Professional development Archives - Page 18 of 27

Put a number on it

By Jim Connolly | November 15, 2019

I have a very quick, yet powerful marketing tip for you today.

Decide what you want from your business, in all the key areas. Then, turn that want into a target, by putting a number on it.

You can’t hit a target that doesn’t exist

It’s ineffective to say you want more customers or you want to grow your business.

Why?

Because the thing you want is undefined. It’s non-specific. So, you can’t focus on it. However, as soon as you put a number on it, you have a target. And your target then allows you to make all future marketing decisions with clarity.

For example, there are things you’ll need to do in order to attract 4,000 new customers over the next 12 months, which you won’t need to do, if you only want to attract 40. The number is what gives you your target. And your target will then rule in, or rule out, certain strategies. It will also let you accurately measure whether you’re on track or not.

Here are just a few areas where you need number-based targets, in order to make the right decisions.

How will you know when you have enough money in the bank? Put a number on it.
How will you know when your business is valuable enough? Put a number on it.
How will you know when you are getting enough word of mouth referrals? Put a number on it.
How will you know when your business is retaining enough existing clients? Put a number on it.
How will you know when your profitability is high enough? Put a number on it.
How will you know when you have enough subscribers? Put a number on it.
How will you know when you have enough visitors to your website? Put a number on it.
How will you know when your professional network is large enough? Put a number on it.

Replacing general goals with specific targets makes all the difference. And if you are serious about absolutely smashing your targets, let’s talk about it.

Your marketplace is watching. Give them something to remember!

By Jim Connolly | November 8, 2019

Photo: Shutterstock.

All of your clients (and prospective clients) have something in common. Something that you need to be aware of, if you want to market your business successfully.

It’s simply this: They notice things. Even the things they never mention to you.

For example.

They notice if you treat them like stars in order to get their custom, then treat them like numbers once you have it.
They notice if you promise their project will be delivered on schedule, but you’re late.
They notice if you’re more focused on what’s in it for you, than what’s best for them.

Thankfully it works both ways, because they also notice.

When you treat them like stars in order to get their custom, then treat them like superstars once you have their custom.
When you promise their project will be delivered on schedule, then deliver their project (and your promise) on schedule.
When you’re more focused on what’s best for them, than what’s in it for you.

Here’s why this is massively important to your business

Not every client complains when they’re receiving a poor service. The vast majority say nothing. However, they’re highly likely to take their custom to a competitor.

Not every client says “thank you” when you’re delivering an outstanding service. However, they’re highly likely to remain your client and to recommend you to everyone.

People notice what you do. So do something worth noticing. And look for opportunities to do it every day.

When you’re 1% away from switching the light on, you’re still in the dark

By Jim Connolly | September 28, 2019

marketing, business success

As we approach the final quarter of the year, people have started asking me who I think the winners in 2019 will be. Here’s my prediction, along with some tips you can use, to finish the year stronger.

It’s based on one of the many things I learned decades ago, from the late Jim Rohn.

To paraphrase Jim: The business owners who will have thrived this year, will be the same type of people who thrived last year. And they’re the same type of people who will win big next year, too.

Who are these business owners and what do they do differently from the rest of the pack? Here are 3 examples, along with links to longer answers, if you want to dig deeper for ideas.

They’re the business owners who do all the work

I’ve been in business for almost 25 years and helped thousands of business owners succeed. I’ve discovered that whenever a business reaches a plateau, it’s always down to one or more decisions the owner is avoiding. They will tell you they give their business 100%, when what they often mean is they do 100%… of the things they are comfortable with.

My tip to any business owner who’s not getting the results they want, is this. Always start by looking for a decision you’re avoiding.

Then take action. Because 99% isn’t enough. And here’s why, along with what to do.

Remember: when you’re just 1% away from switching a light on… you’re still in the dark!

They’re the business owners who protect their thinking

They avoid the people whose influence is causing them to stumble. We all know that the influence of positive people causes us to improve. That’s because these amazing people bring energy and ideas with them. This is why business leaders join mastermind groups. It’s why they surround themselves with other leaders.

