularity as well. It’s been the great positive to come from these shows. I think however that passion around food for most people comes in the shape of eating rather than preparing. For those lucky enough to live in Melbourne or Sydney, it’s hard to find a bad eating experience. We are very lucky.

After I sold the agency in Mildura, I did quite a bit of temping work in Volume 3.6

thinkBIG 41

Melbourne. What I saw really distressed and frustrated me. Having owned and operated an agency that was very customer focused, what I began to see was just an industry that had lost its way. To my way of thinking there was a gaping lack of ‘service’. No longer did caring about the customer and building something from the ground up to suit the traveller exist. Rather, a new ‘mass production’ mentality had emerged of making the client fit into a package holiday, booked with a faceless wholesaler at an over inflated price. No wonder travel on internet has prospered.

In hindsight, I could say that we were somewhat isolated being located in Mildura, but certainly big changes were evident in the city.

travel were always food and wine, and one day it occurred to me that the three things were a match made in heaven. I did some basic research, but on the whole went with my gut instinct that I was on a winner. When I discovered that the company, trading name and domain name were all available I figured it was meant to be.

a tiny little 14th century cellar in Paris with an avid collector and trader of rare and old wines. In Beaune, the heart of Burgundy I spent days exploring the surrounding vineyards and enjoyed private tastings in various local wineries.

From these experiences I can create unique wine holidays for those passionate about wine.

Clearly service is important in my business and ensuring what I do is exactly what they want, but so too is the fact that I offer products that are totally unique. I have personally travelled to many of the destinations I now specialise in, and sourced things like gorgeous hotels, gourmet experiences, wine excursions and cooking classes, and turned them into exquisite experiences.

People love the thought of not just seeing a country but ‘tasting’ it as well. We are inundated with food and wine festivals, lifestyle channels, TV programs and magazines at the moment.

My guess is that it’s a real escape for people, and I think that bringing food and wine deliberately into your holiday is just an extension of this new trend.

Authentic food and wine experiences bring travellers closer to the destination and its people—we get to taste a country’s heritage in vivid flavours which in turn etch great pictures into our memories. Ask a traveller about their best experience and most often they will tell you about a moment involving food and wine.

In the ’80s and ’90s people did coach tours of Europe, then they went back for a more independent experience.

Now what I think people want is more in-depth and personal experience.

They really want to live like a local and connect with the people. They want to be immersed in another culture, and it seems that eating and drinking the region’s typical fare goes a great way to fulfilling this desire. It’s a trend for sure, but for the diehard food and wine lover, it will always be the only way to travel.

I knew I still wanted to work in travel, but I also knew that the standard ‘retail model’ had limited longevity.

Margins were shrinking and so too was the number of people who were willing to book holidays with a travel agent.

I also knew that people were getting smarter and researching and booking holidays online. So how could I create a viable business in a shrinking industry?

A niche specialisation for independent travellers was the key.

My personal passions outside of

42

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

I don’t use massive wholesalers. I get on the phone or send an email directly to the little operator in France (for example) who will be there to meet my client and host them for their stay. Everything is private and personal, and tailored to the client. Best of all—because I avoid the wholesaler—it ends up being no more expensive than the mainstream type of holiday that 95% of the population will take. Yet, what a difference in experience.

I have been so fortunate—wine lovers would appreciate my time spent in

I have a number of passions bigger than me. Firstly I would love to assist women entrepreneurs in some way. I know first-hand how hard it can be as a young woman starting in business at the age of 21. Perhaps this could take shape by way of mentoring initially, and then scholarships or angel investments later.

I am still formulating these thoughts.

Perhaps thinkBIG can get involved here!

I also have a desire to unite the wine tourism operators of the world via some means of association or network. Currently this doesn’t exist, but it is something I believe is necessary for the professionalism of an emerging but very fast growing segment within the travel market. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Keep up with the world’s biggest thinkers!

SUBSCRIBENOW! Special Bonus Offer!

Fill in your details & order your subscription today!

When you subscribe to thinkBIG magazine in print, you’ll receive the following free bonus:

 YES I would like to subscribe to Magazine and receive my copy of 4 Ingredients Fast, Fresh & Healthy

 YES I would like to purchase both a personal subscription and a

as seen on...

gift subscription.

as seen on...

as seen on...

Subscriber details: First Name:__________________Surname:____________________ Address:_________________________________________________ FAST, FRESH & HEALTHY HY & HEALTFA ST, FRESH & FAST, FRESHOver 400 sensational NEW recipes HEALTHY using 4 or fewer ingredients for a s W recipe nsational NE Over healthier mind and body Over 400 se nts for a 400 sensational NEW rec wer ingredie ipes using 4 or fe r fe 4 o ng usi wer ingredie ody d b an nts for a ind m heaBermingham, healthier Kim McCosker, Rachael lthier mind an d body Deepak Chopra m, , Rachael Ber Kim McCosker a Deepak Chopr

mingha Kim McCosker , Rachael Ber mingham, Deepak Chopr a

4 Ingredients Fast, Fresh & Healthy This book will transform the way you eat as you discover the wisdom of nutritious food that is healthy, fresh, appetising as well as being quick and easy to prepare. Each of the more than 400 recipes uses four or fewer ingredients.

Considering the notion “You are what you eat” Deepak, Rachael and Kim have developed and sensational book that successfully combines modern nutritional science with the oldest healing system in the world, Ayurveda.

To see more publications visit www.hayhouse.com.au

_________________________________________________ Suburb:__________________ State:_______ Postcode:_________ Phone:_____________________Mobile:______________________ Email:___________________________________________________

I would like to send a gift subscription to: First Name:__________________Surname:____________________ Address:_________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ Suburb:__________________ State:_______ Postcode:_________ Phone:___________________________________________________

Payment details:

Direct funds transfer to Mindset Media Pty Ltd:

Receive a copy of 4 Ingredients Fast, Fresh & Healthy FREE when you purchase a 12-month subscription to thinkBIG magazine!

thinkBIG liv e ge r go al — ac hie ve a big

e a ric he r lif

$8.95 inc GST Volume 3.6 Dec 10/Jan 11

OK NATALIE CO ic glory

Turning Olymp gold into business

PLUS

good business • Ethics and go hand in hand do best • Do what you life of purpose • Jack Canfield's and succeed expectations • Fulfill your a great life 's secrets of • Joseph Law

OPRAH

n WHY Rful WOme e mOst POWe d is One Of tH in tHe WORl 790

ued at $1, side: Val feR in er Weekend ket Of Wealth & Pow fRee tic h to success— Breakthroug

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Australia: AUD$56 New Zealand: NZ$74 Other countries: US$61

Bendigo Bank BSB: 633-000, Account No: 132789611

Credit card: Name of person on credit card: ___________________________  Visa  MasterCard Amex Credit Card number: _____________________________________ Expiry date:______________________________________________ Verification No: __________________________________________ Signature on Card: _______________________________________ Client No: _______________________________________________

All prices include postage & handling, plus GST where applicable.

Phone: (02) 9925 8005 • Fax: (02) 9925 8099 subscriptions@thinkbigmagazine.com www.thinkbigmagazine.com Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

43

PA C I N G : : C H R I S H O WA R D

One size may not fit all R

ichard Branson has been a great role model for me. I learned as much as possible about how he ran his businesses, so that I could find ways to expand my own companies. Modelling others and adopting the strategies of other successful entrepreneurs is a great way to achieve your own success in your business.

When I learned how Branson had run some of the Virgin companies out of residential homes, I decided to run my first company out of my home.

This worked really well for a while. But before long I had so many employees coming in and out that the neighbours complained and the zoning people came in and said I had to leave the area—and they were right. It was disheartening at the time and I was forced to ask myself some stressful questions, like where would I go, and how I would bounce back? Working out of home might have worked for Virgin in the United Kingdom, but I realised I couldn’t use this strategy in my own environment. Still, I had to keep my spirit high.

Other strategies Virgin used also didn’t work for me. For example, Virgin is now in the business of branded venture capital. In other words, the company gives a piece of a branded Virgin business to someone who is authorised to run it. This exemplifies how much Richard Branson reinforces entrepreneurial zeal in those he trusts. He leaves those people alone for the most part and lets them run the business within the guidelines of the Virgin brand. I thought that I would extend my own brand in the same way.

Since I was already speaking to audiences around the world, I thought I could take my brand and lend it to other products.

I did that with a couple of businesses, which were branded under the name

‘Christopher Howard’. But because I was spending 90% of my time on the road teaching, it was really difficult to manage the people who were running the various businesses when they varied too much from what we knew worked for us.

When some managers had their own ideas of the way things should be done, conflicts sometimes developed regarding the overall vision. When a number of businesses weren’t becoming profitable,

doing so well that it made more sense to expand what was already working.

That was so much easier for us than the strategy of branded companies that weren’t being run well by their managers and took energy that could be better used elsewhere. Emotions became high in these situations and that is typically when intelligence becomes low. So the key is to maintain the inner peace and resolve. I can’t say that I was perfect, but

thinkBIG

Just because something works for someone doesn't mean it will work for you. Or it may work eventually, but not right away. What's really important is that you remain invincible as you test options to succeed and that you learn from the options that don't work. managers were coming back to me and asking for more money. The businesses became a black hole for both funds and energy. At the same time, many other ventures were in our core businesses were

I certainly learned more and more about the importance of this concept through these events.

One of the great benefits of studying hugely successful people is seeing how

property LAUNCHING EARLY 2011 thinkBIG

44

thinkBIG

Connecting you with new property ideas & opportunities

www.thinkbigmagazine.com Volume 3.6 For a special advertising launch offer: 02 9925 8027 or paul.jackson@thinkbigproperty.com.au

If You Love Personal . . . t n e m p o l e v De Here’s A Way To Make A Difference And Work From Home In Your Own Coaching Practice...

