EM Superhero

I find it a challenge to review any book given my background as an author, marketer and journalist of sorts.  It means that my review is based on more factors than say the average reader taking the information at face value. 

 When I received this book, what initially struck me was the clear and inviting layout.  It looked like a book with enough meaningful content to make an impact but not so much that it would deter a person from getting stuck into it.  What a business owner needs, especially in the current climate is access to clear, compelling and attractively laid out information, advice and tips that will help to propel their business forwards  - without the need for an MBA to decipher the messages. 

Emma Wimhurst’s book delivered on three counts:

1. You cannot dispute her impressive business credentials.  She built a business up from nothing to a £1 million turnover and sold it for a handsome profit.  She knows her stuff and she writes from this position of knowledge.  Her credibility shines through on every page.  And you sense that she wants to share as much with you as possible.
2.  Her advice is remarkably straightforward, to the point and incredibly useful.  If you find yourself reading this book and nodding your head, commenting that it’s all commonsense, in all likelihood, it’s because Emma makes it seem so straight forward by cutting out the jargon and the waffle.  Commonsense is an uncommon commodity.  It takes real experience and of course a significant lack of ego to present information in such a format that it looks startlingly simple.  It’s like reading a fantastic headline on an advert.  You wonder why you didn’t come up with it yourself. 
3.  Each chapter is self-contained.  So you can dip in and out of the book and use it as a handy reference guide.  I particularly liked the chapters on practical finance, customer commitment and business planning but I know from experience that each chapter will be useful for a business owner in need of accessible advice.  Emma also delivers precious little memorable nuggets throughout such as “all customers should feel they are your only customer at the point of delivery.” 

This is neither a superficial nor an intense read and I believe, having worked with thousands of small businesses in the last 26 years that Emma has filled a gap in the market place to deliver practical,  empowering and straightforward advice to business owners that are either starting out or that have become stuck.  I have neither met nor spoken to Emma, but the personality that comes through the book is one of a warm hearted, no-nonsense, practical, creative and very talented woman.  This in itself makes the book an enjoyable read.

BOOM!  Will definitely be a book that I recommend in blogs and business articles and at public speaking engagements.

Review by Dee Blick, Fellow of the Chartered Inst of Marketing, Chartered Marketer, award winning business author and journalist.  May 2010

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At last Election Day is nearly here.  Ever since Gordon Brown took over leadership of the Labour Party we have been expecting a General Election.   Voting day is tomorrow and yet I know there are so many people who haven’t made a decision about who they’re going to vote for.   In previous years, I haven’t really given much thought about my voting preference – I have just voted as I have always voted – but this time I must admit I have been extremely thorough  and I have been through the different parties manifestos with a fine tooth comb – my interest has probably been fuelled by the live debates over the last three weeks – interesting as they have been, I have actually found twitter to be more interesting – so read how different people read into a statement – some agree and some completely don’t agree!

I don’t think that there’s ever been a more crucial time to cast your opinion on the way that our country is run. The past few years of recession have pushed everyone to their individual limits and we need to see strong leadership to draw us through this recession which is crucial for the survival of so many small and medium businesses.

Voting is so important and it infuriates me every election to hear people reasoning why they shouldn’t vote saying “my vote doesn’t count” or “it won’t change anything.” If everyone thought like that no-one would vote at all and the whole system would fall apart. How do these people know that their vote is not the crucial one when counting up begins?       My mum told me that in the 1960s she was registered to vote in Brighton but was actually in Chichester in West Sussex for the Election Day – she wasn’t going to bother to make the 3 hour journey – my father insisted and they returned to her constituency – Kemp Town.   The party she voted for won by 2 votes (huge recounts were necessary!) – her vote really did make a difference.

Women and men in this country and all over the world have fought, and are still fighting for this liberty.

Research the different party manifestos – it doesn’t take that long and actually makes for an interesting read.   This is your chance to help implement change where you feel it needs it the most – fuel prices, VAT, interest rates, the NHS, education,  national insurance.  

If you care about the country we live in – then I urge you to cast your vote.

If you do – you are perfectly at rights to clap yourself on the back if good decisions are made or perfectly at rights to moan when you feel let down.

Remember no vote = no opinion.

See you on Thursday…

Hurrah – May is almost upon us with its two long weekend breaks. What have you got planned?  Do you have anything planned?    If you are anything like me it might be about now that you realise you have Monday off and if you work from home…… I implore you to make plans and take the day off.

