Dealing with rejection in business

Rejection is an experience that happens anytime and anywhere, even more so in the business and entrepreneurial space. It is a part of the journey that new and long-time entrepreneurs alike have to deal with every now and then. 

A transaction that never prospered, a possible partnership that didn’t come through, a loan that failed, a proposal that was not accepted, and so on and so forth. These are just some of the many scenarios where rejection happens in one’s entrepreneurial journey.

Getting a “no” may often be hurtful, but it doesn’t mean that it’s the end of the road. It is just a bump or a hurdle that one has to overcome to move forward and come out better and stronger. So, how do you move past rejection and make it work for you and your business?

Never take it personally

There are various reasons when one rejects your idea or proposal, but don’t deem it as something against you as a person. It could be that they are not amenable to your price points, they don’t see a fit with their business needs, or there’s just a different opportunity or option that they prefer to take. 

“Rejection is a reality in every business and it needs to be used to fine-tune aspects of your business or product offering without taking it personally,” Nitasha Badhwar, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Sunpower Renewables, remarked.

Similarly, David Fastuca, CMO and Co-Founder of Locomote, shared this insight. He said, “Being in marketing and sales for a good part of my career, I'll probably take the line of sales, such as being able to cold call and reach out to people. As a business owner and founder, for your first hundred customers, you're doing whatever you can to get them on board and you get rejected a lot. You're interrupting people's day and you don't know the right time to reach out to them, so the biggest sort of rejection is to have these people telling you to piss off, go away, and them being rude on the call. You really need to have a thick skin and understand that you should not take it personally.”

Be resilient

Take every rejection as a lesson that will only further improve yourself and your business. Many leaders would say that a failure only becomes a failure when one stops trying. And for every success, there are countless trial-and-error and rejections that happen along the way.

“The way I've dealt with it is in light of those ways of being really resilient,” David professed. “It's not about how many times you get knocked down, but it's how many times you get up. I try to instil this ethos into my children as well, wherein to expect failure and that it's going to happen, so anticipate it and agree with it with a smile and know that every ‘no’ gets you closer to a ‘yes’. If you don't hear back from someone, it's always a ‘yes’ until it's a ‘no’,” he explained.

So, keep trying. Keep approaching people. Keep on refining and upgrading your products and services. Never allow rejection to weigh you down.

Stay positive and find an opportunity from the experience

A rejection is oftentimes a detour into something even better and bigger. Find an opportunity in a rejection. Will it lead you to a new client? Will it give you more time to do other projects? Does it give you a new idea to work on?

For David, “it's just having that approach where even if someone gives me a ‘no’ on a call, I'll smile, I thank them and I even try and turn it into something like ‘hey, it may be not right for you, but can you recommend me to someone else you think this might be a right suit for them?’ So, even if I'm taking a negative sort of conversation, I try to flip that into a positive one.”

Use it as a way to improve and progress

When rejection happens, find out the “why” behind it. Knowing the reasons can help you develop yourself and your business by fixing things that are within your control and letting go of things you can’t.

Nitasha gave an example of how rejection has enabled them to refine and enhance their products. “In our organisation, we have tried to use it to deviate from the status quo and redefine the norm. After all, Einstein once said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. An example of this would be in the early years of the business where we started with a home power system with a PAYG business model.”

She continued, “We kept reorienting the model expecting better results. That didn’t do as well as we expected due to various reasons: lack of telecom infrastructure in remote places, affordability, and issues with collecting payments to name a few. However, in listening to the market, we evolved our product offering and our business model to redefine our product, thus, creating our independent solar power station. It functions independently, allowing a customer to choose what features to add. It is not restricted by telecom infrastructure and can scale up as much as the prosumer needs. Getting rejected helped us in developing a better product.”

Next time you get rejected, go back to the drawing board and rethink the best approach forward. Have you experienced rejection in your business? How did you handle it? Share with us your thoughts and learnings through the comments section below.

Best practices on building good teamwork while working remotely

In this era of working remotely, getting your team to stay constantly connected and building a stronger relationship and dynamics among them are important to keep everyone going and motivated. The big question, however, is how? What are the things you need to do to enable you and your team to work together to achieve your business goals despite the challenges and limitations of distance and time?

Learning from the best practices of other businesses can help you look into what would be suitable for your team set-up. Entrepreneurs Clayton Cross (Head of Strategy, Expia), Ben Beattie (Managing Director, True Blue Plumbing Australia), and Rob Roy Rankin (Principal and Founder, Rankin Business Lawyers) share some tips on what they do to keep their team stronger together.