In This Revealing 70 Minute CD You’ll Learn:

FREE CD VA

LUED A T

$179

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 How to have your very first clients spread the word about your brand new coaching business

many times they failed along the way. It’s always useful to look at the timeline between when somebody started, when they actually hit millionaire status, and ultimately billionaire status. That really puts things into perspective. For example, Richard Branson launched his first business when he was 16, but he didn’t hit millionaire status until nine or 10 years later. You can say to yourself, “Okay, that gives me some perspective in regard to pacing myself: I don’t have to be successful in the first year of doing business.”

Their example serves as your pace car. You can ask yourself, where should I be at this point in the process?

There are people who have launched their businesses and their dreams at all different ages. You might look at Branson’s story and think, ‘Gee, he was wildly successful because he made a million dollars by the age of 26’. On the other hand, you might think, ‘Even Branson needed ten years to become a millionaire’. Both are true. The main thing is, he arrived at his intended destination. You can do it too! TB

The three keys to being a great coach who has the confidence to really make a difference How to get out of the rat race and pursue your passion...

To receive your FREE CD VALUED AT $179 call 1800 094 927 or email timetoact@thecoachinginstitute.com.au Nationally & Internationally recognised course Certificate IV in Life Coaching (22065VIC) Diploma of Life Coaching (22063VIC)

Chris Howard is CEO and Founder of The Academy of Wealth & Achievement. 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.

1800 094 927

www.thecoachinginstitute.com.au www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Y O U R S U C C E S S . . .Volume O U3.6 R thinkBIG P A S S I O45N

Vicki Prout, Chief Sherpa of Sherpa Group

Is it time for a change?

A

s the old year ends and the new year begins, it is an important time for reflection; to reflect on where you are, what you are doing, what you had/ have planned, and if you have actually achieved those goals, aspirations and milestones set for the past 12 months.

As the New Year approaches have you thought about what it will bring for you?

Coming from a military background (Royal Australian Navy for 12 years), deciding what my next 12 years might look like sparked the decision to leave the uniform and security behind to test my strength. From the tender age of 17, serving in the defence, I had been what I call ‘institutionalised’, and decided that it was time to ‘go it alone’. Having been trained by the best I left with a tremendous skill set and harmonised a confidence that instilled motivation, determination, trust and highlighted the importance of people—my time for change had arrived.

Delivering pet food was my first business; I grew in confidence by sticking to the basics—offering quality products, outstanding customer service, and putting money into the bank.

My eagerness and confidence in

46

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

business was growing, so I sold my delivery business and entered into another opportunity, still applying more of the basic principles, in particular focusing on unique products and product offering. I offered a service that filled a gap in the market, “I don’t want 100 coffee mugs, I only want 10.” I ran a small print run on promotional products, tailoring my business to suit clients’ needs and essentially I navigated a “work from home business” into a successful global brand.

My business confidence had grown, my plans kept changing as my aspirations grew and grew and I soon learnt sticking to the basics of business was certainly working.

This success led to an overseas move which I knew would be a real test of my character, determination, and the faith I had in the brand that I had built.

I experienced learning at all levels, gained real time and real life experience, witnessed the emotions of hard knocks, as well as the triumphs of individuals being successful not only financially but in personal development as well.

I really witnessed my own growth— subconsciously plotting my true calling of being able to offer sound solutions, real time experience and advice in business,

guiding people with my experience because I hadn’t just “talked the talk,” I had in fact “walked the walk.”

I was now increasingly feeding my desire and goal of playing a ‘pivotal role in the business growth of our wonderful country.' A new era and breed of Sherpa was emerging...

Sherpas were an immense value to early explorers of the Himalayan region, serving as guides and porters at the extreme altitudes of the peaks and passes in the region. Today, almost any guide or porter hired for a mountaineering expedition is given the Sherpa title. This is exactly what I knew I had to become, a Sherpa in the business world, serving as a consultant for people looking to expand and reach the ultimate peaks in their business.

Owning my own consultancy business has been the most rewarding journey and challenging terrain in my career to date. Dealing with a variety of people and working with people who have a strong passion for their business has been an enlightening experience. As witnessed from my experience in working with passionate, determined, and motivated people throughout my careers, it has identified one true ideal—don’t be afraid to change and don’t be afraid to follow your passion and certainly don’t be afraid to take risk. Therefore, challenge yourself—what do you want to do, personally and professionally?

If it’s time for a change consider a new career direction in business—leave the security take the plunge. As Sir Edmund Hilary said, “It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” You too have options and choices and an opportunity to conquer these desires. If you have a business consider becoming the new “Ray Croc”(founder of McDonalds) or just as rewarding consider purchasing a franchise business—an opportunity to be in business for yourself, but not by yourself.

I suggest you CLIMB HIGHER—make the difference. FF www.thinkbigmagazine.com

IF FRANCHISING YOUR BUSINESS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO CLIMB HIGHER, HOW DO YOU GET TO THE TOP? Sherpa Group are in the business of creating growth for companies, through franchising or licensing.

We work in a leadership partnership with our clients… it’s the best way to get to the top.

Call Vicki Prout on (02) 9267 6277 for more information about how to climb higher.

Sydney

Suite 906 / 185 Elizabeth Street Sydney NSW 2000 Phone: (02) 9267 6277 Vicki Prout, Chief Sherpa: 0439 803 078 SYDNEY–ADELAIDE–PERTH–AUCKLAND

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

climb higher www.sherpagroup.com.au

Your Guide to Franchising and Licensing

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

47

Jason Cobb, Founder and CEO of Crackmasters

Being in business with family O

wning a franchise is a lot like being in business with family; which is why Crackmasters already has the expertise to operate as a franchisor.

When speaking with people about my decision to go into business with my two brothers, most are quick to cite the negatives of working in a family business.

I would be lying if I said I had no negative thoughts about the decision, however looking back over the past 18 months I think it’s the best business decision I’ve ever made and my brothers agree.

Crackmasters was a collaborative idea between myself and my two brothers, Matthew and Michael; an idea that came from our extensive experience and knowledge in and of the asphalt

and road building industry. Together we have a combined total of nearly 65 years working in this industry.

The Crackmasters system offers crack sealing and repairs to asphalt and concrete surfaces as well as colour nonslip resurfacing to asphalt, concrete and timber surfaces. Asphalt and concrete are the most common of hard surfaces throughout the world today and these surfaces require ongoing maintenance in order to preserve the condition and keep them safe and free from cracks and potholes.

With our combined knowledge and experience, we recognised the need for a service that offered innovative products and services, and a business that served both the domestic and commercial market with a quick turnaround. The plan was to turn this idea into a family business.

I find the relationships and dynamics of working in a family business rather topical; as we are now in the early stages of franchising our business actively recruiting franchisees, I have come to realise that the relationship between Franchisor and Franchisee closely reflects the dynamics of a ‘family-owned/run business’.

Having been operating in this industry for over 20 years, working closely with my brothers for the past 21 years, I have a few pieces of advice that I can offer to people looking to start a family business. I also have advice for those people looking to become a franchisee and the benefits of operating a business this way.

Advice and benefits: • Work out each other’s role and stick by that decision; maintain a clear direction no matter what situation you are placed in.

48

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

• Don’t be under the assumption that the responsibility is lessened when operating a family business; it is enormous and you can’t just ‘play the family member’ card, you have to see your family also as your colleague/business partner. At the end of the day this responsibility is somewhat enlightening to achieving greater success.

• Ensure you have an honest and upfront attitude ALWAYS; acknowledge that good and bad decisions will be made, but respect the decisions that your business partner (family member) makes in their role. Taking advantage of directly blaming them for a mistake made is easier when they are your family, but believe me it turns out to be more of a hindrance in the long run if you adapt this attitude.

• Working in a close network I have often found that more ideas and thoughts are produced; with more input it is obviously no surprise that better decisions are made.

Encouragement of ideas is something you should be highly proactive towards—we consider this a key tool for success in our business, and will definitely apply it to our Franchisor relationship with our Franchisees.

• Support is definitely a major bonus when operating in a family business environment: you are in it together.

Also as a Franchisor we know we are in the business with our franchisees, who can rely on us for support.

The dynamics of operating a family business have certainly provided us with extensive tools and skills to begin operating the Crackmasters franchise network and guide our efforts in expanding our business nationally. FF

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Masters in pavement maintenance Seal your financial success

CRACKMASTERS are leading the way in pavement maintenance.

Becoming a CRACKMASTERS franchisee will provide you with multiple opportunities including: • • •

• •

• • •

Outdoors Lifestyle Work / Life balance (flexible hours) Mobile: massive commercial appeal to the government industry Financially simple with strong cash flow Cost effective techniques and simple technologies providing a huge competitive edge Strong support, effective, extended training - A pro by your side for first few weeks at the outset Building your own business equity $88,000 (ex gst) entry includes everything other than your (usually leased) van

The best part: ground-floor and innovative opportunity. Huge market potential with commercial accounts already in place.

CONTACT Jason Cobb 6/22 Apparel Close Breakwater, Victoria 3219 Phone 03 5222 8227 Fax 03 5222 8692 Mob 0418 176 083 www.crackmasters.com.au jason@crackmasters.com.au www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

49

Michael Clunne, Founder and Director of Muscle Beach

Muscling in on a great idea Successful expansion and longevity of a business within an industry that is misunderstood starts with the right message. Sherpa Group spoke with Michael Clunne of Muscle Beach to dispel the myths about the fitness-supplement industry. Muscle Beach are pioneers in the retail and body supplement industry and have been operating since 1993.

