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8 keys to a bigger, better business. Key number 6 …
June 7, 2016Posted by Laura Humphreys
In my view, branding is one is the most misunderstood and least valued weapons an entrepreneur has on the road to success.To be blunt, I think one if the biggest differences between really successful entrepreneurs and ...
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8 principles of brand building every business owner must know
August 28, 2015Posted by Laura Humphreys
Ok here comes another rant. Something else I feel PASSIONATE enough to SHOUT ABOUT IT. Today’s outpouring is about your brand… and why if you seriously want to grow, you must take this subject very seriously indeed.I do believe the power of ...
Continue readingAre you brave enough to have a powerful brand? Find out here…
March 4, 2014Posted by Laura Humphreys
As anyone who has worked with me will tell you, I’m an avid fan of branding. I look at a client’s brand and ask myself, does it tell me something exciting, original and impactful about their business? Does it set the foundation for ...
Continue readingWhat causes customers to leave you?
February 27, 2014Posted by Laura Humphreys
Why do customers leave?Guest blog by Mike Brunel.
I am continually asked why my advertisers leave me after a few campaigns. I do not think for one moment that has not happened to you. It ...
Continue readingWhat 10 questions should every great sales person ask?
January 23, 2014Posted by Laura Humphreys
In sales you should be listening for 80% of the time and talking for 20%. If you ask the right questions, you will find out your prospect’s real needs and find a way to sell your product/service as the solution. When selling, follow the steps ...
Continue readingWinners have a strong brand. Do you? A lesson on branding from The X Factor USA
December 29, 2013Posted by Laura Humphreys
I’ve been trying to explain the importance of branding to people all year and then recently I watched the final of The X Factor USA and I saw the power of brand building in action… ...
Continue readingWhy are customer surveys so important? And how do you do them properly?
December 17, 2013Posted by Laura Humphreys
I’ve recommended to three different clients in the past week that they undertake a client and prospect survey to find out what’s really going on with their business. Each of these clients has different challenges but each will be able to make ...
Continue readingWhich is more important… delivery or sales? Should you be in doing or out selling? Learn the 5 steps to the ‘The In-Out Dance” here…
November 7, 2013Posted by Laura Humphreys
As a small business owner you’ll be familiar with ‘The In-out Dance’ I’m sure. It goes like this. You are busy in the business, delivering your service or product, working hard, working hard. There’s too much to do and you need help. So ...
Continue readingHow to impress the world in 5 minutes… getting clear on your business ‘platform’
October 15, 2013Posted by Laura Humphreys
“What is your platform?”This is the question I’ve been asking my small business clients recently. But what do I mean?
Here’s an imaginary scenario to help explain:
Imagine you are on a plane with 20 other business owners in the same industry as you, selling products ...
Continue readingWhat’s the one question every business owner should ask to decrease owner dependency and increase value?
May 13, 2013Posted by Laura Humphreys
When I interviewed 2012 Young Entrepreneur of the Year Sam Hazledene, I asked him about his strategy for growth. This is the guy who built the largest medical recruitment company in Australasia from scratch in a few short years. He told me that ...
Continue readingListen to the brand guys… and change the name of your book!
April 28, 2013Posted by Laura Humphreys
So the book is written… yes, it’s finished and off to proof reading next week. Yipee! One year and two months in the making. That’s approximately three hundred 5 am starts, 70,000 words and a heck of a lot of late nights. It ain’t ...
Continue readingA business or a life-long job? Which is it for you?
April 17, 2013Posted by Laura Humphreys
Here’s another extract from my book… to be launched late July…A business or a life-long job?
‘Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential.’
– John Maxwell
One of the first questions I ask when I present ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentor tip #84 – Be wealth positive not money negative
November 6, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
By now you’ll be familiar with my belief that the purpose of a business is to create financially freedom for it’s owner. Of course, you can’t be financially free without money. For most of us, we can’t live the life of ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentor tip #82 – How to save money attracting new clients without cold calling
October 16, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Another great sales tip from guest entrepreneur Mike BrunelWith the cost of acquiring new customers mounting, many companies’ customer bases are shrinking, due to loss of confidence of advertisers and consumers alike.