Communication system and technology

Technology plays a major role in keeping everyone connected and allowing things to continue to operate despite the limitations of physical and face-to-face interactions. Many transactions are done online, including getting teams to perform their duties and deliver their outputs.

Ben Beattie highlights the importance of “having an internal phone system that is capable of being used from home.” While it’s easy to set up communication systems in an office setting, it is quite a challenge when your team members have varying tools and resources at home. Your business must be able to support their communication needs so that you can contact each other when needed.

Similarly, Rob Roy Rankin makes sure that his team has “Mobility through the deployment of technology and by using tools like Office 365, including Teams, which supports collaboration and social interaction, ActionSteps and NetDocs. Everything is available to everyone at all times,” he stressed.

Regular online meet-ups

How often do you and your team meet online? Meetings are necessary to update each other and to check on every team member. It is also to ensure that every person receives the support and assistance needed from the team, giving them that sense of belonging to a group.

Having regular connections is one of the best practices that Clayton Cross keeps with his team, something that most businesses recognise as an important thing especially when team members are not physically together in the same space. 

This was echoed by Ben, “We up the level of communication (among our team) and ensure all meetings are still held weekly. Everyone in the team needs to still feel part of a team.”

“Connection and belongingness” are important factors for Rob. “Rankin operates with a flat structure and creates opportunities for lots of interaction, such as weekly kick-off meetings, one-to-one catch-ups, quarterly company updates and social events,” Rob said.

Flexibility and innovation in meeting styles

Flexibility at work and being considerate to the needs of every team member is also something that Ben implements in his business. That is why one of their best practices is “Being flexible. It can be nearly impossible to work from home with young kids there sometimes. Working with your staff to come up with a schedule that will allow them to achieve what they need to in a week while juggling home life is key,” he said.

Clayton, on the other hand, shared, “we change up meeting styles.” There’s something that people nowadays call virtual fatigue, so it’s good to make your meetings sometimes fun and more relaxed.

As Rob has mentioned, social events create a sense of belonging among team members, and this also applies to the virtual space. Put a bit of play into your work, to get your team hyped and motivated whenever they come online for a virtual meet-up.

Positive reinforcement

Finally, “be positive,” Clayton remarked. Positivity can go a long way in cheering someone up, giving hope to others, and encouraging your team to do their best. 

Rob also recognises that the mental well-being of team members is important. “From mindfulness training to acknowledging employees and showing appreciation for their contribution, Rankin is all about celebrating wins, big and small. We also support and champion employees’ passions and causes outside of work,” he shared.

Making your office space conducive for work

The physical space where you conduct your business or day-to-day tasks plays a major role in your productivity at work. How do you make it conducive to your job and your team?

Whether you work in the comforts of your home or you work with your colleagues in your company’s office space or you share working space with others, it is important that you take into consideration the overall environment of your work area and how it contributes to your efficiency. We’ve put together some pointers that you might want to consider to make your space more conducive for work.

Have good lighting

Good lighting is important in your work because it can increase your productivity, reduce the incidence of errors or mistakes and provide a more pleasant environment in your job. On the other hand, poor lighting can cause eye strain, headaches, stress, and even mishaps. As much as possible, have adequate lighting in the area where you are working. Check your bulbs if they are bright enough or see if your desk provides you access to the sun. Take the cue from Mark Calabro, Co-Founder of HungryHungry, who prefers that his workspace has “natural light and near the windows”.

Keep things clean and organised

John Anderton, Founder and CEO of Butterfly, keeps his space clean and organised at all times. When items in your work area are neat and in order, it is easier for you to find whatever you need on your desk. It provides you with more leeway to do the different tasks you need to do, where you can scribble, spread documents you need to read and other things needed for your job. It also allows you to focus better, lowers stress levels that may be caused by a cluttered workplace, and other psychological benefits. Whilst there are some who thrive in disarray, it is better to put your things in the right place, where it is free from dust, microbes and bacteria.

Allow the space to fit your corporate culture

How do you make your office space fit into your corporate culture? Anthony Holdstock, Director and Owner of Sharp & Carter, shares, “We make our office space conducive for connection. We want our people to connect, to love working with each other. It probably isn’t the best for productivity but it is for culture, and culture keeps people, and keeping people is a win for customers and long-term profitability and growth.” 

