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Is The Apprentice Good for Business?

As the  highly successful TV program The Apprentice sees the start of a new series audiences are expected to be higher than ever and the media coverage certainly seems more frantic  but does the program help or hinder the reputation of business and those who class themselves as business people?

Whilst no one can deny that The Apprentice and other business related TV shows have raised the profile of business and may even have introduced an element of glamour and celebrity. It certainly could be asked if the image being developed through such programs of business is a helpful one.

Each year 16 candidates start the series and each one makes their verbal claim on why they should be Sir Alan’s next apprentice. It is always these ego filled and bolshy statements that set the tone of the way in which the candidates intend to behave for the rest of the series and the way the candidates act towards each other – backstabbing, bitching, betrayal, ego-fueled rants and general school yard behavior. It is this behavior and its undoubted enhancement through some clever editing that could be said to harm the business world more that it helps.

I won’t claim to say I don’t find the program entertaining, because I do, in fact it is certainly up there as one of my guilty pleasures. My concern is that a generation of children and young adults will believe that the only way to get on in business is to shout the loudest and stab your colleagues in the back at every opportunity. Not a business environment I would particularly enjoy working in.

It will be interesting to see that if over the course of the new series that the teams learn to work together and let up on the bitchy self-promotion and try to let some genuine business skills shine through.

I’m not holding my breath!

March 25th, 2009 | Tags: | Category: General | One comment - (Comments are closed)

The 10 Second Business Pitch

“So, what do you do?” I think we’ve all been asked this question, but how should you answer this question in order

Its not an Internet idea, it’s not even a new idea but it’s possibly one of the most important tools a small business owner or entrepreneur can utilise in a networking situation. The 30 second pitch or ‘elevator pitch’ is a concise statement about you and your business that conveys to your audience what you are all about without losing their interest. However the concept of a 30 second pitch in our eyes is a little unhelpful, in reality 30 seconds is often much longer than either 1. the time you’ll get or 2. the time you’ll need. Plus a 30 second rehearsed speech often rings a bit sterile and forced.

This is where the 10 second pitch comes into play, we suggest you have a brief benefit statement ready to use when anyone asks the question. You can develop a unique benefit statement by answering the following questions;

1> What do I or my business do? – Try to answer this without using a job title or industry name.

2> What makes us unique? – What is your USP?

The answer could be as simple as “We help small businesses develop skills to create an online  presence, through a range of online resources and e-courses.”. Once stated anyone who has a genuine interest will question more, at which point you can elaborate more and even pitch if the situation feels appropriate.  By using the 10 second pitch you inform the person of what you do without allowing them to form any pre-disposed ideas. We didn’t say small business consultancy, or business coach and attach all the stereotypes that come with the titles. Nor did we reel off a long winded pitch before we qualified any interest.

The 10 second pitch is a quick and easy method that you can employ in an array of networking situations, it also attaches an element of filtering to your networking allowing you to find the people in a room with some real interest in your business.

March 23rd, 2009 | Tags: , , | Category: Public Relations, Training and Development | Comments are closed

Top Tips for Selling

In business we all sell, whether you sell a product or service directly to customers, sell an idea or strategy to your team mates, boss or direct reports or if you are selling yourself in an interview. We’ve have compiled our Top 5 tips to help enhance your selling skills.


TOP TIP No.1 : ATTITUDE

‘How Important is ATTITUDE?’

We have often missed the mark because we believe we set goals too high. In a moment of enthusiastic wishful thinking, we stretch just a bit too far, too tough. BUT did we? Probably not. Here’s the proof…

ATTITUDE is at the top of the Success Triangle (Attitude, Behaviour, Technique) because ATTITUDE dominates all of the other functions of success. It’s a safe bet that your performance is consistent with the way you view yourself conceptually. Your mindset, or your outlook, controls your behaviour, your use of techniques, your actions, tactics, strategies – everything that determines failure or success in your life.

You take your outlook with you no matter where you go in life. If, for example, you’re one of the top performers in your company and you resign tomorrow, wherever you go you’re going to reach the top again. You’ll get the same training as your peers, and you’ll sell the same product or service, and work from the same pool of leads, but you’ll outperform most of the others simply because of your ATTITUDE. It’s so predictable, it’s frightening! ATTITUDE determines RESULTS, good or bad.

ATTITUDE is never non-existent. It’s not like an illness which comes and goes. It’s always present. Even in our sleep, ATTITUDE can be reflected in our dreams. However, it’s when we awake in the morning that ATTITUDE shifts into gear and begins to control the rest of the day.

