Collaboration with others might save your business

Posted on 21/01/2018 by Kerri Bainbridge

In previous blogs we have discussed business planning particularly risk minimisation. When you go into business there are all sorts of risks. Another tool in your business tool-box is collaboration. What I mean by collaboration is to get together with others and share ideas. I see three distinct methods to collaborate that may benefit your business:

1. Form a board of advisors

2. Form alliances and allegiances

3. Realize that the task in too large for one and form a company with others

This first method involves the buying in of mentor, accountant, and solicitor to buy their advice and time to assist you in your business. These people are paid professionals and in some instances costly. The amount of time you get is subject to the amount of funds you have!

The second method is to form alliances and allegiances with others. These could be you joining professional clubs such as BNI, chamber of commerce organizations etc. This enables you to listen to others successes and failures and find empathy with being in business. Forming allegiances allows you leverage others in the organization that you mutually belong to gain the skills and knowledge for your business and build the business!

The third method is to realize that you cannot do it alone and need to find a like minded individual to join forces with! This is the hardest method, however, both parties must be open, honest and have complete trust! It can work with the right people! Tasks and then shared and you can get a certain amount of synergy!

Combinations of the above three methods also are common and it is important to realize that you don’t have to limited to those items. Collaboration might just save your business or it may be the difference between doing well and doing really well.

We appreciate you giving us your feedback.

You can follow us on facebook or on our website. www.anywherebusinessnetwork.co.nz

Andrew

Half of the Anywhere Business Network

Mindset, Learning, Collaboration

Is there a future in retail?

Posted on 21/01/2018 by Kerri Bainbridge

There is a revolution going on with retail at the moment! Big box retailers dominate the scene in small towns right across New Zealand (and around the world) creating a wasteland in the main streets of our towns full of empty shops. The retailers have created a generic selling experience where people can buy inexpensive goods 8.00am to 9.00pm seven days a week. Pinterest is 24/7 and one of the biggest online shopping malls in the world. These retailers are providing instant gratification at a place near you!

Have you ever thought about how you could complete with these online mega retailers? Let me look at the components of what and how they are selling:

1. Choice- Instant gratification by providing choice

2. Ease- Easy of payment and delivery

3. Experience- Getting you into the zone with a shopping experience choice

Completing against this is not such a daunting a task! There are steps that you can take to get one up on the competition:

1. Niche-Determine a niche market that you could service with goods

2. Market research- Find out what needs you could satisfy within that niche.

3. Engage-In order to build trust with your niche and provide a selling experience, you have to engage with your niche market.

4. Trust- become trusted within you niche by becoming an authority

5. Establish effective systems- Put into effect sales systems which will allow you do deliver on your sales and service

Ultimately you will need 3 things-

Your mindset communications have to reach out to that niche so you are meeting their mind, showing empathy and understanding in respect of their needs by explaining the qualities of the goods or services you are selling!
You have to give an experience that will reach further than the big box and do it online!
You can start learning the skills needed for this today! To find out more contact us!

If you need more skills and want to continue to earn while you learn-

reach out to us to find out how by email info@anywherebusinessnetwork.co.nz
follow us on facebook or on our website
sign up to our newsletters
get started today with a 30 day free trial

We are always interested in your feedback.

Andrew Elphick and Kerri Bainbridge, Anywhere Business Network

Capturing attention with video

Posted on 21/01/2018 by Kerri Bainbridge

Yvon is currently Air Tahiti Nui’s Ambassador and is filming in New Zealand for in-flight videos. He understands that in our instant world that there is a contradiction with people spending more and more online but only gaining their attention for a short time. Keep the video short if you want to gain people’s attention!

Yvon is also intending to commence a French Bistro in Colorado and is currently freelancing from his hometown in Tahiti French Polynesia as well as being resident in Paris.

Your feedback is appreciated.

You can follow us on facebook or on our website.

Andrew

Half of Team Anywhere New Zealand

Productivity hacks

Posted on 20/01/2018 by Kerri Bainbridge

When you are in business you sometimes revert into claiming the same routine and while some routines are healthy and important sometimes it is important to have a look at where you are at and look at what you can do to increase your value to the business. This is known as productivity!

Productivity can flow to supply arrangements, financing arrangements etc and these are easy to gauge! Your own personal productivity as the boss needs to be looked at from time to time!

Consider noting in a journal what happens in for a whole week. Look at the times each thing happens and the amount of time it took. Record your feelings! What did each task feel like? What could you do to make yourself more efficient. What was the feedback like from the customers?

How can you arrange your day and week to get it more optimal? Remember also that the customer has needs are those being served as well! First and foremost you are working from home is your family and its needs being catered for in the mix?

Once you have reviewed this consider the environment that you are working in, the systems and methods of operation! How can these be changed to increase your productivity!

Business is all about resources which are limited… utilize them to your best advantage!

We welcome feedback.

You can follow us on facebook or on our website.