However, pessimistic or negative people do the exact opposite. This is why we have to limit our association with them as much as possible. They leave us worse than they find us. They are a source of problems, stress and confusion. They drain our energy, dent our confidence and cause us to lower our expectations. And as one of my mentors used to say, if you associate with negative people for long enough, one day everything they have will be yours.

Note: There’s more on this extremely important topic here.

They’re the business owners who back themselves

When they believe in something, they take decisive action. These business owners understand that success is not anointed.

This is the mindset behind every leader, not just in business. It’s not that these people are fearless. They get fearful when they need to leave their comfort zone. We all do. What’s different, is that leaders use fear as their compass. As Susan Jeffers said, they “Feel the fear, and do it anyway”.

I hope you find these observations useful. More importantly my friend, I hope you do something with them.

How to win big, when the economic forecast looks bleak

By Jim Connolly | August 23, 2019

When people are afraid, it’s often said that they’re scared stiff. That’s because fear has the power to stop us in our tracks.

And with good reason.

When people lived in caves and the roar of a huge predator scared them into hunkering down, until the threat had passed, it was a life saving strategy to be scared stiff.

However, the business owner who applies that cavemen fear strategy to their business, places a very low ceiling on their potential. Being scared into inaction is always a mistake. Often fatal.

In fact, it’s at times like this that real leaders lead. And it’s where some of the biggest gains of their lives can be made!

For example, when there are negative economic forecasts for their country, industry (or both), their entrepreneurial brain gets to work. They know their fear-frozen competitors will stand still. So they develop a strategy to gain a disproportionate chunk of market-share.

One of my business mentors had a great tip, about dealing with fear. It went something like this:

If you notice fear is stopping you from moving forward, ask yourself what direction the fear is leading you. And if you don’t like the direction, wake up and start leading your business. Because it desperately needs you to regain control.

We know from the 2009 global recession, that fear focused competitors will start cutting back, as they take in the economic warnings. Doubly so, for my UK / European readers; as brexit looms and they have no idea exactly how it will hit them, their customers, clients or suppliers.

That creates a massive vacuum.

A huge chasm of inaction.

And a vast expanse of rare potential!

That expanse will be filled, just as it was in 2009, by strategic, proactive business owners. Business owners with the entrepreneurial spirit to embrace the opportunity and move their businesses forward. Business owners like you, my friend.

Are people holding you back? Here’s what you need to know

By Jim Connolly | May 4, 2019

There’s a pattern for success that seems to repeat itself again and again.

I’d like to share it with you.

It’s simply this: Successful people are very selective, regarding who they associate with.

The reason this is so important, is that everyone we give our attention to influences us. Think about it. When you spend time with an optimistic person, your attitude and overall mood improves. Conversely, when you spend time with a negative person, your fears and doubts increase.

One of my mentors once gave me the following advice. “If you hang around with people who’re going nowhere, one day, everything they have will be yours“!

Thankfully, the opposite is also true.

Get around the right people

By associating with successful people, you’ll massively increase your own chances of success. The conversations and inspirations you’ll expose yourself to will be consistent with progress and achievement. Their expectations from your successful associates will also be greater, causing you to raise the bar.

This all combines to improve how you think. As your thinking improves you will find yourself making better decisions. And as decisions precede your actions, your results will improve.

This sets a positive cycle in place, which creates unstoppable momentum. It’s one of the least discussed professional development strategies, yet it’s also one of the most powerful.

We don’t live in a bubble

Life is complicated. As such, there are some people we need to be around from time to time, who are negative. This could be a family member. It might be the person next who’s going through a tough situation. That person in need could be you or me one day, and we wouldn’t want people turning their backs on us!

It’s not about avoiding people when they require help.

It’s about balance.

This simply means not spending unnecessary time with people who have a damaging impact on us. And proactively associating with those who inspire us to be the best people we can be.

The cookie cutter guide to destroying your business

By Jim Connolly | May 3, 2019

Today’s post comes with a warning. Don’t rely on general advice to solve a serious, specific problem.

I’m writing this, following a surge in emails from readers who’ve wasted time and money making the same mistake. I want to help you avoid this common and expensive error.

Let’s start by looking at the best way to mass produce cookies!

Cookie cutters are highly effective. They let you create lots of identical looking cookies, really fast, based on an identical template.

