Micro Business Owners Day – It’s Your Time!
Small Business Saturday
Small businesses are the heartbeat of the UK economy, providing jobs and preserving communities. The 4.5 million men and women micro business owners (less than 10 employees) represent 75% of all business activities. Yet for all their massive contribution to the UK’s wellbeing, these real-life heroes of the marketplace – men and women working hard for their living, with long work hours and short holidays – are rarely acknowledged, yet alone celebrated for their efforts.
Celebrating the few who do so much for so many
We are creating a Small Business Saturday to celebrate the efforts of small business owners — and encourage entrepreneurship to help sustain and grow a thriving small business economy. Such a day will recognise that a successful and thriving small business economy involves the creativity, commitment and single-minded focus of individual entrepreneurs – from hairdressers to franchise operators, from small advertising and pr agencies to small high street shops, restaurants and hotels.
Owning a small business is probably the most risky career path anyone could follow, requiring not only hard work but also investment of personal funds and time, determination and a fair portion of luck. Thus our focus is not on the Dragons Den ‘get rich quick’ approach, but rather on highlighting all of those women and men, at every level of business life, who have made owning their own business a career.
Aim of Small Business Saturday
To promote the effort of smaller UK micro enterprises throughout the UK as major contributors to the national economy
- To create a positive attitude towards smaller business and entrepreneurship
- To establish micro business owners as the ‘true heroes of the UK marketplace’
- To show the major benefits that have accrued the UK as a result of the creativity and ceaseless commitment of micro business owners
How we will strive to connect, engage and embrace people from every walk of life
- Start an annual Small Business Saturday festival encouraging people across the UK to connect with local businesses, from shops to banks, hairdressers to micro manufacturers
- Organise a one day London Conference of Small Business Owners with keynote small business speakers as well as from political parties, business etc
- Arrange a series of one day public Small Business Owner Fair’s in the UK’s five top cities, with keynote speakers from politics, industry, lobbying associations and, above all, small business owners themselves
- Stage ‘community driven’ initiatives to identify and celebrate local small micro business success stories
Who are ‘we’
The idea was launched by David Noble, founder and managing director of Wanobe.com, the online business knowledge market. David has won the support of other like-minded entrepreneurs and organisations, including Mandie Holgatet of The Business Woman’s Network (The BWN), the Forum of Private Business (FPB) The Bank Of England, FSB and several MPs to date.
Organisational structure
David proposes that the UK’s Small Business Saturday be organised as an independent foundation, sponsored and funded by one or more private institutions, to ensure it is a credible force for entrepreneurial good. The institution will be ‘owned’ by Wanobe, The BWN and FPB, who will take responsibility for managing on a fees basis the various events and activities under the auspices of an independent General Manager.
The Aim
The aim is to create the best possible awareness among the general public about the contributions made by small business, encourage wider entrepreneurialship and drive our economy forward, creating jobs and helping build prosperity.
If you would like to know more contact;
Phil McCabe Media and PR Manager FPB
Tel: 01565 626019 ISDN: 01565 654673 Mobile: 07775 756312 Email: phil.mccabe@fpb.org
Robert Downes Media and PR Office
Tel: 01565 626016 ISDN: 01565 654673 Mobile: 07775 756300 Email: robert.downes@fpb.org
David Noble. Managing Director of Wanobe Limited
Mobile: 07785302694 Email: david.noble@wanobe.com
Mandie Holgate. Founder of The Business Womans Network
Mobile: 07989 935556 Email: Mandie@thebusinesswomansnetwork.co.uk
From Lifestyle businesses to corporate giants – Business Women – Be Proud!
Mandie Holgate shares a thought. If you have the premier pack you are welcome to blog for us anytime.
To the man on the phone that just insulted business women that run “Life Style businesses” and “Hobby Businesses” I post this:
Whether you work from your kitchen, your coffee table or grand offices – be proud.
Whether you earn £10,000, £50,000 or millions – be proud.
Whether your work helps one person, 100 or a million – be proud.
Whether you work 2 days a week, 9 to 5 or 70 hours a week (although the last one is so not good for you!) – be proud.
