27/11/2016 0 Comments Giving back by giving backI was lucky enough to win a copy of a great book ‘Doing Good, by Doing Good’ by Peter Baines which talks about the importance of having strategies in your business which can help organisations transform the communities they work with through charitable actions. As a solo-preneur (and silverpreneur) I don’t have a corporate structure of employees to help me give back to my community, but this shouldn’t stop anyone from giving back. I’ve always been one of those people who put their hand up for everything – from helping in the school canteen when I could, to getting involved in kids pony club and so on. In the past 15 years my focus turned to being an active member of a local service club, Zonta International. Zonta focusses on empowering women worldwide to be the best they can be, raising them up through education, health initiatives and more. I am also a member of a small, but dedicated committee bringing an annual readers and writers festival to the rural South Australian region where I live. And in between these ‘official’ involvements I lend a hand where I can in the areas I have some expertise in. I can’t seem to help myself! A strong volunteering culture in all communities enriches everyone, both the volunteer and recipients. Whether you get involved in environmental initiatives, take care of local parklands and gardens, deliver Meals on Wheels, run classes at the University of the Third Age, bake for trading tables, or myriad other things, you are improving your personal wellbeing as well as the lives of those around you. Running our own businesses can be time consuming and it’s hard to make a space for additional work, but even the smallest contribution can have a huge impact. If you don’t want to commit to regular involvement in a service club or other organisation think about offering a couple of hours of assistance to a local project. Sure, you can donate money or products to help out, but it’s a lot more satisfying to donate some of your time. Some ideas, which can involve your employees too if you have a small workforce, include running a Biggest Morning Tea for cancer research, getting involved in the Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave (volunteer a spouse, partner or relative and help them fundraise) and other great fundraisers. If you have specific business skills you could offer to create a logo for a community group, do some marketing for them, write a media release, help with social media, look over their books, service a vehicle for a charity organisation, donate items to an op shop – the ideas are endless. And along the way you will reap the benefits of getting your business associated with giving back.
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20/11/2016 1 Comment I'll wait all day if you smile at me!I went to five different retail stores in my home town the other week to find an item I badly needed. I left the most obvious store until last – why? Well, because every time I had been in there before their customer service was non-existent – surly, rude, unhelpful and worst of all would keep me waiting while they were on the phone or talking to another customer without even a glance in my direction. Again, they met my expectations, but made a sale because I’d exhausted all the other options – but I’ll do my best not to go there again (and of course I tell my friends). I understand the art of queuing – I’m English and I learned to queue with patience as a youngster. But in a shop, where I have come in to spend money, I require, in fact, I insist (or I’ll probably leave) that you look up, give me a smile and mouth or say, “I’ll be with you soon” – or whatever the equivalent phrase is, which both acknowledges you have seen me and reassures me that I will receive all your attention when you are free. If you do this, it’s likely I’ll wait for half an hour without getting itchy feet or bad tempered! I was reminded again two weeks later, that not all retailers train their staff in the art of good customer service – and, in fact, some retailers could do with a lesson in it themselves. I went into another local shop where the lone salesperson was intent on assisting a customer before me. She never turned her head in my direction, didn’t acknowledge I was in her shop, until she had completed her transaction and the customer had left – she then turned to me with smiles and pleasant words – just a bit too late to give me an optimum customer experience. The customer is King – it’s the customer who pays your wages – and sure, some of them can be dreadful and then may not quite deserve royal treatment, but if you want to keep them coming back to you, you have to treat them right. This doesn’t mean heavy discounts or other bonuses – in fact, customers will come back to you again and again, even if your prices are not that competitive, just because they like you or your staff behind the counter. Customers also have a role to play, because in order to receive good service you also need to be a good customer – not one who shops in the same store all the time to the exclusion of others, but one who has pleasant interaction with staff when they do shop. As a customer you need to remember that shop staff may have been on their feet all day, missed a lunch or tea break and have had to handle disgruntled complaints. Retail is a give and take world, but when it’s done right, everyone wins. A smile and a pleasant word from both sides of the counter create a positive buyer experience.it. 13/11/2016 2 Comments Silverpreneurs get stressed too!!You feel like grabbing a handful of your hair and pulling really hard, but you know it’s not going to help. It’s not just common to Silverpreneurs, but as we get older and wiser we still don’t always manage stress in the best possible ways. When we embark into business we are infused with excitement about the challenges and possibilities, but as time passes we often struggle with overwhelm. There are plenty of tricks we can use to help our minds de-stress – it’s just a matter of finding something which works for us and gives the results