Category: Networking

I am that department

Posted on October 16, 2023 by - Business strategy, Networking, Networkingstrategy, Relationships

Recently I had to ring a small company with a couple of queries. The lovely woman I spoke to (let’s call her Lucy, because that’s her name), helped and resolved my first query. I then said I had another query, which might be another department and Lucy chuckled. She said “I am that department too”. Then she summed up, in one sentence, the challenge that faces many small businesses, she said “In fact, really, I am all the departments”.

I can remember when I started my first business. The shock of realising that I was responsible for everything: marketing, toilet paper, doing work that had been secured, accounts (particularly getting money in) and paying staff and bills, plus contracts and HR. The list went on and I had been used to have departments for each thing, in my lovely corporate office looking over London. I had my private parking space and if I needed anything then the relevant department did whatever it was and actually, I was often even separated from asking, since my secretary managed my office.

I can remember the first few months of self-employment, as I got used to doing it all and always feeling I was missing something (often I was right!). I was sometimes overwhelmed by, as some people say, having many hats to wear.

As my business grew, five things happened:

  1. I developed and fine-tuned systems and processes so they, and I, became more efficient.
  2. The business grew.
  3. I discovered networking and met other small business owners.
  4. Some of these small business owners took on some of the non-work requirements, so my list reduced to looking after customers and adding new ones.
  5. My business really grew!

Lucy made me remember how I had got to where I am and how learning I didn’t have to be all departments had helped me to focus on what I was really good at and which I loved doing. I stopped feeling overwhelmed on a regular basis and started to enjoy being a business owner with the responsibilities that involves.

If you are feeling that you are tired of saying “I am that department” in your business, then let me help you with your networking, here’s a gift to you: my Top 20 networking tips. Just follow this link: ebn.uk.com and complete the form to receive your copy.

Have fun,

Glenys

Having a frog session

Posted on August 28, 2023 by - Business opinions, Business strategy, Networking, Networkingstrategy

Recently I’ve had a lot of paperwork and research to do. Now, of course, almost any job has some element of admin and small business owners can sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed by the admin side of their company. Admin relating to

  • keeping the business going, accounts, keeping up to date with things like policies, legal requirements,
  • staff, pay, training, development, welfare
  • personal development and personal welfare
  • getting work
  • work being carried out
  • payments, customer interaction
  • the other 101 jobs that are there.

No wonder we can get to the exhausted and overwhelmed stage!

After nearly 30 years of running my own business, and with the help of a business coach who worked with me for nearly two years and helped me get organised. To be completely honest I don’t like admin, it seems so boring, except issuing invoices, I love issuing invoices, when I spend some time wondering how I’m going to spend the profit!

One of the things I was taught was to spend quality time on admin. The great Mark Twain said “If you have to eat a live frog, do it first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day.” !  Since admin is my “live frog”, every morning I set my timer for 30 minutes  and do admin. If I need to set the timer again and again then that’s Ok but admin get’s done first before I really start the day. My live frog gets eaten. Then I focus on what I am doing, knowing that the admin for the day has been done. And, of course, occasionally something “urgent” pops up but often even these urgent things can wait till the frog eating session the next morning.

So, I wonder, what’s your “live frog”?

While you are thinking about that here’s a gift to you: my Top 20 networking tips. Just follow this link: ebn.uk.com and complete the form to receive your copy.

Have fun,

Glenys

Sometimes advice is free, services are not.

Posted on August 12, 2023 by - Business opinions, Business relationships, Business strategy, Networking

Recently I was talking to a contact about people “picking his brain”. He, let’s call him Fred, worked in social media and said he was often asked for advice. Another contact was saying he was always wary about sharing his knowledge because he thought it would enable people to do things themselves rather than paying for his services. I told the story about the advice I got from a very successful business owner when I was first starting out. He said, “Some people will spend money and some people won’t and you can’t tell from looking at them which one they are”.

From that I realised that some people would keep trying to pick your brain, but they would never pay for your services. This can be for several reasons. They may think:

  1. they can do it themselves, or
  2. they can’t spend the money, or
  3. why pay for something you can get for free.