What you will learn in this month’s Sales tip is the secret ...
Continue readingThe best testimonial ever!
September 30, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
One of my last online members raced through the programme in record time and sent me an email to tell me how he’d found it. If you haven’t done it and ever wondered what its about… read on. Brynn says it much ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentor tip # 80 – The incredible power of partner marketing… and how to sell glasses to people who don’t need them!
September 17, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
No problem with the marketing vision for the folk at Specsavers. Not only do they have a very funny ad campaign – the ‘Should’ve gone to Specsavers’ series (my favourite is the father on the finishing line of school kids running race where he ...
Continue readingBusiness mentoring tip #77 – The leader versus manager debate…
September 7, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
In my last tip I was pretty tough on us entrepreneurial types, stating boldly that if our employees were under performing it was our fault not theirs. I do believe this is true in very many cases, although of course not all. Some ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentoring Tip #76 – Your team don’t suck. You do.
August 27, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Having frustrations with staff seems to be a theme for the small business owners I’ve been working with this month. Employees under performing, not taking responsibility for their outcomes, having little initiative and being too content to let the owner do the lion ...
Continue readingAn important lesson on truth from the Bollywood Dentist…
August 12, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
I had a big shock last week on my way back from Tonga. Upon the recommendation of a client I called into see a dentist for a second opinion on my troublesome tooth. The dentist was Dr Loy at the Caring4smiles practice in Epsom. ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentor Tip #74 – Kick sand in the gorilla’s face
July 24, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Kicking sand in the gorilla’s face. I love this expression. Told to me by clever guy called Dion Mortensen, investor, company director and all round smart guy to have coffee with. We agreed over said coffee that building an exit strategy into your business ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentor Tip #73 – If you build it will they come? @drrobadams
July 17, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
“If you build it will they come?” is the title of a new book by Rob Adams. I attended a workshop taken by Rob last week and was impressed enough to make it my next business mentor tip. Forgive me Rob if my interpretation ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentoring Tip #70 – Blow your own trumpet
June 25, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
You cannot be shy and be in business. If you are going to build a business that someone will ultimately pay a large sum of money for, you cannot afford for your business to blend with the wallpaper. You have to put ...
Continue reading10 things you need to know about sales this week
June 18, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Welcome to guest entrepreneur and salesman extraordinaire Mike Brunel for some more of his always useful tips on sales. Enjoy…1. Create a sales culture– In Laura’s upcoming book she talks about creating a great sales culture- it has to however ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentor tip #69 – Understand the TWO key reasons for being in business
June 11, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
For me, there are only two reasons why you would be in business for yourself: to make money and to make a difference.1. Making money
“Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentor Tip #68 – Develop a freedom mindset
June 7, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
To build wealth and freedom from your business, you need a certain mindset. You must have the willingness and ability to see yourself totally free from the need to work for a living. And you have to believe that your business is ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentor Tip #66 – No is spelt with a K
May 28, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
This tip comes directly from my book in progress, from the chapter on sales written together with Mike Brunel (www.talkingmediasales.com).When someone says ‘no’ you can tell yourself that what they are really saying is that they want to ‘know’ more. What they are ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentoring Tip #63 – Gather your insights
May 22, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Good marketing is about being very clear who it is you are trying to sell to. It’s about knowing your target audience well. If possible get inside their minds and learn the triggers that will motivate them. The more insights you have about ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentoring Tip #62 – What’s your unique point of difference?
May 17, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
In the advertising industry when we developed a strategy or advertising plan for our clients, we would start by understanding the client’s ‘Unique Selling Proposition’ or their USP. This is jargon speak for working out what the clear point of difference the product or ...
Continue readingIf you don’t ask the answer is always no!