Top 10 Essential Strategies for Maintaining a POSITIVE ATTITUDE at Work and Home

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING, SO AVOID NEGATIVITY. It is the lens that you look through to experience your reality. Take a look at your ATTITUDE. Are you negative? Do you colour everything with fear or need? How will your life change if you change your ATTITUDE?

TREAT PEOPLE WITH KINDNESS & RESPECT. Everyone that you encounter should be valued and treated with courtesy. Acknowledge that they have feelings and their own perspective     on life; they may be different than yours but they are also valid.

AVOID COMPARISON. Constantly comparing yourself keeps the focus on the other person instead of on what you can do, want to do and are good at doing. Look inside and improve from there.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR WORK, ACTIONS & LIFE. Don’t pass the buck. Don’t make excuses. Take responsibility; acknowledge a mistake, fix it and learn from it. Don’t beat yourself     up about the mistake or hang onto past mistakes. Resolve them, own them and move forward. TODAY. Continue reading “Top Tips for Selling” »

March 10th, 2009 | Tags: , , | Category: Training and Development | Comments are closed

What does a good business plan look like?

Writing a business plan can be a challenging and lengthy process for any potential enterprise but is absolutely critical if you need to secure funding to start your business. Even those businesses who do not require start-up funding should create a business plan as this is the document that will guide you through an maintain your focus on the key issues and goals of your business.

In this the first part of our business planning series LimeMinds will take you through the basic structure of the plan and cover the important elements your plan should contain.

Writing a Business Plan is a little like writing a CV,  there are many different ways to style, format, present your plan but the core contents should cover the same issues. Whilst the content is ultimately the most important part of the plan, its style and format can have a massive impact on how it is received and ultimately if anyone will invest or fund it. A successful Business Plan should contain (in our opinion) 6 main parts;

Part 1 – Position and Personnel

This section is where you will highlight the overall position of the business to date. It should describe your business idea and the people who will be involved in making it happen. Describe your product and service and the skills that you and/or your management team posses.

Part 2 – Research

This is the section in which you need to demonstrate that you understand the market you wish to operate in and the customers your business will serve. This section should also contain information on your potential competitors.

Part 3 – Business Strategy

What is your Marketing & PR strategy? What is your pricing and promotional strategy? How will you compete against other companies? This section is your opportunity to define how your business will position itself in the market.

Part 4 – Operations

How will the business be managed day to day? Considerations should include manufacturing processes, employee requirements, legal matters. You need to cover all aspects fo the business to convey how you will make your Business Strategy happen.

Part 5 – Financial

This section is where you can forecast the financial of the business. Cash Flow, P&L, Balance Sheet they should all be included and you need to be as accurate and realistic as possible. We will be discussing some potential tools and techniques that can help with this in later posts.

Part 6 -Controls

You need to demonstrate to any financier that you can manage and control all the elements of your business; sales, finance, production, etc. What processes and procedures will you put in place to keep the business running smoothly.

Those are the main 6 parts any business plan should contain, you may wish to include others such as an executive summary which pulls the plan together in the form of a one-page document, similar to a director’s report in any company’s annual report.

We will be covering each section in further detail so subscribe to our RSS feed or Email Feed to keep up to date with our releases. You can also contact LimeMinds to review and develop your business plans via email: consultants@limeminds.com

Happy Planning.

March 3rd, 2009 | Tags: , , , | Category: Business Planning | 4 comments - (Comments are closed)

Some Bedtime Reading…

Here are our favourite business books that we’ve enjoyed in our quiet moments and we’ll add to it as we find more…

1. Getting Things Done: How to Achieve Stress-free Productivity
A great book on time management, you may know quite a bit about setting your daily and weekly priorities but David Allen puts it all together in a system most people should be able to implement.

2. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Classic text from Steven Covey, the text that will develop the core skills you need to enhance your success.

3. Getting To Yes: Negotiating agreement without giving in
If you negotiate, then this text covers all the key principles. From avoiding arguing over positions, to what to do if they are more powerful. This ones been in the library for a while now and we still keep coming back for reference.

4. How to Lead: What You Actually Need to Do to Manage, Lead and Succeed
How to Lead is a great book for those who either lead people or would like to in the future. Jo Owen covers more than just leadership and touches on many aspects of personal development in this text. I would imagine most people will refer to this time and time again.

5. Come into My Trading Room: A Complete Guide to Trading (Wiley Trading)
Not strictly a business book but we’ve enjoyed the occasional foray into the markets. This book covers the principles of investing and managing a portfolio of stocks and shares. Elder breaks down the principles of investing into the 3 M’s; Mind Method and Money Management.

March 2nd, 2009 | Tags: , , , | Category: General, Training and Development | One comment - (Comments are closed)