we need. Our minds are constantly filled with clutter. Some of our thoughts are useful, but many are just distracting ‘noise’ which are tiring in their own right. When we are stressed there is an additional persistent humming in our heads which focusses on our fears and anxieties – and this is the most difficult noise to silence. We are fearful of an outcome, worried about our relationships with our lovers, families or friends, concerned about looming deadlines, unfinished tasks or general overload because we take on too much, and it then becomes important to try some calming techniques for the mind. Mandala is a Sanskrit word which means “circle”, and although it is a spiritual and ritualistic symbol associated with Hinduism and Buddhism, it can be used as a tool to allow our minds to problem solve and find calm. In spiritual practice Mandalas are often created using coloured sand to form intricate and exquisitely beautiful patterns, but for our purposes we will create a des-stress Mandala using paper or card and a handful of coloured textas, pencils or crayons. Start by drawing a circle on your paper – use the boundary of a saucer rather than a dinner plate. Somewhere inside the circle, not necessarily the centre, draw a representation of your anxiety. This can be as simple as a symbol, a letter of the alphabet, a stick figure, or even a word. Take a black texta, pen, or pencil and, starting from just outside the boundary of the circle draw parallel lines, like a little road, and wind this path within the confines of the circle, until it reaches your anxiety drawing. This bit can be tricky and you’ll have to concentrate, drawing one side of the track and then the other side, so you keep the path even. When you finally get to your goal you can start the fun part. Choose your first colour and begin to fill the track – you can use the same colour all along, or you can change colours. While you are colouring in start thinking about your anxiety and consider some of the strategies you could use to eliminate it from your life or fix it. When you’ve finished the path, it’s time to colour in the remaining white space – this is your Mandala, so you choose how you want it to look. Draw patterns, dots, block colour, whatever you feel drawn to do. You’re almost finished – take the black texta and go over the lines of your path again and make them stand out. Add some shading if you want to. Pop some edging onto the boundary of the circle and you’re done. Sit back and admire your work – it looks pretty good! You may have had some emotional reactions when creating your Mandala. It’s not unusual to cry, or even start talking to yourself while you’re working. There’s nothing wrong with showing emotion. Look at your Mandala and trace the path from the outer edge to its windy end. Every turn represents a new thought about the problem, a memory, a decision. The Mandala in the illustration was one I drew years ago when I was having some serious issues with someone I considered my best friend. At the time I felt betrayed and abandoned, but by the time I had finished the exercise I had remembered all the great things about our friendship and that I was as much as fault as she had been. It gave me the clarity to approach her and mend some bridges – best thing I ever did. Nan Berrett is a communications consultant who also workshops strategies to support positive emotional wellbeing outcomes – these include creating and walking labyrinths, journaling, creative writing & poetry. She is also a Silverpreneur! Contact her through: www.silverpreneurs.com 6/11/2016 2 Comments In the beginning...A long time ago I trained in public relations and event management—then I moved to rural South Australia. 30 years ago there wasn’t much call for my skills and I fell into journalism by accident. I’d always loved writing and this became my dream job, one which occupied me for 24 years. When I made the decision to leave my job I had no clue what I would do next, but again things had a way of falling into place. I had run a few small business in the past—an art gallery, gift shop and health food store—had been a successful direct sales consultant, had worked in public relations, marketing and event management and had plenty of ideas. I have always had a passion for small business and the success of those engaged in this not-so-easy career choice. I have found that I have a flair for helping entrepreneurial business owners, especially women, achieve their goals. Stepping out into the unknown without a safety net four years ago was the best decision I ever made! But it hasn't always been easy. Starting your own business is a bit like buying a horse - buying the animal is the easist (and often the cheapest) part, while maintaining it with the right food, exercise and equipment is infinitely harder and more expense in both time and dollars. Even if you choose a consultancy where overheads are supposedly low and you have no stock to purchase or worry about, the steps taken to become successful take a bit of work and investment. I'd been in the workforce as an employee for the whole of my working life, with a couple of forays into small business on the side. I'd been quite a good Tupperware consultant, a competent Avon Lady and dabbled in an art gallery, an esoteric gift shop and a health food store. Only the health food store came anywhere near being what you would call a 'proper' business. My husband and I were still holding down our full time jobs when we had the shop and didn't have the skills or the time to make good and sensible business decisions, so reluctantly closed it and had a fire sale of stock, so we walked away with no commercial debt. Non-success isn't and shouldn't be a deterrant to have another go, because with every set back comes another learning journey and we build stronger foundations than ever. Taking the plunge into business shouldn't be taken lightly, but it's certainly rewarding and endlessly surprising! Would love to hear about your business journey. |
AuthorSilverpreneur, Nan Berrett - former rural journo turned businesswoman and loving it! ArchivesCategories |