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Why have I decided to stop blogging?

Primarily because I don’t feel like it fits in with what I am doing at the moment. Another very important reason is because it’s not really respecting my regular readers and subscribers if I do not post on a regular basis.

It’s not about quitting

This is me making an objective decision that my time is better spent on other activities i.e. actually growing a business rather than just talking about it. I’m pretty sure I’ll be blogging again at some point, but right now is just not the time for me.

Thank You

Thanks to everyone who has read this blog and all the wonderful people that I have met along the way (you know who you are!). I wanted to write this post to say both good bye and thanks to everyone who has contributed to this blog both directly and indirectly.

I’ll still be about!

You can still get me on Twitter @robert_pf. I’ll continue to keep tabs on my friend’s blogs and hope to see you around.

A final thought

As entrepreneurs, it is our eternal optimism that makes us successful. We don’t listen to the stats that say around 90% of small businesses fail – we concentrate on our passions and learn from our mistakes. This is what makes us succeed. I wish you all the best for your entrepreneurial journey. There’s always opportunity – you’ve just got to look in the right places! Thanks once again to everyone who has read and/or subscribed to this blog.

“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The beginning is what we start from.” – T.S. Eliot

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Yes, you’ve established “why” you’re doing what you’re doing. Now it’s time to take action. There are other “why’s” you should be asking yourself on a regular basis:

• Why are my prices as they are?
• Why am I better than my competitors?
• Why do customers choose me?
• Why do I get repeat business?

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I wanted to share this thought with you today.

I know it’s a little different to what I normally post, but I think it’s very important. Hope you can appreciate the “Godinesque” style.

Why does a better person make a better business?

Because they care more. They look at the lifetime value of a customer because that’s what they want to make: a customer for life. They see their customers as human beings rather than as walking dollar bills. They care about all elements of their business, making money is a by-product of genuinely adding value to someone’s life. No one loves what they do all the time, but you have to care – care about your business, your employees and your customers.  Bad intentions don’t stay hidden for long.

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Ever wondered how important Twitter is to a business?

A couple of weeks ago I was down in Leicester. I went to see a Marketing company. We were talking about Blogging, Copywriting and Social Media.

There were definitely some mixed opinions on Twitter, but I think that it is one of the best platforms for getting leads for your business…if you know how to do it correctly. To be honest, most of the guys at the company hadn’t used it enough to realise it’s true value.

As Gary Vaynerchuk said in the Thank You Economy, most of us aren’t a giant brand like Pepsi. Therefore, there probably isn’t going to be much online conversation around your brand.

So…what do you do to get ‘em talkin’!?

The answer is simple. You have to go broad. You have to give people a reason to talk to you and talk about you…Even if that means talking about something that has nothing to do with your company or offering.

OK, I know what you’re thinking. What the heck is the point in that?

I think that there are two main points:

1. You are subconsciously increasing brand awareness - Say you’re a web design company having conversations with someone about the weather. If they have 500 followers and they are tweeting back to you, some of their followers will see your Twitter username and may check out your profile. Obviously, the weather has nothing to do with your business, but you are exposing your brand in an ethical and non-pushy way.
2. You are showing people that you are human - Twitter is not a mini press release site or a broadcast medium. It is a place for two-way conversation. By chatting to people you are showing everyone that you are human, just like they are. You’re showing them that you’re not some pushy sales person trying (but failing) to push your products or services. I know it’s cheesy and clichéd, but the truth is that People Buy People.

Think outside of your box. For example, the owner of a restaurant may enter into general discussions about the local area that have nothing to do with their restaurant. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. If you’re helpful and genuine and add to the conversation, people will start to trust and respect you. If they’re talking about the local park and you say “Hey, come check out my restaurant!”, it’s probably going to piss them off.  Be relevant to their conversation.

Be general, but relevant. If you’re a local brick-and-mortar business, talk to people in your local area. If you’re trying to generate leads, there’s no point in talking to someone in New Zealand if your business is offline and in London!

What keywords relate to your business? Search them on Twitter and ask yourself if you can add value by creating a conversation around that topic.

