1. Agonise over whether or not you need business partnersAi-Ling Wong—founder at The Decorateur If you can afford it, don’t have business partners. Nine out of 10 entrepreneurs I know have long-term pain with their partners. The tenth entrepreneur without the headache is usually the one without a business partner. For me, not having a business partner is one less problem. During my journey, people have asked me if I want to partner with them—usually because they know that I know how to work hard. I have held back because I place more value on the relationship. 2. Always look for the anglesAlex Louey—founder and managing director at Appscore If you’re pitching, selling or proposing a partnership, you want to find out what will spark the other person’s interest so that they can’t help but want to work with you. The act of “doing business” is a lot like dating; everyone likes something different. Your job is to find where the other person’s sweet spots are. If their response is “no”, it’s not because they don’t want to use your products or services. It’s because you just haven’t pitched your products or services to solve their problems. 3. Listen to your gutAndrea Grisdale—founder and CEO at IC Bellagio Even if every single person in the room believes otherwise–and that room is filled with people who you believe are more experienced, more intelligent and more prepared than you are–do what your instincts tell you you do. Listen to the point of view of others but go with your gut. It will never fail you. Whenever I made a decision that was contrary to my gut or intuition, whether it be because I wanted to people please or I capitulated under the pressure of being surrounded by, in my opinion, people who were more intelligent, experienced or qualified than I was, those decisions have always turned out to be the wrong decision. Conversely, whenever I made a decision that honoured what my gut or intuition was telling me, it was the right decision. 4. Measure Twice. Cut Once.Daniel Dickson—managing director at Amarco Enterprises The best business advice I was given was in my year 10 woodwork class by my teacher—who was teaching woodwork to boys who were both frivolous and quick to make decisions on cutting into beautiful pieces of timber. I believe I still say this to my staff at least 10 times a week. The reason this advice is so important is that often people are quick to make decisions or take actions, only to use twice the time later to fix mistakes that could have been avoided. “Measure twice, cut once” ensures that that we do things properly and—prior to delivering, executing or starting—we ensure that all the checks and measures are taken to ensure our chances increase for a successful deployment or implementation. 5. Do the most important thing at the start of the dayDavid Fastuca—founder at Ambisie and founder at Locomote Spend the first two hours of your work day doing the most important thing, so that if you did nothing else, you would be satisfied. This is an idea that has been drummed into me over time by various mentors and business people. I–and many people I know–have a tendency to get caught up in “doing things” that we forget, or worse, neglect the things that should be done to help move our businesses forward. 6. Never give someone else permission to treat you in a way that is contrary to your values, principles, and beliefsDemi Markogiannaki—founder at WeTeachMe. The best advice I have ever received came from one of my mentors from the US. It’s an amazing life lesson, and one that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. During one of our regular catchups, I was complaining about how I felt helpless while dealing with a co-worker who was being a bully. I remember vividly how I went on and on about how much I disliked the way my co-worker treated people, and the detrimental effect that this behaviour was having on the workplace culture. I confessed how I constantly felt unhappy, stressed and unappreciated; how nothing was ever good enough; and how this co-worker had an uncanny ability to find the negative in just about everything. After I finished unloading, my mentor looked at me in the eye and said, “I don’t feel sorry for you. I apologise if this sounds insensitive, but you are only allowing yourself and others to be bullied. Stand up for yourself. Build yourself up so that you will be able to handle situations like this. You have the power to call this co-worker out, and to tell them to shut up. If you don’t have the ability to stand up for yourself, how are you going to stand up for, and support, others?” My learning is that to be an effective leader, one that can both protect and elevate others, starts from being able to lead yourself. It starts from having the courage to stand up for your values, your principles, and your beliefs, and never ever give permission to anyone else to treat you in a way that is contrary to your values, principles and beliefs. 