Business Is Chess Not Checkers: Recent Episodes
With Jay Surti & Trish Taylor | Practical Business Tips | Solopreneurs | Career Change | Small Business Owners | Start-ups
Practical everyday business advice for those looking to start a new business or small business owners and solopreneurs. Including tools & tips from expert guests and advice on resources covering everything from social media to networking for new business.
In this final episode we summarise the topics we have covered over the last six months - our experiences both good and bad.
If you want to find out more about us, here are some links:
TRISH
http://www.trishtaylorcoaching https://www.youtube.com/Trishtaylorcoaching https://www.facebook.com/Trishtaylorcoaching
JAY
@authenticspeak
http://effective-businesscommunication.com
We revisit an earlier discussion topic - scheduling posts on social media, and compare our experiences of using Buffer and SoicalOomph.
LINKS
Buffer.com
SocialOomph.com
Trish & Jay discuss the merits and options of working with virtual assistants.
LINKS
https://www.elance.com
https://www.fiverr.com
BOOK
4 Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss
This week we talk about movies we found inspiring because of the messages we can apply to our own lives and approach to business.
MOVIES
Pusruit Of Happyness
Steve Jobs
Jerry McGuire
Field Of Dreams
This week we discuss whether in this day and age, we really need to incur the costs of renting office space. Both Trish & Jay have different ways in which they approach this.
This episode was recorded on the day of the new James Bond movie World Premiere - just before Jay is about to leave to get on the red carpet and have a look at that Aston Martin...!
Trish & Jay talk about the brand that is 007 and how we can get inspiration from something that has endured over half a century.
In Part II of how speaking can benefit your business, we give a real life Dragons Den/Shark Tank case study that Trish experienced when pitching for funding - to demonstrate the pitfalls of not being well prepared.
Some other talking points covered:
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Enhancing audience experience
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Back-up plans and kit bag to cover all bases
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Slides as your support act
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Keyboard shortcuts for your slides
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Why stories/metaphors/case studies work & how to use them
LINK TO BOOK:
http://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Business-Presenter-Transform-Presentation-ebook/dp/B00A1PS40M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444751506&sr=8-1&keywords=authentic+business+presenter
In this episode Trish interviews Jay about how public speaking can benefit your business.
Topics covered:
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The most important thing: your audience
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How to increase your confidence
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Using notes the right way
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Adding value for the audience
LINK TO JAY'S BOOK:
http://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Business-Presenter-Transform-Presentation-ebook/dp/B00A1PS40M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444751506&sr=8-1&keywords=authentic+business+presenter
In this second episode on rapport we discuss how to gain it quickly. We look at matching and mirroring of body language and gestures, level and tone of voice, as well as finding similarities in the subjects we choose to discuss.
We consider why it may be important to get into rapport with strangers and how it can be a benefit to our business. We question how can we find similarities even when we may have little in common with the other person and Trish shares her top tips on gaining instant rapport.
In the first of 2 podcasts on rapport we talk about what rapport is and why we may sometimes want to break rapport; we also discover that Jay and Trish have very different ways of dealing with strangers on trains and planes! In simple terms rapport is the art of getting to know and get along with people. Wouldn’t it be great to have that feeling when you instantly feel comfortable with someone who you have just met? In NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) we learn tools and techniques to shortcut the process of rapport building.
This week we were unable to record our normal show with both of us over Skype due to tech failure! This happens from time to time and so Trish recorded this episode to talk about the implications of tech failure.
LINK
Here is an article which talks about Skype & alternatives:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/fed-up-with-skype-here-are-6-of-the-best-free-alternatives/
This week we have a another special guest - Darren Dutson-Bromley. Trish interviewed him whilst over in the UK recently. Darren is a jazz guitarist and entrepreneur - in this interview you'll get to hear about how he made a living out of something he loves: playing and teaching guitar.
We hope you'll be inspired to stick with your dream, be encouraged to think outside the box and be inspired by this short yet insightful glimpse into's Darren's world.
LINK
http://www.darrendutsonbromley.com
This week Trish was over in the UK and recorded this interview with June Dennis - Head of University of Wolverhampton Business School and international speaker.
Some valuable insights on:
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What marketing really means
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Getting the right product, price and target customer at the right time
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Common mistakes people make
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How to leverage/scale your efforts
Between us we own and have read so many valuable books that help us with our business - from new ideas to useful techniques. Here are a few we picked out to discuss in this podcast:
BOOKS
Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi
The Start Up of You, Ried Hoffman & Ben Casnocha
Contagious Why Things Catch On, Jonah Berger The power of starting something stupid, Richie Norton The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz
LINKS http://jonahberger.com/
In this episode we talk about how to manage your database of contacts using free or paid options and how we encourage people to join our list of contacts. Here is a breakdown of topics:
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Why keeping in touch is important
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Newsletters and adding value
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Professional templates versus personal email account
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Mailchimp versus Aweber
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Finding balance between regular contact and being annoying!
LINKS
www.aweber.com
www.mailchimp.com
http://www.taylorednlp.com
http://effective-businesscommunication.com
Sometimes, especially in the early days of starting a business, it can be hard to turn away business and say no. However, not everyone is our client - they may not be a good fit for us or vice versa.
In this episode, we both share experiences when we have turned down clients and explain why. We talk about setting boundaries and having a policy in place to know when to say no in a business situation.