Get away from distractions

If your workflow is hindered by noise, movement, clutter, or something else, it is best that you find a spot where you can minimise or be free from these diversions. Mark Calabro’s tip for this is to “try and always sit away from others to avoid distractions.” You can position your work area far from where people converge or you can use a meeting room if you’re doing something urgent or have an important call, especially nowadays when most meetings are done online. If you are easily disturbed by sudden text messages or emails, you can mute them or assign a time to respond to them. 

Make the tools and things you need handy and available

Always check if your various office equipment are all working or if you have stocks of your office materials. It can cause you so much stress when the time comes that you need them and they’re not functioning or available. Also, make an audit of your office equipment if they have to be upgraded or if they are regularly needed in your business. Sometimes, you don’t have to do everything in-house and you can have some tasks be done by a supplier or a third-party agency. 

Once you identify those that are must-haves in your workplace, keep things you need more frequently within reach. John Anderton makes his space conducive for work by “having access to good coffee, keeping everything in working order and outsourcing all the boring tasks.”

Personalise it and make it more alive

It is good to put something that can inspire you to do your work better and more efficient. It can be a photo of your family and loved ones, a picture of your dream destination, a favourite quote, an artwork you love or something that will make you smile and bring you energy. Place a plant nearby. Decorate your desk. Create that space into something you’d like to walk into every day. But don’t overdo it, otherwise, having too many things can become distractions. You still have to be conscious of the space allocated for work.

How about you, how do you make your space conducive for work? Share with us your tips in our comments section below.

Do the universal laws play a part in business?

By Tui Cordemans

A few months ago, I overheard two entrepreneurs discussing holidays. One of them said to the other, “Didn’t you just have a holiday, you always seem to be on holiday. I can’t remember when I was last on holiday.” The other one responded by saying, “That is why you are more successful than me, mate.”

I couldn't help but intervene. I laughed and asked, 'Isn't having a life where you always feel as if you are on holiday a sign of great success?”  They both stared at me and then laughed as if to say 'good point'… it made complete sense to me! 

We live in a world where we are constantly busy, where we are bombarded with ideas of what represents a successful life. There seems to be a stigma attached to the notion that if you own more things, do more stuff (busy), make more money and be more of yourself,  you will be happier. Says who? 

I read that rather than constantly chasing something like success, we should just allow ourselves ‘to be’ and to go with the flow, in tune with nature. Is that even possible when you own a business?

As business owners, most of us would struggle with this concept. In fact, of all the people on the planet, we are the people who need it the most. The need to control everything often leaves us totally stressed. Our left brain thinks that we can control our destiny; the concept that the universe is actually guiding and protecting us seems impossible - bah! What universe? 

Entrepreneurs and business owners are rushing, pushing, pulling, chasing, controlling, and stressing to reach a never-ending goal, often at the cost of their physical, mental and spiritual health. We may even become alienated from family and friends. We are often not living by our highest values.  These are some of the concerns that Entrepreneurs’ Organization endeavours to help its members through its various programs, such as the Forum.

Being grateful for what you have achieved and enjoying the journey of life is really important. The best thing about this strategy is “The more you are grateful for what you have, the more you will get of that for which you are grateful for.” To me, this implies that being mindful and grateful will bring us more 'success' (or the feeling of it) than being constantly stressed and feeling as if we are not good enough.

Recently, I have been working on connecting with the universe. This involves sitting every night at my shrine and offering gratitude for everything that ‘is.’ I acknowledge that I am not alone - that no matter what risk I take or decision I make, the universe has my back, and is guiding me. Letting go of fear and the need to control dissolves the stress. Rather than becoming frazzled thinking we have all the answers, we can trust in the universe to guide us (or God, Buddha or whoever your guide might be).

I am practising letting go and accepting what ‘is’ - connecting to my life and business vision. I am working on enjoying the journey of life, rather than waiting for something to be achieved. This way, when I do work, I am working on things I feel inspired about, things that help me live my vision right now.

By embracing hope and faith, one can live a peaceful life. Constantly setting goals creates a mindset that you must achieve something to feel fulfilled. The key is to gently hold onto your goals, and visions and to surrender them to the universe. You know you have surrendered when you trust in the wisdom of the universe.

What is your life vision? What is your idea of success? Do you know what your values are and are you aligned to them? Are you feeling happy, relaxed and inspired every day? Do you have fun? Are you leading from a place of love or fear?

I encourage every business owner and entrepreneur to take a day out to just sit and visualise what your ideal life would look like. How would you feel? How would you behave, and who would you have around you? I believe that we all want the same thing, we all want the feeling of love in our lives. If we are not feeling this right now, then surely this should be the priority? When we have the feeling of love around us, everything else just seems to fall into place. 