Here are a couple of examples of people that know exactly how to use Twitter for business:

• @RMCTECH  – This belongs to my good friend Ryan Critchett who runs an iphone repair business.
• @boloco - This is a Mexican food place with a load of branches in Boston. In a couple of years, they have managed to create an amazing hype around their brand.

Look at how these guys interact and respond if you want to “get” how Twitter really works for business.

The takeaway

Times have changed. Social Media is all about the long run and having patience. You can still make progress by not talking about your brand. Talk to enough people about enough different things, and people will soon start talking about you. Remember the 80/20 rule – spend no more than 20% of your time trying to promote your business.  

Your turn

How much value do you place on Twitter? Have you used it to expand your business? Do you use it for a different reason?

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Today I want to talk about something that I don’t tend to hear discussed very often. Yet, using it in the right way can literally transform both our personal and professional lives.

I think that being specific is something that many of us often fail to do, yet it is one of the simplest and most important things that we can do in our lives.

Being specific is all about clarity. It can prevent so many problems. It doesn’t mean that we have to be patronising or manipulative, rather that we should clearly and effectively communicate whatever we need to say.

Here’s the revelation: Being specific stops people from thinking too much. It removes the guesswork.

I’ll explain more in my examples below.

Three examples of how important it is to be specific:

1. Stand up comedians - I thought I’d start off with a fun one! Have you ever noticed that comedians jokes are usually really specific. That’s what makes them funny. We laugh because they have built up a complete picture before they say the punchline. This makes it easy for us to form a connection between the story and the punchline. If the comedian is not specific, she won’t get a laugh out of the audience, because the audience will be too busy working out what the joke is all about!
2. Having a blog - There are so many blogs out there in almost every different niche. You have to work out a way to give yourself an individual voice amidst all of the noise. This is what get’s you noticed. I remember watching part of an interview with Seth Godin, and he said that people had all sorts of ideas about his blog and how is approach was not right. If he’d listened to them, perhaps is blog wouldn’t have become one of the biggest on the planet. Talk about your expertise or passion. Narrow it down.
3. Getting someone to take a specific action - Whether we want someone to click the “Buy It Now” button or sign up to our email list, we have to be clear about not only what they will get but also what they have to do. This isn’t patronising or manipulating (if it’s done properly), it’s preventing people from over-thinking and getting confused. For example, a call to action might use detailed instructions: 1. Click “Buy Now” 2. Pay via Paypal or Credit Card 3. You will instantly receive an email with the login url and your login details.

The most obvious example of being specific is communicating our needs to other people. The clearer we are, the more the other person understands what what we want.

P.S. Regrettably I’ve had to remove the Keyword Luv plugin from this site because my analytics showed me that too many people found this site through searching for Keyword Luv and I have been getting dozens of spam comments. I want people to comment because they want to, not solely for the purpose of getting a link back to their affiliate site or business. Apologies to all my buddies who added to the conversation and wanted a bit of extra link juice!

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Are you wondering what the heck I’m on about? Good, you should be. The idea of having a “nut” is all about money, and this is an essential read if you have a service-based business, or are planning on starting one in the foreseeable future. This really can revolutionise your thinking, and therefore your business.

Alongside Gary Halbert (RIP), John Carlton is my other Copywriting hero. Coincidentally (or not really) they were very good friends for many years. Trust me, it takes ALOT for me to call someone my hero. John has awesome business credentials; and as well as being one of the best, most experienced and famous Copywriters of all time, he is also refreshingly outspoken.

The full credit for this post goes to John, this was something that I discovered when I recently read one of his posts from July 2010. Part of my responsibility to you guys (as my readers and subscribers) is to provide you with the best possible content that will help you improve both yourself and your business. This is why I decided to write this post.

Anyway, let’s get down to business.

What is a “nut”?

A “nut” involves making sacrifices now that can benefit you in the future.

Step 1: Work out your living costs. Don’t leave anything out. How much do you spend each month?

Step 2: Save 20% of what you make.*

Step 3: Save at least 6 months’ worth of your living costs.**

Step 4: That’s It!

*Don’t mistake this money for savings. As John says, You win when you never touch it.

**You might want to save more than 6 months’ worth. It’s really down to personal preferences.

So, what’s the point in all of this?

