The Boot Camp Diaries II

Naomi Simson (Entrepreneur of the Year)

Having a clear vision in business will allow you to know why you get out of bed every day. Having a purpose has made all the difference to what I do on a daily basis. When I worked out it is just about giving people a good time, that really excited me. Having a vision is infection for others too as they can see how they too can contribute. It is a shared vision that has created RedBalloon into what it is today.

Dont be afraid to take risks. Instead, be dead scared. There is not a day that goes by that I dont ask myself, what if? I will never forget the early days when I would look on our website and say no customers today, maybe tomorrow. I embrace the fear and ask myself what would be the worst thing that could possibly happen. As long as no one gets hurt, we have fun and we make a difference, then it is all worth it. Being afraid is part of growing a business but what makes us entrepreneurs is not allowing fear to rule us.

Maria Carlton (Branding Expert)

Building a strong brand involves everything about your brand  from tangible image components such as signage and stationery, to customer service and sponsorship strategies. The brand must be clear and easily understood as part of a communication strategy that both existing and potential new customers easily recognise and understand. The look, feel, attitude, and flavour of your brand must be clean and clear, and consistent. The strength of your brand will determine how hard your marketing has to work to make any advertising effective.There are so many cost-effective ways to promote yourself. The key to low cost effective marketing lies in knowing who and where your market is  where they shop, what they read, trends they follow, etc.  For example, if your market is made up of mainly mothers of school age children, then you have a combination of low-cost options available. School newsletters, youth sport sponsorship, afternoon radio commercials and direct mail to an existing database should effectively reach them better than spending a huge budget on regional newspapers. Word of mouth marketing can spread like wildfire if you have a great customer service strategy where its always the small things that can have a big impact.

Belinda Yabsley (Ms Mercedes)

Customers deserve to be treated like royalty as they are the life blood of your business. Treat each customer as you wish to be treated yourself. If a few employees truly believe the customer should be treated like royalty and show this belief in their day-to-day actions, others will follow their lead. We need to ensure there is a company-wide stance adopted to provide customers with the very best in customer service excellence.

Setting up effective systems is vital because if you do not put anything into the system, how can you expect to get anything out of it? Forming relationships, discussing issues and truly understanding your clients needs are the notes you need to be collecting about your clients. Simply plugging CRM software into your office network is not going to improve customer relationships. It takes action in the form of gathering information, then taking that information and doing something positive with it which will benefit the client. It may require a little more work, but the benefits to your business are staggering.

Glen Smyth (Success Builder)

Most entrepreneurs believe work is fun because they have dedicated their lives to living out their passion and operating in their flame. When you discover what it is you love to do, and find ways to invest your life in finding solutions for other people in relevant and meaningful ways, then running your business or building your career is an absolute pleasure. So if youre not having funthen its time to evaluate what youre doing and re-discover just what your passion really is!

Rewarding yourself on a regular basis is a good strategy because theres no point earning a living  if you havent got a life! Regular rewards as you achieve your goals are so important and will provide you with the ongoing momentum to attain even greater heights in the future. Its all about achieving the one percent in your life day after day after day and rewarding yourself as you do. Imagine how far ahead you will be in 12 months  if you just get better by 1% every day of your life! Go For It!