About the author: Tui Cordemans is the Co-founder and Creative Director of Koh Living. She is also a member of EO Melbourne.

How to become an impactful public speaker

Every entrepreneur has a good story to tell. But, how do you tell a story and make a difference? How do you deal with stage fright? How do you make sure that you create an impact every time you come in front of the audience? Some of our EO Melbourne members share how they overcome this fear and make sure that their story and learnings reach their audience effectively.

We’ve got help from Appscore Co-Founder and Managing Director Alex Louey; Punchy Digital Media Managing Director Anthony Lam; WooHah Productions Founder and Director Arosh Fernando; DWM Solutions Director/General Manager and Professional EOS Implementer Jeni Clift; and Foundr Magazine CEO and Publisher Nathan Chan, who shared with us their learnings on how to become an impactful public speaker.

Preparation

“Public Speaking is something I enjoy doing, although I still get nervous after 20 years. But I know this is a good thing as preparation is key to a flawless presentation in any public speaking event,” Arosh Fernando pointed out.

This is why many public speakers always say this, “Practice, practice, practice,” which Anthony Lam also reiterated. “The first proper public speaking event I did was the Digital Marketing Summit 3 years ago. I practised the presentation until I knew it by heart. I had 4 weeks to learn and I practised 2-3 times throughout the day. But having done it once, I think it would be pretty easy to do it again, going forward,” Anthony enthused.

Proper preparation also includes putting together the right materials needed for the presentation. “Make sure your slides don't have too much text,” Nathan Chan stated, to which Jeni Clift added, “Just a handful of slides – not death by PowerPoint.”

Connecting with the audience

Being able to resonate with your audience is an important factor in a powerful presentation. “Really make sure that you understand the audience you are speaking to,” Nathan remarked. That entails “Talking TO the audience and not to the lectern or the screen behind you,” as Jeni advised.

In order to keep your audience focused on your message, “Keep still and stay in control of your hands. It is so distracting for people to be pacing the stage or waving their hands around as that will probably make you lose your audience,” Jeni added.

It also helps that you acknowledge your audience every now and then during your presentation. “My biggest tip for public speaking is to pump up your audience by telling them how amazing they are,” Alex Louey said.

On the other hand, Anthony shared an interesting insight. “Lower the bar. I always try to share very advanced tips, which I find they confuse the audience at times. It's always better to lower the bar on how ‘amazing’ the content needs to be and keep it simple. More times than not, what I find as ‘common knowledge’ is what the audience will relate to and find most interesting,” he stated.

Delivery and presentation proper

Once you have prepared well and connected with your audience, be mindful of the delivery of your messages. Arosh’s tip is to break it into segments. “Have an intro or icebreaker, make your content interesting like ‘5 Things I Love Doing When Public Speaking’, and highlight the value and summary. This helps the content to stick because sticky content is what people remember. Keeping it short and sharp will make it impactful rather than long drawn out speeches,” he shared.

For Alex, it is also important that you “slow down your speaking by pausing so you don’t sound rushed.”

Moreover, a good story can make the audience relate to you and remember what you are trying to convey. “I love to use a story to articulate what I need to get across,” Arosh said. This is echoed by Nathan, “Tell as many stories as you can. They are what people remember the most. Lastly, be vulnerable.”

These are simple yet very helpful tips for those who may soon be facing a group of people to speak about their business or a particular topic. If you have additional tips on public speaking that you’d want to share, please feel free to drop them in our comment section below.

5 ways you can easily make your business more environment-friendly

“Go Green.” We often see this call-to-action in advertisements, advocacy campaigns and establishments. Businesses have become more conscious of their impact on the environment and have joined efforts in minimising their carbon footprint to help preserve our planet’s biodiversity. But how do you get your business and your entire team to go green?

Making your company more environmentally friendly entails great responsibility as it involves the way you do business. However, you can always start with a few steps that can lead to achieving greater things.

Before you map out how to make your company be a green business, it is good to first take a look at companies that practise eco-friendly methods or consult experts that are knowledgeable on this area, then have a committee within your organisation that will help plan and execute your initiatives.

At EO Melbourne, we are privileged to have all these businesses that are operating in this field: Energy Ease, Pacific Solar, Sunwiz, Sunpower Renewables, TCK Solar, and Your Energy Partner.

To give you ideas on where to start, here are five ways on how your business can become eco-friendly:

1.       Reduce, reuse, recycle

Minimising waste, utilising things again after use, and making new products from waste or used items are among the basic methods of being an environmentally-responsible citizen. These three words summarise the ways we can help our planet. To put these into practice, you can segregate your wastes so that you can reuse bottles and plastic containers or create something from fabric or paper products.

