The Apprentice: Switching off but switching on?
Chelle’s back and is switching off! But she has come back with thinking about the language of business…. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘business’
Weston Communications on….Funky or Flop? A letter to the Apprentice
Dear Apprentice,
You try to entice me with your funky 80′s tunes and take me back to the days where it was all about the over you could pull on the dance floor.
You try to entice me with showcasing business skills, allowing me to compare with other.
You give me hope that there is a fun way to lose my mummy tummy. There hasn’t been any swingaling in my hips for a long while…let me tell you!
Where has the fun, the passion and the innovation gone?
Please come back soon.
I miss you.
Love Chelle.
This weeks Apprentice flopped for me. Can you tell? The fitness challenge this week had me waiting for passion and enthusiasm. not only in any business routine but my own wanting of weight loss this week. On many levels this should have been the episode for me. I loved the retro idea, as an 80′s kids (well 70′s by a year ;)) things were so colourful, pop music was fabulous and funky. So why did this episode flop for me?
After reading this story about Pregnancy Zumba this week i was enthused for some new workout ideas. I’m not a gym bunny (well not anymore) and I would love to be able to do something fun with my daughter which would also benefit our health. I am not sure why either team did not pick up on yummy mummies or buggy fit or anything where mums or dads can workout with the kids. You’d think with talk of a baby boom every other week or even the huge amount of celeb pregnancies they’d be fishing for something niche rather than blah…
I have to say although the workout left me more couch potato than like a shaken bottle of diet coke (full of fizz) the pitches are getting better. I thought that Sterling were concise and confident regardless of any questions they had thrown at them.
Phoenix won but for me I thought they were so lucky Virgin thought through their idea and took it for the right market but for me that didn’t mean they were the winners…
Melody Hossaini (one of last years apprentices) came up with this memorable quote ‘Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.’ After one fan got this tattooed this week I am thinking maybe we all should be reaching a little bit further and not selling ourselves short.
Come on Apprentice – step it up!
Weston Communications on …a guest blog from Michael Taylor
Today, we’ve got a guest blog from Michael Taylor – a journalist with 20 years track record, successful involvement in business for some time and now, moving into another arena as an event producer. Based in the North West and very well connected to some of the coolest people around, we’re really pleased to have Michael comment for us on presenting yourself and what’s important when speaking…
Growing a business requires paying attention to how that business is understood by the outside world – and so it remains vitally important for all businesses to engage with the media, despite everything you may have read about the decline of traditional channels. It was in this context that I delivered a “masterclass” for management consultancy Winning Pitch, creators of the High Growth Foundation. The 40 or so attendees were all small business owners, so I had to pitch it quite broadly.
I spoke for about two and a half hours in total, taking a break coffee, but tried to be interactive and conversational. One of the subjects I covered was how to get ready for appearing at an event. The last thing they want to see therefore is someone who doesn’t appear prepared, authentic and memorable – the very things I was telling them all they MUST do. As an events producer myself, I always brief speakers at events to focus on what they know and to give something of themselves without overtly selling. The literal interpretation of what you do is probably the least interesting thing you could talk about. I use as an example my pal Phil Jones, the MD of Brother UK. He delivers time and time again as a conference speaker or panellist. Has he ever tried to sell a total paper based ink connectivity connections interface solution, a printer in plain English? Has he heck! If he did he’d be finished and wouldn’t be asked back. He talks about trends in workplace design, management patterns for distributed workplaces and the uses and abuses of social media. Would I ask him for a printer if I needed one? – Of course I would – plenty of others would too.
The main point is he’s memorable.
I dished out a few trade secrets and home truths about the mindset of the journalist on business desks and BBC newsrooms – which ones will be more receptive to opinions and what kind of stories to drop on a journalist at what time. The trick is to understand where resources are distributed and which are the hungry beasts to feed – measure the output of a publication and work out how many staff work on it.