The whole point of having this money is that, as someone who provides a service, you now have the power to say “No”. Therefore, if you are providing a service and not a product, you have the power to choose who your customers are. All businesses get difficult customers, and they can be a real pain. When we don’t have money, we’re desperate. We won’t dare turn down any work. After all, those bills need to get paid!

When you are providing a service, there will normally be at least one conversation with the other party before any money changes hands. If you are desperate for money, in most cases you will still take on a very difficult or awkward customer, simply because you can’t afford not to. Although difficult customers can be a good thing, you’ve also got to know when it is better to walk away.

What the nut allows you to do is to be selective about which customers you take on. If you think a customer is going to be a nightmare, you can walk away from him without reeling at the thought of how much money you are missing out on.

The Takeaway

It all boils down to confidence. The nut gives you more confidence to walk away from customers/clients that are not a good fit. It doesn’t mean that you should be arrogant, just that you can politely refuse and walk away from a deal if you think it’s going to be more hassle that it’s worth. It also shifts the balance of power in your favour. Now you’re the one calling the shots. You’ve turned down someone who was willing to pay you. That’s powerful.

I’ve tried my best to do John’s post justice. You can read it here.

My nut is getting saved. What about yours?

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I know this is old turf, but I feel like I need to leave my footprint in it.

Education is something that I think about a great deal. Perhaps because I spent about 18 out of my 23 years in it.

The existing education system is great, if you are good at certain things. If you’re not, you suffer. Simple.

One of the biggest and most fundamental flaws in the education system is that a certain amount of people do not act in accordance with it. As much as life is changing for all of us, these principles have been the same since the introduction of compulsory education systems for children – some people have been interested, some haven’t; the ones who aren’t are the ones that suffer.

Of course, everyone should be educated to a certain level. We all need to read, write and have reasonable mental arithmetic (no matter who you are). However, it gets to a certain point where you start having an idea of what you want to do and what interests you, normally at some point in High School.

Why not let a child choose what he or she wants to do rather than forcing them down certain paths? When I say child I mean a teenager who is self-aware and can receive NEUTRAL guidance that is in their best interests. Obviously you can’t ask a six year old what they want to do, and they need the basic foundations of education. If a child decides at 12 years old that he wants to be a bricklayer, then start preparing him then rather than waiting another 4 years until he is completely disillusioned.

For me there wasn’t really an option Nursery—>Primary School—>High School—>Sixth Form College—>University—>Reality.

It worked for me but there are many people that it doesn’t work for.

What is the point of learning about something that you will never use or have no interest in? There is no point. If you want to be a bricklayer, when are you going to use History or RE? You’re not.

This presents a massive problem

If a child doesn’t act in accordance with the educational system, they become an academic “reject”. For example, a child gets in trouble for not paying attention in RE. They’re told off when they get things wrong. Mistake number two – destroying a child’s creativity and desire to experiment.  Make a child a reject and he will find it harder to fit in at a later age,thus leading to social and other problems in society. If they are getting told off all of the time they learn to resent authority, hence leading to problems at home and with the police. I don’t think I’m stereotyping when I say this, because it’s something I’ve seen over and over again with my own eyes. Most criminals and people with social problems are the ones that didn’t do well at school. The system rejected them, and this feeling of rejection is something that they never got over.

I believe that we’re all responsible for our own actions, but the education system HAS to change to accommodate everyone, not just some. That’s what a universal system is about.

Being an entrepreneur, there’s very few jobs that I’d even consider doing. However, I would consider being a teacher, but not under the current system. The youth of our world are the future of our world, and it is important that they are brought up correctly and educated correctly; made to feel part of society rather than outcasts.

A word about SOPA

The last fortnight has been a very interesting one, we’re seeing the Internet go through massive changes. Of course piracy is wrong. My solution is to make things that are regularly pirated more affordable, such as software and music. People then won’t have an incentive to pirate them, because the potential punishment simply won’t be worth it. Why should the average consumer feel guilty about illegally downloading a record when the artist and record company are both worth tens of millions of dollars?? You’ll probably see that most of my images from now on are made in-house, I don’t fancy getting in trouble with the US Authorities lol.  My take on this whole situation is that everything has a price, including freedom. But the price of freedom is far lower than the price of having our freedom taken away. Sorry, had to have my say on this one!