To cut down on waste, avoid the use of paper cups, plates or utensils and instead choose reusable mugs and utensils in your office. Go paperless by having forms or documents in electronic copies. If printing on paper is necessary, use both sides or utilise again the blank pages at the back of old files. Also, brief your employees the proper way of doing this because educating your team is key to getting them on board and encouraging them to take action.

2.       Use products and supplies that are energy-efficient or from sustainable sources

Make sure you use non-toxic cleaning products or you buy organic products for your meals and other supplies. Replace old appliances with energy-efficient ones and use LED lights instead of incandescent bulbs. Prefer recycled products as much as you can. Choose suppliers that are also practising eco-friendly ways and look for local vendors for your materials and equipment.

Also, check out your office design and find alternative ways where you will be able to use more energy-efficient materials or tools in your day-to-day office activities. Carpool if you must, and limit transportation by doing online meetings or voice calls.

3.       Conserve water and electricity

Water and electricity are a staple for every household and most especially businesses. As we use them every day, we need to be conscious of their usage as there can be activities or practices that result in a lot of wastage of these resources. Use as much natural light in your offices as much as possible. If the design limits having natural light in your workplace, consider installing motion sensors for lights in your meeting or rooms and faucets in your toilets and pantries.

Another option is to observe lights-off hours during breaks or after office hours. You can shift to desk lights when there are fewer people in the office. Always put reminders to turn off lights and electronic appliances when not in use.

4.       Put plants or have a garden in your office

Plants not only make an office attractive but they also clean the air. Also, plants help reduce noise levels, relieve people from stress, increase productivity, enhance creativity, combat illnesses and lower absence rates.

Aside from that, having some greens or a garden in your office also reminds you and your team to be always conscious of the environment. Assign them a plant or give them a schedule to take care of your office garden so that everyone takes accountability in looking after them and carries these responsibilities wherever they are, being mindful of their duty in protecting our planet’s resources.

5.       Use alternative sources of energy

You can install solar panels, windmills or rain catchers in your work areas to utilise alternative sources of energy. While this may be easier said and done, it can be achieved with careful planning and good execution. It is a good step towards becoming a more environmentally friendly business.

You can start with these initiatives and expand your company’s green campaign as you go along. And before you bring this to your external audience, be sure to run an internal campaign among your team members so that it becomes part of your corporate culture. The important thing is to embed the mindset and values of being responsible for taking care of our environment within your organisation.

Do you have other suggestions on how to make a business eco-friendly? Share with us in the comment section below.

Bring out your inner warrior to confront an uncertain 2021

By Tui Cordemans

Instagram posts are full of inspiring optimism for 2021. We just couldn’t wait for 2020 to end and for 2021 to start. It is as if something magical happens when one year turns into another. Hence, we make New Year’s resolutions. But why do we have to wait for a New Year?  I don’t know about you, but I have never had a New Year’s resolution come to fruition unless I have worked hard at making it happen. Things do not magically transpire just because one year turns into another.

When I ponder over the concept of uncertainty and how uncertain we are feeling about next year, I realise that in reality, the future is never certain - so why do we worry about it now? If you reminisce about your years as an adolescent or young adult, you will probably admit that you never thought about the future, let alone whether it was certain or uncertain. One merely lived in the moment. I practice yoga regularly, and when I am doing my yoga poses, I consciously bring myself back to the present moment; when I achieve that moment, I feel much stronger in my poses.  If professional athletes took their minds off the present moment, they could compromise their balance and the game.

Life is always uncertain, but now it seems to be more so.  Who would have ever thought that a government would shut businesses down in a blink of an eye? This possibility is what is causing the most uncertainty. Does this uncertainty have an end?  Happily, we can prepare for this possibility and have our businesses ready to navigate a crisis. Remember, a business should always be crisis-proofed – prepared for the unexpected.

Warrior strategies to help you thrive in 2021

Focus on the present moment

As leaders, we must have goals and a clear picture of our future. But, the truth is that there is nothing more real than the NOW. You can save your ideal future for a visualisation exercise.  However, when you are in business, living in the present moment is when you will be most powerful.  What is more, just watch how your stress levels drop. When you are with your customers, be present with them. The more you know your customers, the more you will be able to satisfy their needs. When you give your customers what they want, you will become important to them and they will remember you when there is a crisis.

