Articles & Top Tips to Nourish your mind and business
29 July 2010 - Please Feel free to download what you need
Contributed By: If you need more details the Business Network members who submitted the information would be delighted to assist. Contact via the links.
29 July 2010 - Communication
Making your business newsworthy...
Give it away
Have you started blogging yet?
Try giving something away to get noticed. Blogs are a great way of sharing. The old school will give away just enough to tempt a prospect in. Ascent PR say give it all away and business will come back in bucket loads.
We produced a free guide to help businesses write better press releases and it went down a storm.
What to do with your business cards courtesy of Simon Leek South West ICT
Simon's blog www.southwestcrm.wordpress.com
Contributed By: Contributions from Business Network members - Ascent PR and South West ICT
29 July 2010 - Business and funding Opportunities
Business opportunities
The article here was in the Sunday Times on 7th June 2009 and may stimulate a few thoughts
http://www.ianfraser.org/?p=854
If you are interested in a business opportunity running your own business that helps other businesses grow and develop then The Business Network could be for you.
With your personality and enthusiasm, a bespoke system that enables you to effectively operate, years of experience from the UK's longest running lunch time networking organisation to support, a proven launch package you could be up and running your own area within months.
Areas available under licence across England
Contact sean[at]business-network[period]co[period]uk
Funding for your Business
Funding for your business - thank you to Paula Sudbury of St Loye's. For support and advice on obtaining funding - Paula is available on consultancy basis - you pay Paula's salary (pro rata basis) and she can help you
30 September 2010 - Top IT Tips
Top Ten Windows 7
08 Numbers and Ofcom - thank you to Welcome Telecom
Contributed By: Top IT Tips - Thank you to Steve Westaway of AME Solutions
29 July 2010 - Health and Safety
How safe is your business? Check Here
Contributed By: Health and Safety Tips
31 August 2010 - Leadership Series
Setting out on a Leadership Journey
“Of the best leaders, when the job is done, they will say, we did it ourselves.”
Is your leadership compass working?
Why would anyone want to be a leader?
NEW - added 5th October
Creating a business environment that releases potential in everyone
Contact Simon simon[at]lepd[period]org[period]uk
and 07811 332280
Visit the LEPD website for more great information
The Right to Lead...Learning Leadership Through Character and Courage. Thank you to HR Advantage for this contribution.
Read about people who have earned the right to lead others. They became effective leaders not by making other people follow, but by making themselves the kind of person people would want to follow.
This book is loaded with stories, quotes and "nuggets" for anyone wishing to sharpen their leadership skills. Today, I'd like to share John's introduction to The Right to Lead. Enjoy!
WHAT GIVES A MAN OR WOMAN THE RIGHT TO LEAD?
It certainly isn't gained by election or appointment. Having position, title, rank, or degrees doesn't qualify anyone to lead other people. And the ability doesn't come automatically from age or experience, either. No, it would be accurate to say that no one can be given the right to lead. The right to lead can only be earned. And that takes time.
The Kind of Leader Others Want to Follow
The key to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on making yourself the kind of person they want to follow. You must become someone others can trust to take them where they want to go. As you prepare yourself to become a better leader, use the following guidelines to help you grow:
Let go of your ego.
The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. They lead in order to serve other people. Perhaps that is why Lawrence D. Bell remarked, "Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things, and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things."
Become a good follower first.
Rare is the effective leader who didn't learn to become a good follower first. That is why a leadership institution such as the United States Military Academy teaches its officers to become effective followers first - and why West Point has produced more leaders than the Harvard Business School.
Build positive relationships.
Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. That means it is by nature relational. Today's generation of leaders seem particularly aware of this because title and position mean so little to them. They know intuitively that people go along with people they get along with.
Work with excellence.
No one respects and follows mediocrity. Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do. They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also great passion and hard work. They perform on the highest level of which they are capable.
Rely on discipline, not emotion.
Leadership is often easy during the good times. It's when everything seems to be against you - when you're out of energy, and you don't want to lead - that you earn your place as a leader. During every season of life, leaders face crucial moments when they must choose between gearing up or giving up. To make it through those times, rely on the rock of discipline, not the shifting sand of emotion.
Make adding value your goal.
When you look at the leaders whose names are revered long after they have finished leading, you find that they were men and women who helped people to live better lives and reach their potential. That is the highest calling of leadership - and its highest value.
Give your power away.
One of the ironies of leadership is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. You're meant to be a river, not a reservoir. If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp.
In The Right to Lead, you will hear from and read about people who have done these same things and earned the right to lead others. Because of the courage they found and the character they displayed, other people recognized their admirable qualities and felt compelled to follow them.
The followers who looked to these leaders learned from them, and so can we. As you explore their worlds and words, remember that it takes time to become worthy of followers. Leadership isn't learned or earned in a moment.
~John Maxwell
For more information CLICK HERE
Contributed By: Written by Simon Hollington of Leading Edge Personal Development This is a series of articles that will certainly stimulate and add to your skills
31 August 2010 - Save money and the environment
Sale and supply of goods to consumers regulations (2002) in relation to SLA's. Article here that applies to your franking machine.
Franking machine - save money and the environment
Contributed By: Supplies for your Franking Machine
29 July 2010 - New Google Search Options
Nigel wrote it around searches for Network Groups in Taunton to suit the context of your website/audience.
On October 1st 2009 Google introduced new Search options that you can see by clicking the Show options… link just below the Search bar.
There are nine new search options that can be used to filter search results. These include Past hour, date filters e.g. Past week, Shopping sites, Visited pages, Not yet visited, Books, Blogs and News.
I’ll show you how it works. We posted an article about Business Network (SW) on The National Pages Business Directory.
A Search for “Networking Groups Taunton” shows a link to the Business Network (SW) Gold Profile on www.thenationalpages.co.uk
in position 3 on Google Page 1 as shown here:
Full Downloadable version here
Contributed By: Thank you to Nigel Finch of The National Pages.
29 July 2010 - CRM
Free data
Ever wondered where to get hold of up to date company information for free? Do you target job roles and need to find out who's who within an organisation? View Website
Twitter - Is it really part of your CRM strategy?
Using Twitter? Why did you choose to start Tweeting? Do you have a plan on what you're saying and why? Is it part of an overall CRM strategy? What is a CRM strategy! Read on
7 reasons why a CRM project can fail
An effective IT-based sales, marketing and customer service strategy can boost sales but many businesses keep falling into the same old traps. Read on
Contributed By: Thank you to Simon Leek of South West ICT
29 July 2010 - HR Tips
Crashing into winter
It is estimated that between 25% and 35% of all road traffic crashes involve someone who was at work at the time. A driver’s reactions depend almost entirely on vision, and vision is severely limited at night. Twilight is one of the most difficult times to drive as our eyes are working to adapt to the growing darkness. After a long day at work tiredness is often greater, and this can make driving even more hazardous. For employers there are numerous laws that cover driving and many of these are ignored by employees...Read On
Contributed By: Thank you to The HR Dept