Defining moments - building your story!

Isaac Newton's defining moment.

When @BernieJMitchell from @Tagtribe asked me speak at the Late Late Breakfast Show on Simon Sinek's TED video 'Start with Why?'  I asked myself "What am I going to talk about? What will be of interest to the audience?" And then a thought started to formulate. 'Why not base it around 'defining moments' and their significance? The viewing of this video was for me a 'defining moment', an instance of 'Aha!' and one that has fundamentally changed my business strategies forever.

It's fascinating learning about peoples 'defining moments', listening to their stories of how their lives were fundamentally changed forever following that moment. I have found that truly interesting people have always had a story to tell and it is through those stories that they have been both memorable and inspirational.

"That's all very nice, but what does that have to do with my business, how is that going to help me put food on the table and gain business success?" I hear you ask?

I believe it's these 'defining moments' that, when utilised effectively, will shape your business/career by providing you with a story that highlights your motivations, helping you build credibility that will differentiate you ensuring loyalty, trust and admiration.

But do we recognise those moments for what they are and do we make the most of their impact in our lives? I intend to tell you my story, how viewing Simon Sinek's video became one of THE 'defining moments' of my career and hopefully you will see how you too can build loyalty, trust and admiration as individuals, as businesses and as brands.

I invite you to join me on 15th May 2012 at the Late LateBreakfast Show, where I will be expanding on this topic along with three other fabulous speakers

• Julie Hall
• Filip Matous
• Phil Szomszo

 

Go on...register and I'll see you there.

Cheers,

Lena

SME’s – victims of their own success

Over the years I’ve discovered SME’s who’ve become victims of their own success. They might’ve launched a ground breaking innovation, which has proved extremely popular; perhaps they’ve smashed their sales targets. They have been so successful that the business has reached breaking point. They’re awake at 3am worrying about how they’re going to keep all of the plates spinning and they have to be up in 3 hours if they are to have a hope in hell of making a dent in the ‘To Do’ list. Sound familiar?

What’s gone wrong? What’s made them a victim of their own success? Often it’s because they’ve failed Business Basics 101 at an earlier stage. For example, I’ve advised many SME business owners on the importance of organisation and having workable systems in place and do you know what I usually get back as an answer….’We’re too small, we don’t need systems – that’s for bigger companies’. The problem with that approach is that if things do go swimmingly for a few years and growth is off the scale, by the time it is a mess and the business is ready to implode because of a lack of simple, workable systems it’s almost too late.

There are so many basics that fail to be implemented early enough for SME’s. Starting a business without a business plan is nuts. Failing to clearly define your business and marketing objectives is another. And then there is branding. It is NOT just for big companies with big budgets. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of creating the right perception in the minds of your clients, customers and prospects early on; simply having a logo is not enough.

So, when is it early enough to consider such matters? When are you no longer ‘too small to bother with all of that yet’? It is an interesting point to ponder isn’t it?