READ
Here is a link to the book we mention: "No Excuses" Brain Tracy:
http://www.amazon.com/No-Excuses-The-Power-Self-Discipline/dp/1593156324
When we work for ourselves we often think that we don't have time to take a break or we feel guilty. In this episode we share about how beneficial we've both found breaks to be and how balance is important. Turn not working 9-5 to your advantage!
Here is the Brian Tracy book Trish mentioned:
READ
http://www.amazon.com/No-Excuses-Self-Discipline-Brian-Tracy/dp/1593156324/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438456568&sr=1-1&keywords=brian+tracy
There are many more ways in which we can use Twitter for tracking, organising and engaging - and in this episode we talk about:
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Quote Tweets
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Sharing links on Facebook, Email, Texts
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Using analytics to find out how engaged your audience is
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Scheduling Tweets in advance and how to do it
LINKS
https://www.socialoomph.com
https://hootsuite.com
https://tweetdeck.twitter.com
Adding images to social media posts and blogs make them much more appealing and more likely to be read & shared. Finding the right image that is of high quality can be a challenge though.
In this episode we talk about finding cost effective images to suit your budget and suggest sites where you can obtain images that don't cost anything.
Another important point to be aware of is that in many cases permission is required to use images obtained from other sites. We explain the relevance of "Royalty Free" images.
Finally, we share our experiences of creating our own images when we can't find the right image to match our message. Canva is a user friendly site that lets you create all sorts of images and social media banners at no cost or low cost.
Here are the links to the sites we talk about:
https://en.fotolia.com
http://www.gettyimages.com
http://www.istockphoto.com
https://en.fotolia.com
https://www.canva.com
If you are fairly new to twitter it can be confusing and seem like a huge time commitment. In this episode we talk about how Twitter differs from Facebook and the advantages of using Twitter.
Here are some tips we cover:
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Who to follow and how find followers
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Twitter rules about balancing who you follow with your followers
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When and how to unfollow people
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When and what to post
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Strategies for finding time to post
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Scheduling posts in batches
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Interacting the right way
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What are trending hashtags
Links we mentioned:
https://www.socialoomph.com
In this episode we discuss the difference between Facebook business pages and personal profiles. These days very few people in your Facebook community will see everything you post. If you want to increase your reach and visibility you may need to think about advertising. Here are some of the points we cover:
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business page v personal profile
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increasing visibility
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how to increase likes with promoted posts
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how to find out how engaged people that have liked your page actually are
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where to go to get more training on Facebook advertising
READ
Trish mentioned SocialMouths - check out this free course on "10 mistakes people make on Facebook pages and how to fix them" the link is here: http://socialmouths.com/blog/get-the-free-course/
RESOURCES
Here is the link for webinars on Facebook advertising with Amy Porterfield:
http://www.gotowebinar1.com/453452-2?utm_source=ap.com&utm_medium=ap.com&utm_content=jsfbmauto&utm_campaign=ap.com
Networking may feel awkward for many of us and can also seem like a chore. However when approached in the right way it can be fun and hugely beneficial both in business and socially.
In this episode we cover:
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how to follow up the right way
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what to do with business cards
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adding contacts to a database
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adding value
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using LinkedIn as part of your follow up
READ
Here are some articles you might also find interesting:
http://advantagebusinessltd.com/networking-part-1/
http://advantagebusinessltd.com/networking-the-right-way-part-2/
Networking may feel awkward for many of us and can also seem like a chore. However when approached in the right way it can be fun and hugely beneficial both in business and socially.
In this episode we cover:
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having the right mindset
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how to prepare in advance of an event
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conversation topics
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the importance of being interested
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how to join/leave groups
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building rapport
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what to do with business cards
READ
Here are some articles you might also find interesting:
http://advantagebusinessltd.com/networking-part-1/
http://advantagebusinessltd.com/networking-the-right-way-part-2/
When many businesses fail within the first 3 years it is important to consider the reasons why and stay focused on the goal. Jay and Trish discuss the positive mindset that can allow entrepreneurs to overcome obstacles and achieve success.
Read - The Power of Your Subconscious Mind - Joseph Murphy
Watch 3 Minute Visualization Video
As an entrepreneur you will find that with freedom comes responsibility. There are many distractions and opportunities for procrastination when working from your home office. Jay and Trish discuss the pitfalls and the potential to fall down the rabbit hole of procrastination via Netflix and Kim Kardashian.
Quote
"Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect." Eleanor Roosevelt
Schedule tweets - Socialoomph
Get organized - Evernote
Unsubscribe from email and roll up non urgent ones with unroll.me
Read The 4-Hour Workweek - Tim Ferriss
The mine field that small businesses and entrepreneurs face when marketing using social media. Jay and Trish discuss which platforms they are succesfully using and those which they are still figuring out. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are in common use but what about Reddit and Imgur? There will be follow up episodes looking at individual platforms in more detail.
Welcome to our podcast, introducing Jay Surti former London City lawyer and Trish Taylor former Career Counselor and Coach. We will be offering practical everyday business advice for those looking to start a new business or for existing small business owners and solopreneurs. We will have tools and tips from expert guests and advice on resources for new business. Both Jay and Trish are now running their own businesses and have taken the long way around so you don’t have to. In upcoming episodes you will learn how to avoid the distractions of working from the home office, navigate the mine field of social media marketing, as well as staying focussed when things are not going according to plan.
Read Authentic Business Presenter
Follow Trish on Twitter
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Like Trish on Facebook
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Watch Jay on YouTube
Watch Trish on YouTube