I would say:

  1. no-one can do and know everything.
  2. This is a false economy because, while they are struggling with this, they could be getting and doing work.
  3. This is disrespectful.

Anyway, back to Fred.

Fred and I agreed that we were happy to give advice and information, but there came a time when people crossed a line and they had to be charged. The challenge was twofold:

  • where was that line, and
  • was everyone clear what each side of that line look like?

It is important to get those issues sorted at the beginning, before it becomes a problem. We also agreed that with some contacts the line may be more flexible, because we know them and know they won’t take advantage, or there might be an element of barter.

Coincidentally, later that week I was talking to a contact who is a very talented hairdresser. Let’s call her Freda. She was venting, because she had recently been contacted by someone through social media and asked for advice. The person had had her hair coloured by someone else and didn’t like the result, but didn’t want to tell the hairdresser who had done it (!). She had decided to do it herself, so contacted someone she used for advice.

Freda needed to vent because:

  • The woman told her she had no intension of booking her.
  • She had told her at the beginning, and several times during the conversation, that she would not give advice on products she had not used and for hair she had not tested.
  • It was late Sunday night!

My suggestion was not to reply till she was in work, but she is young and seemed to be horrified by the idea of ignoring something she got via social media.

I realised that where the line was drawn was possibly different for different trades or professions. So, my question is where is your line? Mine is now quite fluid so here’s a start.

Here’s a free gift to you: my Top 20 networking tips. Just follow this link: ebn.uk.com and complete the form to receive your copy.

Have fun,

Glenys

Judgements are often subconscious.

Posted on June 26, 2023 by - Business opinions, Business relationships, Networking

Recently I have had some contact with a couple of new members. We have never met, but they liked the Group and the local businesses they met when they each visited a Group and asked to join. The necessary formalities with websites and paperwork were done and then they became the latest members of their Group. Very little of this process involved me, because my wonderful Group Directors organise and run the meetings. I stay out of their way and try not to clutter their lives up. However, the very last stage is done by me and I need a couple of questions answered and a Zoom 1-2-1 to arrange.

Obviously, I had warm feelings towards these two people because:

  • they saw the value of being part of one of my Groups (and one is already talking about joining a second Group),
  • they understood the ethos of the Groups (trust is built through strong relationships and referrals follow organically,
  • they have paid me some money which I will now spend unwisely!

However, I realised that I liked these people and I had never met them. I also realised I had begun to trust them and their business. Why? Because they replied to my emails in a timely manner. Why did that follow? Because when I email someone and they don’t reply I think that:

  • they are too busy to be able to talk to me and certainly wouldn’t be able to do any work I needed or, more importantly, the work of anyone I referred to them. (So, my reputation is being undermined).
  • They are disorganised and might be disorganised if I needed work done or if someone I referred to them needed work. (So my reputation…etc.).
  • They can’t be bothered.

Now, I don’t expect people to be sat waiting on the off chance I may decide to contact them, but as a business I do expect them to reply during normal working hours (theirs not mine). As one of my new members I obviously play it slightly differently, but I am still beginning to get a feel and make a judgement: of their service, their business and them as the owners. I am judging and I’m not sat around giving this thought, the judgements are happening subconsciously.

It might be that other people don’t care what people (potential customers) think of them, but I can’t imagine this to be the case. For me, I know I am beginning to trust my new members, which is lovely, and I’ve never even met them.

I  would like to help you with your networking, so here’s a gift to you: my Top 20 networking tips. Just follow this link: ebn.uk.com and complete the form to receive your copy. I am waiting for you to make contact and I’ll definitely reply.

Have fun,

Glenys

You shouldn’t need a magnifying glass

Posted on May 28, 2023 by - Business opinions, Business relationships, Marketing, Networking

Recently I’ve been having some challenges at home because my beloved has been in hospital, it seems forever, following a heart attack. (As I type this, and after nine weeks, he is home now. Yay!) Now, you may be wondering “Why is she telling me this?” Well I think it is fair to say that my patience, which I have never had in abundance, has been even more lacking of late. I have a very familiar follow-up process when I network. I spend time afterwards getting in touch with the marvellous people I have met the previous week and adding their info to my database.