I don’t think there’s anything magical about what I said, it just happens to be what I know about – a collection of stories and observations from my experience.
Heather Lomas/Jim/Michael Taylor/Gareth Burton
It helped too that three of the people there were friends I recently went on a Learning Journey to California with (pictured above are Heather Lomas, Jim Clarke, me and Gareth Burton).
I enjoyed it enormously and would love to do more of these sessions – there are plenty more stories, hints, tips and insights that could really help a business get a better profile, in the media, and then in the places where you can do it for yourself like blogs and social media.
But do you know what – many of the same rules apply.
What rules do you have for presenting yourself in public?
The Apprentice is back….
Hi all, it’s Emma here sharing with you my love for The Apprentice! My Wednesday nights are now a write off as the show has made its return, oh how I love this show. I love seeing the characters that have been picked, I love seeing the tasks they are given and I love seeing the money result to (don’t we all?).
16 applicants have come together for this series and I’m sat wondering whether part of the selection process involves the kind of tag lines they can make up for themselves?
“I’m going to roar my way to the top”
“I’m like a blond assassin”
“I’m like a shark, top of the food train and I truly am the reflection of perfection” (This one came from the business man who is also a professional wrestler by night!)
Anyway, I digress. So the task was set that they would have blank products that they could then print on and sell, they were split into teams of boys v girls and Phoenix and Sterling were born.
They worked completely differently and if I’m honest (and please remember these are my own views and not those of Weston Communications!) I felt embarrassed by the girls team and thought they actually gave business women a bad name, no wonder we have trouble out there! So whilst the boys knuckled down to figures and margins the girls concentrated on the design. Admittedly this is where the girls excelled, they came up with a fab motif that went on their bags, jigsaws and t-shirts whereas the boys came up with a crap ‘This is a red bus’ with a picture of a red bus (really!) for theirs and an extortionately priced teeny teddy with a union jack flag on it.
So the next 20 minutes or so of the episode concentrated on watching the teams sell, well the boys team sold and the girls team argued….. a lot! The desperation of wanting to get rid of all the stock kicked in in the final half an hour and off they went to try to bulk sell to shops. The boys managed to get rid of their bags but were then recalled as the bags were so badly printed that they had to give the shop a full refund! The girls finally found a shop and basically all talked at once at the poor woman behind the counter, I couldn’t believe my eyes and had to turn the volume down, they were appalling basically trying to railroad this woman into taking their stock, it got so bad that someone else working with the lady actually came out and told them all off for their bad behaviour and incredible rudeness!
And then it was back to the boardroom. Surprisingly the boys team won by a massive difference. I say surprisingly because the girls team had a far superior product than the boys. But, this is where it shows that a strategy is a massively important thing to have for any business, imagine if the girls had had a strategy as well as their fantastic product? They could have blown the boys team out of the water.
So it was goodbye Bilyana after a lot more arguing in the boardroom, I’m not sure she should have gone as a) I think she had some good points and b) she made good tele rubbing everyone up the wrong way!
Now I have to wait another whole week for the next instalment – they’re designing a new gadget this time, it will be interesting to see if the teams have learnt anything from this week to take into the next task. And I really hope there is less shouting too, I don’t like watching things where I have a frown on my face, I have a battle with wrinkles as it is!
Did you watch it? What did you think about it, I’d love to hear your thoughts too.
The Weston Communications blog on: Another new client :)
.
We’ve taken on another new client today – MumsClub and specifically, the Business and Baby Show 2011, on Saturday 1 October 2011, from 10am – 5pm. But first, a confession…
As many of you will know, I don’t always agree with the MumsClub, Mumpreneur or Business Mums labels because I want women to be recognised in their own rights, not just as mums or mothers, but as smart women who have the ability to make significant contributions to our economy. Having said that, I don’t have any better ideas for labels and they’ve got huge klout and help women help each other, so I love them, even though the names of them aren’t always my favourite thing!