May 15, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
This was one of the slides at my talk to the Bubbles & Inspiration audience last night. My point being that sometimes to get ahead in life you have to ask for things, even if it seems far too bold an ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentoring Tip #61 – How to win a competitive pitch
May 14, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Just finished the chapter in my book with the same heading, so thought an abbreviated version of this would make a great tip.As you know, my advertising agency went from zero to billings over $15 million within nine years. To achieve this we ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentoring Tip #60 – “Move fast and break things”
May 8, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Ok Ok I admit it… this is not my quote. It’s a “Facebookism”. When smooching around Google looking for inspirational business stories (as I do) I stumbled across this blog entitled “Sh*t Facebook employees say” by Josh Levin.The blog outlines some things learned about Facebook from ...
Continue readingMGP Scooters rock the world! What a fantabadooly MADD business! @mgp_scooters
May 7, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
You know I love to find inspiring business models to share with you. And this has to be one of them…. MADD, best known (if you have any children age 7 – 12 right now) as the makers of the MGP Scooters. You ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentoring Tip #59 – Hire people you never want to fire
May 2, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Just finished Chapter 16 of The Liber8 Factor – how to hire people you never want to fire. Some awesome tips thanks to my good friend Lindsay Jackson who has already built and sold two very successful recruitment companies and is now onto ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentoring Tip #57 – How to make a tough decision without losing sleep
April 27, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
There is no doubt. As a business owner you will have tough decisions to make. Sometimes it might feel this is almost on a daily basis. Should you invest in that overseas training right now? Should you bring on that next staff member? ...
Continue readingGuest Blog – How to get 2000 Facebook likes in less than 12 months
April 25, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
By Jody Worsfold, Chief Cupid, Romantic GesturesI once heard the saying, you can’t sell a secret. With that in mind I set out with a mission to tell Kiwi couples about my business; Romantic Gestures.
Romantic Gestures has a big heart and a small ...
Continue readingWho are your business super heros?
April 18, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Thankfully successful business people don’t wear tights and cape, get dressed in a phone box or fly through the air. But I think all of us in business have business super heroes out there who we truly admire. Those who have shown us greatness, not just in ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentoring Tip#55 – Imagine your are Apple for a day
April 16, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
I was up at the crack of dawn to work on my book again this morning. The chapter I’m working on is called “Driving value through your brand” and I find myself studying the great brands of our time to demonstrate some of ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentoring Tip #53 – What does your logo say about you?
April 9, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
What values do you think of when you see this symbol – the logo for Mercedes Benz? Quality and luxury right? You know what this brand stands for just from its logo. Just like you know that a swoosh tick logo stands for a ...
Continue reading50 qualities of the best business blogs in the world
April 4, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
I stumbled across this blog by Marcus Sheridan whilst exploring tips for blogging… thought I’d share it with you. Here’s the link:
http://www.thesaleslion.com/qualities-best-business-blogs-world/From the desk of liber8yourbusiness. Business mentors and experts in small business exit strategies. Based in Wellington, New Zealand.
Continue readingBusiness Mentoring Tip #49 – Rock the royalty of your Universe
March 28, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
I thoroughly enjoyed having coffee with Glenn Baker, editor of NZBusiness Magazine yesterday. We shared lots of business ideas and thoughts about how we can work together to help small businesses succeed. Glenn gave me a tip to share and as obvious as it ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentoring Tip #48 – Is your market big enough?
March 26, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Just some numbers to think about. What is your margin? And how many/how much do you need to sell for your business to truly make great profit for you after normalised expenses? What’s the population of New Zealand? And what % of the population ...
Continue readingBecome an official ‘drinker’… Now here’s a great job for Kiwis in China!
March 23, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Just spent two days at a course on doing business in China run by New Zealand Trade & Enterprise. It was a fantastic two days, run by a very good presenter called Amy Adams, an American living in China, teaching Kiwis how to ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentoring Tip #47 – What’s your Mission Possible?