7. Find the puzzle piecesEmma Welsh—founder at Emma & Tom’s Talk to as many experienced people as you can. Each person you talk to will have one small piece of the puzzle, but not the entire puzzle. Your job, as an entrepreneur, is to find as many pieces of the puzzle as you can, from as many different, experienced people as possible, and then to construct your own version of that puzzle as best as you can. 8. Skills can be learned. Values cannot.Jamie Skella—chief operating and product officer at Mogul I didn’t have the luxury of mentors at my disposal as a young entrepreneur, so most of the business advice I garnered was from afar as I closely watched those succeeding on the global stage (as well as those who were making mistakes). One of the earliest meaningful pieces of advice I remember paying attention to was Richard Branson’s “most skills can be learned, but it is difficult to train people on their personality”. Alas, some lessons need to be learnt first hand. In spite of Richard’s words, I still fell into the trap of hiring based on credentials instead of cultural compatibility at one critical juncture in the past. It’s not a mistake I’ve made since as a hiring manager and it’s also a learning I’ve carried over into my investments: I back entrepreneurs first and foremost and not their CVs; that distinction is critical. 9. Life is too short to learn everything through experienceKeith Roberts—founder, author and speaker at OAKJournal; founder and creative director at Zenman This idea was taught to me by a gentleman by the name of James Webb. James and I couldn’t be more opposite in our personal life, but throughout the years we have become lifetime friends. The idea that “life is too short to learn everything through experience” applies to my business, my personal and my family life. It seems like common sense, but when applied to all facets of your life, it can have a significant impact by helping you: (1) avoid pitfalls; and (2) identify possibilities. It means that you can avoid potential hardships by learning from what others have done or experienced before. The practice of looking into the past also reveals opportunities that may have previously gone unseen. Don’t make mistakes or miss the chance to capitalize on trends that are visible by looking at historical or competitor data. 10. Be unrelentingKym Huynh—founder at WeTeachMe I grew up intimately watching, and bearing witness to, the ethos and work ethic of my mother and my father. It is seared into every fibre of my being the unrelenting nature in their extreme work ethic, the strength in their inability to take no for an answer, the bravery in their conviction to stand up for what is right and fair, the audacity in their willingness to bulldoze through insurmountable odds and the courage in their unrelenting ability to never, ever, give, up. I cannot remember nor can I imagine a time when the above was not the case. 11. Let people go if you cannot serve themRaymond Chou—founder and CEO at Infront Consulting I used to hate letting non-performers go because I had this strange thought in the back of my mind that said, “If you let them go, you will destroy their life.” This little voice was challenged one day when I was asked, “If this person continues working for you, am I right to say he will never progress in his career?” To this question I responded, “Yes”, to which they replied, “So why are you destroying this person’s career when you could let them go somewhere else where they can be a superstar?” It was at this point that I finally understood the meaning of “letting someone go”. This is something that I have carried with me since. 12. The riches are in the nichesRon Lovett—founder and chief alignment officer at Connolly Owens; founder and chief community officer at Vida Living Verne Harnish shared an idea that I carry with me and that idea is about focus:
In my last business (security guarding) we were focused on a model but not a market segment (customer). If I could go back and do things again, I would have put a lot more of my energies into focusing, and I believe that I would have built a much larger business as a result. 13. If you are in a crisis, committees of one make the best decisionsTony Falkenstein—founder and CEO at Just Life Group Limited In this time of COVID-19, I reflect on the advice from John Fernyhough, who was a very successful lawyer and entrepreneur in New Zealand. One of his great lines is “as a lawyer I will tell you what the legal position is, but then we decide what the commercial action is; that’s the fun part”! John’s advice in a crisis is “take absolute control; you are like the pilot of a plane, you get paid the big money for when you are in trouble so forget discussions and meetings; just take the action you think is right, and execute fast”. I became CEO of a long established family company that had gone public; it had millions of dollars of obsolete stock, it had no good processes, controls or reporting, it rented a building that it didn’t need, and every executive had an executive assistant. The son of the founder was the production manager, the board had monthly catered meetings with drinks and yet the company was insolvent. The directors hadn’t realised it. Nobody had. I drew