We’ve been watching MumsClub and the Business and Baby Show with our UKBabyShows hat on, and it’s been really interesting to see it gather pace. We’ve taken the event on, with the goal of generating PR, awareness and footfall on the day of the event. It’s going to be huge, and we’re really pleased about that – because we want to see women getting out there, contributing to the economy, their well being and most importantly, their families!
The Business and Baby Show, led by Jane Hopkins of MumsClub will be a brilliant day out for women and their families for lots of reasons:
1. It’s going to feature lots of businesses who have opportunities available today, for women to get themselves self employed and making money quickly
2. It’s going to have some brilliant shopping facilities in Mumpreneur Alley – with products for sale from women who have invented or produced their own products and made businesses out of them
3. It’s got fantastic free seminars, workshops and learning opportunities including Carl Hopkins (who was featured on the Secret Millionaire programme), Erica Douglas (One half of the uber successful Become A Mumpreneur course that’s getting women going in business), Cally Robson (who has helped countless women get their products, ideas and inventions to market) and Author, Media Guru (and Mum of 3) Antonia Chitty. There’s something for everyone in that line up. And I’m going to be hosting a panel doing Q and A with women who are making their businesses work for them so that we can find out how they are managing it, so that’s a reason to come in itself isn’t it?? ;)
.
So all in all, I’m really chuffed to be doing the PR for this, supporting women and their families. I asked Jane why it’s so important to make these events happen:
.
“It’s important to have events like this so that women can become aware of the options available to them – there are so many great resources, online forums, directories, magazines and information pages out there which is brilliant. But I know from personal experience that mums want to meet up with other mums, find out about their businesses, the highs, the lows and how they are making it work for them. Of course, childcare is one issue in all this and it’s usually a juggling act for the mum as well as needing additional support from their partners, husbands and families, but it is possible to be self employed and work around, and sometimes with your children. I’d like to see some research on how becoming self employed after becoming a mum has had positive effects for families – making mums happier, bringing much needed money in and setting great examples for children on the benefits of having entrepreneurial qualities as they grow up…”
.
So that’s enough shameless promotion of the Business and Baby Show from me, I’m off to get the PR machine going, securing online, radio and print coverage for the event. See you on Saturday 1 October 2011, at Cranmore Park, Shirley, Solihull, B90 4LF at 10am :))
The Weston Communications Blog on: Masses of communications, not mass communications
Did you see the subtle difference in the wording in the title? It’s completely lifted from Socialnomics, which is one of my favourite Social Media books. I suggest you buy it as it’s a belter :)
Anyway, in the spirit of masses of communications, rather than one mass communication, I’ve written a review of this week as a Facebook note, over at my Weston Communications page on Facebook. So if you want to know what’s happened and will be happening in the Weston Communications team you’ll need to go over there and check it out.
Go on, do it – be daring, Poke The Box (Seth Godin) and write a review of your week somewhere that you’ve not written it before. And post a link as a comment so we can all check it out….
P.S. See you for the Early Start Club on The Baby Show’s Facebook page and twitter feed in the morning. From 5am ish, or whenever W decides it’s time to get up…
The Weston Communications Blog: Stay open to opportunities…
A few weeks ago I was asked by Helen Lindop, who runs Business Plus Baby, for an inspirational quote for her new e – course entitled “Earn what you deserve as a mumpreneur“. So this is what I came up with:
“Be open to doing things that don’t seem to have an instant payoff. Twitter is a lot of work, but it’s brought me one big client and several smaller ones. I never know it would be so lucrative for me! So don’t dismiss things just because you don’t know or understand them.”
I called a business that I barely knew today, for the purpose of inviting them to the launch of Born Healthy, which I’m working on in partnership with the PHG Foundation and Mothercare‘s Chairman, Ian Peacock. The person who answered the phone wasn’t who I thought I wanted to speak to but she we got chatting. It turns out that they may be looking to move to a nominated charity of the year model. This was great news.