Whether you dream of owning your own car, house, jet or mansion – be proud.
Whether you change the world or just one person’s life – be proud.
The fact is you are not taking out of our fragile economy.
You are buying, interacting and working in our communities.
You are making a difference.
Not everyone on the planet is supposed to rule it – but everyone has the opportunity to help it – And you are.
Be Proud!
And off of soap box – rant over!
Case Studies of What The BWN Really Does For Women.
Here are some examples of what the BWN does everyday for business women like you;
Business woman A worked for a large organisation and was great at her job, but now she needed to be good at marketing and networking too. Despite attending many events she was not getting the results she wanted. Thanks to the BWN she accessed like minded business women and business and development skills that have led to her networking producing great results.
Business Woman B was so low with running her own business she was reduced to tears when a coordinator asked “How’s business?” She was on the verge of quitting when she started attending the BWN and the work she had to accept was near on sole destroying to survive. Thanks to coming to the BWN she is now taking on her 1st member of staff and loves running her own business.
Meet Business Woman C, whose fear of public speaking was so severe, her voice wobbled, she gained the shakes and ran out of things to say! Within a few months of attending the BWN she was able to stand up and talk about her business to a roomful of business women and soon after was able to speak to 100+ with a microphone!
Business Womans D found that she was arguing with her loved ones over if she should go and “get a real job.” When she started attending the BWN she soon learnt new skills and made some connections that have led to 4-5 figure contracts not just in the UK but overseas too.
Meet Business Woman E & F whose businesses are growing fast. They now employ a few staff and find more and more they need to be in 2 places at once. Juggling family, work, health and life was proving to be too much. Somewhere down the line they were getting lost in mountains of paperwork and a sense of “Why am I doing this?” Thanks to coming along to The BWN they now know what they want out of business, have accessed the skills set to grow their staff and their business and are even gaining new leads even when they can’t get to a BWN event.
Lastly because Business Woman G is so amazing, we had to share this with you. Business Woman G is like many business women. Working hard day in day out. Having great weeks and tough days. Learning new skills and rising above the challenges of running her own business every day. She tenacious, she’s determined and she knows that however tough it gets there is the support and ideas to help her succeed. Business Woman G is like so many business women up and down the UK who gets on with it. But unlike many business woman Business Woman G has gained a plethora of leads, ideas and amazing opportunities thanks to attending the BWN regularly. However low she feels, she knows that The BWN is there just for her. She knows she is guranteed a roomfull of like minded business women who will motivate, inspire and connect with her for success spurning her on for another day.
Blackberryless Brings Surprising Positve Results
Mandie Holgate shares the unexpected positive effects of being Blackberryless.
Okay so if you own an i product you are smirking and laughing at folks like me right about now. Ironically Blackberry fails when I have 3 days out of the office including 1 in London. It would ideally be a great time to have internet access to keep in touch with my social media marketing and my emails but we all know what has happened to the world fo Blackberry right?
But I firmly believe everything happens for a reason (although sometimes we don’t have a clue what that is and find ourselves looking to the sky thinking “Why me?”) you see, I was worried sick about going to London and essentially just having a phone in my pocket, however it has had a fantastic effect.
Normally when on the train, I spend my time, marketing, answering emails and catching up on office stuff. But today that was not an option. So I found myself thinking. The mind was wandering.
And guess what the results were?
- I found the solution to something that has been bugging me for ages.
- I found that I was able to process the next stage of a long term goal I have.
- I phoned a couple of clients that had been supposed to email – one leading to another sale.
- I came up with some great ideas for my talk I’m giving for the Chelmsford Business Showcase next month and another training day I’m offering.
And basically had a very productive time up and down the track to London.
You see those smart phones we keep attached to us, like umbilical cords do not always serve us in the best possible way.
As a coach, you teach clients about getting into “flow” to create solutions, creativity and increased productivity.
And guess what?
The lack of my BlackBerry created an immense level of flow.
So the next time I hit the tracks I won’t be so quick to jump on the Blackberry – the space in my mind had a powerful effect.