big red crosses through the management team, including the founder’s son, rented out the extra building, found a creative way we could use the stock, put a customer service person who had a “just do it” attitude into credit control, and found a new major revenue product. I went to the bank who had the company “under watch”, told them what had been done, and said they could put us in receivership now, or lend us more money. All this happened within one month of joining. We then developed the new management team from existing staff who stepped up to the plate. The result? The company’s share price moved from 48 cents to over $13 in three years. The big learning: First impressions are generally right, so if you are in a crisis, committees of one make the best decisions. A version of this article originally appeared on Kym Huynh’s blog. For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog. The post 13 entrepreneurs reveal their best business advice appeared first on THE EO BLOG. via THE EO BLOG https://ift.tt/2FUwr1p
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Dr. Lee Hausner is an internationally recognized clinical psychologist based in Los Angeles, California, USA. She specializes in helping successful families raise resilient, hard-working children. In February 2019, Dr. Hausner was a guest on Kalika Yap’s Wonder podcast. The three-part series reveals practical ways that entrepreneurs can overcome unique challenges in raising their kids. When Lee Hausner’s daughter moved from the Los Angeles public school system into the one in Beverly Hills, she picked up math right where she left it: in an advanced class. But the new class was much more advanced, and Hausner’s daughter began to flail. “I need a tutor,” her daughter said. “I’m drowning.” Many parents, especially type-A, entrepreneurial ones, would have gotten the tutor. Hausner knew better, and she made a call that would have been tough for other high-achieving parents. She took her daughter out of the advanced class and put her in a regular one. Hausner knows what she’s doing. She is a PhD psychologist who has worked with successful families for more than two decades, helping them raise resilient, thriving offspring. She is the author of Children of Paradise: Successful Parenting For Prosperous Families. Before that, she was a senior psychologist in the Beverly Hills School District. One of the most common mistakes she sees is high-powered parents pushing their kids to be high-powered, too. It’s hard for those parents to let their kids take a path of less resistance because it seems like quitting, she says. But it’s not. “Entrepreneurs push themselves,” Hausner says on the Entrepreneurs’ Organization podcast Wonder with Kalika Yap.” They think that they can put that kind of pressure and pushing on their children. That’s where the disaster occurs.” When something like math becomes stressful, kids will avoid it, Hausner says. So, it’s better to have them engaged at a lower level than struggling at a higher one. Nor should parents fixate on grades, she says. “Your hard working B student is just as valuable as that child who brings home As. If you have your child in a highly competitive environment, then that child is not going to make straight As. That’s not the focus. The focus is being a responsible student. There are strategies for that.” Raising responsible studentsHere are the four steps she recommends for raising a responsible student:
Hausner started working with wealthy kids after she went to work in the Beverly Hills School District and saw how many hurdles they face. “I came into that district thinking these children should have the best of everything,” she says. “The best houses, the best travel, the best nannies. I was absolutely floored by the complexity and the challenges in the families that I was dealing with.” How wealth impacts childrenWealth can distort a child’s world. Many scions of wealthy families struggle with drug addiction, alcoholism and depression. Bill Gates famously says that he plans to give his children enough money to do anything, but not enough to do nothing. Kids who don’t have to work often don’t develop a work ethic. Hausner agrees. “When you’re in a more affluent family, things just appear,” she says. “You come home, and the brochures are on the desk for the spring vacation, and there’s a new car in the driveway, and they’re laying a new carpet in the den.” Kids see the luxuries but not the work that pays for them, Hausner says. That’s why wealth usually lasts three generations before the family is middle class, or worse, again. The difference between good parents and responsible parentsSimilarly, Hausner says entrepreneurial parents should strive not to be good parents, but to be responsible parents. Good parents try to do everything for their children. Responsible parents let their children do everything they are capable of doing by themselves. That doesn’t mean you let your 13-year-old drive in Los Angeles. But if your 3-year-old wants to help you make breakfast by bringing you the eggs, you allow it, because what’s a broken