Your turn

Do you think that the current education system need to change or should it stay the way it is? Have you had positive or negative experiences with the education system?

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Having your own business is one of the hardest things that you can do. I see so many people who have a job that they don’t particularly enjoy, yet also have this ‘rose tinted’ view of having your own business. I think that it’s fair to say that if you haven’t had your own business or you haven’t lived with someone who has, it’s very hard to understand what is involved. Yes, it’s all about doing something that you are passionate about, no one is denying that, but Passion alone isn’t enough.

With that passion you must have extremely hard work, almost permanent motivation and eternal optimism. If you don’t have these things, you’ll fail in business. Sorry, but it’s true.

The first few months of having a business was the biggest challenge I had ever faced in my life, and I’m not trying to be dramatic. Of course this was my fault in many ways, because I had no direction or plan (stupid, I know!).

Now I want to look at the costs and benefits of having a job, then look at the costs and benefits of having a business (3 of each).

Having a job

Costs

• The value you bring to the company is often completely disproportionate to the money that you are paid.
• There is usually an abrupt ceiling that limits your earnings, regardless of how well you are performing.
• Most people don’t get to choose who they get work with.

Benefits

• As long as you ‘do your job’, you are paid at the end of the month.
• In most cases, there is no kind of investment for you to make (at least not one that you can’t claim back from your company).
• There is a reasonable level of predictability and security (in most cases).

Owning a business

Costs

• You have to motivate yourself (at all times).
• You experience a great amount of failure, particularly at the beginning.
• You incur all ‘costs’ – both in terms of unpaid hours and any investments.

• You (eventually) get out what you put in.
• You control your outcomes and results.
• There is nothing to limit you or your earnings.

As you can see, having your own business is very different to having a job. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but it’s very much down to personal preferences and what sort of person you are.

I’ll leave you with a small tip if you want to start a business: Keep your job until you have replaced and surpassed your current income with sustainable income from your business. Sound hard? Good, it will be. If you’re worried about not having evenings to yourself, don’t bother starting a business. It’ll be a long time before you’re ‘living the dream’ and working one hour a day.

The bottom line is that starting a business is like having a job, but you’ll be working ten times as hard and have many, many hours that you will never be paid for. But remember, one day it’ll be worth it.

Your turn: Do you work or have a business, or both? Why have you made that choice?

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**WARNING – This contains ‘spoilers’ if you are planning on watching Green Lantern**

I recently watched the new Ryan Reynolds movie Green Lantern. I quite enjoyed it although it seems to have got quite an (uncalled for) hammering from the critics.

Without going into too much detail, it’s basically a classic story of good vs evil. The Green Lanterns protect the different ‘sectors’ of the Universe, and an enemy is starting to destroy it. In this story good is embodied as “will” and bad is embodied as “fear”. Ryan Reynolds is a carefree and irresponsible guy who is chosen to protect a sector of the Universe when an injured Green Lantern crashes to earth. To win, he has to overcome his fear and have a very strong will. In the planet where the Green Lanterns meet, the power of will is seen as the most powerful force in the Universe.

I believe that using will as  a positive force and using fear as a negative force goes much deeper than a 2011 Sci-Fi Movie. Isn’t this true for everyday life? I believe so, particularly for entrepreneurs.

If you let fear rule your life and you give into it, you are handing over control. Fear is what stops us from doing things. Fear of failure, fear things won’t go to plan, fear we’ll disappoint ourselves and others.

However, our wills are extremely powerful. It is people with strong wills who achieve amazing things. Even when the odds are stacked against them and they have hundreds of things to be scared about, their will to succeed is stronger than their fears, and that is why they achieve success.

There’s a line in the film that really stood out to me. At the beginning of the film, Ryan Reynolds has gone back to his childhood and is talking to his father, who is a jet pilot. He says to him “Don’t you get scared when you are flying?” His Father replies “It’s my job not to be scared.” As an entrepreneur, it is your job not to be scared. A strong will leads to achievements but a strong sense of fear leads to failure; or even worse, not trying in the first place!

Your turn: What do you think of this? Is there value in this story? Can you relate to letting fear rule your life?