March 20, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
I’ll keep the tips even more simple today. Facebook’s mission is ‘to make the world more open and connected’… what’s yours?If you are following my blogs with any regularity you will know I am mad keen on all businesses having a purpose and ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentoring Tip #45 – Budget from the bottom up
March 15, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
It’s budget time! If you haven’t already set your budget for 2013/14 year… now’s the time. There is an entire seminar in the liber8yourbusiness programme to walk you though the best way to do this. Here are the key steps:Decide what profit you want/need ...
Continue readingGuest business mentor tips – 10 things you need to know about sales this week
March 12, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Look out for regular guest mentor tips from now on as I call upon experts from all specialist fields of business to share their top tips with you. Today I welcome these tips on sales from one of the best sales people I know, ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentor Tip #43 – Get real…
March 7, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Here’s a quote from Abraham Lincoln:“How many legs does a dog have if you call a tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.”
In other words, don’t kid yourself you are something you are not. In business ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentor Tip #41 – Don’t be afraid to say no
March 6, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Being in business can make you a real ‘yes’ man/woman. Yes to any new business that comes your way. Yes to whatever your demanding clients demand of you. Yes to the staff member who needs a day off on your busiest day of ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentor Tip #40 – Talk it up baby
March 5, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Whatever is going on in your business, when it comes to your public face, you need to talk it up at all times. Never let the outside world know you are having a bad patch. All businesses have rough times, when sales are ...
Continue readingBusiness mentor tip #39 – Grasp the trends
March 2, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
I think Bob Dylan said it best, “The times they are a changing”… and ironically this fundamental truth hasn’t changed. Change is inevitable, I’m sure you are aware of it yourself… how fast things are changing these days. Just look at social media, just ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentor Tip # 38 – Screw business as usual
March 1, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Sir Richard’s lastest book is right on the money as usual. Love his and VirginUnite’s ‘business can be a force for good philosophy’. Check out http://virginunite.screwbusinessasusual.com/ to get on board with the new wave of business… led by the rebel with a ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentor Tip # 34 – Don’t pray and spray your PR!
February 27, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Here’s a top tip from one of New Zealand’s most savvy PR consultants, Bridgette Paton-Tapsell of Village PR and Marketing http://villagepr.co.nz/ :When you send your news releases to media, don’t be afraid to follow up the journalists with a phone call. Media get ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentor Tip # 33 – Become a deal maker
February 23, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Here’s your mantra for 2012… “I am a deal maker, I will close the sale”. View yourself as a deal maker when you embark on any new business campaign. When you go to a meeting with a prospect, or client you know could spend ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentoring Tip # 32 – Know your margin
February 21, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
It’s easy for small business owners to think sales/income is the key number you need to be focusing on. But actually the key figure is your Gross Profit figure (sales minus cost of sales) and your margin… the % difference between your income and ...
Continue readingFriday Business Mentoring Tip – Create rituals
February 16, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
FINALLY back from my holidays… 6 weeks in total… where on earth did February go??? So back to posting business tips for all of you who appreciate a daily morsel of practical business advice. This one is a goodie and absolutely crucial if you ...
Continue readingBusiness Mentor Tip – Try this formula for effective goal setting
February 9, 2012Posted by Laura Humphreys
Now is the time of year for goal setting. I’m a bit late this year… spent too much time on holiday (is there such a thing??). But every year I make sure I’ve got my goals clearly defined and most importantly, written down. There ...
Continue readingDaily Business Mentor Tip – Be a winner
December 15, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
If you think you might want to sell your business one day (and you should be thinking this way unless you plan to run it from your mobility scooter!), then you need to make sure your potential buyers notice you. The best way to ...
Continue readingDaily Business Mentor tip – Zig while the others zag
December 13, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
What did Richard Branson do that worked for him? The key thing is that he did the opposite to whatever the big guys were doing. If they were over charging and under delivering, he found ways to reduce prices and improve experience. If they all seemed ...