egg? The difference shows with homework. A good parent may dive into homework at the first sign that their child is struggling. A responsible parent helps a child find ways to do homework independently with other resources. “Do not do homework,” Hausner says. “If you’re planning to do homework, you better be planning to go to college.” One trick: When your child comes to you for help with something, count to ten and ask yourself if he or she can do any part of the task alone. Say your daughter says she needs a topic for a writing project. A good parent might say, “Well, why don’t you do a wonderful thing about Alaska. We took that trip, and we can go down to the travel agent and get these posters. Then we can go to the market and get little sugar cubes to make igloos…” A responsible parent, meantime, might say: “I bet you got some great ideas. Why don’t you think of three or four ideas and then come and let’s talk about them?” Suggesting a strategy isn’t as efficient as suggesting topics—and entrepreneurs love efficiency—but, often, the longer road is better for your kids. For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog. The post Hey, entrepreneurs: Don’t push your kids the way you push yourself appeared first on THE EO BLOG. via THE EO BLOG https://ift.tt/3htkbmG The global coronavirus pandemic has forced a widespread shift to remote work. The impact on our families and careers has been significant. Around the world, parents struggle to find a quiet space to work, professionals battle with technology, and employers assess the safest way forward. For all these reason and many more, we’re stressed! Many of us are burned out and disengaged. We’re left with the question, is remote work a viable option? Can it be done successfully? Richard Walton and Heléne Smuts say yes—provided you have the right framework in place. Walton is an member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization and founder of Avirtual, a company that supplies virtual employees. Smuts is currently enrolled in EO’s Accelerator program and the founder of Credo Growth. They recently collaborated on a seminar exploring the key ingredients for successful remote working. Here’s what they shared. In order for any company to transition to being remote, a robust framework must be established for everyone to follow. Additionally, all employees, at every level of the company, must understand the expectations and procedures. A successful framework for remote work is made of these building blocks:COMMUNICATION The biggest cause of disengagement is lack of communication. When working remotely, it’s imperative for companies to communicate three times more than what they were doing previously. There’s no such thing as too much communication. Accessible communication channels and regular check-ins will make remote work seamless. Make sure you’re communicating the same expectations and rules to every member of staff. Set aside time for assessing how people are feeling as well as recognizing great work. Check out these practical ways to ensure open lines of communication.
TRUST Without trust, everything else falls away. Distrust results in micromanagement. Credo Growth applies the Trust Equation from the Trusted Advisor to build trust among employees and to become trustworthy as a leader. The Trust Equation = Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy over self-orientation/interest The Trust Equation helps teams and leaders develop credibility, reliability and professional intimacy. One way to develop professional intimacy is by asking yourself, how can I share something with you that leaves me feeling vulnerable? Trust forms the foundation of Credo Growth’s remote team intelligence framework:
Essentially, this framework ensures that people have what they need to deliver. They know what to expect and what’s expected. They feel connected. If all these components work, and you have the team centred in trust, you are well set up to have a high performing remote team. CULTURE AND VISION People become more responsible if they buy into your culture and vision. It’s important to recruit people who align with your company’s vision. The hiring process must consider remote needs and be guided by on the company’s values—even if you’re outsourcing or bringing on contractors. Your people need to understand—and be passionate about—your why. Why do you exist? What is your purpose? This is especially important for millennials and Gen Zs. They want to understand the bigger picture and what they are contributing to. It’s essential for leaders to consistently reiterate the importance of the why. If done regularly, then everyone will understand what winning will look like in six months, 12 months, and even three years from now. Follow these steps to improve culture:
