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Most of the fallen trees on our property now are gracing the sidewalk after the storm, the mud has been removed from everything but the carpet, the washing machine has finished its last load and the first of many trips to the tip had been completed.

So yesterday I finally stopped long enough to work out that aside from all of the muscles in my body aching, the big bump on my head I got in the midst of the storm while racing to try and shut the door that had been blown open by the storm, was still hurting like heck and not only that, a huge lump had appeared on the side of my neck.

After much nagging by the kids I took myself to the doctor only to be told I had a decent concussion, my lymph glands were working overtime to clear the swelling and I was supposed to be resting! Well at least that explained the dizziness and blurry vision.

I knew I had a backlog of emails and client work to complete, but I also knew that I needed to take care of my body (finally) in order to take care of business. So yesterday was a very quiet day - no emails, no lifting branches and a few well earned dozes.

It makes me wonder about other small business owners facing their metaphorical storms. How many others don’t stop - they just leap in and do what has to be done at a cost to their health? How many others keep pumping on adrenalin far beyond their true endurance to survive? Am I the only one who does that sort of thing?

So what has been my business lesson? I will be taking it gently over the next few days to regroup my energy and allow my body to heal (but still catching up on the emails). Whatever branches are still on the ground can stay there for a few more days. The carpet shampooing can wait for another day and the Xmas lights on the roof will remain tangled for a few days yet. In a small business the health of the owner reflects the health of the business. It is time to look after mine.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony - SEO copywriters

I have been reading a brilliant book called “Behind the Bestsellers” by Jenny Bond and Chris Sheedy. This book looks at the people who have written best-sellers throughout the generations - where they came from, what made them tick and how they came to write their best-selling novel.

The book chronicles everyone from Stephen King to Jane Austen. It covers Jackie Collins through to Fyodor Dostoevsky and is one of the most fascinating reads I have had in ages!

Many authors were surprise successes - even to themselves! A number only ever wrote one book in their life like Harper Lee with “To Kill a Mockingbird”.

Some people had lots of help such as Dan Brown in the “DaVinci Code” - whose researcher was his wife Blythe Newton who undertook all the detailed research, helped sketch out the plot and did everything except hold the pen that wrote the book.

While others never saw the fruits of their work such as Michael Johnson who was the author of one of the first English dictionaries and Noah Webster who wrote the first American Dictionary of the English Language.

So what is the one thing behind every best-seller?  Not one of the people they covered came from a life that was all rosy. Every one of the writers had some challenge or trouble in their childhood or life. Every one of them had faced things that many other people would have crumbled under - and they drew the strength from their experiences and brought those elements into their story-lines.

When you are having one of those days or when you get stressed about the economy - maybe you need to just rethink it as “There is a best-selling book in this experience!”.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony - SEO Copywriter

Is it just me or did anyone else notice there was a Paralypics on? I mean the Para-Olympians Australia sent over won more medals than for the “other” Olympics, but coverage on the news and all of the other TV channels was limited to 10 seconds at the tail end of the news bulletin. Cats stuck in walls of houses got more coverage than these brilliant athletes!

All I can say is congratulations to these men and women who have overcome the odds twice - once with their disability and once winning or simply competing in these events. Well done!

As for the media - you have totally missed the point by not covering their successes. The inspiration they provide by their lives is the stuff of golden front pages!

I see this in many businesses who don’t look at giving people with disabilities a go. We still discriminate against people who are different. We don’t look at their abilities instead of their disabilities and in doing so we rob our businesses of potentially highly successful employees.

The next time you have a vacancy, consider a person with a disability. Who knows you may end up with a paralympian on your team!

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony -Freelance Copywriter

I love motivational posters - my office is full of them for days when I need a spark to get me going again.

My friend Anne Maybus at “My Day Off” told me about Automotivator I had to go and play. It is a site where you can create your own motivational poster http://wigflip.com/automotivator/# You can save it to your computer or get a high resolution version for printing.

Of course if you like the darker side of life check out these take-offs of motivational posters - demotivaters from despair.com.  Very very funny! http://www.despair.com/viewall.html. Who said there is no fun in motivation

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony - SEO copywriter

Michelle from Tonic Gifts made a great post about the winter blues. She highlighted how during winter with its dull, short days people tend to feel more lethargic and lacking in motivation.

If you think about a farmer and their crops, generally winter is a time when the ground is fallow and being ploughed ready for spring planting.

We need to acknowledge the cycle of the seasons and take a lesson from nature. Do you find it harder to motivate yourself or your team during winter?

Winter is the perfect time to plan some team-building activities to get your team ready for the oncoming busy pre-Christmas season. It is also time to take time out for strategic planning or project planning your next big project.