Be a creative and perceptive warrior

There were times during the pandemic when I felt I was slipping into victimhood – why did I not do more? Chastising oneself is not the way of a warrior; neither is pitying oneself an effective way of dealing with a crisis.  In November, I had a couple of bad days, so I took some time out to analyse the year and what had led to this state of affairs; what part had I played?

I visualised a Viking riding a magnificent horse and leading his people into battle. What were the stellar qualities that made him a strong leader?

The qualities I imagined a warrior would need to get through a crisis were: focus, strength (good health), caring for the needs of others (your customers/staff), standing up for their beliefs (purpose), foresight (strategy), faith and determination. Warriors have a purpose and a belief. They are courageous and they instil in their followers a winning spirit. They do not wallow in pity or expect others to make them feel better; they push forward, leading the way through adversity.

We can adapt the qualities of a warrior to our respective circumstances. Using our creativity, we can navigate our way through the crisis. Now, imagine yourself as a creative warrior on a horse and work out which qualities you need to get yourself and your people through a crisis.

Buckle Up

This year, I discovered that we could not always predict where our money was going to come from, but we could predict what we will spend. Last week, I admitted to my 80-year-old neighbour that my generation had been spoiled, and she agreed. She went on to say that as a child, she only owned one pair of shoes and that during the war and the recession, her mum had tightened her belt and kept expenses to an absolute minimum. In other words, business owners need to buckle up!

Know your purpose

In the same way that a warrior in battle is clear about his purpose and why he will win, we need to be just as clear as to why we are in business and why our business will excel. When our goal is infinite, we do not need to worry about finite goals not being reached. It is about believing in something bigger than ourselves. At Koh Living, our purpose is to make people feel important and loved through the creation of unique art-inspired gifts. What big goal are you working towards that will have an impact on this world or the people in it? Is it infinite and are your staff connected to this big vision?

During an EO APAC meeting this year, I realised that one’s purpose can begin in one’s own backyard. Do not be deterred by bigger businesses that devote part of their profit to grandiose philanthropic activities. What you can achieve is relative to the size of your business. As you grow, you can do more; the more people you impact, the more it will benefit you and your business.

 "Never let a good crisis go to waste."

- Winston Churchill

Learn the lessons – what will you stop doing, what will you start doing, what will you keep doing?

Many people have noted how weird or difficult 2020 has been, and we agree. However, our generation has had a fairly easy ride. Past generations have suffered more. But suffering can be beneficial as it can make us more empathetic, stronger and resilient. Successfully navigating a crisis can prepare us for confronting the next crisis.

Winston Churchill always said, never waste a crisis – this will mean something different for each person. For myself, suffering is only beneficial if I am open to the message it is sending. What is that one lesson I have to learn?

When we failed to reach our finite goals in 2020, I was hard on myself - until I realised that what mattered was our infinite goal. I also realised that it’s not even about the goal, it’s about reflecting on the journey. If it’s about the journey, then I need to understand that journeys will always have ups and downs. I then asked myself, “What had I done over the last few years that was stifling our growth?” At that point, I knew what it was that I needed to STOP doing and what I needed to START doing. This gave me 3 strategies for 2021 that I could use to feel confident in navigating an uncertain environment.

As business owners, we are often too ‘busy’ to stop, slow down, reflect, (be receptive) or meditate. This is usually to the detriment of our business and our personal lives. We should always start our days in meditation, reflection and visualisation to ‘create’ the environment in our minds that will allow us to live our most purposeful, authentic and sovereign lives.

How have your market and your customers changed?

To keep your business going forward, you have to understand what your customers need - this is not something new. However, during a crisis, people’s needs change temporarily and it is important to understand what these changes are so you can give your customers solutions. People are creatures of habit, and their basic needs will not change. After the great wars, people eventually returned to their previous way of life, but initially, they tightened their belts and their spending. So, adapting your prices according to customers’ ability to spend would be something to take into account. People’s shopping habits were already changing before the pandemic, but now, this change has shot forward by at least 5 years.

There is a multitude of strategies you can implement during a crisis, and I have chosen some of the most useful. Crucial to success is creating the right state of mind. From a holistic perspective, it’s important to have a healthy mind and body to keep 10 steps ahead. It is often hard to keep up with our personal or work routines when a crisis strikes, but this is exactly what we need to do. Routine in a baby’s life ensures stability for both mom and baby; routine keeps things ticking along nicely and this is no different to anything else in life. When life is rocky, we need that stability. Routine and discipline support us along our path of purpose, towards our infinite goal. Applying the lessons we have learnt will make that journey even more stable.