Sherpa Group (SG): How did you come about starting the Muscle Beach business?

Michael Clunne (MC): I was originally looking to invest in a building suppliers business, while researching the industry and completing a business plan the results established that I didn’t have the required capital to start and effectively run a business in this industry. However, I still had a goal of wanting to own my own business and it just so happened that my next business idea came to me as I was completing my Diploma in Business Management; it was driven from the passion I had for body building and fitness.

After researching and using my diploma skills I compiled a business plan around this idea and it was evident that I had enough capital to turn my passion into a business—retail and supplement store.

SG: Starting the business in 1993, when supplements and body building were often misunderstood, did you find it a challenge to promote the right message out to market?

MC: Yes at times, the industry didn’t have a strong public credibility in the early stages. I did find, like most things, that it was given momentum when the combination of research and public knowledge increased on the topic and findings established that the problems occurring in the sporting industry were linked to Steroids; body supplements played no illegal or harmful role. Of course, once this became apparent the use of body supplements steadily increased and gained credibility which did make it easier to market the business.

SG: When did you really start to notice the growth potential of this industry?

50

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

MC: Well in the beginning, I found that we sold more body building outfits/ clothing compared to supplements.

However, eventually the clothes retail component of the business decreased and I had to look for alternative sources of income which is when I decided to increase our supplement range and products. I had been operating the business for about four years; it was 1997-1998 when I really started to see the industry steadily increase.

Today, it is a booming industry and market with massive growth potential.

Internal research has shown that the industry is worth approximately 100 million dollars a year in turnover.

SG: How has the business itself changed over the years/grown in its outlook of the market?

MC: I can identify a number of ways, but to name a few: The industry has become more mainstream from the point where the market is now really accepting of consuming supplements (for example, protein shakes and powders) and there is a greater demand for the products.

• The product range, quality, and choices for supplements have increased substantially.

• Technology has also played a role in the way products are sold (through online information and stores).

• Greatly, the advancements of knowledge in the industry around supplements, training, nutritional/dietary information and advice have increased immensely. Supplements now play a key role and are a daily necessity for anyone trying to reach a peak (body) condition and maintain a better shape.

SG: What sparked the decision to expand/ franchise the business now?

MC: Well to be perfectly honest, I felt like I had let myself down a little; I had all of this experience and a fantastic and successful business, I had been looking for a way to grow and share my successes for quite some time, but I wasn’t quite sure how to achieve this strategy. When I finally met Vicki [Prout] from Sherpa Group, I realised that there were experts out there who could guide us through the expansion of our business, helping to achieve my goals and share this business opportunity with others.

SG: What would you say are some of the immediate goals for your business?

MC: Expanding our business by actively recruiting franchisees to grow the brand nationally and internationally, and grow our network within the industry. I want the Muscle Beach franchising network to operate as a family of highly competent and motivated people working together, representing, and growing the brand— expanding knowledge about the industry and the products available.

SG: How do you position yourself as a market leader in the industry?

MC: We are a pioneer in the industry; we have been operating for 17 years and this really demonstrates our motivation, dedication, and high level of knowledge about supplements, body training, and fitness. Our passion for the industry, both my own and that of my team, also plays a large role as to why we are seen as a market leader in the industry. FF To find out more about owning a Muscle Beach franchise contact Michael Clunne on (02) 4628 4020 or 0405 577 985, email michael@musclebeach.com.au www.thinkbigmagazine.com

musclebeach “It’s all about the supplements in life” Muscle Beach have been supplying Australia with the world’s best body supplements since 1993. Offering a huge variety of quality products, assisting with individual training programs and providing expertise on supplementation strategies, Muscle Beach are now franchising.

Reshape your career... we have raised the bar!

Muscle Beach are offering: • • • • • • • •

Retail Business Proven business systems and processes Opportunity for high financial success Strong brand and image, especially in the retail supplements industry Work / Life balance Massive product range and choice of supplements Full training provided and a strong support network from a highly motivated and dedicated team of experts Own and run your retail body supplements store in an industry with enormous growth potential

Reshape your future and streamline your wealth. Call now: Michael Clunne Phone: (02) 4628 4020 Mobile: 0405 577 985 Email: michael@musclebeach.com.au www.musclebeach.com.au www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

51

Seeking motivated people with a flair for business, sales, and marketing!

Several opportunities are available to the right applicant.

Master franchise opportunities starting from $50,000.00.

Become a franchise business owner from $15,000.00 plus equipment.

Ground floor opportunites available in several states!

www.ecoscrubbers.com.au For more information contact Leanne 1300 ECOSCRUBBERS 52

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

MINDSET :: TRACEY MACLEAN

Tools for transformation: meanings F

or some of us, our defining moments have supported and encouraged us to become successful; to strive for what we want in life, believing in ourselves and our abilities. For others, those defining moments have had the polar opposite effect, leaving us with feelings of inadequacy and a sense that were not good enough or not deserving.

to that event, one that supported and nourished her to go forward and create outstanding relationships.

Human beings are meaning-making machines; we have to assign meaning to everything that happens in our lives.

Knowing now that meanings are based on our beliefs and that beliefs are all made up denotes we get to choose our experiences.

thinkBIG

We've all had defining moments in our lives, moments that have left us with a sense of who we are and what we believe about ourselves. Such moments can shape success or failure.

And here’s the thing…

Nothing has meaning except the meaning we give it. It’s not the events in our lives that shape us but the meaning we give them. You see we all make sense of the world according to our own unique system of thinking and beliefs. In other words we can only assign meaning to an event based on our past experiences and our own perception of reality.

I remember working with a client who had low self-esteem. At the age of nine, she was told by an older sibling, You only give gifts to make people like you and although in this moment every possible meaning existed, based on her beliefs, she went through life feeling that she wasn’t good enough and that people wouldn’t like her for herself. This belief had held her back in many areas of her life, in particular, her ability to create meaningful relationships.

After she uncovered this defining moment and the meaning she had given it, she realised how much it had created feelings of inadequacy in her life. Also, she realised that the comment made when she was nine, was more a measure of her sibling than a measure of herself and knowing this allowed her to assign a new meaning www.thinkbigmagazine.com

There is no reality only perception.

This is a profound law and one that determines how we respond to the events in our life. Accepting this law means that we are free to interpret events however we choose.

As you consider the defining moments in your life and how they have affected you, ask yourself the following questions and record your answers in a journal: • What was the defining moment?

• What was said or done?

• What did you make that means something about you?

• How would you like it to have been?

• What do you choose to make it mean now? TB 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. For more information about Tracey's work, visit www.compasslifecoaching.com.au and www.mastermindset.com.au

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

53

AS Olympic gold medallist Natalie Cook is about to embark on a fifth and final Olympic dream, she speaks with Jonathan Jackson about the agreements needed to fulfil her sporting destiny and raise the profile of beach volleyball through her own growing business.

P

reparation is the key to success. As Sun Tsu wrote in The Art of War "All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved." No truer words were ever written and they apply beyond the traditional battlefields of war. They are words that resonate in business, sport and even in the more mundane nature of life’s everyday actions.

For Olympic gold medallist Natalie Cook, strategy and victory go hand in hand, but there is one other character trait that drives her to be the best—self-determination.

For someone fiercely individual, self-determination can sometimes be a burden rather than a blessing, however since the early 1990s Natalie has learned to utilise her independence for

54

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

the benefit and good of her Australian teammates.

Progress in this area didn’t always come naturally. However, she quickly learnt that to compete at elite level, you have to find common ground among team members, or, as Natalie puts it, ‘agreement’.

During her most successful partnership with Kerri Pottharst, ‘agreement’ came slowly.

“When I first started with Kerri I was 19 and she had a wealth of experience that she wanted to impart on me, but I thought she was being a ‘bossy boots’,” Natalie says. “After a while I realised that her business and my business were intimately linked. If I didn’t perform, she couldn’t perform.”

Though she didn’t know it at the time, this was Natalie’s first introduction to coming to accord with a partner. Desire

to win a medal at the Atlanta Games in 1996 where they won bronze, became a shared ambition that fuelled their eventual victory at Sydney 2000.

It was during this time that she learnt to balance her individual requirements with the needs of those around her, but it was a difficult road. After Atlanta, the pair couldn’t sort out their differences or come to any agreement.

It took strategist Kurek Ashley to bring them back together.

Kurek was the man who taught Natalie to think outside the square, to overcome fears and to chase down the dream no matter what it took. He had the pair walk on fire, support each other as they scaled rock faces and jump out of planes. He is considered to be a master for teaching strategies for personal and professional success. He became their www.thinkbigmagazine.com

General and one who epitomised another of Sun Tsu’s edicts: The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand.

Kurek arrived on the scene in 1997.

Immediately he began building bridges. “He said nobody remembers who came second or third in the Olympics and that was a defining moment for me. I’d had a fight with Kerri and we had no agreement. I was playing with someone else. But I knew he was going to take me to Sydney.”

Natalie says training with Kurek full time for two years “shaped my whole world.”

He taught her to say yes to everything and work out the details later. “Success is about chasing the vision and filling in the blanks that underpin that afterwards.”

There is high praise for their strategist.

“With Kurek in our corner we realised our potential and he set us on our way to achieving the highest pinnacle of success in our field.

“Kerri and I created our own team brand, essence and values and called ourselves the DreaMachine.”

Welcome to the machine Meanwhile, in the background there was a close-knit support group of five and they billed themselves as: 5 people, 1 dream to turn the bronze model from Atlanta 1996 into a gold medal in Sydney 2000.

The team consisted of Natalie, Kerri, Steve Anderson (coach), Phil Moreland (strength and conditioning) and Kurek. “No one was more important than the other. We were a machine,” Natalie says.