Most of the time this is a nice, relaxed process—a lovely cappuccino or two, maybe a familiar TV programme on in the background as I input to a spreadsheet. (Love a spreadsheet.) Anyway, in the last few weeks some cards have not made it onto the spreadsheet. (You might be thinking “Why does that matter?” Well I meet literally hundreds of people in any given month and not being on my spreadsheet means if someone says “Do you know a widget-maker in Scunthorpe”, or whatever, wherever) I won’t find the widget maker from Scunthorpe that I met ten years ago. It often happens that I have to look at a website to find out what someone I have met does, and, it has to be said, sometimes I still don’t know because their website is full of “management speak” but that is a whole other rant, so back to the current one.

Some of the reasons they do not make it to my spreadsheet?

In no particular order, (although if they are nearer the top than the bottom this is probably because they irritate me more). They have:

  • a sparkly card, usually with a sparkly, but different sparkly lettering. I like sparkly, but not when it makes the information illegible
  • very little information on the card (I refer you back to website comment)
  • cards which have no name and/or info/sales/enquiries@Idon’twantyoutogetintouchwithmepersonallyreally.com
  • tiny, tiny, tiny writing on the card.

My rule is if I have to get out a magnifying glass to try and read your card then it probably won’t make it onto the spreadsheet. OK, now all the above might just be me, however when we pay good money to have business cards designed and printed, we probably want people to keep in touch and for people we have met to be left with a good impression about my business. If the magnifying comes into use, then these goals have probably been missed.

Don’t have a process for your networking? Want some help with your networking? Then here is my gift to you: my Top 20 networking tips. Just follow this link: ebn.uk.com and complete the form to receive your copy.

Have fun,

Glenys

Yes you can do it yourself

Posted on May 1, 2023 by - Business opinions, Business relationships, Networking

Recently I was talking to someone about IT. Now anyone who knows me knows I am a bit of a Luddite (OK perhaps more than a bit). Anyway this man knew his stuff, I mean really knew his stuff. He understood that I only want to know how to do something when I need to know how to do it. I accept that there are shortcuts, systems and apps that will make my life more efficient and exciting, but my life is as efficient and exciting as I can manage at the moment, thank you.

While we chatted another business owner joined our conversation.

It became apparent that this other person thought he knew a lot about IT, even though it was not what he did as a business. He talked about how many IT things he did himself. He talked about SEO, Cyber security, domain names, internet stuff and frankly he probably talked about other IT things but I had glazed over quite early on, partly because I didn’t understand most of what he was saying and mainly because I was really bored.

The IT expert was very polite, he listened and nodded. He nodded and smiled. I am sure that he would have said something, but the new contact didn’t seem to need air to breathe so there were few opportunities to add anything. Finally, there was a gap in the monologue and the expert said “It’s amazing how much you know. Have you ever thought about starting a business offering this as a service?” I smiled (I’m easily amused when I’m bored) At this point the back-pedalling began and it became obvious that he didn’t actually do all these IT things for his business, he had an IT supplier but thought he needed to know what was being done.

This is not how I work. Yes, I want to know why I need whatever it is, and why I need to spend this money. What I do not want is to understand the mechanics of whatever is being suggested. If I have a supplier, I use them because I trust them, I’m confident that they know their stuff and aren’t trying to rip me off. I was therefore happy when my IT expert said “Everything I offer can be done by the business person. But why would they want to? They would have to take time out of their business to deal with their IT needs, keep up to date with all new current IT issues, and there are a lot, and of course, if it goes wrong they could end with no IT and what would that do to their business? As he said that, I had a sudden picture of me taking care of my IT needs and wondered how long before I found myself dangling over the abyss of IT failure. I’m not prepared to chance it, so I don’t do it myself!

If you would like some help with your networking,  but not IT, here’s my gift to you: my Top 20 networking tips. Just follow this link: ebn.uk.com and complete the form to receive your copy.

Have fun,

Glenys

One of the best things about networking

Posted on April 10, 2023 by - Business relationships, Networking, Relationships

Recently I was talking to a business contact who I have known for a few years, but not really well. I knew that I liked him and, if you had asked me why, I would have said things like “Well, he is always pleasant and he has a great sense of humour—he makes me laugh”.  Over the last few months, for various reasons, I have met up with him more than I had and each time I have come away feeling upbeat. In networking that is not always the case!