As the world’s only peer-to-peer network exclusively for entrepreneurs, EO helps transform the lives of those who transform the world. The post 3 key ingredients for successful remote work appeared first on THE EO BLOG. via THE EO BLOG https://ift.tt/2Qc2dJi Is your business struggling due to the pandemic? You’re not alone. Around the globe, entrepreneurs are creating new ways to stay afloat—and that includes reaching out to clients and prospects in new ways. While business may be slow, client outreach must never slow. If you can keep customers engaged at times like these, you’ll earn even greater loyalty in the long term. We asked two entrepreneurs to share how they’ve changed their client outreach recently. FOCUS ON SPREADING POSITIVITY, NOT SELLINGGry Tomte is the founder and director of HÜD Skin + Body, a skin clinic based in Melbourne, Australia. She shares, “when COVID and the first round of lockdowns hit us, as a skin clinic, we were forced to close our doors. This meant client communication became even more crucial than ever. If clients don’t hear from us, they’ll forget about us!” With a customer relationship management (CRM) system in place, outreach could begin promptly. “Having a clear and functional CRM incorporated with our booking system, we went to work on how we could use the system more effectively. We were already using our CRM for appointment confirmations, personalised clients check-ins post-visits and automated customer feedback. These tools are a major contributor to our 85 percent client retention year over year”, Tomte explains. “But now that clients weren’t coming in for appointments, it was time to switch gears and use it to stay in touch with updates, helpful skin tips, mindfulness videos and healthy recipes. We focused on spreading positivity and a message of self-care”. They also turned to social media to stay connected with their clients. “We used our Instagram platform, where we have a loyal following, to share and link the electronic direct mails (EDMs). The response was fantastic because we were being authentic and genuine in trying to solve the problems of our customer base, rather than hunting for a sale”. The approach yielded positive results. “We had a flood of new clients when our doors briefly reopened, as well as increased sales from clients who were forgotten by other skin clinics that had retreated and stopped communicating”. “During this time, we also discovered a huge opportunity to build on our customer experience even further by building an educational series of emails to bring more value to our clients. We’ve since built out a full personalised in-depth education series targeted to each client’s concerns—all by linking our CRM to Mailchimp”, Tomte says. KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS AND RESPOND TO THEIR NEEDSFor Kate Save, CEO and cofounder of Be Fit Food, “a positive attitude to food and a balanced approach to nutrition is a critical factor in overall health and happiness”. Even during a pandemic, Save and her team make continued to deliver not only good food but also relevant information to their customers. “During the first month of COVID, we shared posts on our social media and website that resonated with what people were going through at that time. “People were concerned at that time with food hoarding. They were focused on survival, not weight loss and health. Immunity was also on people’s minds. The second month, we responded to people’s reaction to reduced discretionary spending and a family-first mindset. We highlighted our delivery services while people were in isolation”. As COVID kilos started creeping in, people were became more conscious of their health and their weight. Some were experiencing guilt from over-indulging, while others were getting ready to return to work. “We came up with the ISOCHALLENGE and the 28-Day Challenge to encourage our clients during this time”, Save says. Throughout these stages, she found that it pays to listen to the needs of customers. Save and her team reached out to mothers, 30- to 40-year-old men, women with upcoming events and people 50 and older who have health concerns. Among her key learnings are:
The post Keep in touch: Client outreach is critical during business slumps appeared first on THE EO BLOG. via THE EO BLOG https://ift.tt/3iJNd1w Contributed by Shawn Johal, business growth coach, leadership speaker and co-founder of DALS Lighting, Inc. He is also an active member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization Montreal chapter. “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” It’s almost hard to believe that I have been managing teams for more than 15 years. Time definitely flies! I had the incredible privilege of being trained at one of the best schools for leadership in the world: Newell-Rubbermaid. As a business, it isn’t necessarily known for a dedication to improving talent, but I can say from first-hand experience they truly care about building each employee into a leader from the get-go. I received weeks of leadership and sales training, learning from the industry’s best. They challenged me and pushed our entire team to always aim for higher goals. In today’s fast-paced world, I often come across new managers who have never been trained for their job. The pattern often goes like this: 1. An employee performs very well at their job From there, they are off to the races with an