Continue readingSocial media article 1.The benefits of using Facebook and Twitter
December 12, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
The following the first in a series of articles written by talented young friend of mine, Eva-Maria, who has a company making great waves in the social media world:
Benefits of Using Facebook & Twitter
Time and time again, business courses, workshops, general media and people are going on about using Social Media for business.
People are ...
Continue readingDaily Business Mentor Tip – Above everything else – maintain your values!
December 12, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/business/6118873/Little-School-a-big-idea I borrowed this tip from Maria Johnson of Little Schools, winner of the Supreme Regional Business Woman of the Year award recently. See the interview with Maria in today’s Dom Post. Her final tip for budding entrepreneurs… above everything else – maintain your values.
Your values are what ultimately defines your brand, which in turn ...
Continue readingDaily Business Mentor Tip – Create a wall of fame
December 7, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
I’d like to credit Mike Brunel for this tip. Mike lead the seminar on sales in the liber8yourbusiness online seminar programme. Director of NRS Media (www.nrsmedia.com) and founder of Talking Media Sales, the blog and website for media salespeople www.talkingmediasales.com Mike is a sales ...
Continue readingDaily Business Mentor Tip – Be willing to be wealthy
December 5, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
One thing that very successful business people have in common is that they’re wealth positive not money negative. By this I mean that they see wealth as a good thing and do not believe to have money is to be greedy. They are not ...
Continue readingWinner Best Use of Technology Award!
December 4, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
Bit of bragging here. My other business, Pet Angels Heavenly Pet Care, just won the Best Use of Technology Award at Her Regional Business Woman of the Year in Wellington. An exciting award for us. As you know I am 100% committed to the belief ...
Continue readingDaily Business Mentor Tip – The 80/20 rule of Leverage
November 29, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
Everyone should be familiar with the old 80/20 rule as it seems to apply across most things in life. In business it generally means that 80% of your income comes from 20% of your clients. Or that 80% of your trouble comes from 20% of your ...
Continue readingDaily business mentoring tip – You must have a back end
November 25, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
Here’s one of the best thing my dear old dad taught me about business. “You gotta have a back end!” My dad made his millions and retired age 50 when he sold his photocopier business. He told me how he managed to sell it ...
Continue readingDaily small business mentoring tip – sell your butt off!
November 24, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
Here’s a generalised principle of life… if you are in business you have to be able to sell. You cannot avoid it.Simple business definition:
Business is about making money by selling something you have to someone else who you can convince to buy it.
It doesn’t matter ...
Continue readingDaily small mentoring business tip – You will fail!
November 23, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
Here’s a business truth. In the lifetime of your business you will fail at something important. This could be hiring the wrong person. Choosing the wrong direction. Trusting a client who rips you off. Or just trusting your own judgement. And your failure will ...
Continue readingDaily small business mentoring tip – If you don’t have a plan how will you know where you are going?
November 22, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
Once you have painted a clear end picture for you business, have a clear exit strategy in mind and have put in some key milestones to get there, its time to plan your action steps to the first milestone. This should be 12 – ...
Continue readingThis could be very funny… if it wasn’t so sadly close to reality…
November 21, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
Here’s an email that’s circulating at the moment. Just had to share it…The ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER FABLE
This one is a little different – in fact two different versions …..as there seems to be different morals in New Zealand these days!
OLD VERSION:
The ant works ...
Continue readingDaily small business mentoring tip – Your business needs a higher purpose
November 16, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
A business should have a higher purpose … to make a difference in the world as well as to make money. You only have to look at what Richard Branson does through Virgin Unite www.virginunite.com to see that social responsibility is critical in today’s business world.
How is your business making a difference?
From ...
Continue readingDaily small business mentoring tip – Act like a big dog
November 12, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
Act like a big dog no matter what your size. Think like a Jack Russell… you can take on any dog, any time. You just need to be smarter and faster!
Continue readingWhere there’s a need, there’s a great idea…
November 7, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
I met a very cool lady at a Venus Network meeting last week, and then saw her win an award at the Bright Ideas Gala evening in Wellington, then again in today’s Dominion Post: http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/business/5918966/Bright-Idea-winner-helps-heal-tattoosGillian Parkinson is an aromatologist, using essential oils to treat ...
