I met a man today who shared with me his big vision for his business. He had an overview document and he presented an idea that seemed larger than life. He had got in touch with me because he wanted to hear what I thought of his business idea and to ask about how I got started. I didn’t feel qualified to comment on the merits of his proposal ? but two things struck me. Firstly, if it took half…
Monthly Archives: July 2007
Listening for the children.
I have loved supporting Business Chicks. (run by my friend Emma Brown) over several years ? but every time I have done a speaking engagement for them I end up with a tear in my eye. Today was the second ever Business Chicks breakfast in Adelaide (I had expected 60 people or so) there were 200 people at the Hyatt at 7.00am ready to raise money for the Kids Help line. As a reminder why we were there ? Wendy…
A ‘clever’ maternity deal is needed
Recently there were media reports about a 14 week funded maternity leave being introduced in Australia. There needs to be much debate about how this leave could be funded. I’d hate to see that we end up with something like the system in France, which seems to have backfired on the women’s movement. I understand that employers fund the two year mandatory paid maternity leave, and now French companies discriminate against women of child baring age ? because they don’t…
Business Success Program Channel 9 Sunday 8.30 am
We really enjoyed being a part of the Business Success program. It is being replayed this Sunday morning, if you want to hear my view on the world and learn from other entrepreneurs. I also am speaking next week at a public event, the Motivation and Incentive event at Darling Harbour – 11am, 25th July RedBalloon has a stand so come and meet us. (We love getting out from behind our website).
Eight steps to creating winners.
Our role as leaders is to make sure that every person in the team wins ? that they consider themselves a winner. Winning is when we meet our promises (KPIs) when we break through our critical number, when we experience the joy of achievement. Here are some steps to assist set people up to be winners Step 1 Make sure that we have our top three critical objectives articulated and owned. This is the significant few not the important many….
Creating customer experiences.
It’s school holidays and I’ve taken a break with the children at Thredbo. At a ski resort there is much to be learned about the customer experience. Imagine having a transient work force that shows up for a few months each year, and you need to train them, inspire them and motivate them to deliver on your brand promise. Now that’s a challenge. It takes process and systems to make sure that your front line people are able to deliver…
Imagine running a business based on fun - that's what I decided to try when I left a very serious corporate career in marketing to set up RedBalloon...
How far would you go for the dream?
I’m quite the movie buff, though rarely do I get a chance to see them in the cinema. I know I work hard, and that what my family has now has been earned, built and created by my husband and I based on years of hard work. But I was recently left considering how far would I go. What would I do for my children? The movies that often resonate with most are those based on true stories. North Country…