I am incredibly energetic and actually find Monday’s to be an exciting time – I’m recharged from my weekend off and Monday is the start of another week of opportunities.   So for me there will be a few moments when I have to consciously tear my brain away from thoughts of work, but fortunately I’m sure my three engaging children will solve that problem for me. It just means working harder this week to ensure that I am able to take the extra day off without feeling guilty!

One thing that I am a firm believer in is taking time out to be you and relax. Whether you are a sole trader or run a company, if it’s just you at the top, the feelings of stress with constant management of staff and making sales….. all build up. If you’re exhausted, your work will reflect this lack lustre energy.

The old adage of work hard play hard applies here. Take some time off and you’ll be looking forward to going back to your job and the points on your to-do list will get done a lot faster.

Did you know that the Spanish people are twice as productive as English people due to their siesta afternoon nap break.  So why not spend your lunch break today making a few plans to look forward to this long weekend and leave the work in the office…

Take control and ensure that on Monday you are not shouting MAY DAY! MAY DAY! as an SOS – and that you are shouting it  with glee and delight that you have an extra day off to recharge your batteries!

Where were you when the volcano erupted? I was busy writing a speech on positive thinking and opportunity taking in business when I realised that I could use the volcanic eruption in Iceland as the perfect analogy as it is the perfect example of how people’s personalities in business will set them apart.

What is seen and billed by the media as a natural disaster causing chaos for the world’s airlines can also be billed as a natural phenomenon and a boost for local trades.

From farmers who are now supplying more UK supermarkets with produce as we can’t import it into the country, from photographers selling their images of the smoking volcano to the bed and breakfast’s along the coast where people from Heathrow and Gatwick journeyed to to ensure that they still got a bit of a break away.

All of these people had the mindset to ask: Where is the silver lining in this situation? How can I turn a negative into a positive? As a business owner you will make more money or stimulate awareness if your attitude is one that pushes you forward to surviving whatever life throws at you…

Lastminute.com stopped sending out their regular travel updates and adjusted their marketing plan to promote UK based adventure and spa activities. Through their positive stance on the crisis, they will make sales on those items but also inflict a sense of purpose to the public by showing them that they do still have options for fun…

There are some mistakes or occurrences which can’t be turned around to make a profit but will leave you wiser so in the long run they will stop you from making those mistakes again – still a silver lining.

Now I’m not suggesting that you head on a boat to Iceland and scour the area for natural pumice stone to supply to Boots – if you can do this good luck! But instead, use it as a good example of how to turn a situation round and view it with the glass half full, not half empty of Volcanicity…

Between now and the 6^th of May, we are going to be inundated with political messages from all of the major parties – the election campaigns have already sprung into action and every type of media outlet will be carrying a political message – and you won’t be able to avoid them – the newspapers, the radio, the TV and now of course social media.

Although the date was only announced yesterday, everyone has been planning for this event.  Every single message/interview/comment is part of a well-thought through plan which has been in the making for many months and probably even years.   However haphazard certain messages seem – rest assured, every single piece of action is being managed by a team – who are responsible for the execution of a carefully considered plan.

Regardless of the political persuasion there is a common objective by all parties and individuals of winning the election on 6 May 2010 and each party will have a plan of how they are going to gain supporters, who in turn will be fired up enough to take action and ensure that they win sufficient seats to have control of the country.

Every party will be approaching their entire campaign from a business point of view – perhaps they have even used my 7 Business Disciplines as a start point:

Strategic Vision – to run the country and be elected on 6 May 2010

Business Planning – a plan will be at the centre of everything they do – and every risk will have been considered, they will be constantly assessing the competition, and reviewing everything they do and the impact on their ratings

Marketing Management – each and every element of communication will be reviewed to see whether it has been effective – and it won’t be about the size of the budget but more about knowing their market

Practical Finance – improving the countries financial situation and ensuring that we make a “profit” or at the very least break-even should be at the heart of every party – how they communicate this will be key to winning

Team Building – having an effective leader is one thing – having a great team is another – ensuring that the right team is in place, pulling in the same direction, is actually the most valuable asset of each party.   There is no I in team.

Customer Commitment – this should be the start point of each political party – becoming totally tuned to their customer’s needs with constant review.    The successful parties should treat the electorate as a business asset – because without them, they simply can’t survive

Personal Development – the truly committed party, where they have a team of committed individuals will actually be putting their own personal ambitions to one side and focussing on the benefits they can bring to the country.   Considering the recent controversy about expense claims – the winning party will be the one who convinces the electorate that those days will never be repeated. Ever

As Business Owners we should watch and learn from ALL of the political parties over the forthcoming weeks – and I think it could be said, that the winning party will not necessarily be THE BEST they will simply have communicated it better and prompted more people to take action on the day.