About the author: Tui Cordemans is the Co-founder and Creative Director of Koh Living. She is also a member of EO Melbourne.

How to keep your office space neat and tidy

Work never stops in an office. Every day, there are new tasks to perform, new fires to put out, new targets to reach and new ideas to execute. Things-to-do keep piling up on your desk and in your inbox. Before you know it, you are already swamped with a lot of files that you miss out on some important matters that needed your attention.

There are people who thrive in a chaotic environment. But more often than not, a messy work area can adversely affect your performance in your job. A cluttered physical space can affect your mental health as it can increase stress and anxiety, bring confusion to your thoughts and block your creativity and workflow. A tidy desk can help you relax and breathe better. It’s about time to put some order in your office area and do things more efficiently. We’re giving you tips on how you can manage your papers, computer files and items on your desk and work station.

O - Organise

Before you begin implementing changes in your office space and computer, create a plan first on how you will arrange and categorise items. How will you put things together and where will you put them? Designate areas where to place confidential files, urgent matters, and personal stuff. You can do the same thing with your computer files.

R – Re-examine your belongings

Assess your effects on your table to see which ones should go away and which ones should remain. As you go through your items, you might realise that you missed out allocating things for certain categories. There may be personal items that are better kept at home. You might even come across documents that should be given to your colleagues or materials that belong to your library or common office shelf.

D - Declutter

Tidy up and leave as much space as you can for you to move around and work better. Personal effects must be kept at a minimum. No need to put a collection of items on your desk or office. Keep piles of papers off your table. Go as paperless as you can. There are many cloud storage sites where you can upload certain files to free up your computer space.

E - Eliminate non-essentials

Drafts and non-important paper files that are no longer needed should be taken out from your pile of documents. Books that you do not even read but you put there for decoration may have to go away. Contracts and other legal papers from years past may need to be archived or kept hidden. Others probably belong to the trash bin.

R - Retain only what’s important

What are the urgent matters? You may hang on to certain things but make sure they are important. Sort your belongings according to your priorities and their relevance to your job. Maintain some items that make you happy and inspire you to work.

With a neat and orderly office, you can easily locate important objects and note urgent matters. It also clears your mind and allows you to think freely. Moreover, a clean and tidy surrounding also promotes a healthier lifestyle. Make it also a daily, weekly and monthly habit to declutter in the office.

12 YouTube channels for entrepreneurs

One of the great resources of information for entrepreneurs is YouTube. There are plenty of things that can be found in this platform, varying from several genres and interests. To help you find amazing content, we have listed down 12 YouTube channels that you can follow and watch their videos that are rich in insights and learnings.

TED

This channel brings you talks from various experts and remarkable ideas during the TED conferences straight to your computer and smartphone screens. You can pick up the lessons from business leaders and bring them to your enterprise.

Gary Vaynerchuk

As chairman of media and communications company VaynerX, Gary Vaynerchuk, known as Gary Vee, shares his life as an entrepreneur and his thoughts on business through his YouTube channel. You can also watch his keynote speeches, pod sessions, advice, interviews and even rants through the various videos posted on this platform.

Behind The Brand

Bryan Elliot takes us to how things happen behind the brands we know. Hear the stories of entrepreneurs, innovators, celebrities, athletes and artists as they talk about how they brought their brands to success.

Marie Forleo

Describing herself as a “Multi-Passionate Entrepreneur”, Marie Forleo came up with her online show, MarieTV, which is recognised by many award-giving bodies. She also has training programs and books to help her audience succeed in life and business. Her YouTube channel features her interviews with various personalities as they share their lessons, tips and ideas.

Pat Flynn

Learn from the many things Pat Flynn did to create passive income after he got laid off in 2008. He experimented on several initiatives, and he shares his experiences through his YouTube channel. He tackles topics about how to make money online and features other interesting discussions.

Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy specialises in the training and development of organisations and individuals. As the man behind the best-selling books Maximum Achievement Goal Planner, Speak to Win and Eat That Frog, Brian fills his channel with step-by-step guides, tips and recommendations, and other insights that are helpful to one’s entrepreneurial journey.

FightMediocrity

If you want to think big and fight mediocrity, browse through this channel that captures the audience not only for its rich content but also for its interesting presentation. The videos are animated sketches of lessons from self-help and development books that make them easy to digest and understand.

Moz

Moz is known for its website analytics, such as domain and page authorities of sites and SEO. Over the years, Moz has produced software and marketing products that help boost online presence. Because the internet is a complicated web, Moz has come up with a YouTube channel that enables businesses and individuals to understand the various concepts of the cyber world and how to navigate their way towards a successful online marketing campaign.

