Tag Archives: Business

Posted on

3 Simple Rules for Great Companies

by

I splurged the other day and bought the April 2013 issue of the Harvard Business Review. At over almost $17 it is not your typical checkout counter purchase. It puts a real dent in your wallet. However, you can also gain immeasurable insights into business and how to do it better. That was the promise I read between the lines in the cover story teaser – “The Three Rules for Success”. Want to know more? Read on.

bigstock-Child-writing-on-a-screen-40193032

The article is a look behind the data of companies that traded on the various US exchanges between 1966 and 2010, a number that amounted to over 25,000 firms. What the authors, Michael E. Raynor and Mumtaz Ahmed, wanted to get at was to understand what truly great long-term successful companies had in common versus the flash in the pan, the flavour of the moment.

Posted on

12 Service Values Ritz-Carlton Uses (And You Can Too)

by

This past weekend my wife and I had a 24 hour ‘stay-cation’ for our anniversary at the beautiful Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.  My companies Massive Equipment Rental & Sales Ltd and Fireworks Ltd work on property often, but it is always nice to unplug for a bit and stay as a guest.  The act of unplugging from the daily routine is powerful psychologically as a reset, a recharge, and a preparation for the next big push in our personal or business lives.  While there I saw so many aspects of service – I call it ‘Perfection, Perfected’ – that went above and beyond the norm.  The thought came to me that the best way to thank the team at the Ritz-Carlton for the wonderful service my wife and I experienced was to write about it, and to illustrate how this service can help you in your business.  The 12 points are not the proverbial rocket science, but they work.  As a leader of an entrepreneurial organization you would do well to read on.

Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman

Service is EVERYTHING to the Ritz-Carlton.  It is what defines the chain in their very competitive niche.  This is not to say that other firms that offer similar products do not have as a goal top-level customer service.  They do.  But few execute this as well as the Ritz-Carlton.

Posted on

Platform Conference Recap: 10/10 – Pat Flynn

by

Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income blog was the 10th presentation at Platform Conference.  Tough room to work too – mid-morning, just before the coffee break, the last speaker at the conference, and coming on after the super dynamic Stu McLaren.  Well, he nailed it.  How?  Why he did a trumpet solo of course.  Seriously.  It turns out that Pat played trumpet in the famous University of California, Berkley, marching band.  In fact, he ended his band career as their leader.  The tie in becomes clear later as he wrapped up his presentation on “Platform to Profit: How to Earn an Income Online Without Selling Your Soul.”  So how did this self-described ‘marching band nerd’ get to close out the Platform Conference?  Read on.

Trumpet

Pat threw out one word at us – CARE.  To him this word is what makes all the difference in life, in work.  Care in the quality of your content.  Care in the impact of the first impression.  Care about your audience.  If you can nail this aspect with authenticity and sustainability you are probably going to be ok.  In fact, the better you are at this caring approach is the better you will be at earning revenue.  Pat pointed out that earnings in this business is a byproduct of how well an audience, a tribe, is served.  You must always be considering how you can add value to your followers.

Posted on

Platform Conference Recap: 9/10 – Stu McLaren

by

This recap is the penultimate in my recap series on the Platform Conference held in February in Franklin, TN. In this 9th installment I cover the presentation delivered by Stu McLaren, co-founder of WishList Member, the most popular WordPress membership site platform, and a self-described tech entrepreneur. Stu, together with the next (and last) speaker, Pat Flynn, spoke on techniques to monetize the platform that you have created if you have followed the advice of the earlier speakers. The key in all this, though, is not to generate revenue for revenue sake. Instead it is about generating revenue to maximise the impact you have on your tribe. The mantra – “multiply your profits, multiply your impact.” For Stu, he gives back through World Teacher Aid. Read on to see his outline for ways you could develop your platform into a membership site.

Sign-up-button-on-computer-key-28807994

The focus of Stu’s talk was on the creation of a monthly (or similar) form of recurring subscription model for your internet outpost. Obviously content is king. You have to have something that others want to pay for before this even matters. However, before you get to that point, it is good to know the concepts so that you build content intentionally that supports the eventual monetization of your website or blog.

Posted on

Platform Conference Recap – 6/10: Andrew Buckman

by

This sixth post covers the session delivered by Andrew Buckman. He spoke on the 10 things we can, or should, be doing to improve our websites. While it may seem a bit technical, this is critical stuff.  Think about it.  We have spent the first five sessions preparing a groundwork for launching a platform. After this session we will again turn to creative and distribution matters. But here in the middle we spend time gaining insight from a web professional on the common pitfalls we so often find ourselves in once we launch.  Read on.  Oh, and the photo is not of Andrew.

Shocked Computer Nerd

Andrew outlined 10 areas that he as a web design / WordPress professional sees his clients have challenges in. To give some point of reference here for my readers I will note if my blog DOES or DOES NOT comply with the advice given doing. They 10 tips are: