From Armchair to Action

Using LinkedIn as a marketing tool

One of the best things about being a speaker at the Marketing Forum is that you get an opportunity to hear other people talk about interesting subjects too.  Whilst onboard the Aurora, I went along to a workshop on using LInkedIn.  I use Linkedin a lot and think its great, but had not really thought about if I had a strategy for using it. Luckily Mark Williams from ETN Training put my mind at rest.  He explained how to use it effectively as a marketing tool, with useful advice including:

- never dismiss an invitation with the option "I don't know them" but use "archive" which achieves the same objective but does not negatively impact that persons account. Apparently if lots of people say they don't know you when you ask to connect to them, your account gets some type of limited status. Useful to know.

-joining groups is a good way to expand your network because it then enables you to contact other members of a group directly. The bigger the group, the most access to a wider number of people you have.

-make sure your profile is 100% complete along with a photo

- get active - post questions, respond to status updates, post your own updates - because every time you do so, others in your network will see what you are doing and you keep your name in front of them. 

He had some great success stories to share about how people have benefited from using LInkedIn - and I realised that I DO have a strategy although I did not realise it until now!

Getting to grips with social media

Whilst I have been blogging and on LinkedIn for ages, I have never really got into Facebook and Twitter, because I was not sure how it would add value to what we do.  This week I listened to a presentation about social media that changed my thinking and as part of it they showed this video.  If nothing else, it will make you think.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8

Sue joins Board of Advisors for the Business Whisperer

The business rebuilding organisation, The Business Whisperer, today announced two appointments to their Board of Advisors. These are international business coach and speaker Sue Stockdale, and agri-business expert Gerry Scully who is Programme Manager for Rural Development with Teagasc.

 The Business Whisperer is the first company in the Irish market offering viable Irish SMEs a ‘one-stop-shop’ solution to the cash flow problems magnified by the current economic climate in just seven days.

“The Business Whisperer is very pleased to have secured these two significant appointments”, said Deborah Lee Marlow, founder of The Business Whisperer, “It is essential for a business such as this to have an experienced and well connected Board of Advisors. Sue Stockdale and Gerry Scully bring an unparalleled wealth of experience and strategic knowledge with them. I am looking forward to working with them both”.

The Business Whisperer is a new type of business, rescuing stressed small and medium businesses (SMEs) through increasing cash flow. This crack team of successful Irish and international business owners and entrepreneurs take just seven days to identify how cash flow can be improved. The Business Whisperer team provide a compact service, with an innovative ‘no win-no fee’ guarantee: if they can’t prove a business will save money, they don’t charge.

The post-boom economy has created a critical need in Ireland for a service to help SMEs source and access increased cash flow. The Business Whisperer does this through combination of debt consolidation, increased sales, improved efficiencies, outside capital and innovative financial management.

Last year Irish business liquidations rose by a staggering 400%. Many of these companies were well run solid business that simply ran out of cash, as the banks (the same banks that the taxpayer recently paid billions of Euros to ‘bale out’) virtually stopped commercial lending and severely restricted access to overdraft facilities. As Deborah Lee Marlow succinctly points out “It’s simply cheaper for the taxpayer to keep a good business in business”.

Deborah Lee Marlow is an intriguing character with an impressive business background spanning several decades and as many continents. A serial entrepreneur, she has built businesses in the USA, continental Europe and Ireland since the 1980s. Her most recognised success was bringing a California start-up Award Software International Inc. from humble beginnings to the world’s third largest B.I.O.S. systems software house, a multi-million dollar global enterprise, which is still operating today. Other ventures include an event management company, call centre business, Dublin restaurant, European online bank and a US based catalogue portal. She has lived in Ireland since 2004.

Innovation meets climate change

It's been a busy few weeks and I have met loads of interesting people at various events.  One person was the founder of a company that bring together the issue of climate change with some innovative software to help us track the CO2 effects of the products we buy. Take a look at the video for yourself

Another interesting person I met was Anja Foerster from Foerster and Kruez.  Anja describes herself as a business unconventionalist and travels the world looking for the companies that do unconventional things.  It was Anja that first introduced the idea of traceability of foodstuffs to me (similar to that which the guys running the company above do). The biggest honour she gave to me was that I was included in her collection of "weird people" that she meets!  That will do for me!

3 great websites

Here are three websites I have come across recently that I found really useful:

1.  If you have an old mobile phone lying around and want to make some money then take a look at www.metrorecycles.com and you can earn some income by selling it to them for recycling.

2.  Check out how good your website is and compare it to your competitors at Website Grader 

3.  If you want to create some innovative images for your next PowerPoint presentation, then try ImageChef.com and you will create pictures like this!