The team trained for the probable, improbable and everything in between.

“There are teams that can only win from the front and teams that play better from 10 points down, so when you are not in a position you are used to, you can fall apart. That’s why we were taken outside our comfort zone, to do things outside of volleyball that you can overlay on the court.

We went parachuting, firewalking, glass walking and rock climbing and built up undeniable trust.”

When Natalie was rock climbing, Kerri would be at the bottom telling her where to place her feet. “When I was in the air trying to find a foothold, I could trust her to tell me the right thing. Kerri is a larrikin at heart and she wanted to make jokes, but Steve told her that she had to take it seriously because on court we need to trust each other’s voices.”

Their time on the tandem bikes is an www.thinkbigmagazine.com

excellent example of how the DreaMachine’s coaches got them to come to agreement. “There was one of us at the back giving instructions and another at the front being the workhorse and then we would swap.” The coaches also simulated potential game situations. “We would put blankets over the net so we couldn’t see the opposition. It meant that we could only see and predict what was available to us, so the game became easier.”

Dream weaver The individual spirit can never be fully suppressed. Natalie, despite coming to terms with team ethic, still had her own canvas to paint. Her individual desire to win gold was unquenching.

“For a year and a half I would tell myself ‘I am a gold medallist’.

The first six months I was saying it and hoping nobody would hear me.

However over time that changed. I began to ask myself ‘do you believe and win, or win then believe?’ The answer for me was simple. You have to believe you can win first and then cultivate that so that winning becomes a reality.”

By the time Sydney came around the affirmation was real and the pair won the second ever gold medal in the Olympic sport of Beach Volleyball.

That medal was the culmination of a lifelong dream. Since watching Lisa Curry win gold, Natalie’s childhood was dedicated to finding a sport in which she could excel.

“I was eight years old and watching Lisa swimming the 100m freestyle at the 1982 Commonwealth Games at QE2 stadium (which as symmetry has

"You have to believe you can win and then cultivate that."

it is now where Natalie’s Sandstorm office is based). I was a swimmer at the time because my mum was a swim teacher.

Lisa got out of the pool, tears streaming down her face and then she was presented with the gold medal and was singing the anthem and I thought ‘I want to do that’.

“For me the decision I made in that moment was the same decision Anthony Robbins and most motivational speakers make mention of. We make life changing choices and decisions in an instant; there is no lag time. My decision was instant.

I knew I was going to the Olympics and would win a gold medal. I didn’t know how, but I knew I would do it anyway.”

For Natalie, swimming couldn’t provide her the colour she needed to pursue her dream, so she spent three years playing every conceivable sport imaginable.

“From athletics to tennis and netball, I did everything. So much so that my mother refused to let me player soccer because that was the only sport my brother played.

When I was 14, I came across a notice on the school notice board spruiking a volleyball trip to Canada and America.”

Volleyball was the sport Natalie had been looking for. She was determined to succeed in the discipline, much like she was succeeding in life. During her high school days, she was awarded the highest accolade in both academic and sporting arena by being presented with DUX of the school and all-round sportswoman of the year. In 1992 she pursued studies at university in physiotherapy, while captaining the Australian Junior Indoor Volleyball team. She first played beach volleyball in 1993 and turned professional a year later.

Without a doubt Natalie was combining all of life’s lessons into a single pursuit. One of the most important was the way in which to overcome doubt.

“My mother had so much confidence in her ability to teach me to swim that it had a big impact on me. At no point did I question her motives. That’s why early instruction is so important. She imposed confidence in me that I could do anything. She would throw me in the pool as a four year old to show me that no matter what happens, even if you slip or fall, you’ll be okay. Even if it’s a frightening experience, you’ll realise what you can and can’t do and go into life Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

55

making better choices.”

This attitude held her in good stead beyond the gold of Sydney 2000 where they beat Brazil’s number one ranked team, beyond the retirement of Kerri and through the 2004 Athens campaign with new partner Nicole Sanderson. Despite winning a bronze at the 2003 World Championships, Natalie carried a severe shoulder injury into Athens, but her belief remained strong.

“Expecting to win an Olympic Gold medal with one arm was my biggest mistake. I really did still believe we could do it.”

The more she played through Athens, the more damage was being done.

Courageous to the end, she inspired each and every Australian watching her performance, but was finally beaten by the USA for bronze.

As Natalie matures, so has her outlook on life and teamwork. Yet, she is still fiercely individual. She has built a new brand—Team Nat. “I thought it was fitting to form one large supporter’s army. The more people I have supporting me on my journey the better. I will know that when I step out onto the sand for training and even when I close my eyes at night that I have a team of people on my side, constantly sending me positive thoughts and intentions from all over Australia and the world. After seeing the movie Inception I think this is even more powerful than I can possibly imagine.

“Engaging my first name to connect with the hearts and minds of the public and getting them to follow me through social networking sites, is something I am working on. I have the intention of having millions of people watching and following me in the hope that this can give me a few points headstart.”

Natalie has learnt to combine her individualism with a need for support.

Previously when there was no agreement, she might have walked away from a situation. Today, both in business and life, she lives by a different mantra.

“In order to have leadership, you need relationship and followship. If I am leading the way on my own, which I have done for five years in business and 20 years in sport, and I see people areare not following me, I have to find out why.”

This is what she is doing currently with team member Tamsin Hinchley (nee Barnett). The pair is at different

56

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

Natalie’s sporting achievements Olympics • Atlanta 1996—Bronze • Sydney 2000—Gold • Athens 2004—4th place • Beijing 2008—5th place • London 2012—stay tuned World Championships • 1996—Silver • 2003—Bronze 142 international events played 26 podium finishes 42 final four finishes Federation Internationale de Volleyball’s Team of the Decade and Order of Australia with Kerri Pottharst

stages of their careers and is currently trying to work through problems to find common ground. It is likely that winning a gold medal in London, will confirm the agreement, although Natalie jokes that she will play alone of she has to.

After 18 months out of the sport, Natalie and Tamsin reconnected to compete on the London qualifying circuit.

Both had different goals. While Tamsin wanted to win immediately, for Natalie it was more about putting the toe back in the sand and seeing how much work needed to be done.

“We knew we weren’t ready and that can make things difficult when you know you have the capability to beat teams.

However, there was a unique difference between the realities now and from where I have come. I know now if you haven’t done the work to be number one in the world, you won’t get there. So, there is a process and pathway leading to 2012.”

Natalie says that there was objective and desire going on tour after a year and a half out of the sport; however the most important thing is purpose. You have to understand ‘why’ you do things

and make sure it is for the right reason.

This is what drives you to get out of bed everyday and chase your dreams. For Natalie, if the purpose of going back on tour was to win and reclaim psychological advantage, she wouldn’t have gone. The purpose of going back on tour for her was to be competitive again, check out the landscape and be in a better position to map the next two years.

Being young and enthusiastic, Tamsin wanted to win. It almost reflects the relationship Natalie had with Kerri when she was first starting out. It’s the exuberance of youth combined with the wisdom of experience. If the pair can find middle ground, like the DreaMachine, this team will also be formidable.

“You have to have a level of agreement. The chunk we agree on is to win in London, so we are working towards that by looking at what we are prepared to do to win. We might not agree with other things, but we both have the same end game, so we work towards that.”

Natalie has come to understand that the mental preparation in dealing with different partners comes down to understanding herself.

“I have a little mantra: master the breath, master the self and master the situation. First, I have to master my breath to calm the mind. Then, if I can master my own mind and understand what drives me and what my agreements are, I can master the situation and know what drives the others in the team too.

Causing a storm This mantra works in sport and business.

The business dream is Sandstorm.

Natalie’s vision in creating this business is to build up the sport of beach volleyball and provide opportunities for others through sport.

Sandstorm has presented its own problems. At one stage it looked like financial burden would send it under.

Natalie stepped back, took stock and faced her doubts.

“There are several theories that exist when facing your doubts. One is to ignore it and put your head in the sand, another is to create affirmations that drown it out. I have lived both of these theories. Today, I acknowledge the doubt, ask myself what is the worst thing that can happen (which usually isn’t that bad) www.thinkbigmagazine.com

and identify that I’m in a better state to move forward. When the doubt comes, I breathe through it, understand it, know what is possible and put strategies into place that will minimise the risk or allow me to make choices with confidence.”

She did this when Sandstorm was struggling for money and did it again recently when the company was merged into a group entity. Originally Natalie had built the business to include eight courts; the new deal encompasses 30 courts.

Natalie refers to it as a community: a community that has been nominated as a finalist in the small business awards.

This is one step forward in her goal of creating more venues.

“Ultimately, I can’t do that alone. I need staff and members and community support. Just recently I developed a television advertisement just for my single Sandstorm venue, but when I saw it I thought, this is too good, I can’t keep this to myself. This is high level, corporate branding and I want everyone in the community to benefit from it. I want the sport to benefit and as yet I haven’t been able to do this effectively. So to go global and to make sand sports the sports of choice, I have had to change my mindset and I have to change the mindset of whole communities.”

In living colour Natalie’s journey into sport and business has been one of many colours. The palette, from which she paints, is the palette of her life: from seeking a sport a little less mundane than she thought swimming to be, to working out agreements with various partners in the charge for gold.

The first book she picked up in the personal development space was Dan Millman’s Way of the Peaceful Warrior. In that book she saw herself and the need to take care of her personal journey. This was the first realisation that led her to success. The next was to surround herself with people who were the best in their field. “My team was hand picked. I left nothing to chance.