Continue readingSexy machine, sexy business, sexy model… it’s a winner!
October 13, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
I love great business models. Here’s a simple one, yet technically so right on many different levels.It’s Nespresso, maker of coffee machines. My mum in UK has one and I fell in love with the taste of the coffee and the simplicity of the making ...
Continue readingWomentrepreneurs… the double edged sword we wield
October 3, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
Having been interested in an article recently posted on Facebook about the lack of women seeking and gaining investment capital, I feel inspired to make a commentary on some characteristics that can both make and break women in business. I’ve coined the phrase ‘womentrepreneurs’ as merging words to make new ...
Continue readingAnd my favourite businesses are…
September 16, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
I see many different businesses through my line of work, mostly are owner operators building businesses they hope one day to exit, either by selling it or creating leverage to enable the business to continue without them being there. Moving past the owner operator stage ...
Continue readingFlying high today…
September 13, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
Don’t you love it when you love what you do? I’m on day 5 of a coffee detox so I had to get my high today from other sources today. It came in the form of a 4 hour business mentoring session with a group of people with a brilliant start ...
Continue readingWhere do business mentors get inspiration? Her Business Conference Wellington
June 30, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
I’m shattered after two days at the Her Business Conference in Wellington over the past 2 days. Partly due to the extra wine or two consumed at the Awards night last night (well done to Cilla Heggarty who took out the big title of Business ...
Continue reading7 things a business buyer will pay a premium for # 2. A great product
June 15, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
A buyer wants a great business and they will look at many different aspects of your business as part of their due diligence. The product you sell is only one of these things, but it is important. Here are four ways to develop your product to give it more ...
Continue reading7 things a business buyer will pay a premium for #1. A Powerful Brand
June 9, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
You can get the full version of my report on this subject at www.liber8yourbusiness.com. But here’s the first of my 7 tips for building a business a buyer will pay a premium for.# 1. Build a powerful brand. I am a mad believer in ...
Continue readingBusiness Success.. How do you achieve it? Coffee with Jim Donovan.
May 30, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
Had a very enjoyable coffee with Jim Donovan last week. Luckily for liber8yourbusiness members, Jim has agreed for me to interview him for the liber8yourbusiness online seminar room. Here’s a sneak preview of what makes a successful business according to Jim.Firstly though, a quick bio ...
Continue readingPutting your man on the moon – a business mentoring tip from Space
May 24, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
One of my favourite business mentoring tips is to plan your business as if you were NASA planning to put a man on the moon. This is what I learned to do at the 1991 Accelerated Business School for Entrepreneurs with Robert Kiyosaki in Hawaii. The teacher was ...
Continue readingMay the force of your budget be with you – news from my online mentoring programme
April 13, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
Just finished loading Session 11 in my 12 month online mentoring programme and given we are at the start of the financial year, I just have to share the key tips. I did the seminar with Angela Meads, who used to be my General Manager ...
Continue reading“It’s rare to bat one out of the park first time”
April 6, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
I’m quoting an interview I did with Rod Drury when I write this headline… he was referring to the most famous and fabulous stories of mind blowing business success we know so well. Sam Morgan – from student looking for heater to warm his drafty ...
Continue readingHow disciplined are you?
March 29, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
Had coffee today with a partner at PWC and we got to talking about what makes a successful business. I gave him the benefit of all of my own well aired opinions on business… vision, planned exit, build to sell, leverage etc etc. “It’s not rocket science,” I ...
Continue readingPlanning your exit
March 21, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
More from my night at the Institute of Directors, this time my notes from Matt Kenealy. Matt was a co-founder of Axon Computer Systems in 1986. He was the majority shareholder when it sold to Integral Technology Group in May 2010. Here are my out takes ...
