Moving a business

May 1, 2013
Uncategorized

My favorite yoga spot will be closed down and moved to another location due to corporate greed. Sadly, not even a peace-loving indie yoga shop can fund a very expensive rent. 

I have decided not to continue my membership with the yoga shop for 2 reasons:

1) The announcement came via email (as they do, these days) but littered with confusion, no strategy and an apparent state of manic from the owners (whatever happened to deep prayanama..breathe please!). The email was an exceedingly long essay fit for Lord Of The Ring Sequel, in various form of languages all over. Let’s talk about CRM, shall we, yogis? 

2) No clear sense of direction and take over of a mosquito-riddin location. No offence here but business thrives when a location is perfect for its target audience to be themselves. I have been to the location before and as I was going ‘downward facing dog’, a hungry mosquito planted a lovely kiss on my arse. Not fun! 

And with this, I’ve decided I have had enough. I will not continue with the current shop. The lesson here is to listen to your customers, find a better location and above all, communicate as clearly as possible. Business owners need a whole truckload of training on that. 

Layoff conduct.

March 28, 2013
Work

For most of us, the 1st Quarter is a typical season for bonus and layoffs. Cue cringe.

Such a terrifying and dreadful word. I never liked it. I have witnessed situations where layoffs are conducted professionally and ethically. And … vice versa.

Layoffs is a “cold and stinking dull feeling in the tummy”, to say the least. Many scenarios the shade of blue and grey plays in the mind of one when they know they are on the chopping board. Such negativity spreads faster than wildfire so how does one try to portray layoffs in the best of light?

Here are some useful tips from INC.com which I found to be very helpful.

1) Keep the most productive worker, not productive

2) Know when to break the news – It’s all about timing

3) Break it to them face-to-face

4) Be compassion and humane as possible

5) You owe it to them the truth

6) Counsel, if needed

How did you deal with termination? I have never been in that situation but if you have, I’d love to hear from you.

 

#WeAreOne #WearRed Wales Versus England in 6 Nations final showdown

March 15, 2013
News

I hardly share my passion for Rugby but this evening, I couldn’t contain my excitement, so here goes…

WelshRugbyWeAreOneWelsh Rugby In Focus: Tomorrow will be the highlight of every rugby fans dream…well, mine at least.  Quoting George North, Welsh winger (and one of my favorite players) “In rugby terms, everyone hates the English’. Well said from the talented winger who scored a beautiful try against the French in Paris (brought tears to my eyes). When it comes down to rugby, it’s just bloodbath between the neighboring team. Wales is a massive rugby nation and the Welsh Rugby team is a young team filled with brilliant players.

Who wouldn’t like to physically demolish the opponent team on home ground (I wish I was back in Millennium Stadium!)? Oh the delight!

Expect a tight, tense and possibly scrappy game affair between the two sides as England fight to steal the Championship. My prediction? Wales might just wing and win it by penalties to retain Grand Slam. Tight team line-up: Halfpenny, Cuthbert, Davies, Roberts, North, Biggar, Phillips, Jenkins, Hibbard, Jones, A-W Jones, Evans, Warburton, Tipuric and Faletau. Leading the team will be Jenkins who  will start on his impressive 98th cap. The Toulon prop is preferred than Warburton, former Wales captain.

All the best to my favorite team in the whole wide world and may this be the best advance birthday present ever – a Welsh win! Cymru am byth!

–

That’s right. 6 Nations defending Grand Slam Champion Wales will lock horns with the English team tomorrow at the Millennium Stadium. As a big BIG fan for the Welsh Rugby Team, naturally I hope for a home win!

Anyone else into rugby? Who are you waging for?

P.S. This marketer is in love with rugby!

Being an entrepreneur

March 12, 2013
Opinions & Analysis

The last time I tried my hands at something entrepreneurial, it didn’t take off as well as I thought it should be. I peddled shoes online, in case you’re wondering. After the flop, I decided to take a break from it and figure out other entrepreneurial ideas that may take off. I know where it went wrong and I will try my hardest to avoid it.

My partner has an MBA from INSEAD. Naturally, most MBA graduates from INSEAD starts their own business within a couple of years. I would like to see how it fares if we partner together in starting up a business.