Top 100 Entrepreneurs

I have just been reading this year's Britain's Top 100 Entrepreneurs according to Management Today and there are only 5 women in the list.  This makes disappointing reading I think.

The women leading the way are Chey Garland, Emma Harrison, Natalie Massenet, Edwina Dunn and Sarah Tremellen - so where are all the rest?

Considering the environment

We had a fantastic speaker on the final day of the Women President's Organisation conference in San Diego.   T. Boone Pickens is an 80 year old wealthy Texan who is campaigning to reduce USA's addiction to foreign oil and who gave a straightforward explanation of just how scary the statistics are.

Did you know that 85 million barrels of oil are consumed every day?
Of those, 21 million barrels are consumed by the USA - who have 4% of the world's population.

You don't have to be a genius to work out that this is unsustainable.  Of the 21 million barrels - 1/3 of them come from inside the USA and 2/3 of them come from other countries including Venezuela, Nigeria and the Middle East.

If the US government created an energy plan that over time ensured that 22% of the energy needed was to come from windpower, this could free up the natural gas that is currently consumed to become the power for transportation, and that would reduce their reliance of foreign oil by 38%.

This was the first time I have heard someone explain the "big picture" in such a straightforward way.  Boone Pickens has created the Pickens Plan to encourage people to sign up and campaign to US congress.  Seems like it takes an individual with financial backing to sometimes get the individual to sit up and take notice - well he did a good job on me!

Wise women and Wise Pack

Wise Women
Just back from Chicago where I attended the Women President's Organisation annual facilitator training event.  What I love about attending this meeting is the amount of enthusiasm that you experience from being in a room with 50 other dynamic business women. Everyone is so willing to support and help each other, that you can't fail to become motivated and enthusiastic.  Mind you heaven help any presenter that doesn't quite come up to the mark - it won't be long until they find this out!

If you are struggling with the economic downturn, or thinking that you are the only person who has your issues, try to seek out positive people, who have a can-do attitude.   It will help you get revitalised and realise that you are not alone.

Wise Pack

One of the facilitators, Myrna Marofsky was telling me about her latest business, Wise Pack. These are fab travel backpacks that have been designed by women for women.  The company was started by Myrna and her business partner Karen Stinson.  As owners of a successful consulting business for over 20 years, they traveled thousands of miles around the world and knew what it is like to stand in long security lines AND meet with clients all in one long day.

As those miles began to wear on their bodies and souls, they searched for ways to make the long travel days easier. Typical of women-on-the-go, when there was no solution, they created one. Then they consulted with other women travelers, and tested the bag for two years to make sure they added features that met the needs of these women. And so was born the WisePack™.  Now, as Grandmothers-on-the-go they are non-stop users of the WisePack™ adding to their uses, nappy bag, carrier of toy trucks and cars, and "sensible" shoes for long journeys. The uses for this bag never stop. I will be ordering one before my next travel for sure!

Running an internet business

Yesterday we ran another trial networking event in Bath in conjunction with the University of Bath.  This time our speaker was Rachel Morgan-Trimmer, founder of SugarCat Publishing who amongst other things, run the UK's biggest career break website

When Rachel and Jane first set up SugarCat Publishing, they were quoted £14,000 to build a website, and £500 a month for search engine optimisation. Not having a spare several thousand pounds knocking around, they decided to do it all themselves. Rachel used her editorial background to do the site content, and Jane taught herself web development so she could code it all. Their websites are more accessible than UsabilityNet, easier to use than Microsoft, and they get more press coverage than national PR agencies, all on a shoestring budget!

Listen to Rachel talking about her business on this podcast   (mp3 format)

Women, women, women

All good things come in threes and this week its been women, women, women!

1. First, I was invited to the first South East Women Investors Forum. The purpose is to bring together a group of investors and intermediaries to exchange ideas and experiences on business angel investing and to consider investment proposals brought forward by members.   What was prominent in the discussions is that more education is required in the highs and lows of being an angel investor.  Seems like a good idea for a book eh!

2. I have managed to get Gail Goodman, CEO of my most favourite business service, Constant Contact to be a role model for our website.  She had some really interesting things to say and the interview will be up on the site very soon, to add to our growing collection of inspiring role models.

3. I heard about the best website for busy women and one that I will be signing up for this weekend. 1click2cook.com is a site that helps you think about what to cook, gives you the recipes and also provides a shopping list for you! Wow! just the best ever site as far as I am concerned.  It even sends you a weekly email so you don't even have to think about it and all for 25p per week - can you believe it!    What I like is that you provide information about your eating preferences, size of family, budget etc. and its does all the hard work so I am going to have an easy time of it at the supermarket this weekend, armed with my printed shopping list.  Why did no-one think of this before?