Continue readingExternal Directors and Exits
March 18, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
Further to my last blog, I presented my five minute spiel at the Institute of Directors First Boards meeting a few nights ago. I was lucky enough to be on a panel with two very impressive men, both having worked with external Directors to see their ...
Continue readingHave you done your business plan yet?
March 6, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
Crikey! Where has time gone? It’s March already and the end of the business financial year for most of us. I’ll be nagging my liber8yourbusiness clients about their business plan for 2011 – 12 year. As Winston Churchill famously said, “fail to plan and you ...
Continue readingWhy would someone invest in your business? Or why wouldn’t they?
February 24, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
I’m currently looking at my investment portfolio and deciding how much of my wealth I want tied up in businesses… my own and others. Investing in business is a high risk strategy as so much depends on the people running the business and their understanding of what business really is. I’m always on my soap ...
Continue readingWhen is the right time to hire an admin person?
February 10, 2011Posted by Laura Humphreys
Here’s a question I get asked a lot when I’m working with small business/owner-operators. When is the right time to get help with the admin side of my business? My answer is always ‘NOW!’ Even if you can’t afford it. If you paid someone $20 ...
Continue readingTurn yourself into a product
December 9, 2010Posted by Laura Humphreys
If your business is depending on your talent and skills to create income on a daily basis, it could be time for you to start thinking about how you can generate income in other ways. What can you sell your clients that doesn’t require YOU ...
Continue readingNew Zealand’s next gazillionaire
December 7, 2010Posted by Laura Humphreys
Just came across this competition from ASB Bank,looking for New Zealand’s youngest, cleverest business brain. It’s for kids aged between 7 and 14 who have a great moneymaking idea or invention – like a BMX lawnmower, or solar-powered cat clippers . To enter kids have to enter a 60 second video and could win a share of ...
Continue readingYour business is like a shed!
November 23, 2010Posted by Laura Humphreys
Consider this… if you were going to build a shed in the garden, how would you approach it? You would have a clear picture of what the shed is supposed to look like right? And you would get a plan together of how to build it so that ...
Continue readingLife’s too short to have bad clients…
September 6, 2010Posted by Laura Humphreys
Had another great Q&A Skype session with a small group of clients on Friday. It is very pleasurable to be able to facilitate business people in good healthy discussion about some of their business issues. This week the group talked at length with the owner of an accounting franchise who found herself with an unhelpful ...
Continue readingSlippers…What the plumber taught the mayor about business
August 10, 2010Posted by Laura Humphreys
With my Liber8tv hat on I recently interviewed Mark Blumsky, former Mayor of Wellington. Mark has written a book called Slippers, sub-titled “what the plumber taught the Mayor about business”. Slippers tells the story about how a chance meeting with a plumber gave Mark the ideas ...
Continue readingAnd the lights go on…
July 25, 2010Posted by Laura Humphreys
Had a great session with a liber8yourbusiness client on Skype recently. She had just completed Session 2 in the liber8yourbusiness Online Seminar Room – Choosing your Exit Model. In the session I outline 5 typical business models a business owner can choose from when planning their ...
Continue readingHow can I stop by business being dependent on me?
July 18, 2010Posted by Laura Humphreys
Just back from holiday in Taupo where I managed to squeeze in a quick lunchtime session with some women from the Her Business Network. I asked them to send me a question for discussion prior to the lunch. Here was one question we debated at length:
“I am a one person band – and built a ...
Continue readingTraits of the Rich & Free #5 – Plan your success
June 27, 2010Posted by Laura Humphreys
Point 5 in my Traits of the Rich & Free is “Have a plan”. Very successful people follow a plan, its as simple as that. You have a vision for your ultimate ideal outcome, you articulate the vision for yourself, the people you ...
Continue readingPractitioner or entrepreneur?
June 14, 2010Posted by Laura Humphreys
My osteopath is a miracle worker. This morning I could hardly sit up straight over my long black and newspaper. By 2pm I was pain free. As I lay on the table feeling Martin’s healing hands do their work, we talked about business. He is the first to admit that if the definition of a ...
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