Of course, this means they’re of no value whatsoever, if you want to create individually hand-crafted cookies.

Why am I telling you about cookie cutters?

Simple. The marketplace is packed with cookie cutter guides to marketing. These marketing seminars, books and online courses are designed to deliver step-by-step instructions, which anyone can use to produce ‘marketing’. They’re strikingly similar and extremely general.

They have to be. Because they’re designed to be sold to as wide a range of business owners as possible.

This model works EXTREMELY well for those selling online marketing seminars, marketing programs and digital marketing products. Why? Because production costs are low and it scales to infinity! They create a generic product once, which can be sold unlimited times at an enormous profit. That’s why we’re seeing more and more of these products being sold.

However, it doesn’t work for the end user. I see this confirmed in increasing numbers, from readers who’ve wasted time, lost money and missed opportunities to grow, by following general, unspecific marketing advice.

Think about it: When your marketing is similar to everyone else who’s using these general marketing ideas, your marketing becomes camouflaged. Lost in an ocean of businesses, doing extremely similar things.

This makes it way too hard for prospective clients to find you.
And if they do find you, you’ll look too similar to your competitors, so there’s no reason to contact you.
Oh, and if they do contact you, they’ll be price sensitive, because you seem like all the others. When providers look similar, prices or fees are used to determine value.

My advice to you?

Ignore the cookie cutter!

Successful marketing is always specific. It’s about getting noticed by your prospective clients and giving them compelling reasons to hire you or buy from you. It’s about developing marketing that’s focused on your unique business and your unique goals. It’s about identifying the exact type of clients you want to attract, then making your business irresistible to them.

So, ignore the cookie cutter.

Get intentional.

Rise above the noise of all that generic marketing, which is currently making you invisible to people who want to hire you or buy from you.

That’s the only way to get the attention you need, the sales you need and the results you need.

I’m here for you

By Jim Connolly | April 17, 2019

If you’ve ever been an a difficult situation, you’ll know there’s amazing power in those 4 words. Just knowing someone cares enough to want to help us, by itself, can improve things.

What does this have to do with business?

Here’s the thing: Not every business owner reaches out to help others. This includes many business owners who have a kind heart and feel they ought to do more commercially, to help others in need. It’s understandable. By default, business owners are busy people. They have problems of their own to deal with. And they have employees and customers relying on them. Too few hours in the day, etc.

Of course, the same is true of all those business owners, who DO offer to help. If anything, they’re often even busier than the business owners, who tend not to reach out and help.

Is there a business case for genuine kindness?

I don’t know.

Maybe looking for a commercial angle renders the whole thing pointless. It ceases to be an act of kindness, and instead, becomes a calculated tactic, disguised as kindness. And once the target learns that someone tried to profit from their difficult situation, any good faith is destroyed.

Here’s what I do know.

Business is all about people, so it tends to reflect life in general. Just as selfish people usually have fewer friends, business owners who are perceived as selfish tend to have fewer business contacts, who feel motivated to recommend them and their selfish approach.

Since starting my business in 1994, here’s what I’ve found, time and time again: Business owners who are contribution focused, are regularly talked about for all the right reasons. They have zero problem with referrals, as people eagerly recommend them. Think about it… it’s more rewarding and less risky, to recommend someone who’s known for their kindness.

So, maybe there is an unintentional benefit from operating our business from a contribution mindset.

That’s worth considering, if you’re a business owner, with a kind heart, who wants to help, but finds it hard to justify the time required.

How to become THAT person

By Jim Connolly | February 22, 2019

We all have them: The people we turn to when we have a problem. I’m referring to that person, whose name pops into our mind when a certain type of challenge comes our way.

As business owners, one of our main priorities is to become that person, for our marketplace. So when they have the kind of problem, which we specialise in solving, our name pops into their mind.

Becoming that person

If we want to know how to become that person, a great place to start is to consider the people, who fill that role in our lives. How did they capture our attention and then earn our trust?

It often looks something like this:

It was by being visible (so we could find them when we needed them).
It was by being approachable (so we felt comfortable contacting them).
And it was by demonstrating their competence in advance (so we thought they might have the answer we needed).