Let us all learn!

If you would like to buy your own copy of my book BOOM! visit www.BOOMbusinessbook.co.uk

Many of you will have heard my views on “Positive Discrimination” – particularly at the end of last year when I was invited onto the James Max Show on LBC and I was involved in a very lively debate with Julie Hall of Women Unlimited.     I don’t find it difficult to accept that Julie and I have opposing views – but imagine how surprised I was to find myself in a full on discussion over lunch at The BIG Event 2010 with Bill Morrow (the founder of Angels Den).

I hadn’t realised before I embarked on my positioning that Bill was completely and utterly in favour of positive discrimination for Women.   To find myself arguing against a man on this subject was really quite unique!   It was very interesting to listen to a man’s views on this topic – and I have to say that overall he is actually quite right.   YES, of course Women should be on Boards of Directors, with Executive positions in the FTSE top 100 companies and beyond.  YES, of course, Women will add an extra dimension to the way companies are run and YES of course, Women are valuable members of society and should be represented in large numbers across business.    How could I possibly disagree with such obvious statements.   Because they are, after all, obvious!

Where we disagreed however was in the way this should be achieved.

Bill Morrow was extremely keen for directives to be given as to the % of board directors which should be women (and within a certain time frame) – as they have done in Norway and more recently France.    Does this mean that the right person will get the job?     Does this mean that a woman will be given the role even though a man may be better suited and more experienced?      This is definitely not the way forward – this is a very dangerous journey for us to embark on.

During the conversation, it was highlighted by Bill, that in a very large management consultancy firm only 6 of the partners were women – and that this was completely wrong.    My question now, and at the time is this:    We should not be focusing on the actual number of 6 but more on the reasons why?   Is it because Women are not being offered the position of partner – which clearly leads to the question of Why?   Or is it simply because Women are not applying to be partner within this particular firm – which again leads to the values of this particular company and what they are actually doing to encourage and enable women to become partners…….

It goes without saying that we (WOMEN) can add value, make a difference and be extremely competent in whatever roles we undertake but we need to be put in those roles because a) we want them and b) we are the best person for the job.

One listener to the conversation (a woman!) said that she would be insulted to be given a position within a company simply because she was a woman – she wanted to be given the position based on merit.

Change is required

Change is required – without a doubt – but it is not going to happen by being DICTATED to.    Let us start to educate and change the mindset of women to want to have these roles, to know they can have these roles and to encourage them to achieve them.

We will continue to increase our presence in senior positions – already HUGE change has taken place over the last 10 years.  There are many inspirational women role models who continue to shatter the glass ceiling time and time again …

What we need to do is KNOW and BELIEVE in ourselves and focus on being the absolute best.   Which is of course, is not that difficult!

Right, in case you weren’t already aware, next Monday is International Women’s Day 2010. Men: if you’re reading this don’t panic and stop! This is not going to be a blog complaining about you at all, actually I can empathise with both sexes… Rather a blog about the promotion of true equal rights.

Whilst the government and the UN work incredibly hard to ensure no difference of treatment based on race, gender or age – finding the balance is increasingly hard in today’s work place. Have you found this?

Let’s get real – when I founded Diva Cosmetics, naturally a lot of ladies were attracted to the roles that I advertised because when applying for jobs you look for subject areas that you have knowledge of and if you’re a woman the chances are that you’ve been playing around with makeup for years. Makeup is generally perceived to be a women’s subject even with 20% of all cosmetic sales being made by men – Prince did wonders for eyeliner…

Whilst I fully respect and applaud every movement resulting in women getting the same opportunities as men and not being held back in their creative or intellectual flair I think that we have to tread very carefully not to confuse the issue…

As a business owner I find the employment angle very simple – I want the best person for the job. I don’t have any preconceived ideas on race, gender or age – as a small business owner you want to be able to freely interview people and select the person that will fill the role and push your company forward be it a man or a woman.

Simply put: The best person for the job is the person that should get the job. This is based on skills, experience and everything else that is relevant when recruiting. The thought of someone failing to get given a position because their gender is not required to complete the correct ratio for the work place is utterly crazy.

Whilst men tend to dominate the financial sectors, women are gradually making their way up the ranks and earning their respect from making good decisions. It will be a while before they don’t have to earn respect and just get delivered it like men but it’s becoming easier thanks to the many women around the world that have the guts to make a stand when they see unfair treatment in the work place.