A couple of weeks ago we arranged a 1-2-1 and before we started talking business, we had the “How are you doing?” conversation. Often this can be quite superficial. Business people put on their business faces and they talk about the good things that are happening. Occasionally, and usually after a long-term relationship with someone, with some people the business face can be ignored and they talk about real problems that they are dealing with and real, current challenges they are facing.

This is one of the benefits of networking that rarely gets talked about, the business relationships that become so secure and the people so confident in each other that they know that they will not be judged, they will be supported, and they can be confident that the issues shared will not make it on to the 10 o’clock news. In business it can seem at times as if you are alone, and are not sure where you can go for support, or if you should just keep it all to yourself.

When I met this contact, who I did not know well, I was sort of expecting a low-key and slightly superficial kind of ‘business-focussed’ chat. But this was not what happened. When I asked how he was he said, “I am dealing with some real problems, and I don’t know where to turn”. Over the next hour he poured out all the issues, side issues, what he’s done, what he’s thought of doing, what had helped and what had not. Then we worked together to work out some possible solutions, we identified some people who might be able to offer some practical help and we arranged a date when we would meet and catch up again.

This time it was him with the challenges the next time it could be me who needs someone to help. If you need help and you think it might help to talk, then get in touch. If you would like some help with your networking here’s my gift to you: my Top 20 networking tips. Just follow this link: ebn.uk.com and complete the form to receive your copy.

Have fun,

Glenys

It’s all about a camel and a piece of straw.

Posted on March 20, 2023 by - Future dreams, Networking

Recently I was talking to a new business contact, let’s call him Gilbert, about his business which he had started a days before. I remembered how excited and frightened I had been in equal measure. I remembered lying awake making plans and feeling excited about this new adventure and, at the same time, overwhelmed by what I had to do and what I knew I didn’t know with a side issue of realising that there was probably stuff I didn’t know I didn’t know! Thankfully I found networking.

We began talking about how long we had stayed safe in paid employment, with a feeling of restriction, before we made the decision to make the leap into self-employment. What do I mean by restriction? Well, as my beloved summed it up when he said: “You’ve never done bosses well”. This is true: I love being the decision-maker in my business, and I’m not saying that all my decisions have been good ones, but they have all been mine.

Gilbert and I agreed that, at some level, this move to self-employment had been made more difficult because we were paid well and there is no guaranteed income when you are paying yourself. Added to this both of us had support teams, who did stuff and knew stuff so we didn’t have to be involved. So, in the main our jobs were more interesting and rewarding than other jobs we had done. Then he asked “When did you know you had to leave?”

No one who knows me will be surprised that a holiday was involved. Because we have always liked to travel we would always hit the annual issue of having “no leave left till the end of March”. And we like long holidays. The moment I knew I had to leave was, having returned from a month’s holiday when we had completed a circle of the earth, I parked my car in my personal parking space in London, walked back into my lovely office, saying hello to my fabulous team and thought “well this is no fun”. That’s when I started to plan my exit and less than six month’s later I was self-employed with no real idea of what I was going to do. I just knew that, whatever I did my number one rule was it had to be fun.

That was my “moment” and I asked Gilbert what his “moment” was. To be honest I was expecting some story like mine. He said he had been thinking about it for years and he knew what he would do and how. His final-straw/camel moment was he said when he started to think about what he liked about the work he was doing, the employment package he had and the people he worked with. He knew that he definitely had to start his own business when he realised that the best bit was that…he had a chair that swivels! The next day he started to negotiate his way out.

From my swivelling chair I would like to help you with your networking, so here’s a gift to you: my Top 20 networking tips. Just follow this link: ebn.uk.com and complete the form to receive your copy.

Have fun,

Glenys

Definitely not a vanity move!

Posted on March 6, 2023 by - Business strategy, Future dreams, Networking

Recently I was talking to a business contact about his move into a business unit. I have known this particular contact for over 20 years after meeting him at a networking event (where else!). At the time he was working from his front room, with his lovely mum as his only member of staff. Over the years his business has grown and yet he has remained in his home office, now an actual office rather than his front room, staff have changed and he and his business have survived even the devastating loss of his mother at an early age. He has worked hard, been amazing at marketing and seen the resultant success.