And then, she started to ask about my main business. So I told her about Weston Communications, the New Baby Guides and our current client list. You know where this is going don’t you?
By being open to the conversation with the person who picked the phone up, I’ve got an enquiry for more information about the work of Born Healthy and the opportunity to pitch for upcoming work with the business. All I wanted to do was invite them to a posh networking / reception launch for Born Healthy!!
I couldn’t resist the opportunity to put it on the blog, as I felt it would be a good example of practising what I preach. And with that in mind I’m off to do some much needed website updating!
*Image courtesy of mlmmarketingpro.com
Facebook news, developments and regulations for competition
Hi everyone. In the past year, this has been our most visited blog post ever! Welcome to Weston Communications. This blog post was intended to be a quick and dirty guide to the Facebook issues we discuss with people. It’s not intended to be a comprehensive review of the options available. If you want to talk to us about this, please call or email – our details are in “contact us” elsewhere on the site.We don’t profess to be the guru of all things Facebook related but am happy to support you wherever I can. And if we get the chance, we will write a proper blog post about this. We are just so busy with clients winning awards, being in the media and doing well that we’ve not had chance!! Liz W.
In the past year, understanding of Facebook has developed significantly. For us, it’s been mostly spurred on by our work for clients. We were quite happy coasting along with Facebook, doing what we’ve always done – getting what we’ve always got out of it ;) But there’s much more available to us than Iwe had realised. Liz is now doing some training with people in the USA, as they are light years ahead of what we are doing here. It’s shameful to think of how many opportunities we’ve all been missing out on online…
Image courtesy of socialmedianz.com
One of the important things to acknowledge is that Facebook really does mean business when it says that you are NOT allowed to run competitions using them as the “host” any more. We had known about this for some time, but not really paid any attention to it as we have seen lots of businesses still doing it. We had not actually run any competitions like this with clients, but was watching other people doing it and getting lots of good outputs from it. Now though, we also know that people are quite literally having their pages disappear on them overnight, so perhaps it’s time to start paying more attention eh?
There’s a wide range of reasons – and whilst some of it is genuinely regulatory, we think they have also spotted the financial opportunities available and are developing ways to make the most of them as well. Which is entirely their job – to make money. Just like it is ours…
We suggest that you check out the following pages:
The official rules from Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/promotions_guidelines.php
And this was useful to me as well – 5 things you should do before running a Facebook competition
We also liked the way SocialMediaNZ.Com explained things about the “likes” competitions.
And this is a recent post on the Facebook competition rules topic – http://www.dreamgrow.com/how-to-run-a-facebook-sweepstakes-contest/?utm_source=DGNewsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=FBsweepstakes&utm_campaign=DGNewsletter015
It’s the same for people quoting for funny photo caption competitions where there is a prize. And you’re not allowed to announce winners on Facebook either. That’s a brief round up of the sources I’m referring to and checking things out with, with regards to the rules for Facebook competitions.
If you’ve got any questions, queries or comments on this, post them below and I’ll answer them as best I can for you.
Life Coaching – can it help you?
I’ ve had two life coaching sessions so far and they gone really well. I thought it would be nice to share what I have learnt so far and whether it could help your life, family and business too.
1)It’s not about doing anything right or wrong – it’s about organising everything to make sure you can be more efficient and gain a good work life/balance
2) Sometimes the scales will tip from one side to the other. That’s ok but make sure you take control as soon as you or your family notice
3) Keep a diary for a week of all the things you do each day seperating each area of you life with colour. At the end of the week review how much you have achieved and whether you can be more focussed the following week
4) Prioritise per day. If you’ve only got 20 mins to spend on social networking make sure you maximise it. Use a mix of scheduled tweets and interacting. I remember that in 2010 @babysigningmummy gave herself a 20 minute allowance for twitter and facebook each day.
5) Life isn’t meant to be easy when you’re a working mummy so make sure you have time to have FUN. There is no better stress relief than rolling around like a child ;)