ill-equipped toolbox to learn from their mistakes. It’s a dangerous game to play. The consequences can often result in poor company culture or a lack of focus and vision. Accountability is hard to come by and goals are either missed or never established in the first place. I don’t blame companies for doing it: We have an almost natural tendency to assume that “A” performers will figure out what to do—and they’ll (somehow) eventually succeed. Sometimes they will succeed, but often they won’t. Even with great training and mentors, I made my share of massive mistakes as a first time leader. Learn from mine! From Colleague to BossAfter 14 months in my first role as a sales representative, I was promoted to district manager. Suddenly I had a team of seven reporting to me. Half of them were former peers who worked with me—daily, side by side. Now they were being asked to report to me, and I was being told to lead them. I decided to take on the “friendly” approach: We were all friends, after all! That failure was an epic one: I was not able to earn any respect and had so much trouble setting expectations and providing feedback. Being liked was too important to me. Ultimately, the friends strategy failed, and I wasn’t able to make the leap from colleague to boss while being a successful leader. Many problems were caused and the first six months were a major challenge. While I eventually figured out a better way to lead the team, some of the employees left, not wanting to work for a former colleague and friend. TIP #1:If you are thrust into a position where you must suddenly manage a former peer, have an honest discussion with them. Set expectations. Be sure to communicate that while it may be an awkward situation, you will do your best to provide leadership and set up your team for success. It’s your team’s choice to respect the roles and perform at a high level. The Firing FiascoThere comes a moment in every leader’s life when he or she is forced to fire someone. It is a tremendously difficult moment that often causes anxiety and fear. I certainly felt both emotions when I was faced with this daunting task the first time. I did my best to prepare. I tried to plan in advance what the employee would reply, but things didn’t go as planned. I came to the meeting with resolve. The problem? I hadn’t practiced what I would say or how I would handle any deviation from what I expected to happen. As always, the unexpected made its presence known quickly. During the meeting, instead of explaining the reasons for the firing, I simply blurted it out. The approach was insensitive and lacked empathy. My employee began crying wholeheartedly. We were in a coffee shop as we didn’t have local offices. People stared in horror. They were right to do so: The scene was becoming a bad movie. I had unnecessarily hurt someone due to my insensitivity, my lack of planning and my nerves. TIP #2:If you are ever put in this situation as a first-time manager, it’s important to be prepared. Understand the facts inside and out. Rehearse what you will say. Write out bullet-point notes and stick to a script, but prepare for a difficult reaction and expect the unexpected. S.M.A.R.T.As a young leader, I was obsessed with showing my boss how hard I worked. I wanted to put in the most hours and prove that, by pounding the pavement, I was the best employee in the company’s history. I was wearing 60+ hours per week on my sleeve as a badge of honor. My second boss showed me the error of my ways. He explained that it was obvious I was trying to show my “incredible” work ethic as measured in hours—which had zero impact on him. He cared only about results and progress—and he wasn’t impressed with me trying to be a machine (all machines break down eventually, after all). He taught me how to value working smarter, not harder. He didn’t care how many hours I worked, as long goals were accomplished. Second, he genuinely worried I would burn out and wanted me to care for my mental health. He had experienced burnout in his career and it set him back. Teaching me how to use my time better, while also showing me how to teach the practice to my direct reports was eye-opening. Everyone understood that our culture was based on setting expectations and doing our best to surpass them by always thinking through our actions. TIP #3Be clear on what productivity means to you, and learn to measure productivity for your team members accordingly. “Hours worked” will not necessarily be the best key performance indicator. It’s crucial to understand what numbers they need to hit and help them work into that reality. By learning to set S.M.A.R.T. goals (specific, measurable, attainable, timely, realistic), you are setting your team up for success. As a young leader, mistakes will be made: There is no avoiding it. In fact, we will continue to make mistakes throughout our career. How quickly you learn from these mistakes will ultimately define your level of progress. Ask for help, ensure you get the right leadership training, and enjoy the process. Leading is both challenging and exhilarating, but the world needs