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Do you hate having your picture taken at a photographer’s studio – always feeling the look is forced?

One enterprising photographer in the US (MethodIzaz.com) has taken the good bits of paparazzi and put them into their business.

Subjects provide him with their schedule for the day, and the photographer does his best paparazzi impersonation, quietly taking candid shots as you go through your day. You don’t know when or where you will be photographed, and in many cases you don’t even know you are being photographed.

The results are natural, real and quite interesting. Wonder if any photographers in Australia will pick up the idea?

Until next time
Ingrid Cliff
Heart Harmony

Sometimes it is important to focus on achieving your goals. Watch this video …

Sometimes focusing too hard on your goal means you miss the fun things in life. Are you too focused to miss the wonderfully rich things in life?

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff
Heart Harmony

Many small businesses run on appointments – think of hairdressers, alternative therapists and vets. One of the ongoing struggles for these businesses is managing their dreaded appointment book. Their appointment book is in constant change with people canceling, rescheduling and just plain old not showing up for appointments.

That’s why I loved this blog post by Alternative Health Practice.com – it outlines some great strategies to help all businesses manage their appointments. Some of the tips include:

• Phoning to confirm appointments 2-3 days prior. Don’t leave it until the morning of the appointment. Give yourself time.
• You can use text messaging to remind people of their appointments.
• Use some psychology – Don’t say “Call if you can’t make it” as you are predisposing them to move the appointment. Just say “Calling to confirm your appointment on Tuesday at 9am. Really looking forward to seeing you then”.
• Respect your time. If someone is running late (and your business is one that lends itself to that), then keep your finish times solid, even if the start time is late.
• Don’t underbook. If you leave too big a gap between clients, you allow overflow in terms of time. You also are teaching your clients that you are always available and not in demand.
• Don’t overbook. If you try to cram too many clients in – you are guaranteed to always be running late and you will increase your stress levels.
• Track your data and clients – if you have repeat offenders then you may want to look at cancellation fees, only booking if there is a gap that day or even “sacking the client”.

Some of my own tips:

• Schedule in regular time to work “on your business”. Even half a day per week will pay you huge dividends.
• Schedule in time for team bonding and communication. Regular shared morning teas and lunches help keep the team working together effectively.
• Book in time to “goof off” with friends or just by yourself. Everyone needs time to recharge and revitalise.

I am interested in hearing your ideas on how you manage your diaries.

Until next time
Ingrid Cliff
Heart Harmony

I read an interesting post from A Modern Goddess Online blog – there are over 1.88 million private sector, non-agricultural small and micro businesses in Australia. (Small business is defined by the ABS as employing less than 20 people and micro business as less than 5 people.)

In the USA this number is 25.8 million and 4 million in the UK. Of that number men make up 2/3 of the business owners and 1/3 women (although this is on the rise).

Can you see any business niche potentials here for your business? A business niche is something where there is a sufficiently large group of people with common interests or goals, who are willing to invest money in particular goods or services.

How does your business currently serve small business or micro businesses? What can you do to improve your level of service to this business niche?

Until next time
Ingrid Cliff
Heart Harmony

Do you get those emails from workmates or colleagues warning you about the latest email virus that will wipe out your system, or how some site will donate money to charity if you click on their site, or companies that “track how many times this email is forwarded” and donate money to charity. The list is endless.

How do you know which is truth or fiction? I always start with a belief that 98% of all of those sort of emails are false. I then go to a few websites that collate all of these false emails and check them out. Usually you will find your email word for word listed under the title hoax, urban myth or scam. My favourite site is www.hoax-slayer.com. My colleague Donna-Marie also referred me on to www.truthorfiction.com.

Email junk-mail is just that … junk. By forwarding it on, you perpetuate fear and reduce productivity for your team as they take the time to read and forward on your email.