“After Sydney, I thought because I was our success people would flock to me, but they were intimidated by my drive. That’s when I realised that everyone is on his or her own individual journey and who am I to know better? About five years ago, I became more progressive in understanding www.thinkbigmagazine.com

the power of surrounding yourself with good people and the leverage that comes with that. Today, I know I can go to sleep and things will get done.”

The lesson here is teamwork and having an all-encompassing agreement that, while understanding individual journeys, takes into account the higher purpose.

“My vision is to keep everything colourful,” Natalie says. “Everyone can paint, but it’s the vision that makes the painting work. I know people may not have the same passion and determination, but I know that I am the one with the colour and vision that continues to drive things forward. Once my team understand this, the things we are working towards become clearer.”

Passion, vision and determination, have been the drivers to Natalie’s success.

She is one who knows what she wants, and will do whatever it takes to succeed.

She says, find your passion and chase it like a dog with a bone.

“Sometimes the dog drops the bone and has a rest, but it won’t let anyone touch it. Eventually it will take off again with the bone between its jaws ready for the next phase of the journey. That

is what life is like and what I have learnt is that to achieve fulfilment, you need to enjoy the journey. You can drop the bone and take time to smell the roses, but eventually you pick it up when you’re ready and go hard again.

“The sad thing is I see someone stop dreaming because certain areas have been failures. They don’t realise that the dream and the purpose is made up of the successes and failures of the journey.

It may take 10 journeys to reach the desired outcome.”

For Natalie, the journey has been about persistence and consistency in mastering the little things. It has been a long journey, but a fulfilling one. And as the road to London draws nearer and Sandstorm strengthens, she will look back and know that she never dropped the bone on her path to living a colourful life. TB If you would like to follow Nat on her journey join www.teamnat.com.au

Main photo: Natalie on the winner's podium at the Sydney 200 Olympics. Inset: Natalie and current partner Tamsin Hinchley are currently finding agreement to move forward to the London Olympics.

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

57

M A N A G E M E N T : : VA N E S S A H A L L

The 7 truths about trust R

esearch shows that while 99% of people interviewed said that trust was a critical component of a strong relationship, 90% had difficulty describing what trust actually was, and a staggering 95% said they did not consciously and actively build trust in their organisations.

The problem is not that you don’t care about trust, but that you simply don’t think about it. It’s something you have, or you don’t, right? Wrong! It’s time as managers that you understand the dynamics of trust, because you will be breaking the very trust of the people you need to trust you—you just don’t realise you are doing it.

So, here are seven truths about trust that you need to know if you truly want to be trusted: 1. Your people are relying on you Each person you manage will make a

judgement about their level of trust in you based on their ability to rely on you.

Trust is fundamentally their ability to rely on YOU to deliver an outcome to them.

If they feel they cannot rely on you for that outcome, you’ll know it. It looks like this: • Difficult employees or volunteers • Gossiping among your people • Poor performance against goals and KPIs • Things just not getting done • Teams clashing • People leaving • Low morale The key thing to understand is not just that your people are relying on you, but to understand what they each are relying on you for. The outcomes your people are

relying on you for are: • Their Expectations of you are met or managed • Their Needs are met • The Promises you have made to them are kept.

It’s all about their ENPs®!

think BIG Most organisations do not recognise the true role of a manager, yet your people expect you to spend your time and energy managing them.

2. Expectations are formed even before they start Your people have Expectations of you based on a whole range of things, many of which have nothing to do with you.

• Expectations from their direct experience with you These Expectations have been formed through their dealings with you, from the very first phone call, when you walked in to the interview room, when you greeted them and showed them to their workstation, and everything you have said and done, and NOT said and done since then.

• Expectations from what others tell us These Expectations are ones you will generally not be aware of. They can be formed through gossip.

For example, your people could be forming Expectations of you and how they might be managed based on a conversation with someone who worked with you five years ago and didn’t like your management style.

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

property LAUNCHING EARLY 2011 thinkBIG

58

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

www.thinkbigmagazine.com Email: graham.maughan@thinkbigproperty.com.au

• Expectations from what we read, hear or see These Expectations are built up through communications, advertising and marketing, posters with mission statements around the office. New people may have Expectations based on some ads they’ve seen on TV, or what your organisation says about itself on its website.

• Expectations from ‘like’ experiences with someone/something These Expectations are created through experiences that your people have had with organisations like yours, or with people like yourself. This is where people will generalise about things, and you end up in a box.

There are two key things you need to be aware of: • Everyone has Expectations whether they think they do or not. Your role is to recognise that they do have them, and to find out what they are.

how much they get paid. They love the social interaction and get involved in the social club or are always there for Friday night drinks. They want you to provide them with more training because they

thinkBIG

Trust—it's one of those things you need, and you know it's critical that your staff trust you. But do you really know how to develop that trust, and how to keep it when you've got it?

you are unaware of them, how can you make a concerted effort to deliver on them? But if you fail to deliver on those Promises, their trust in you begins to fall.

Promises can be explicit or implicit— very clearly stated and written down, or simply implied in a look or a suggestion.

But just where are all these Promises being made?

Here are some places you’ll find them: • Your organisation’s marketing and website • The job ads you post

• Many Expectations will have nothing to do with you, which is interesting, and scary. Your role here is to manage their expectations so they know what is realistic in terms of how you will relate to them as their manager.

3. People will always find ways to satisfy their Needs As a manager, you need to understand that your people have come to work for your organisation to meet certain Needs.

For some of them, their workplace may be the only place where certain Needs are met. Making decisions about your people without considering this is a recipe for disaster.

You may have some people who simply come to work to get paid. They are satisfying basic Needs for Safety (security of finances). That does not mean they have no other Needs—it’s just that they are satisfying those other Needs elsewhere.

You may have others who seem to want it all. They are very concerned about www.thinkbigmagazine.com

want to get ahead. Now, these people may be seeking a number of things from you and your organisation because they have little else going on in their lives.

They might be single, living away from home, and so their workplace is being relied upon to satisfy multiple Needs.

One thing is for certain—if they are relying on you and your organisation to satisfy certain Needs, and you take things away from them and fail to meet those, they will be forced to find someone else to satisfy those Needs.

Your role as a manager is to know what Needs are driving each of your people. What are the Needs that they are relying on your for over an above anyone or anything else in their lives?

4. You make Promises all the time— the question is, do you keep them?

You might be very surprised to realise the number of Promises you and your organisation make each day; Promises that your people rely on you to deliver. If

• Your Mission Statement • Your organisation’s values • All your organisation’s communications • All your communications • The time you turn up to work and the time you leave • The way you dress • The look you give someone when they ask if they can meet with you • The employment contract • Your organisation’s policies and procedures.

If you don’t deliver on even some of the Promises made, sorry isn’t good enough.

It takes time for people to believe you the next time you make another Promise.

Don’t make a Promise unless you have every intention and capability of delivering on it.

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

59

5. You need a two way contribution Position descriptions are out. Company Contribution Statements are in.

The problem with the way you usually recruit people into an organisation, no matter what type of organisation it might be, is that you tell them what you want,

that you will disregard any suggestions for improvements they make, they now have a dilemma. Especially if you Promise them that you welcome their suggestions and that you are open to making changes based on your team’s input.

They can only control their own

You, too, will go out of your way to prove yourself right, and that may mean not giving someone the benefit of the doubt and allowing them to shine and prove you wrong.

7. You need to be a people manager How much time do you still spend ‘doing things’ as opposed to ‘managing your people’? Most organisations do not recognise the true role of a manager, and yet your people will expect you to spend your time and energy managing them. Even though they may not express it in that way, there will be certain ‘management’ duties and responsibilities that will be expected of you simply because you have the title.

So what kinds of things would or should they be expecting of you as a manager? That you: • take time to understand them as individuals • nurture their development • know how far they want to go in their role • support them • manage them the way they want to be managed • give them feedback on an ongoing basis

what you expect, and you make a heap of Promises, but when do you find out what they want, what they Expect, and what they can Promise?

Enter Company Contribution Statements (or ‘CCS'). I call them this because they are about two things: • what the individual can contribute to the success of the company • what the company can contribute to the success of the individual.

If you begin your recruitment process with Company Contribution Statements in mind and as part of the process, you will reduce the amount of ‘false starts’ in your organisation.

6. Negative Expectations become self-fulfilling If someone has a negative Expectation of you as a manager, for example, they expect

Expectation, so they will go out of their way to prove themselves right, and they will find ways to prove you wrong. If you do keep your Promise, then their Expectation was not met. If it is an Expectation they have carried with them over a long period of time, through a string of different roles, they will continue to try to meet that Expectation, even if it seems destructive to do that.

How do you deal with this as a manager?

First, you need to be aware when it is happening. You will notice it when you say certain things in a positive way and they just don’t believe you.

Second, you need to manage their Expectation. This will take time, and gentle persuasion. If you get frustrated with them, they will shut down.

Importantly, be aware of your own negative Expectations of your people.

• are fair in your assessment of their work • ensure they have adequate resources to do their job • walk the talk

think It's time as managers that you understand the dynamics of trust.

The general rule of thumb is that you should be spending about 80% of your time managing your people and 20% of your time doing other things for the organisation. Usually it ends up around the other way, which is how the trust breaks down. TB Vanessa Hall is the Founder and Director of entente Pty Limited, an award winning Author, Speaker and Adviser to business leaders, and individuals alike.

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

60

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

property thinkBIG

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

60

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

property thinkBIG

Launching early 2011

thinkBIG Property will be a

platform that will differentiate itself from the usual property reading material found in newsagents.