Even businesses can work within the seasons for maximum effect so enjoy rather than work against the seasonal energy.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

Heart Harmony - freelance copywriter

We put your business into words

I was reading the Modern Goddess (online) blog and came across this quote from Eckhart Tolle.

“When you face a challenge truly, there is no thought. There is just the looking… you see what needs to be solved at that moment, and that looking is fierce and gentle at the same time. And there is an activation of a greater intelligence than whatever you have learned.”

– Eckhart Tolle

This is very true. Today I was working with a business that is in massive debt. The Directors need to stop and take stock first - deciding within their hearts if they have it within themselves to do what needs to be done to turn their business around. Are they up to the challenge of a business turnaround?

Only once they have made a decision with their emotions to stay or go will they be able to truly face the process of doing what needs to be done.

This is not an easy process for many businesses, but if tackled honestly they will be able to face all challenges with wisdom and heart and will get better outcomes as a result.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

Heart Harmony - Freelance Copwriters

Putting your business into words

I received a brilliant e-mail from Troy White, one of my writing mentors and one of the top US copywriters, where he analysed Gordon Ramsey’s business turnaround approach. It was so good I had to share it with you.

Never before has such foul language proved itself as a major business tool.

By now, I do hope you have heard of Gordon Ramsey, host of “Kitchen Nightmares” and “Hell’s Kitchen”. If not, I would highly suggest watching the “Kitchen Nightmares” show sometime soon.

First, a WARNING: Thin-skinned folks need not tune in. If you cannot handle foul language and incredibly abrasive personalities, do not watch Gordon’s show!

He is rude, loud, in-your-face, and LOVES swearing to get his point across (and everything is a point, so pretty well every sentence consists of swear words).

I am not going to go too much into Gordon’s past, but, rest assured, this ex-professional Scottish football player has a list of credentials that is long, and highly admirable.

He is now working on his 25th restaurant and many of them have multiple Michelin stars to their name (the most recognized and influential culinary ratings guide). He has multiple best selling cookbooks, 4 television shows and a DVD series, to name a few.

The story line behind a kitchen nightmare …

Gordon comes into restaurants that are almost ready to close their doors, for any one of multiple different reasons. He has 1 week to turn the business around and make it a success. He is a no-bull guy and when he starts, there is no stopping him.

Why is this important to you?

Because Gordon’s formula for a 7-day business turnaround is one that each and every one of us should pay close attention to. If you are looking to increase your sales, the ideas below will help you see new ideas you have never thought of before. If you are struggling in your business or cash flow - go through each step below and reconstruct your business from the ground up.

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Step #1 - Figure out what you are selling now.

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Sounds basic - but is it really? When Gordon first steps into one of the restaurants he is about to makeover, he sits down for a meal.

While he waits for the different dishes he ordered, he watches carefully for the way the staff works, the way they treat customers, and the way customers are enjoying (or not) the food.

When the food shows up, he is usually disgusted in what they are passing off as main course meals.

Also, the restaurants that he steps into are almost always seriously lacking enough customers to stay in business.

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Step #2 - Who is behind this disaster they call a restaurant?

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This is where the real truth starts to come out. He interviews the owners, the servers, the head chef and the kitchen staff.

Usually, he finds one or two of them passionate about the business, the rest of them are putting in time between paychecks.

Typically the ingredients are sub-par, the menu confusing with too many options, and the actual food being delivered not worthy of a roadside burger stand.

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Step #3 - Find out what the customers REALLY want

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Rarely is it what is being delivered!

The first thing to be done - - ASK THEM. Find out what is missing on the restaurant scene. Find out what foods they want the most, or that they have a tough time finding. Find out who the regulars are and what they want. Find out which restaurants are doing best in your area - then go in there to sample their food and service, always looking for ideas to improvise upon.

And, very important, if it is a seasonal business or location - make sure that the restaurant caters to those who live there year round! Those are the people who keep the restaurant open - catering to one-time tourists is a sure-fire way to bankruptcy.

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Step # 4 - Find the signature dishes

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Such a simple concept that so many businesses (in every possible niche) completely ignore.

What is the one dish that the head chef enjoys making the most?

Usually, Gordon finds out that the chef has an incredible signature plate that is not on the menu. Why? The owner is usually the problem. As Gordon says, “owners should never write the menu - the head chef should be the one to design the menu”.

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Step #5 - Simplify the menu and the number of choices

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Too many choices leave people confused and lacking in direction.

It also overcomplicates what is required in the kitchen to deliver what was promised (resulting in inferior quality on all the plates).