I am lucky enough to mentor several key business leaders, both men and women and the characteristics displayed by both are the same. They both harbour the same drive, vision, determination and creativity needed to be extraordinary in this world. So men: Don’t feel threatened by women – work with us and rejoice in the fact that one of our species must have helped you at some point with an issue of multi-tasking when you’re on deadline…

And women: Believe in your ideas and be strong enough to see them through. If you genuinely feel that unfair treatment is being dished out on you then seek help from the relevant information sites on how to act.

Until next week – enjoy and celebrate next Monday’s International Women’s Day – for an event near you see the link below, and in the words of five fabulously spicy and confident women: GIRL POWER!

www.internationalwomensday.com

Yesterday, just for a change, I went on the Independent Newspaper website to find a different source for my daily news update. Now I don’t know if any of you readers went on it yesterday but I thought I’d share with you what was so apparent from their home page – it’s all about consumerism. Everywhere I looked…

Right next to the core news story of the bomb that people narrowly escaped, was a headline on the results of a poll taken to decide which celebrity had the best body, hair and of course the worst…

I then flicked onto the next news story about political matter and once again, situated right beside this one was the headline entitled ’50 Best Coffee Shops.’

And so the page went on: Hardcore news vs. consumer polls.

They even have a results column so you can view the ‘most clicked on’ stories and interestingly enough out of the top ten, the first winning six were all of the consumer poll stories;  A coffee story is more popular than a newsworthy bomb story…

It’s very simple how this happens and it’s the same reason that I, myself drew the mouse over the page and clicked on the coffee story. Because I can relate to it; I like to pop into a coffee shop when I’m in town so I was drawn to the story wondering which came first, and more importantly had I been there and did I agree?

I clicked on the coffee article first, not because I don’t care about the other news stories, but in some little way it could benefit my own life. Maybe I’d make a better choice in the future about which coffee house to have my twenty minutes of caffeine fueled peace in before the kick sets in and I’m ready to keep on charging…

Readers are looking for affirmation that they are making the right decisions in life, even from small choices such as seeing who got voted to have the best hair (Jennifer Aniston) and then running out and buying whichever brand she happens to use feeling that if their hair is better, they will be better. Now there’s a whole wealth of discussion on that topic which maybe I’ll go into another time.

For now I’d just like to say that that’s all consumerism is – appealing to a new consumer about a product that may and hopefully will benefit their lives in some way. If you’re in business or are a sole trader you will have spent hours convincing yourself of the reasons that people should choose you when they need your product or services.

From this page it’s clear that there is so much choice on the market these days that people need help choosing. So get your brand out there into the consumer eyes and help them make the right choice!

I’m off to check the headlines today – perhaps I’ll see you in one of the top fifty coffee shops later…

On Saturday afternoon I was on my way back from Stratford in Warwickshire, having spoken to the trustees and workers in the Jennifer Trust for Spinal Muscular Atrophy.   I was absolutely desperate for a cup of tea – I had been offered lunch, but the last thing you should do when speaking is eat at the same time – not a particularly good look!     On my way back I had decided against stopping at the two service stations on the way and opted instead to stop at a Little Chef in Oxfordshire.

I have visited Little Chef’s on quite a few occasions over the years but not in recent times  but as I had avidly watched the Heston Blumenthal TV show when he worked with Little Chef, I felt compelled to make a visit.

I stood at the entrance sign – and waited and waited and waited.  No one came.   So I walked in.  The restaurant was completely empty and I wondered whether it was actually open.   No!  The chef was reading the Saturday papers and eventually the waiter came out.   I must admit that the restaurant was very clean – but perhaps because there was little to do?   Anyway I chose a cup of tea and a tea cake.

It arrived – promptly – and with butter and jam.

I took my first bite and it was really hard.   Not warm, and soft and delicious!    The looks of my tea cake were deceiving…..  I wondered whether to bother complaining – and then I remembered that I should!  That Little Chef would value and appreciate my comments.  So I did.   Imagine my surprise, when the waiter admitted that everyone complained about the tea cakes.  They were always hard.   And although he would happily make me another one – they were all the same.    They arrived frozen – they had to be thawed and then toasted.   He made me some toast instead.     With a little prompting (although it didn’t take much) the waiter proceeded to tell me that Little Chef were only interested in profit.   They had reduced the size of the bread, that staffing levels were cut and that most people complained that the food was not good value considering the quality.

I asked whether these comments had been told to Head Office and he simply shrugged – what is the point?

Why am I writing this blog?