It will have an unrivalled range of articles written by top property professionals, connecting you with new opportunities and new ideas within areas of specific interest in the property sector including:

• Property Development • Property Investment Strategies & Techniques • Legal • Finance • Customised Investments • Assets • Real Estate • Capital Markets • Hotel & Leisure • Property Options • Property Portfolio Strategies • Property Management Software www.thinkbigmagazine.com

25,000 circulation distributed to: • Airline Business Lounges • Cafes–where people meet in a relaxed and neutral atmosphere • Hotels & Resorts that can accommodate conferences, conventions and meeting facilities • Serviced Offices • SMEs • Selected Real Estates nationally.

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 3.6 thinkBIG 61

CHALLENGES :: DAVID SOLOMON

Did you hear about the one-armed chef?

A

s a youngster I remember being inspired by the glorious paintings of the foot and mouth painters—those artists who have lost their arms (or never had any to begin with) and paint with the brush in their mouths or between their toes.

I was (and still am) amazed at the recruiter from Melbourne I heard about many years ago—who was blind. I cannot fathom how difficult it must have been when he could not read resumés or assess people visually in an interview.

Cooking is top of many people’s minds at the moment (how many different cooking shows can they make?)—and I admit I get a great deal of satisfaction from my own forays in the kitchen. But imagine cooking with just one arm? And then imagine being a Michelin awarded, internationally recognised chef—with just one arm.

While not a household name in Australia, British chef Michael Caines made a significant impact on his first trip to Australia recently through his food, his philosophy and his extraordinary story.

Born in Exeter in 1969 and adopted into a large and loving family, Michael gained his passion for food from his

mother who he used to enjoy helping in the kitchen. Michael trained in both England and France under the mentorship of several master chefs—formative and important years for him and ones that had lasting influences on his personal and professional development. It was here he learned to be completely open to new ideas, to extract intensity and purity of flavours from the simplest cooking, to always utilise the finest local ingredients,

Remarkably, he was back in the kitchen part time within two weeks, and full-time after just four. With the support of the owners and an unwavering belief in his own ability to overcome obstacles, he returned to the kitchens more focused and determined than ever to pursue his dream of reaching the top of his profession.

Michael's cuisine is original and brilliant, a fact recognised not just by visitors to Gidleigh Park, but by

thinkBIG

Every once in a while you hear a story about someone who has achieved remarkable things with some type of challenge working against them.

the importance of regionality and to practice precision and perfection in every way. These are lessons relevant for any business, not just Masterchef.

Michael returned to Britain in 1994 to take up the position of Head Chef at Gidleigh Park, rated among the most prestigious in the country. Yet, only two months into the job, he was involved in a terrible car accident in which he lost his right arm.

guidebook editors and those who give out awards and accolades. He has created a style that is unique, at once classic yet also highly innovative—a fact recognised with the award of a second Michelin star in 1999. He has since opened other restaurants and hotels throughout Britain and, in 2006, was awarded an MBE for his services to hospitality.

Caines says, "Cooking is my passion. I love it and I can never see not being in the kitchens." He is an inspirational leader and loves to share his passion, vision and skills with the teams of talented, enthusiastic chefs that are now working in the kitchens of the restaurants that bear his name.

And the key ingredients? There are five: 1. Passion and a love of what he does; 2. Mastery of his craft; 3. Focus and determination; 4. A desire to teach and mentor; 5. Well-honed business skills.

This is a great recipe for any business. TB David Solomon works with creative entrepreneurs, enabling them to get their business performing the way it should be, align their people to their vision and values and get a better return without having to work so hard. www.mybusinessisaperformance.com

Michael Caines works hard at his passion to succeed.

62

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Model the mindset of Business Masters!

Be inspired...

Modeling Masters presents

the

Gala event with Special guest John Eales AM

PRIZES ON THE NIGHT

BMW 5 Series – HARLEY DAVIDSON – FORD – $10,000 Cash Prize

Have you ever been to an event and gone home the owner of a brand new BMW 5 Series?

While wining and dining in the prestigious surroundings, being inspired and empowered by the masters of leadership mindset and business?

We didn’t think so.

This black tie gala evening will be like no other event you have ever attended.

You will enjoy a sensuous dining experience, while being entertained by Brisbane’s premier string quartet.

As the evening unwinds, our guest speakers, including John Eales AM, one of the greatest Australian sporting captains of all time, brings with him a real insight to the ability to lead people and also the ability to play your part in the greater team. Our guest speakers will be invited to share their insights on what it means to have a mindset for excellence, the keys to emotional mastery and what they believe are the disciplines and key strategies in the pursuit of excellence in leadership and business.

YOuR TICkET ENTITLES YOu TO:

Like most events you’ve attended, you will gain valuable knowledge and information to empower you to make key distinctions around mindset and leadership—but unlike most, MasterMindset Event is putting your registration ticket in the prize draw to give you the opportunity to experience stepping into wealth and taking one step closer toward your goals on the night!

3 course meal for ticket holder & a guest 4 prize draws to win– 1 BMW 5 Series 1 Harley Davidson Fat Boy 1 Ford XR6 Ute $10,000 Cash Prize

Donations made to charities on the night.

20 STR 0 I RE TIC CTL Sofitel Brisbane Central | Ballroom Le Grand | March 5th 2011 GI KE Y O ST TS N ER S LY NO OL www.thinkbigmagazine.com Volume 3.6 thinkBIG 63 W D– !

www.mastermindset.com.au

BIGGER,

BIGGEST

Plastic money,

real life

By Jonathan Jackson

In this issue of thinkbig, we turn our attention to the biggest board game in

the world—MONOPOLY—and track its progression from Regent St and the Board of Works to the Paseo del Prado, movie recognition and work in the field of charity.

F

irst the big facts. More than 275 million games have been sold worldwide and it’s available in 111 countries, in 43 languages. The longest MONOPOLY game in history lasted for 70 straight days. The most expensive version of the game was produced by celebrated San Francisco jeweller Sidney Mobell.

Valued at $2 million, the set features a 23-carat gold board and diamondstudded dice. Many specialised editions of the classic game have been produced featuring sports teams, brands, television shows, cartoons and more.

made by an entrepreneur for the entrepreneur in us all Created by entrepreneur Charles Darrow, the game is not only a social phenomenon, it reflects business and life skills and provides lessons that children through to the greatest entrepreneur can learn and utilise.

The story of Darrow is worthy of a couple of pages itself. It is the rags to riches story of a man whose great idea was entertaining family and friends before it was taken on board by the biggest board game company.

64

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

In 1930, Darrow, an out of work engineering equipment salesman, sat down to his kitchen table and developed the game as a pastime for his family and friends. When he drew up the board he recalled his favourite vacation spot, Atlantic City. He named all of the streets and avenues after actual places in that city.

What Darrow didn’t factor in, was America’s obsession with real estate tycoons. It seems that in the midst of the great depression people had a longing to be big-time property merchants.

When friends expressed a desire to play the game, Darrow made a few extra from cardboard and wood. Soon, friends of friends wanted a set and the accidental entrepreneur was charging for copies. Pretty soon department stores in Philadelphia got wind of it and were asking for large numbers of the game to stock their shelves at Christmas time.

This meant Darrow was soon making six games per day with the help of a printer.

It did not meet demand.

He approached Parker Brothers who believed it to be too complicated and would only appeal to adults. They also maintained that people had no interest in playing a game that dealt in rent and

mortgages. However, they were not reading the mood of the people and the reputation of the game continued.

It wasn’t until the game found its way into the hands of Parker Brothers' president, Robert Barton, that the game was finally given due recognition. Barton offered to buy the game outright and pay royalties on every game sold.

Darrow became a millionaire.

So what has made MONOPOLY so popular? Undoubtedly, it appeals to an individual’s competitive streak. It rewards striving, quick-thinking individuals who know how to talk to others. This makes it a very social game. The game's fundamentals also reflect life and reality.

Though we should never lose sight of the fact that MONOPOLY is just a game, we can conclude that anyone who is a good MONOPOLY player has all of the attributes they need to succeed in the business world. Anyone can make it big with a bit of ingenuity, brains and just a bit of luck—much like the once out of luck, Darrow.

MONOPOLY also teaches good gamesmanship, respect for competitors and humility. These are all key positive attributes in the game of real life. Try www.thinkbigmagazine.com

doing a business deal without these values, or building special relationships and you’ll see success might be a little harder to come by than you first thought.

The game teaches comradery at a level you wouldn’t expect.

To win at MONOPOLY you need to buy, trade and build and you need to do this with boldness, confidence and fun.

Indeed, when summed up like this it is a reflection of life and the entrepreneurial way we go about living our lives.

Chances are Being a London-born Australian, I grew up with Mayfair and Park Lane, but as stated the game is available in 111 different countries.

In the US, where it originated the most coveted space is Boardwalk after a street in Atlantic City. In Spain, it is Paseo del Prado after a street in Barcelona and in France, Rue de la Paix.

The game was used to help prisoners in POW camps during WW2; real money for escapees was slipped into the packs of MONOPOLY money.

In the book and the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, McMurphy joins the patients in a game of MONOPOLY. In the movie, the game gets so heated that McMurphy ends up hosing down the other players with cold water.

In one of President Obama’s State of the Union addresses he references MONOPOLY money: The fact is, Washington is a place where tax dollars are often treated like MONOPOLY money, bartered and traded, divvied up among lobbyists and special interests. And it has been a place where waste—even billions of dollars in waste—is accepted as the price of doing business.

The game has featured in much more than what is mentioned above, but the point is that MONOPOLY continues to grow into new markets and new psyches and as such, Parker Brothers and Hasbro (who now manufacture the game) have adopted the entrepreneurial traits of the game’s original creator and has taken the game well beyond Darrow’s wildest imagination.