So iphone lovers – don’t be so quick to mock – I gained a very productive day thanks to Blackberry’s nightmare.
Does flow happen to you naturally?
(But I wouldn’t mind Blackberry sorting this out – your customer service is lacking a tad right about now, but that’s a topic for another time!)
The Power of People – A Cosmetic Counter proves the Do’s & Don’t’s of Marketing.
Yesterday because our children had deserted us for a day of kites flying and eating E-numbers with grandparents my husband suggested a leisurely stroll around the shops. As we walked through a rather glittery department store (don’t you just love those? I feel they are like toy shops for women!) We walked through the cosmetic department.
That morning Hubby had watched me scrape the sides of my moisturiser and so as we strolled through he said “Why don’t you buy some products?”
What a stupid thing to say to a woman amongst so so so many pretty bottles.
But how to choose?
I spent an hour walking around each counter, being introduced to all manner of products and it got me thinking.
When we chose to buy, what is it that makes us buy?
What is the thing that tips in one companies favour over another’s?
Well yesterday sums it up nicely.
You see, there was not going to be a single product in that store that would not brighten, reduce wrinkles or make your skin glow. Every product would promise things like that.
So how then do you decide which is best?
You could look at price – but a) hubby was intent on spoiling me (and who was I to argue!) and b)I wanted products that were right for me – price was secondary – and that dear readers is true of most people, with most purchases.
So price is ruled out, they all claim to do amazing things to make me look like a sprightly teen. So now what?
I chose on this.
As I walked from counter to counter. 3 people had stood out at 3 counters of gorgeous glossy bottles.
Woman 1 because every time I went to ask her a question she went into her spiel and wouldn’t allow me to finish. How many of you know someone that in their marketing concentrates on what THEY want to tell potential clients as opposed to what the potential client ACTUALLY WANTS to know?
Woman 2 because she was insistent that I love the cute bottles and the fact that their products were the best. Everyone on the planet thinks their product is better than their competitor (otherwise why be in business?) But the fact is that is not what matters to the customer, so stop bleating on to me about how amazing you are, people like to work that out for themselves. Otherwise they fight it and run away – which is exactly what I did – note here – these products were actually the cheapest, but I was completely turned off by the experience. I was on her agenda not mine. mmmm another analogy about marketing me thinks.
Lastly Woman 3 – I even remember her name, Lauren. Lauren listened to what I wanted. Lauren answered my questions directly. Lauren engaged with me. Lauren did not try and tell me I had to clear an hour in the morning to clean my face and moisturise. She LISTENED to the fact I had 10 minutes before I legged it to 412 other jobs (a lesson Woman 1 could well do with learning!) And on top of Lauren’s genuine interest in supplying what I the customer needed. Lauren had beautiful skin. (Woman 1 and 2’s makeup and skin were nowhere near as naturally immaculate as Lauren’s)
The fact is Lauren ticked all the boxes to make the sale;
She listened to what the customer wanted.
She answered the questions that the customer wanted answering.
She matched the needs of the customer with their products.
She acted like she cared about the customer.
But most importantly she gave the customer a really pleasurable experience that I will remember and I WILL go back – now who would like customers that automatically come back?
And lastly she was congruent to everything she said, and this gave her credibility.
Mmmmm amazing what a cosmetic counter can tell you about marketing.
Steve Jobs wraps it up on How To Get Results In Life.
There are some true greats in our world today. And today we lost one.
We read this and had to share it with you. Steve Jobs was co-founder and former CEO of Apple, and today died far too young at the age of 56 after a long and highly public battle with cancer. He truly inspired a generation and touched so many lives in so many ways.
“Steve Jobs02:40 The Wall Street Journal has republished Jobs’ well-known 2005 commencement address at Standford University, in which he reflected on life, career and mortality:
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.””
This man knew what he was talking about – Seize the Day ladies, Seize the Day.
To read the full article – http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/steve-jobs/8809997/Steve-Jobs-dies-live-blog.html
I Don’t Have Time To Market My Business AND Run It!