Business Insider

Business and financial news site Business Insider brings some of its stories into a video format curated in their YouTube channel. Watch short features on businesses and brands, interesting information about products and thought-provoking stories of personalities.

Startup Grind

This community of startups has come up with monthly events that help educate and support entrepreneurs. To cater to its community worldwide, they brought the content of their Global Conference to their YouTube channel that others can watch and learn some business lessons.

Y Combinator

Helping out startups is at the core of Y Combinator. They provide seed funding for new businesses. Apart from financial support, they also plant ideas to help ventures grow. They’re even sharing wonderful stories and learnings through their YouTube videos.

Prosperity TV

Critical thinker Randy Gage wants to inspire people and help transform their lives. He believes that everyone is born rich, so he hopes to create a prosperity mindset in others through his books, speeches and videos. In his YouTube channel, he touches on various topics that can motivate people to aim and work towards success.

Sometimes, you may not have the time to attend all the talks and conferences even when there are great speakers in the line-up. But thanks to video sharing sites like YouTube, you can watch and replay these talks and interviews and make them your guide to your entrepreneurial journey.

However, if you prefer getting help from other entrepreneurs through face-to-face engagement, you can hear their stories through learning events and forums in groups like EO Melbourne. You can complement the learnings you get from YouTube channels and other resources with those you acquire from like-minded individuals around you. Bring these lessons together and map out your entrepreneurial journey towards achieving your goals.

The similarities between dating and customer relations

Others may think that business is a cold-hearted transaction devoid of any emotion. But what they fail to see is that companies that thrive and succeed are those that place a high value on their relationships with their stakeholders, such as their patrons and consumers.

Whether it’s a retail business or a B2B company, good rapport with the customer or client is necessary to keep things going. Several studies point out that the cost of acquiring a new customer is higher compared to retaining existing ones. To capture your client’s interest and secure their loyalty, you have to put your focus on understanding them, their wants and needs. It’s like courting someone you like and make that person fall in love with you. We can probably use a few ideas from dating and apply them to customer relations.

Attracting their attention

When you set your eyes on someone you want to woo, you will do certain things to gain their attention. You send flowers, write romantic messages, dress up or make your presence known to that person. In marketing, you need to be out there. You come up with advertisements, utilise social media, beautify your store, polish your website or create a beautiful packaging and catchy taglines. Sometimes you have to customise your approach depending on the response of a particular client or consumer. Before you plan out your strategies, you have to find out what ticks and clicks to your prospective customers by conducting research that can provide insight into their preferences.

Getting them excited

If obtaining the attention is the first hurdle, the next one is to get the person interested. You have to excite them to get a second, third or more dates. It’s the same thing with customers. The first engagement with them should be memorable, but you have to come up with other means to make them come back for more. It’s either you sign them up for a rewards system, offer a discount on their next transaction or highlight your unique value proposition to gain their trust and confidence to your brand. Make them look forward to recurring encounters with you.

Communicating good news and issues

One of the reasons why relationships fail is that both partners do not communicate properly. As you get to know each other more, you have to express your appreciation of the person or discuss issues in the onset. Similarly, customers are pleased when brands inform them of milestones, good news and possible concerns ahead of time. Whether you do email blasts, social media posts or community forums, constant communication with your customers will make them feel valued, especially if you listen to their suggestions and get their feedback.

Resolving problems

No relationship is perfect. There will always be misunderstandings and disappointments. But you have to work hard to go beyond that bump if you truly want lasting relations with the person you love. If there is a problem, you can nip it in the bud before it blows out of proportion by finding a resolution. When it comes to business, make sure to resolve any problem that your customer may encounter with your product or service. You can go the extra mile in assisting your clients, particularly your loyal patrons so that they will keep coming back regardless of the hiccups.

Elevating the relationship

A relationship is like a journey. You either move forward or go backwards. Despite the ups and downs, you have to put more effort to strengthen the bond. Customers of companies that show strong rapport with their clientele often turn out as ambassadors and help attract new patrons. You have to come up with ways to elevate the affiliation of your loyal clients to your company so that you grow together in this journey. This is one reason why some brands build online communities to involve their consumers to their brand.

The question now is this: Is your relationship with your customers only for now or is it for keeps? Whether it will lead to an enduring and deeper correlation or something temporary, you alone can give the answer to this. It all depends on your actions. If you know your customers better, you will know the right path to forge ahead.