The menu is typically cut in less than half and the customers are usually very happy about the change.

Also, a large portion is NOT a secret to restaurant success. Smaller portions reduce waste, and keep customers coming back for more.

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Step #6 - Systems ARE the key to success

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Once the new menu has been created, putting systems in place to ensure consistent (and fast) delivery is key.

Being able to double business in a week, without loss in quality or without increase wait times, is something Gordon does in every restaurant he walks into.

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Step # 7 - Feet on the street marketing

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Last, now that everything is in place and the systems have been tested on a smaller scale, they get busy.

Getting the staff all geared up in uniforms, loaded up with their new signature dishes, they hit the street and let anyone and everyone try out the new menu choices.

Usually, an afternoon of that and they have enough curiosity built up to guarantee their first night’s dinner is packed with diners and hungry new customers.

>>>> The 7-step formula above sounds simple, but it consistently turns failing restaurants around in 1 single week.

The customers love the new choices (the ones they told you to start making), the staff become much more motivated to deliver consistent service, and the restaurant very quickly starts to make a profit.

Gordon usually revisits the restaurant after a month or two to see if they have held together all the new changes. 9 times out of 10 they have held it together, stuck with the changes, and are enjoying more money than they have experienced in years.

And yes, this does apply to your business to …

* Figure out exactly what you are selling now

* Who is behind your business? What do the customers see? What do they think?

* Find out what the customers REALLY want

* Find your signature offer

* Simplify the number of choices

* Systems ARE the key to success

* Feet on the street marketing

Last, a few side lessons from Gordon …

It IS about the image you portray

Use only the finest ingredients in areas the customers enjoy most

What is the passion - where did it come from - find a way to bring it back

Don’t take it personally - take it seriously

It’s about the story you give them to tell others

When you hire a professional to help - try listening to their advice for a change (not that any customers who hire a copywriter or marketing consultant would ever ignore the advice of an expert!)

What you hear most on the show: “%^&#ing HELL!” (which he says every time he sees something that is destroying the business - about every 32 seconds you will hear him say “%^&#ing HELL!”

My favorite Gordon quote: “Who needs a wine list when you can get pissed on desert?”

To your success,

Troy White

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This article was originally written for the Small Business Mastery Column, which Troy writes every Friday for the World’s Highest Paid Copywriter, Clayton Makepeace.

The entrepreneur in us sees opportunities everywhere we look, but many people see only problems everywhere they look. The entrepreneur in us is more concerned with discriminating between opportunities than he or she is with failing to see the opportunities

Michael Gerber - Author, entrepreneur

I love quotes from people who have succeeded. Michael Gerber is a true genius when it comes to business. The E-myth and the E-Myth revisited should be essential reading for every entrepreneur.

Do you see opportunities or problems in your business?

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

Heart Harmony

Putting your business into words

I love stunning landscape photos. This weekend I stumbled across a brilliant Sydney photographer - Jeff Grant .

What I love about Jeff’s work is he sees what many of us see - but in the right light and from the right angle he also sees the magic within it.

This photo was taken at Manly in Sydney. Manly is a thriving urban metropolis on the water and yet Jeff has captured the mystery and magic of some of the rocks by the water’s edge.

Being able to see the magic within is the also the trait of good managers - being able to see the potential within someone that with the right conditions can blossom into something brilliant.

It is also the trait of great copywriters - being able to see the potential in a company and capture the essence of their service or product and present it in a way that highlights its magic to customers.

Each person - photographer, manager, writer all choose their own personal media to work their alchemy - whether it is film, people or words. Yet each is a magician of sorts - seeing through the everyday to the magic within.

Check out the work of Jeff Grant and be inspired for the week to see the hidden potential in things around you.

Ingrid Cliff

Heart Harmony

Putting business into words

Often businesses think about if they have outgrown a client - but do you ever think about if your client has outgrown you?

I had a call from one of my favourite suppliers the other day. We have become very close friends over the years and I happily refer stacks of people his way as I know his work ethic and quality of his work is impeccable.

The subject of the call … how I had outgrown his skill, knowledge and ability on the cutting edge stuff that I do, and how I needed to start searching for a higher skilled supplier.

This was a really hard call to take! But as a client I knew he was right. Over the years I have learnt a lot along the way and can mix it with the best of them in terms of geek stuff. My supplier is a brilliant generalist, but is not a specialist in the areas I now work within.

I admire my supplier’s honesty and ability to speak his truth even though it will cost his business money in the short term. I will still happily continue to refer people to him and still catch up for coffees as a friend.

Ethics in business - it is alive and well! Have any of your clients outgrown you?

Ingrid Cliff
Heart Harmony

Putting your business into words