This makes a great topic to discuss with your employees – make sure everyone knows where to check out an email hoax before they flood your office in-box and computers with forwarded warnings.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff
Heart Harmony

On this Easter weekend I was reminded of some great advice given by columnist Mary Schmich in 1997. Her words were taken over by other people, attributed to other authors, filmed by Baz Lurhmann and made into a number of You Tube videos. … But still they stand as solid truth. Here is the original version.

Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ‘97

Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it

The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.

I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth.

Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded.But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.

You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future.Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.

The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts.

Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy.

Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind.

The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults.If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life.The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives.Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t.Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t.Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.

Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either.Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body.Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it or of what other people think of it.It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

Dance – even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions., even if you don’t follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they’ll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings. They’re your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on.

Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old.And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you.

Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair or by the time you’re 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it.Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

Mary Schmich of the Chicago Tribune

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

Heart Harmony

For many people homelessness is something they have never considered. In every city there are a significant number of men, women and children who are homeless – who sleep wherever they can.

Being homeless is something that is often not a choice – but arises out of life circumstances. If you watch the movie “Conversations with God” you will see even Neale Donald Walsh spent time as a homeless person after a traffic accident robbed him of his chance to work.

Some of the things we take for granted – like a telephone and mail become a real challenge for someone who is homeless.

Google in San Francisco has taken the step of offering people who are homeless free lifetime phone numbers and free voicemail. They are partnering with San Francisco shelters and agencies to give the numbers to homeless people. This gives homeless people a permanent point of contact for little things like doctors, schools and potential employers. It also allows a point of contact for family members – to help people to stay connected with dignity. If the pilot is successful it will be rolled out to other communities.

It is one way of a business giving back to the community – and sharing services with people in need to help them have a new beginning.

This Easter, think about what you can do to give back to help others have a new start in life.

Until next time
Ingrid Cliff
Heart Harmony

Party Plans are a proven way to generate sales – they were the precursor to all of the Web 2.0 high tech strategies of forming networks and communities, taking recommendations from friends and just having fun.

I am always fascinated when someone takes a proven concept and applies it to something totally left field. In the USA, a group has taken the Tupperware party concept and applied it to Tasers.

For those of you who don’t know Tasers (or stun guns) are a weapon that shoots electro-shocks to subdue a person. They are generally used by police and the military, but in the USA you can obtain a Taser for about $300 with minimal checks.

Some enterprising business people now hold Taser parties – where women meet to discuss self-defence, swap recipes for the latest dips and shoot Tasers at dummies. Tasers now come in a range of women friendly colours and prints specifically for this market. … and business is booming!

Whatever you think of Tasers and their use – the idea of taking something that generally has not been seen in a party plan situation and trialling its sale is a great one. There are loads of opportunities for enterprising businesses – from mobility equipment, through to electric drills.

Are there any products in your business that you could trial using the party plan concept?

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff
Heart Harmony

One of the problems with running a small business is the glowing temptation of the computer. It is so easy to pop over and do one more client email at all hours of night, or to “quickly” finish off a client file over the weekend.

Recently I have begun to appreciate regular “days off”. Taking time out to recharge my batteries, unwind the stress knots in my shoulders and reconnecting with friends. Regular time out helps me to be more focussed and present for my clients and the quality of my work improves as a direct result.

Sometimes it can be hard to take a day off. That’s why I appreciated the blog post at My Day Off – a list of fun things to do on your Monday off. Humour is a good thing that helps to remind you not to take life so seriously.

… Now just to remember to book in a weekly massage and all will be well.

Until next time
Ingrid Cliff
Heart Harmony

Whatever your personal beliefs about Microsoft, they have put together a pretty amazing free small business summit this year.

Topics covered include sales and marketing, productivity, security, financial management and small business start-ups.

The idea is rather than go to a conference, you can tap into some great speakers over the course of the summit via your computer – where they will stream free online content March 24-27 12pm EDT.

Using my trust Timezone Converter that means 2am March 25th. I am not at best at that time of the morning (funny that!), so I will be tapping into the replay starting at 6am each day.

To check out the sessions go to www.sbsummit.com

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff
Heart Harmony