I suppose,  because it made me wonder about yet another iconic British brand which seems to have completely lost its way.   Where the focus on customers has been lost along and instead it is profit, profit, profit.   But don’t they realise – in the ivory tower of Little Chef – that without customers they won’t have a business?

I often say in my talks to business owners ,  “When was the last time you took your customers journey?    From the moment you start speaking to your customers through to the time they make a decision to purchase and beyond?…… Is it a walk in the park, on a beautiful sunny day, with ducks on the pond and a beautiful picnic or is it simply a hellish ride on the Northern Line tube at rush hour?

None of us should be complacent.

All of us have a choice about where we do business and with whom.   So do our customers.    A successful business takes time to understand their customers, listen to them and react when appropriate. On their website – www.little-chef.co.uk – there is mention of “Friends of Little Chef” – clearly someone, somewhere has decided that profitable customers are loyal ones – where they are treated with respect and feel valued.   But there is little point in undertaking such an initiative unless you are prepared to actually do something.

Regardless of how large or small a company is today – its inception was the result of someone’s passion. Running your own business when there might initially be a team of one – YOU – will require a lot of effort on your part. You will multi-task like never before. You’ll face challenges that perhaps when you were employed were shielded from you. You’ll need to learn how to take control of all aspects of your business, from the planning, finance, marketing, to the sales, promotion and customer care.

Successful entrepreneurs live, breathe and eat their business.

Do you have the Passion Factor?

• Passion in what you do?
• Passion in why you are doing it?
• Passion for being the best and willing to continually learn?
• Passion for working hard? (yet knowing when to kick back and recharge?)
• Passion for business and making money?
• Passion for people? (essential in customer service/client-facing industries!)
• Passion for service and customer care?
• Passion for moving on if something doesn’t work out rather than giving up?

Why is genuine passion such an important aspect of a successful business?

As business owners, we need to love the product or service we offer our customers. If we’re a bit flaky on the passion and our authenticity our customers will pick up on this and won’t emotionally or physically buy into what we are offering. If your goal for your entrepreneurial venture is simply to make money and you are not really caring how you do it, you will portray this in everything you do and quite simply, it will not work.

Nowadays, Customers are seeking “added value” before they make a purchase decision and by having an honest passion in what you do will increase your chances of securing a sale and getting repeat business. They will want to “buy” some of your passion by buying from you. Your genuine Passion Factor is what will help differentiate you and your business.

Why Passion for Learning?

You may well have a passion for your particular niche in the marketplace but this doesn’t immediately translate into being a successful Entrepreneur. There will be many essential areas which will require effort to learn and grasp. For example, you may not naturally be a Financier but don’t have a ‘head in the sand’ approach and rely on others to do this for you. Take time to learn – understand how to read monthly financial reports, understand your running costs and know where you are spending your money and above all, determine your own pricing structure – know your costs and your profit requirements. Also, learn about Marketing, you don’t need to know how to create a website, nor do you need to be able to design – but you do need to get into the minds of your customers and know what they want, what motivates them to purchase and understand what makes them tick. Use this information to brief the experts – but be knowledgeable yourself. Limit what you leave to chance.

Why Passion for Working Hard (yet knowing when to kick back)?

Quite simply, working for yourself will be totally time-consuming – not only in physical hours but in mental hours too. As soon as you are responsible for paying yourself you will realise that the buck stops with you. Suddenly everything matters. If you have passion of course, working hard will not be a hardship because you know that every effort you put in should and will reap rewards – from which you will benefit. Be prepared to work into the evenings and weekends – particularly initially when you are still learning the basics and you are still researching your market and refining your offering. If you think that you will begrudge this effort, you need to question and consider why you want to work for yourself. Hard work with balance is key. You will need your family’s support so involve them and don’t let them become resentful. Let them see what this business means to you so they can support you. Kick back time will recharge you and avoid burnout.

Why Passion for Success?

Regardless of why many of us start our own businesses, all of us have our interpretation of success and what that means to us. Success is not ‘one size fits all’. At the very start of considering running your own business, you need to be very clear on your reasons for taking this big step. You should write down all of your expectations and what success means to you (not what it means to your family/friends). Add a timescale against each of these expectations and of course, be realistic. You will need to refer to these “Success Criteria” throughout your journey – when the going gets tough, which it inevitably will. You will need a reminder of WHY you started this in the first place! Sometimes the criteria may change/evolve over time but it is these success criteria that will drive your passion – they are your real motivation for working for yourself.

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“Where do you score on the Passion Stakes” was number 2 in http://www.BizSugar.com/ top 10 posts!