better leaders. Can you be the next great leader? Shawn Johal is a Scaling Up Certified Coach currently working with several entrepreneurs and their businesses to help accelerate their growth, while finding personal balance and happiness. The post Mistakes I made as a first-time manager appeared first on THE EO BLOG. via THE EO BLOG https://ift.tt/2DTtH3i The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) has been helping entrepreneurs achieve transformational growth since 1987. Our member network is committed to learning and helping each other succeed. But this network of support and growth goes beyond members. It includes the hundreds of staff and chapter administrators who help the organization run. Beth Chernick was EO New York’s chapter manager from 2003 to 2020. She shares her EO journey here. I had an absolutely wonderful 17-year run with EO. My EO journey started in March 2003 when I was hired by then chapter president, Damon Gersh, and his board. My first EO assignment was to work at a learning event hosted by co-learning chairs, Jason Englander and Larry Zogby. The speaker was Erin Brockovich, the well-known activist and subject of the highly acclaimed movie made in 2000, bearing her name. At the venue, I was seated at the registration table checking off names and meeting EO members for the first time. Everyone was so friendly. Erin’s presentation was fascinating (if you’re not familiar with her story, it’s worth checking out). I remember going home and thinking, “Wow, that was cool”! It was my first sip of the EO Kool-Aid. A few months later, in May, I attended my first EO Global Leadership Conference (GLC), the annual training conference. Everything about it was first class–prominent keynote speakers, peer-to-peer learning and over-the-top dinners and socials at exclusive access venues. Best of all, I met so many members, staff and my colleagues from around the world. All the while, my head was spinning with EO lingo, acronyms and new concepts. I knew I was experiencing something special and I was in my element. Little did I know that several years later, as I established myself in my role as EONY chapter manager, I would be asked to facilitate the learning track for my colleagues at three subsequent GLCs. I was humbled and honored. In my 17-year tenure, EO has enriched my life in ways I never imagined.Working behind the scenes with 13 EO New York chapter presidents and 17 chapter boards, liaising with EO board members and staff, learning from expert speakers and traveling the world to attend regional conferences and EO Universities—all have been amazing, life-changing experiences. I have grown tremendously, both professionally and personally. How can one not grow when surrounded by entrepreneurs and “leaders of leaders”? Most important to me are the priceless friendships I’ve fostered—the EO bond that always welcomes with open arms no matter what, the bond that never breaks. EO members and families became my extended family. As many have done over these past several months in quarantine, I’ve reflected on what’s most important to me at this point in my life. Life is short, and there is more I want to accomplish. And so, it is time for me to follow my heart to new adventures. It has been a wonderful journey, an honor to serve you all. I will treasure my EO years and friendships always. Thank you to all who have supported me over the years. You are near and dear to my heart always. Last, but certainly not least, a huge thank you to my dear friend and long-time EONY member, Jack Kassel, who introduced me to EO so many years ago. I’m forever grateful. I look forward to our paths continuing to cross.– Beth Chernick P.S. Stay in touch! The post “This is my EO journey” appeared first on THE EO BLOG. via THE EO BLOG https://ift.tt/33sXI4X This article comes from the Melbourne chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. According to some estimates, there are 3.80 billion users on social media. And every business owner and founder knows that social media is one of the most cost effective ways to market your products and services. We asked members of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) in Australia to explain how they use social media. 1. Customize“We tailor our content in each platform” – Robert Tadros, CEO of IMPRESSIVE DIGITAL“Our approach is multi-faceted,” Robert expains. “Generally, we’ll pick a content vertical that we’re focusing on for the month. Then we ensure that our website content, such as pillar pages, subcategory pages and blogs, is up-to-date before we map out the various posts across our channels to support this vertical. This provides social signals for SEO performance.” Robert offere this key tip: Create different posts for different social networks. He explains, “We tailor our content in each platform. LinkedIn has previously been geared towards recruitment for us, but we’re now experimenting with curating a marketing industry newsfeed, while Facebook will be geared towards knowledge and results, and Instagram for recruitment and in-the-moment content.” He also acknowledges that for the majority of platforms, exposure is difficult to achieve without amplification. “We do this if it’s beneficial to our campaigns. Otherwise, we don’t underestimate the value of our team’s personal and professional networks. You’ll frequently see posts shared by our staff, which highlights that our true value as a company is collaboration.” 