All three of those can be achieved, when someone recommends us to one of their friends.

However…

They can also be achieved in a more targeted and repeatable way, via effective content marketing. Newsletters, blog posts, vlogging and podcasts all provide us with the opportunity to be findable, demonstrate how approachable we are and showcase our knowledge.

You’re already that person, my friend. Don’t keep it a secret.

How to know if you have a winning idea

By Jim Connolly | February 8, 2019

If you’re in the process of making an important business decision, today’s post is just for you. At the very least, it will help you increase your chances of a successful outcome.

Okay. Let’s go!

I’d like to start by sharing something with you. It’s about certain questions, which people ask me all the time.

Here’s just a small sample.

If I provide (whatever) as a new service, will it be successful?
Will I be more successful, if I become a niche provider, rather than a generalist?
Is (whatever) a good name for my new business, product or service?

If you take a closer look at those questions, you’ll notice they have something in common. They’re all decisions. And by asking me the question, the questioner is asking me to decide.

Great ideas are not anointed

Here’s the problem with that approach: Great ideas are not anointed. There are many factors, which determine whether a business idea will fly or flop. Ironically, one of them is the ability of the business owner to make business decisions.

For example, when the first tablet computers were made (years before the iPad), they flopped. They flopped, not because tablet devices were a bad idea. Apple’s success proved that beyond all doubt. They flopped because of the poor decisions that were made about the design, development, marketing, pricing and quality of the first tablet devices.

Will that idea of yours succeed?

If the research stacks up.

If the numbers work.

If you’re committed to making timely decisions based on good data.

If it’s marketed professionally… you’ll possibly knock it out of the park.

But you’ll only know for certain, if you try. Yes, there’s a risk attached to trying. In fact, there’s a risk attached to every decision.

Think about it, even the decision to do nothing, is itself, a MAJOR decision. And it’s a major decision, that comes with a huge risk attached.

Really?

Yes! Every time we choose to do nothing, we close the door on a potential opportunity. That’s a risky strategy, unless we know for certain that our idea can’t succeed. And it’s hard to know for certain, if we refuse to, at the very least, give our idea a try.

10 Reasons to be massively optimistic about your business

By Jim Connolly | February 7, 2019

You’re never more than one idea away from a life-changing, breakthrough result.
And you’re never more than one email or phone call away from your biggest order or best ever client enquiry. I was reminded of this last month, when a client informed me that he’d just landed his first ever million dollar contract. Just 10 months earlier, he was close to quitting!
You can increase your fees (or prices) by 200%, as long as you increase your value to the marketplace by 200%, first. Of course, the same is true of a 300% fee increase, etc.
Whatever problem you’re facing right now, has already been overcome by countless other business owners. This means the answer you need is already out there. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.
Business doesn’t need to be boring. Remember, you’re in control. You can choose to do work that truly inspires you.
And because you’re in control, you don’t have to work for low quality clients, either. As I said last week, you can’t build a great business with bad clients.
Thanks to social networks, you can listen to your marketplace and find out exactly what they want. This means you can develop a product or service, knowing in advance that the demand will be high. No more guessing!
You’re living in the golden age of business. This is the era, which past generations dreamed of. For example, YouTube gives you a free, global TV channel. WordPress gives you a free, global publishing platform and Gmail gives you free, global message distribution.
Fact: When you improve your strategy, you improve your results. And you can choose to improve your strategy any time you want to.
Finally, you don’t need to hunker down and “hope” things will improve. You can choose get moving on anything listed above, right now, and start enjoying the results.

Is toxic marketing losing you a fortune? Probably. Here’s why!

By Jim Connolly | January 23, 2019

Did you know, healthy marketing and healthy eating share something in common?

Well, they do. It’s this:

There’s more than one method for healthy eating. The challenge comes, when you combine ideas from a number of conflicting methods. This creates a toxic mix, which can make you sick.
There’s also more than one way to successfully market a business. And just like the previous example, you can create a devastatingly toxic mix, by combining ideas from conflicting marketing methods.

Here’s why this matters

Almost every small business owner is needlessly losing a fortune and missing great opportunities, thanks to a toxic marketing mix.