Community chest Aside from helping prisoners of war, MONOPOLY has had much to do with charitable events. This year, to celebrate its 75th anniversary, MONOPOLY asked www.thinkbigmagazine.com

fans where they would have the equivalent of game money donated. For 75 days, people could vote on what to would do with the equivalent of the game bank— $20,580—if it were to suddenly become REAL money. The money is going to global children’s charity SOS Children’s Villages (www.SOSVillages.org).

Having ‘built’ more than six billion little green houses since it was first introduced in 1935, it is a fitting tribute that MONOPOLY chose to support SOS Children’s Villages, a charity organisation that builds houses for abandoned and at risk children so that they can grow up in a loving home.

“MONOPOLY is 75 years young and to celebrate we’ve made dreams come true for MONOPOLY fans all around the world,” said Jane Ritson-Parsons, global brand leader for MONOPOLY. “As an experienced property builder, we’ve teamed up with SOS Children’s Villages, a fantastic charity which doesn’t stop at building houses. SOS goes beyond shelter to build villages, communities and families so that children can live out their dreams.”

For more than 60 years, SOS has worked in more than 100 countries helping abandoned and at-risk children through its unique Village model, whereby a child grows up in a safe, loving environment, surrounded by SOS Mothers and other children who become ‘siblings’.

The SOS Village is a safe haven and a chance for a life for so many children.

Since its founding in 1949, SOS Children's Villages has expanded to 500 villages in 132 countries. They are currently raising over 80,000 children and through many education, family strengthening, medical, and outreach programs, impact the lives of over one million people each year.

Children who have been abandoned or orphaned go to SOS Children's Villages where they are integrated into a loving family environment. They are nurtured and supported by an SOS Mother and up to 15 other children in their SOS home who become their SOS brothers and sisters. Strong bonds develop within these SOS families, and even after the children are grown and leave the village, these family relationships endure.

While growing up, SOS children have the benefit of a stable, loving family environment that includes the necessities

of life such as clothing, meals, medical care and a high-quality education. Children remain in their SOS home within an SOS Village until they are prepared to create lives for themselves as independent adults.

The SOS Mission is as follows: • To build families for children in need, • To help children shape their own futures, • To share in the development of communities.

MONOPOLY is the biggest game in the world and is just getting bigger.

It does this because it can tap into people’s competitive spirits, nurture their entrepreneurial fires and create life skills for young and old that are invaluable in every facet of growth and development.

No other game has had such an impact and lasted as long (although Scrabble comes close), and no other game is as community minded. TB Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

65

T H O U G H T

L E A D E R S H I P

• By Daniel G Taylor

The Power of Influence • by Sarah Prout As big as social media is, one question begs an answer: how do you make money from it?

Sarah Prout has cracked this wealth code and in this clearly written book she shares her answers to the questions that flood her email inbox about how to do it.

Head straight for the gold in chapter 8, Monetisation Models for Success, where Prout lists ways to make money online. Anyone who’s looked into making money online before will recognise many of the streams of income listed, but she’s such a clear writer you’ll know just how to get started.

Before you can make money with social media you need to know the rules. What’s it really all about? Three things: raising awareness, inspiration and entertainment. Bring those things together with the monetisation models and you’ll succeed.

Quite simply this is the easiest guide to getting started with making money online that’s been published. It will suit the newcomer who wants a step-by-step guide to getting started, people who have an online business but aren’t making money yet, or people who are making money and want to tweak their results.

Stock Market Strategies That Work in Australia • by Matthew Brooks & Paul Nojin What is the most effective stock market strategy to use in Australia?

The authors use back-testing to test the four main investment strategies—value, growth, income, momentum—which allows them to see what has really worked in the past. “Most mainstream investing advice is NOT tested or validated in any way and much of the advice simply doesn’t work.”

Their results show that value, growth and income fail to attract worthwhile results. Some appear less risky but when tested, this is revealed as a myth.

A momentum approach using 52week relative strength has generated the highest return but the volatility involved requires Superman nerves.

The authors recommend adopting a fifth approach that has consistently outperformed the market: quantitative investing. Here you apply high 52-week relative strength and low Price to Sales ratios to large stocks from the top 100. The book outlines how to collect the data and analyse it using the quantitative method.

If you’re new to stock market investing or just wish to improve your results, this book will walk you through what’s been proven to work.

How the Best Leaders Lead • by Brian Tracy For Brian Tracy, leadership is about one thing. “If you are not committed to winning, to conquering against all odds, you will be brushed aside and passed over by people and companies more determined to win than you are.”

Another of his deepest convictions is that leaders are made, not born.

Leadership is a set of skills that can be learned. In this book Tracy outlines those skills and shows you how to develop them.

He gives seven qualities of leadership and then asks readers to answer questions to evaluate where they are at now. Next he moves onto specific challenges leaders will face including hiring and firing staff, building winning teams, and communicating.

Simply making the effort to answer the questionnaires will help you see your current strengths and places you need to improve so you can take the content and apply it to your needs.

For Tracy these are not theoretical ideas. A successful serial entrepreneur, he’s read countless sources of information and then tested his ideas in the furnace of his life. He shares the best leadership ideas in the clearest way for any business leader. TB

Visit author and speaker Daniel G Taylor’s website www.ReignitingHeartHope.com and claim your free video course “The Ultimate Success Formula.”

Volume3.6 3.6 66 thinkBIG 66 thinkBIGVolume

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

ADVERTORIAL

The quickest way to succeed in 2011  R O B E RT H O L D E N As another year draws to a close, do you look upon your successes or do you feel you could have achieved greater things? Robert Holden, author and director of Success Intelligence and The Happiness Project—two pioneering projects that work closely with leaders in business—shares his top ten tips on how you can succeed in the coming year with flying colours.

think BIG SUCCESS is not about how fast you live; it is about how well you live.

1. Believe in new beginnings The sun rises and a new year has begun.

What do you say “Yes” to this year?

What will you give your heart to? How will you live?

I love the thought of new beginnings, and of course the truth is that each new day can be a new start. Once we say “YES” all manner of help and inspiration is at hand.

2. Listen to yourself Before you switch on your phone, your blackberry, or your email take 10 little minutes, and ask “What is success today?” Keep listening. Take notes. Live accordingly.

To be successful, you have to listen to yourself, and you have to remind yourself what is real. Don’t follow someone else’s definition of success. It’s impossible to feel successful and be inauthentic.

3. Be purposeful Each and every member of the ‘Busy Generation’ has to be willing to sacrifice busyness for true success.

The goal of your life is not be as busy as possible. One of the biggest blocks to genuine success is permanent www.thinkbigmagazine.com

busyness. Real success is about discerning between busyness and purpose, urgency and importance, activity and genuine accomplishment.

4. Slow down The Monty Python sketch The 100 Yard Dash for People with No Sense of Direction is a perfect metaphor for our mad-dash world. Success is not about how fast you live; it is about how well you live.

5. Let love be your guide If your definition of success has little or no measure of love in it, get another definition. For me, this is the ultimate truth about success.

that happiness is the key to success. Don’t have a job; have a purpose. Don’t chase happiness; follow your joy!

8. Learn Imagine that life is, right now, conspiring to teach you a lesson about genuine success and happiness. I designed the Success NOW calendar to help you get clear about what true success is for you. I believe that success is a learning curve, and the more you learn about true success, the happier you will be.

6. Be genuine If you think something is missing in your life it is probably more of the real you.

To be successful, you have to make sure that you are being the person you want to be and that you are giving what it is you want to receive.

9. Enjoy the journey Success isn’t just about fast-forward; it’s also about pressing ‘pause’, ‘stop’, and ‘play.’ Surely a good measure of success is to make sure you are actually enjoying your life. Sometimes we can get a bit too serious about conversations to do with ‘meaning’, ‘purpose’ and ‘success’; perhaps we are simply meant to enjoy the miracle of creation.

7. Put happiness first We do not become happy because we are successful; we become successful because we are happy. My work with running The Happiness Project (since 1992) and Success Intelligence (since 1996) has taught me

10. Just be Are you the sort of person who lights up a room when you walk in, or when you walk out? On the most profound level of all, success is about being the person you most want to become. TB

Success Now Perpetual Flip Calendar by Robert Holden, Ph.D (Hay House, RRP $22.95) is available from all leading retailers.

Visit hayhouse. com.au for more information.

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

67

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

BADGE OF HONOUR

BUSINESS IS

GREAT!

A LANDSCAPE GARDENER ran a business that had been in the family for two or three generations.

The staff was happy, and customers loved to visit the store, or to have the staff work on their gardens or make deliveries-anything from bedding plants to ride-on mowers.

For as long as anyone could remember, the current owner and previous generations of owners were extremely positive happy people.

Most folk assumed it was because they ran a successful business.

In fact, it was the other way around...

A tradition in the business was that the owner always wore a big lapel badge, saying Business Is Great! The

business was indeed generally great, although it went through tough times like any other.

What never changed however was the owner's attitude, and the badge saying Business Is Great!

Everyone who saw the badge for the first time invariably asked, "What's so great about business?" Sometimes people would also comment that their own business was miserable, or even that they personally were miserable or stressed.

The Business Is Great! badge always tended to start a conversation, which typically involved the owner talking about lots of positive aspects of business and work, for example: • the pleasure of meeting and talking

with different people every day • the reward that comes from helping staff take on new challenges and experiences • the fun and laughter in a relaxed and healthy work environment • the fascination in the work itself, and in the other people's work and businesses • the great feeling when you finish a job and do it to the best of your capabilities • the new things you learn every day-even without looking to do so.

And so the list went on. And no matter how miserable a person was, they'd usually end up feeling a lot happier after just a couple of minutes listening to all this infectious enthusiasm and positivity.