2. Engage“Our audience loves being involved and it also provides social proof” – Hannah Vasicek, founder and director of FRANCESCA COLLECTIONSAs a retail brand with brick-and-mortar stores and an online shop, Francesca Collections must continually reach out to their current and prospective customers to share the latest designs as well as special offers. Hannah and her team use social media as one of the tools to communicate and build relationships with their clientele. She finds that engagement is key to get the audience interested in the brand. “Currently, we plan our posts based on engaging educational content leading into a ‘sell’. We have found that by communicating to our audience—by asking them a question like ‘which product do you like better’—really gets engagement up! Our audience loves being involved and it also provides social proof”, she says. Hannah cites planning as an important factor in social media success. Planning includes coming up with creative content and implementing it with the right timing. “We plan a week ahead of time and schedule all of our posts”, she explains. While they generate content on various social media platforms and grow their audience organically, they also place advertisements on Facebook to boost their reach and visibility, which often help convert readers into buyers. “Facebook ads remain our highest return on investment”. 3. Plan“We plan our social posts by having a social schedule working four to six weeks in advance” – Nathan Chan, CEO and publisher of FOUNDRCreating and generating regular content for its magazine, podcast and website, Foundr has developed and continues to develop a wide audience and astonishing reach through social media. With over 2.4 million followers on Instagram, more than 840,000 followers on Facebook, and 101,000-plus subscribers on YouTube, it seems that Foundr has discovered the secret to growing its audience. “We plan our social posts by having a social schedule working four to six weeks in advance. The method we use is providing quality content on a consistent basis at scale. We promote articles, videos and quotes or infographics. Our method is very effective,” Nathan reveals. For Facebook, they invest by placing ads. “We spend millions of dollars every year to build the reach of our brand and acquire new customers,” he says. Organic audience-building has worked for the company’s Instagram account. “We have one of the largest Instagram accounts in our niche. This allows us to build top of funnel awareness for our brand, as well as provide value, educate our audience with engaging content and sell Foundr products.” Similarly, their YouTube reach has grown organically. “What we do is we produce many videos for community to build trust, develop top of funnel awareness and sell Foundr products. We’ve found that video is a very powerful tool to build a relationship with our audience versus other mediums,” Nathan explains. 4. Stay agile“If you try a new style of content and you notice it is not performing well, it is important to recognise this immediately and adjust your strategy” – Tom Caw, founder and director of UNTITLED GROUP AUSTRALIAUntitled Group is a Melbourne-based collective that produces a variety of unique festivals, tours and events within Australia and abroad. They also make the most of social media by reaching out to their audiences in promoting their events, artists and music. According to Tom, “Our social media posts are planned around previous posts by reviewing how effective they were. For example, we look out for posts that performed well and then try and replicate that style of content or copy in future posts. If you try a new style of post or content or copy and you notice it is not performing well, it is important to recognise this immediately and adjust your strategy.” Tom finds this method effective but recognises that other factors can affect the reach and engagement. “These factors can be the time of the day it is posted, day of the week it is posted or something happening in the community that day like a major announcement that will overshadow your post. Also, do you usually put money on your posts or do you let them go organically? There are a lot of factors that need to be considered when strategising, planning and reviewing your social media posts,” he explains. EO is a global organization committed to helping entrepreneurs achieve their full potential in their business and personal lives. Take a look at what an EO membership can do for your journey. The post 4 secrets to successful social media appeared first on THE EO BLOG. via THE EO BLOG https://ift.tt/3a1C8Wn |
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November 2020
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