There are dozens of extremely common examples. Here are just a few to help illustrate what I mean.

The consultants who promise a high value service, yet work for average or below average fees. They seem unaware, how people are warned from childhood that quality doesn’t come cheap. That if something looks too good to be true, it is too good to be true. This kind of mixed marketing warns your marketplace not to believe you.
The business owner who wants to SEO their content for maximum search traffic, and also wants to maximise that same content, to inspire people to hire them or buy from them. It doesn’t work. Write for search engine algorithms or write to utterly compel people to make a purchasing decision. Choose: Machines or people? Do both and you’ll fail on both counts.
The service providers who claim to be in high demand, yet who beg strangers to book a free consultation with them, via their website. Unaware how needy and desperate they look, they wonder why people won’t talk to them for free.

Sadly, not every toxic marketing mix is obvious to the untrained eye. That’s why they’re so common.

But as we enter such an uncertain time for the global economy, the savvy business owner must (at least try) and spot them.

15 Essential questions for EVERY business owner

By Jim Connolly | January 22, 2019

Who are you allowing to influence your business decisions and have they earned that position?
What’s the single biggest hurdle to your success right now (and what do you plan to do about it)?
How can you make it feel less risky, for people to hire you or buy from you? This will help.
Do you have a strategy in place, to find out why time-wasters respond to your marketing?
What’s the biggest threat facing your prospective clients in 2019 and how are you helping them prepare for it?
Do your clients recommend you regularly enough and if not, how do you plan to improve things? This will help.
Can you name the most influential person in your industry and if so, have you introduced yourself to them?
Is your marketing motivating and useful or does it read like a sales pitch? Tip: People hate being sold to! This will help.
If 2019 is already starting to look like a repeat of 2018, how long will you wait before you make the improvements required?
Have you considered offering a premium version of your services, for high value prospective clients who are eager to pay more, for the ‘extra’? This will help.
If you ceased trading tomorrow, how tricky would your clients find it to replace your service?
Does your branding create a powerful and professional image of your business, which your marketplace trusts?
Does your marketing inspire enough urgency or are you leaving money on the table every day?
How different are you from your competition? This will help.
Is your business providing you with the lifestyle you want? If not, are you lowering your expectations or working on a plan to massively improve your financial situation?

Knowing and doing

By Jim Connolly | January 19, 2019

There has never been easier access to information. With an internet connection and a search engine, we can find answers to even complex business problems in no time. And let’s not forget the plethora of online courses and classes on just about every subject.

As such, the challenge business owners face today is not in finding the answers they need. Their challenge is to motivate themselves to actually capitalise on that knowledge. To take action.

In a recent article about how business will change in 2019, Isabelle Roughol, senior editor-at-large at LinkedIn, wrote:

“Learning isn’t enough; professionals will focus on doing. After the explosion of the online learning sector, our heads are full of all those classes we’ve been taking. But what are we doing with this newfound knowledge?”

There’s clearly a huge opportunity here, for business owners who eagerly seek to get moving and put all that education into play, whilst their competitors are stuck in a perpetual learning-not-doing loop.

Knowledge without application is of very limited commercial value. The balance we need to achieve is to never stop learning, and to do something productive with what we’ve learned. That’s why we find again and again that in business, the winners get moving.

What is the feast or famine cycle & how to beat it!

By Jim Connolly | January 15, 2019

feast famine cycle, what is, feast famine problem

The first thing to know about the feast or famine cycle, is that it isn’t a feast or famine problem.

It’s a symptom.

A symptom of a marketing problem.

What is the feast or famine cycle?

The feast or famine cycle is what happens when a business owner lacks control of their turnover and profits, because of ineffective or non-existent marketing.

It’s impossible to build a successful business until you break that cycle.

That’s because a lack of control over the lifeblood of your business, means you’re unable to plan ahead. You’re unable to forecast because all you know for sure, is there will be more uncertainty. So, you anxiously wait for the next feast. You hope things will improve, but you don’t know exactly what to do, to make things improve. It’s like playing a stressful game of roulette with your livelihood.

When the future of a business is out of the owners hands, they need to retake control.

Here’s the solution to this extremely common marketing problem.