While talking, I said that no-one could say he was making a vanity decision and we began to talk about how tempting these vanity decisions are. What are ‘vanity’ decisions, often involving vanity purchases? They are using money either from your business (or investing it from your own money) to buy ‘things’ and these ‘things’ are often not needed but give the business owner’s vanity a stroke. The nice new desk to replace a perfectly good desk. (Of course, always get a great chair to sit in, or stand at, because you may spend a lot of time at your desk and you don’t want to undermine your spine etc.) You see people with large shiny offices, staff, every piece of equipment you can imagine…and no customers!

Now the conversation I was having with my contact was definitely, from my part at least, not based on a history of “Well I’ve never done that” because I have stroked my vanity many times by buying stuff that was lovely and shiny and I didn’t need! When I set up my first business, I bought lots of stuff that I had occasionally used when I had worked in the corporate world but didn’t actually need for my small office at home, or, if I did, I didn’t need the super deluxe version. The same was true when I started my catering business. I had a storage unit which was full of stuff, and, unsurprisingly, because I am sometimes a slow learner, the unit got larger as I bought more stuff, and then reduced in size as I learnt that I didn’t need to own all the stuff I had. In the process I wasted a lot of money. But I did learn.

Obviously, my contact, being wiser than I, didn’t need to be taught this. He has seemed to know instinctively to only spend money you must spend. Save the money, don’t buy, buy the less shiny one, buy second hand, you get the picture. This last part is what I have learnt. I also realised that by saving money in this way I had more money, at the end of the year, to have more money to spend on shiny things for my home, for holidays and as soon as I realised this the vanity decisions became less and easier.

So I wish my contact all the success he deserves as he moves into his lovely shiny, and absolutely necessary, new business unit.

If you are not sure about spending money on networking let me help with a gift to you: my Top 20 networking tips. Just follow this link: ebn.uk.com and complete the form to receive your copy.

Have fun,

Glenys

Surprising myself with what I know.

Posted on February 20, 2023 by - Marketing, Networking, Relationships

Recently I was on holiday and started talking to an American woman about what she did. She was a registered nurse who had a doctorate in medical administration. Her special area of interest was preventing heart disease. As part of her work she gives talks to various groups of people. Being who I am, I asked her if she wanted to make this some sort of business to (and remember I was talking to an American) monetise it all. (Apologies but I could not bring myself to spell monetise with a z!) She said she would love to offer products and information etc. online but didn’t know where to start. We went on to chat about other things and didn’t get back to business mode again.

The next day while eating lunch I realised I knew how to do what she needed to do, because I had done it for my (and staying in American jargon) “side hustle”—helping people lose weight by devising their plan to balance and manage their weight loss. (If you are interested here’s the link: www.glenyschattertley.uk.com). What we did was have a breakfast talking business, which felt like being home, if we had meetings that looked out over the Indian Ocean! I quickly outlined what her online “funnel” might look like (I had to explain this to her) based on what I had on my website. We also spent some time looking at marketing. I also remembered how panicky I felt when the mighty Lesley Morrissey (https://www.insidenews.co.uk) started me on the journey of online selling and also, of course, social media.

Lesley reduced my panic by not only providing her expertise but also support (think hand-holding) as we got this project off the ground. During my conversation with my new contact I could hear myself echoing some of the things Lesley had said: “You can choose how and when you do something”, “this is your business and these are my suggestions”, “You can stop at any point” etc.

During my slightly surreal breakfast meeting I amazed myself at what I knew, however I know  that I am not an expert and I believe we should always use experts and not think we know everything, so I referred her to Lesley’s page and suggested she sign up. I also reminded her that she could choose not to do anything, or choose not to anything just yet. As a potential small business. That is her right.

Now, I am back home and back into my usual networking, which I do know something about. In case you need some help with your networking. here is my gift to you: my Top 20 networking tips just follow this link: ebn.uk.com and complete the form to receive your copy.

Have fun

Glenys