If I had a £1 for every time I had heard the above statement, I would be a very rich little bunny. However I don’t so I make sure my marketing brings in the customers.
You see an effective marketing strategy WILL deliver leads, and if you are getting quality leads then guess what that leads to?
You guessed it, more customers.
But I do appreciate it can be tricky to factor in time to market your wares as well as to make and deliver them. So what can you do to make life easier?
Before you even think of aiming to make marketing easier to manage. Do you know what works?
If you don’t know this STOP right now. You see, you need to know what is working to deliver great leads and enquiries so that you can replicate that. So first of all concentrate on researching and analysing what works.
WHEN you know this information you can then use tools such as Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to schedule your social media. Taking into account when your ideal clients have the time to read your offerings, comment, reply, etc.
Next look at the real world marketing that works for you. Picking up the phone, public speaking networking, meetings, etc. What have the biggest impact and concentrate on making them deliver MORE to you.
For instance networking can only be effective if you dedicate to it. Know what you want beforehand. Attend regularly to build relationships so that people want to do business with you and most importantly follow up after EVERY event.
This approach needs to be applied to all areas of marketing that you have and constantly consider this…
What are you doing so that people are automatically keeping up to date with you and your business?
How can other people support your marketing strategy?
Affiliations, discounts, special offers for loyalty etc.
A VA could be a great resource for you too. What areas of your marketing could you outsource to someone else to do?
At The BWN we have a number of great VA’s that attend our events that would happily produce your newsletter, look after your social media and pick up the phone for you. (You can check them out here – https://old.thebusinesswomansnetwork.co.uk/the-business-women-of-the-bwn/)
Unless you are a larger company with a lovely thing called a “marketing budget” this is going to come down to you and if you don’t find a way to create a marketing strategy that fits into your busy life you will always have dips and troughs of customers. Now wouldn’t it be nicer to just have that steady flow of new customers heading to your door?
(This blog came out of a number of conversations with business women this week and has sparked this blog so thank you for sharing. And it has also sparked the next BWN Business Clinic with me – to learn more.)
Why You Need Killer Headlines (As Well as Killer Heels.)
Okay so I’m no copywriter (although I did once gain a client out of a copywriter who noticed grammatical errors on my website and emailed me!) But I do know, writing great blogs and fabulous web content is pretty pointless unless you are directing people to it.
Recently I was running a BWN workshop on Blogging For Business and this topic came up. “I am writing a blog, but no one is reading it, what do I do?”
Well here’s the thing, unless you find an effective way to market your blog, you might as well go and talk to the tree at the end of your garden. The tree will apparently feel good (he enjoys your carbon dioxide) but doubtful it’s liable to buy anything from you – if it does now THAT one would be easy to market!
You see you need to interact to the right people.
In the right way.
At the right time of day.
Saying the right kind of things that hook people in to wanting to know more.
That is useful and relevant.
And most importantly make it easy for them to find it again, and again, and again.
It could sound daunting but if you get it right, you will have people interacting with you, visiting your website regularly, appreciating you as an expert in your field and starting to love you and all that you do.
And pretty soon amazing things can happen thanks to blogging.
I personally include, new customers, speakers engagements and press opportunities but my personal fave to date, is having @StephenFry say “Great Blog” and when I DM’d him and asked if I could quote him, he said “go ahead.”
Sigh world’s best Tweeter thinks I’m great – Love it!
What could it do for you?
I am now running Business Clinics once a month at HSBC Business Banking Centre in Colchester through The Business Womans Network, for your chance to be one of just 10 business women at that table – get in touch.
The next one in October is be social media and a second one on Marketing- Creating & Actioning Your Plan. (24th October).
Understanding The Power of Blogging For Business.
Karen Fiddes recently was our guest speaker with Mandie Holgate talking about Blogging For Business at our Suffolk event. One business woman was so taken with the results of this workshop that she was up writing blogs the following morning at 6am!
So thanks Karen for sharing some more ideas here;
I never truly understood the power of blogging to smaller businesses until recently. I was talking on just this subject at a local seminar for small businesses. When I asked how many of the busy owners in front of me had already set up and then updated their blog regularly, I was surprised to see that over 50% had. Great news!