Controlling the feast or famine cycle

The first step in solving any problem, is to identify what the problem is. And this one is easy. In this case, the business owner has a marketing problem, which can be resolved with effective marketing. Effective marketing allows you to attract the customers or clients you need, based on your business goals. This then lets you plan ahead with confidence and look to the future with excitement, rather than apprehension.

It’s how all successful business owners operate.

Now for the REAL challenge

Knowing what your problem is and how to resolve it is one thing. Actually deciding to resolve it is something else. This is why one of the biggest factors in your future success isn’t what you know… but what you decide to do with that knowledge.

In short, the feast or famine cycle is a sign you need to start taking your marketing seriously. And it’s a sign that business owners ignore at their peril.

How to do more of your very best work

By Jim Connolly | January 13, 2019

do your best work, content marketing, creativity

I recently looked at my most popular blog posts from the past 6 months year. And once again, literally none of the top 10 posts are what I’d consider my best. Not a single thing I sweated artistic bullets over got the response I expected.

It reminded me of a wonderful process I discovered, which I’m going to share with you. It’s a very simple way to regularly produce your best work.

First, I’m going to quickly unpack why the top 10 posts were unexpected hits.

We can’t always predict that a piece of work will be a smash hit. This is true even if we spend lots of time refining it, to make it ‘perfect’.
If we focus on perfectionism, we’ll very seldom produce our best work. In this example, none of those top posts would have been published.
This means we’ll fail to be productive AND fail to ship our most valuable projects.

How the top producers operate

Here’s how I’ve found the most productive people operate. It’s a process I’ve followed for years and it’s spectacularly simple. It looks like this.

They decide what they want the outcome to be. They then write it down. They include a deadline. Finally, when the work meets their criteria, they ship it.

That’s it. Just make sure that perfection isn’t part of your criteria!

When the project is complex, they write the outcome down in detail. You don’t need that level of attention for something as basic as a newsletter, blog post, etc.

For example, my desired outcome for everything I share with you, is that it needs to be useful. That outcome is what gave me the freedom to publish those top performing posts. They were useful. Not perfect. Just useful. So, they were published.

I hope you found this imperfect post useful, my friend.

The misfit who owned his competitors

By Jim Connolly | January 10, 2019

I spoke about the importance of creative marketing yesterday. I also promised to give you some examples.

This one is an absolute gem!

It’s all about Edwin and how he owned his marketplace. Plus, the secret of his success. A secret which can be applied to your business.

Edwin was the busiest and best-known photographer in the town where I grew up. He had a very unique sense of fashion, often wearing an elaborate hat and super-bright jacket, with contrasting waistcoat and the weirdest shoes you can imagine. He drove to meet his prospective clients in a classic 1950’s Ford, or riding his equally old motorcycle (complete with goggles). He stood out a mile. He looked like an artist. And everyone hired him, despite his high fees.

Did you notice something missing from Edwin’s description?

At no point did I mention how good his photos were. Having seen his work, it certainly looked professional… just like the vast majority of experienced, professional photographers.

What set Edwin apart from the competition, was that he used creativity to stand out. He built a brand around his services. And in doing so, he developed a whole experience around hiring him. His customers would get bragging rights, just because THEY hired Edwin for their wedding, family photos or corporate work. He gave them a story worth sharing, and they told everyone.

If people wanted to hire another local photographer, capable of equally good work, there was a ton to choose from, and for far lower fees. However, when they wanted to hire Edwin, Edwin got hired and he was paid Edwin rates.

The takeaway from Edwin’s story

The most commercially successful; accountant, lawyer, architect, coach, consultant, designer, photographer, hair stylist, doctor, etc., is very seldom the best or the most qualified or the most experienced.

That’s because there’s a HUGE difference between being the best-selling, and being the best.

So, step away from the pack. Stop marketing your services like your competitors and apply real creativity.

Because every piece of marketing you do, which falls in line with your prospective customer’s expectations, is simply camouflaging you and hurting your business.

Battling blindness and making mistakes

By Jim Connolly | December 29, 2018

Please note: Today’s post includes a little about my 18-month battle with blindness.

Have you ever noticed someone making an obvious mistake, then realised YOU were making the same mistake?