It is impossible to quantify or measure attitude like this, but to one extent or another it's probably a selffulfilling prophecy, on which point, if asked about the badge in a quiet moment, the business owner would confide: "The badge came first. The great business followed." 

THE FUTURE OUTLOOK

LOOKS LIKE COMPUTERS are set to keep changing our lives in the most positive ways.

A new photonic chip that works on light rather than electricity has been built by an international research team, paving the way for the production of ultra-fast quantum computers with capabilities far beyond today’s devices. This is not only a technological advancement, but an environmental one as well. Future quantum computers will, for example, be able to pull important information out of the biggest databases almost instantaneously. As the amount of electronic data stored worldwide grows exponentially, the technology will make it easier for people to search with precision for what they want.

Jeremy O’Brien, director of the UK’s Centre for Quantum Photonics, who led the project, said many people in the field had believed a functional quantum computer would not be a reality for at least 25 years. “However, we can say with real confidence that, using our new technique, a quantum computer could, within five years, be performing calculations that are outside the capabilities of conventional computers,” he told the British Science Festival.

The immense promise of quantum computing has led governments and companies worldwide to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the field.

Big spenders, including the US defence and intelligence agencies. 

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

68

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Take Charge Of Your Life

Three levels in the Ninjuzen System:

Video Testimonials:

1. The Mind Leads The Body—if your mind thinks that you can do or achieve something, the body will follow.

A CEO on Business: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAIwCpP7T9M&f eature=related

2. “Chi” (Chinese) or “Ki” Energy—there is power that you can attract that isnʼt in your physical body. You can learn how to tap into this energy.

In some of the sessions, women have been able to overpower men who are almost three times their weight.

Deb Carr on Lifestyle: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=0dycXFU_O0k&feature=related On Improving Your Golf: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAIwCpP7T9M&f eature=related

3. The Deepest Level—our environment and perceptions determine our successes and even our health. For every physical manifestation, there is a metaphysical counterpart. People have overcome major illnesses by working out the original perspective cause and adjusting their perceptions.

Psychologist/Entrepreneur Tony Franklin on Breaking Through: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioFQu4qs6QE

Through various formats, The Corporate Ninja assists organisations to dramatically increase Engagement, Retention and Revenue.

Brenden Russell on his career change from Chief Financial Officer to software product salesperson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVzymeJfN0Y

Mission Australia on Executive Benefits: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=QmamxAWndMQ

www.corporate-ninja.com

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

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

69

as you think w

Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something. ~PL ato When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.

~H en ry Fo rd

There is no passion to be found playing smallâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.

~N elson mandela

as you think

Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses. ~G eo rge washington

Change is the end result of all true learning.

~L eo Bu scaglia

The two words 'information' and 'communication' are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things.

Information is giving out; communication is getting through. ~Sydney J. Ha rris

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. ~ gandhi

What you have to do and the way you have to do it is incredibly simple.

Whether you are willing to do it, that's another matter. ~P eter F. Drucke r

NB: We'd like to see some quotes from our readership. If you think you have a great saying that you would like share with other ThinkBIG readers send your quote to jonathan.jackson@thinkbigmagazine.com and if we like it we will print it in the next issue.

70 70 thinkBIG thinkBIG

Volume Volume 3.6 3.6

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

71



   



Things Happen…That’s life.

Julie Clarke: 0430944662 Profectus.investments@gmail.com PO Box 8447 1006 High Street Armadale VIC 3143

I’m a property investor. I buy houses anywhere in Australia, in any condition and within any price range.

Real Estate agent has been unable to sell your house?

Want to avoid agent fees?

Is negative gearing draining your pocket?

Tired of bad tenants?

House needs too much work?

No equity in the house?

Mortgage is more than the house value?

Facing foreclosure or behind in your mortgage payments?

Modeling the Masters Bringing the Masters of Business, Mindset, Leadership and Wealth Creation to audiences in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

Major door prizes drawn at each premier gala event: Include BMW and Harley Davidson.

ONLY 200 TICKETS SOLD FOR EACH EVENT–REGISTER NOW!

www.mastermindset.com.au

72

thinkBIG thinkBIG

Volume 3.6 3.6 Volume

www.thinkbigmagazine.com www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Join MYOB to your CRM and sell more!

Make your marketing more targeted and better performing by putting customer sales data into your CRM.

www.ITonTap.com ● 02 9925 8007 ● info@itontap.com

WORK FROM HOME

Imagine Being Able To • Be in Business for Yourself • Work at Your Pace • Have More Time For Your Family Earn an extra $500-$2,500/Month part time around your existing schedule. Or create the option to develop a full time career income of $5,000-$10,000/Month, with potential to earn a six figure residual income.

Karinda Smith 061 (02) 9626 2674

For FREE info CALL NOW! 9626 2674 Or check out www.lifestyle4me.com

Ever thought of writing and publishing a book to enhance your business or career?

Get your book published & made available for ordering in over 25,000 bookstores all around the world at www.bookpal.com.au today.

100% satisfaction guarantee.

Genesis Evolution

Freedom Beyond Belief Because you deserve it info@lifestyledreambiz.com

Become a Life Coach and train with Australia’s leading Coaching Institute Nationally & Internationally recognised course: • Certificate IV Life Coaching • Diploma of Life Coaching

1800 094 927 www.thecoachinginstitute.com.au

Genesis evolution is an independent distributor for Polaris Media Group. We provide retail products, wholesale products and a business opportunity in the personal development industry. Our vision is to help men and women achieve success and gain financial independence by utilizing effective educational materials and events that enhance self confidence and grow self reliance. We believe all individuals have the ability to realize their inherent potential and live all life of personal fulfillment.

www.lifestyledreambiz.com Your Success is our Business

www.thinkbigmagazine.com www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Volume 3.6

73 thinkBIG 73

Sydney, New South Wales:

(02) 9267 6277 Vicki Prout, Chief Sherpa:

0439 803 078 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

www.sherpagroup.com.au info@sherpagroup.com.au Sherpa Group Pty Ltd SYDNEY–ADELAIDE–PERTH–AUCKLAND

HAVE A SHERPA JOIN YOUR TEAM FOR YOUR FRANCHISING JOURNEY

Finally a salon with the Australian male in mind You too can be a part of this growing industry - Franchise Opportunities Available Vicki Prout M: 0439 803 078 E: franchise@destinationformen.com.au

www.destinationformen.com.au ww

musclebeach “It’s all about the supplements in life” Michael Clunne Phone: (02) 4628 4020 Mobile: 0405 577 985 Email: michael@musclebeach.com.au www.musclebeach.com.au

‘Seal your financial success – become a Crackmasters franchisee’ Jason Cobb Phone 03 5222 8227 Fax 03 5222 8692 Mobile 0418 176 083 www.crackmasters.com.au

jason@crackmasters.com.au

thinkBIG achieve a biggeR goal—live a RicheR life

Reach all the thinkBIG readership for only $42.50 per week Now your business can be part of thinkBIG Magazine Australia’s number one personal development publication with a national distribution and a subscription circulation of 42,000 together with an online circulation of 140,000 What is included: *1 business directory advertisement in each issue of thinkBIG Magazine, *Your logo in www.thinkbigmagazine.com website directory, 45 words company profile, live url link to your site and contact details.

Interested? then email Amanda at amanda.peros@thinkbigmagazine.com

Thinkbig ad.indd 1 74 741/2pg Volume 3.63.6 thinkBIG Volume thinkBIG

11/17/10 1:39 AM

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

JOin MYOB tO YOuR CRM and SeLL MORe! Make Your Marketing More Targeted, Better Performing By Putting Customer Sales Data Into Your CRM

Dear Entrepreneur/Business Owner, As you know, the biggest challenges with marketing are 1) Tracking the results of every investment & action all the way through to sales & cash generated 2) Targeting your marketing to where it will produce the best results Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is a great tool for managing and automating your marketing, but without the sales data that’s locked up in your accounting system you are only seeing half the picture!

What’s the answer? Get your free copy of this ebook:

“How to use your customer sales data from MYOB with SugarCRM to make your marketing more targeted, effective & profitable” Learn how to implement financially-driven marketing strategies such as: • Tracking the financial results from each marketing campaign, each customer type and each product that you sell • Identifying and focussing on your best-selling products for each geographic area • Targeting marketing campaigns to customers based on their purchasing history • Tracking the performance of each affiliate selling your products and focus your resources to support the top performers • Automating up-sell and other sales offers to customers, triggered by certain purchases or payments as they’re made Grab a copy of the e-book now, and take the first step towards turning your business into an automated revenue machine:

www.MYOBSugarBook.com Warm regards,

Ken Wood Chief Tap Turner IT on Tap P.S. That website again: www.MYOBSugarBook.com.

Download your copy today! www.thinkbigmagazine.com

www.itontap.com Call us on 02 9925 8007 email info@itontap.com

Volume 3.6

thinkBIG

75

We challenge the norm If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re entrepreneurial and want to start a business, then start with a system built for success. We enable people to become successful telcos by providing first class products, systems, support and training. Telcoinabox enables you to do just one thing: Just add customers. We even help you create and market

Store Stock

your own brand, to suit your own image. In fact, with just a phone, computer and internet connection, you can run your business while you run your life. So if you want a business that enables you to work when, where and how you want, where everyone is a potential customer, think inside the box.

Telcoinabox.

Limits

Mo ne y Sup ort po p p rt Su BTrra ain nding Kit Pu se rpo o se urp PP rod uc ts

y ne Mo Se s rvic ce es ervi S g t n i i nK rani d BTSra yst s em em s Syst s t c du Pro

ÂŽ

76

thinkBIG

Volume 3.6

Want in?

Call 1300 7 TELCO telcoinabox.com.au

Just add customers.

TM

www.thinkbigmagazine.com