However, here’s my two cents worth: I don’t feel there are many outreach programme available for those who would like to explore being their own master of destiny. Sure, some may debunk and quip that a programme is not needed as long as the ideas there. I find it difficult to accept that. There should be some form of help extended to those who have a solid business plan and ideas. There should be more forums on entrepreneurship to help steer the next generation of ideas into a smooth and rough sailing route. There should be more exposure of entrepreneurship in education system as well – start seeding the young.

I’m not sure about you, but what is your take on this?

On Facebook ‘Like’

March 9, 2013
Advertising, Business, Social Media

Recently, out of curiosity, I made a personal investment to experiment with Facebook. Doing B2B marketing means I hardly have the chance to dabble with B2C component and handling the B2B social media networks, I wanted to find out more about the ‘Like’ and ‘Sponsored Stories’. And yes, it’s a personal investment, right out of my own credit card. (No boss, I won’t claim for it. I am a proud marketer that way).

Investing a modest amount over a couple of days, to my surprise, I found a significant increase of ‘Like’ on my company’s Facebook Page. I managed to target the very audience I have been seeking high and low for. More ‘Like’ poured in.

However, I have yet to find out the conversion and measurement for these very ‘Like’. In an article by iNC.com by Erik Sherman, he explored anecdotal evidence of that helps explain how entrepreneur view ‘Like’ in various perspective.

My view is that it works to a degree however I have yet to generate the full report and match it against ROI and actual conversion. That’s something out of hand. Erik mentioned in the post “Some, like Jayme Pretzloff, online marketing director for Wixon Jewelers in Minneapolis, see benefits outside of direct sales, “including awareness, share of voice and many other indirect benefits including SEO ranking and reputation management.” All of these are good points, though again, difficult to quantify, which makes it hard to know whether the amount you spend on a Facebook sponsored story campaign is worthwhile.” I bold the last couple of lines because it’s something I will face too. A new kind of metric will have to be concocted in order to measure these campaigns.

Do you use Facebook marketing heavily? What are the responses like? Do share.

The Often Underestimated Power Of Saying ‘Thank You’

February 22, 2013
Opinions & Analysis

In an article published in Harvard Business Review, writer Mark Goulston explored the topic of saying ‘Thank You’ to employees and how such acknowledgement not only makes an employee feel appreciated, it also adds a boost to their job performance.

Looking back, I have worked with some unsavoury character who often lack empathy much less a sense of appreciation towards their staff. Often, the phrase ‘Sorry’, ‘Apologies’ and ‘Thank You’ are hard to come by, as if its a taboo or a sworn enemy. And by god, do we see them a-packing after a while. High turnover rates, disgruntled employees and unmotivated lot – what a bad mix.

Mark is right to touch on CEOs being the least “thankful” – their employees rarely get the personal recognition they deserved, of which, if it had been executed, would have ascertained the employees decision to have come onboard in the first place. CEOs are most likely to give a group ‘thanks’ or ‘cheers’ or ‘tks’ – a curt move, in my eyes and personal taste.

Never ever ever underestimate the power of saying ‘Thank You’. It can make a huge difference in one’s output. If you ever want to see something done right or done 120% better, a firm and sincere ‘Thank You’ really does tick the box.

What do you think?

Continuation from previous post – Hopping about.

February 18, 2013
Productivity, Work

In effort to substantiate my post, I had a chat with a larger group of friends and asked them on their opinions on leaving and moving to a job within a certain duration of time.

I found a stark contrast – friends aged between 25- 35 felt that it was okay to jump as long as you’re young, qualified and capable. Friends older than 40 thought that it’s inappropriate to do so unless if you’ve been in the company for at least 3 years and have had a good track record.

They confided in me as well that they have also encouraged their subordinates and staff to make the correct and timely career move where necessary. Interesting bit there, since I have never experienced a time where my seniors allow me to move on, better yet, support my next career move.

The generation gap, or at least, the “now” mentality differs greatly. The older generation prefers stability and a stellar foundation whereas the younger generation prefers cash, card and quick way up the ladder, whatever means it’ll take.

What are your thoughts on leaving a job too soon or too late? Do you support staying in a company for a year or a bit more before moving on? As an employer, what do you think of someone whose resume look skint and “skittish”, despite brilliant reviews and recommendation – Are you prepared to accept someone who will/may leave after 1 or 2 years?

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