Well, it just happened to me. Ouch!

Here’s what happened, along with a second mistake I’ve been making, which is why you don’t know I’ve been battling blindness for 18-months.

How I spotted my first mistake

I was watching a Youtube video. Well, I tried to. That’s to say, I needed to fast-forward almost 6 minutes, before the speaker started to talk. The video was a conference keynote. And it followed an all-too common path.

It started with a guy walking on stage.
The guy then introduced a woman, whose job was to introduce the speaker.
The woman walked on stage.
She thanked the guy who introduced her.
She then introduced the speaker.
Finally, the speaker was rolled out and started their talk.

Those first 2 people weren’t pitching anything. They didn’t have anything to say. They were there simply because they wanted to be on stage. This was especially the case with the second presenter, whose introduction was actually longer than the introduction she gave the keynote speaker. Her job title suggested she was senior enough in their organisation, to make it happen.

Here’s the thing: People who attend a keynote are there to watch or listen to the keynote speaker. Literally no one is interested in the person who presents the speaker or the person who presents the person who presents the speaker. A brief introduction to the speaker is all that was required. The 6 minutes of nonsense before the keynote was indulgent, selfish and unnecessary.

So, how did I make the same mistake?

Just as I was considering how self-indulgent the nonsense was before that keynote, I realised I do the same. Right here on Jim’s Marketing Blog. Here’s how my self-indulgence manifests:

There are posts I publish, because I’m motivated to share something I think you’ll find useful. That’s as it should be.
However, there are also posts I publish, because it’s been a few days since I published anything. Often, the value of these posts is less than you deserve.

I only realised the drop in quality of those ‘better publish something’ posts, after spending a whole day, reflecting on the blog. (I spent all of yesterday, trying to find ways to make it more useful to you in 2019).

I then identified something else, that’s been missing from my work for a very long time.

My second (and bigger) mistake

Over the past 3 or 4 years, my posts have become less personal. I use almost none of my own images or photos any more (unlike today). I use very few of my own stories. I share very few of the resources I find useful; books, videos, articles, podcasts, etc. So, the blog has become too sterile / synthetic.

This realisation came when I suddenly remembered that I haven’t mentioned, even once, a huge part of my life since June 2017.

Unless you follow me on Twitter or know me, you’ll have no idea that I’ve spent almost 18-months battling diabetes-related blindness. Actually, you won’t even know I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in May 2016. I didn’t mention that, either.

I’ve had multiple surgeries. Initially, the diagnosis was bad. Very bad. But after reversing my diabetes (my blood is perfectly normal now and I take no medication), the vision has responded well. On Christmas Eve, I had my latest eye scans done and was told my eyes are now self-healing, no additional damage is likely to occur and I should be fine.

It was a great Christmas present. Blindness is no longer on the horizon.

My point is that I regularly mention this on Twitter. But it never occurred to me that readers may want to know. And all because I allowed the blog to become too impersonal.

Moving forward, I’m going to work hard on improving those 2 areas. You’ll no longer hear from me just because ‘it’s been a while’ and when you do, I promise to make it a lot more human.

If you’ve read this far, thank you. I’ll do better in 2019!

Success 101: No one starts at the finish line

By Jim Connolly | December 21, 2018

It’s true. No one starts at the finish line.

But that’s perfectly fine. Because our task as business owners is to cross the finish line. Not start there.

Yes, it’s essential to get started. But it’s not enough. Anyone can start a project, work on an idea or set a goal.

However, success comes to those who:

Complete their projects.
Give their ideas the time and energy needed in order to fly.
See their goals through from inception to attainment.

I often hear from business owners, who are excited about an idea they have. When I speak with them a few months later, they’re excited by a new, idea.

Their previous idea was abandoned, when the initial excitement was replaced with the reality of the focused work required, to bring their idea to fruition. So, they’re now excited about their new, new idea. And a few months later still, it’s the new, new, new idea that has their attention.

(Tip: Read this – Steve Jobs and The Power of Focus).

Before we start anything, we need to commit. We need to commit whatever is required to cross the finish line.

Because ultimately my friend, our commercial success will be determined by the things we finish. Not the things we start.