It got me thinking about marketing in this new digital age and how small businesses can now genuinely enjoy just as much (if not more!) benefit from digital marketing as the larger companies do. Sure those big boys might have more resource, more time and more money to throw at various media channels but do they have the personality, hunger and passion for what they do and how they deliver that or are they just another corporate face flying the digital flag because it is the “done thing”?
You see the beauty of blogs is that regardless of your size, with just a little bit of work and relatively small (or no) capital investment, you and what your brand stands for can shine through. Couple good writing with effective social media optimisation and search engine optimisation and you will be seen by humans and robots alike. If your blog then delivers excellent content to meet expectation and educate the reader – it will get subscribers and drive traffic to your site ensuring that you most definitely stand a chance of kicking around with the big kids on page 1.
If you would like the opportunity to have Karen Fiddess working on your marketing strategy contact us for more information on the October Business Clinic coming up, looking at Marketing with Mandie Holgate and Karen – only open to 10 business women each month.
The Bane of Learning New Stuff – And Why Every Business Woman Must
So the BWN website is getting an overhaul.
I personally got raked over the coals for being too good at marketing and driving too many business women to the site and it couldn’t cope. Now that is the kind of telling off I like!
But the outcome is my IT Fairy (no really we have an IT Fairy!) said that we were going over to an even more interactive site.
The Business Women on our site would be able to use it more and it would work even better for driving traffic to their websites.
It would be easier for business women to access the information they needed.
And we would be able to add a shop with great business offerings and books from our favourite speakers.
It all sounded great……BUT…..
I like many have a passion for just getting on with it. And when confronted with something new something goes in my head. It’s my Mrs Negativity. I don’t know if you have one (But I’m betting you do) mine looks a bit like Maureen Lipman off of the BT adverts. “An ology” remember. Wow I bet I’m showing my age there!
But the fact is when she pipes up the real me. The capable, effective business women me kind of shrinks a bit. As Mrs Negativity says things like “Mmmm do you remember that time at Dads house when you broke the TV, best you leave that well alone don’t you think for the clever folk.” Then she whines “Still you are not bad at cooking, stick to that dear and leave the grown up stuff to someone cleverer. There’s no shame in being a good housewife love. Everyone needs clean floors.” Okay so there is nothing wrong with being a full time homemaker. I loved that time in my life. But the way Mrs Negativity says it she makes me feel about 5 again.
So why do we let this happen?
I know the quickest way to shut her up is to prove her wrong. And here is the thing. The minute you take action things get easier. Okay so you might make a mistake but with most things in life, that can be fixed and you can learn in the process.
The problem is the longer you hold off, you allow your Mrs Negativity to attack your success and your momentum. The less powerful you are and the stronger you make your Mrs Negativity.
Learning new things is so often an area that we procrastinate on. We hold fire. We “Wait and See” But how beneficial is that for your success?
What impact is that going to have on your business and your life?
In business there will always be a latest gadget, tool, idea that you are going to need to get your head round and you have 2 choices. 1) rise to the challengae and learn something new to grow your business and your success or 2) allow it to be an obstacle to your success.
Now who wants to put obstacles in the way of their success?
Mmmm so here I sit with a brand new layout to blog with, a new style website to up date, to interact with business women and slightly nervous as to how posting this blog will go. But Mrs Negativity (Sorry Maureen Lipman but it will always be your face I see) is firmly shut up. Oh yes I’m sure as I press a wrong key she will be there to say “told you so” but I will be ready “With don’t worry love, I have plenty of experiences of getting it right so it’s only a matter of time!” And as I say that confidently like the successful business woman I am, in my mind I am sticking my tongue out at her (Well everyone that knows me knows I’m very young and fun at heart – yes just a big kid really!)
Every time this week something new comes along. Don’t say “mmmm That looks interesting – I will look into it” Give it go. Get stuck in. And I would love to know how you get on. At the BWN there are always new things to learn, if you don’t see something you like, let us know and we will get that subject added.
mandie@thebusinesswomansnetwork.co.uk