Andrew

Half Team NZ Anywhere Business Network

Why should you get a mentor?

Posted on 20/01/2018 by Kerri Bainbridge

As a protégé, protegee or mentee of the mentor, the mentor takes you under their wing. To some extent is a trusting relationship which can help in motivating or exploring your business options. It has communication and feedback as its cores! Mentors stimulate your senses to inspire you to do better with wisdom, knowledge. and experience of the mentor!

Techniques the mentor can use are:

· Standing with the mentee taking part in the learning process

· Sowing seeds

· Provoking a different way of learning

· Actually showing techniques

· Nurturing by providing the debrief for learning opportunities

The mentor should be able to recognize when each technique is applicable and has to tailor it to the mindset of the mentee! The mentor needs to recognize the opportunities as they arise and have good communication technique.

In most instances the answers to questions the mentee has can be garnered from the mentee by a question and answer drill down process such as the 5 whys… ie ask the mentee why five times after hearing each answer. The mentee and mentor relationship is dependent on trust!

Mentors and mentees also have to realize their limitations as they may not come from the same type of business. In those instances, the mentee might have to have seeks two or three mentors dependent on their needs! i.e

Peer professional group mentors
Trade mentor
Internal mentors
Process mentors
Technology mentors

The first time I really discovered mentors was at toastmasters and that taught me the aspects of mentoring. I applied that to my business practice and am seen as a trusted advisor. That has and is a privilege! I am also a mentee and am privileged to have had some good roles models as mentors! I also consider my business partner as a mentor.

For the mentor-mentee relationship to work, you must be open to new ideas… ego needs to be parked!

Since we joined the SFM online community we have had many mentors and many of them were just regular people who have found their niche and were willing to share their experiences. We know what its like to work for ourselves and on our own. We much prefer being in a community of people willing to share ideas and help us to succeed. If you need this you need a mentor. Or you may need to join a group and find a mentor within it.

We value feedback. Tell us about your mentoring experiences or ask us more about mentoring.

We can be followed on facebook or on our website.

Andrew

Half of the Anywhere Business Network

1 thing you can do every day to grow your circle of influence

Posted on 20/01/2018 by Kerri Bainbridge

Plant Seeds

Habit one of Stephen Covey’s 7 habits of highly effective people is to be Proactive. He says:

“Proactive people focus their efforts on their Circle of Influence. They work on the things they can do something about: health, children, problems at work. Reactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Concern–things over which they have little or no control: the national debt, terrorism, the weather. Gaining an awareness of the areas in which we expend our energies in is a giant step in becoming proactive. “

So, Plant Seeds. Many people have ONE GOAL in life and they focus their lives on that one goal. This is not only limiting your potential but poor time management. If you are doing this then -Good luck with that. The real key is to plant many seeds. For every 10 seeds planted in a garden only 5 will successfully become flowers. That’s Garden Math. You need to plant many seeds to yield abundance. Here are some examples of seeds:

Send a thank you letter
Send an intro letter or email
Send ideas to people
Exercise
Eat well
Surprise your significant other
Build your own website
Come up with an idea
Write an article or blog
Read a book
Think of 100 more seeds
Do one thing every day you loved as a kid.

Every day plant some seeds

Feedback is appreciated!

You can follow us on facebook or our website!

#Kerri Bainbridge

one half of the Anywhere Team NZ

How to say no

Posted on 19/01/2018 by Kerri Bainbridge

Do you have trouble saying no?

The New York Times says -It’s in our nature to be socially obliging, and the word no feels like a confrontation that threatens a potential bond. But when we dole out an easy yes instead of a difficult no we tend to overcommit our time, energy and finances.

“The ability to communicate ‘no’ really reflects that you are in the driver’s seat of your own life,” said Vanessa M. Patrick, an associate professor of marketing at the C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston. “It gives you a sense of empowerment.” That’s why learning to say no comes in handy. Read this article for their tips Why You Should Learn to Say ‘No’ More Often – The New York Times

Some good info on why learning to say no comes in handy. This one is set out in very clear steps…
How to Learn to Say No: 14 Steps (with Pictures) – wikiHow

Some good tips here for saying No, things like…. Ask for more time before committing. Your knee-jerk response to being asked for a favour may be to say “Yes.” Start with a compliment or gratitude. While you should be firm when saying “No,” you’ll also feel better if you’re polite. Give a clear “No.” Thank and encourage the person.

What are your tips for saying no?

Kerri Bainbridge

One half of the Anywhere Business Team NZ

The changing digital landscape is changing the way we do business

Posted on 18/01/2018 by Kerri Bainbridge

Are you keeping up with the changing digital landscape? It’s changing the way we do business.

If you have been searching the internet for inspiration about what you might do in the future you are probably aware that the future of work is changing. This is because the digital landscape has change the way we collaborate, our mindset, and the way we gather information (learning). The big question is are you prepared for it? What have you already noticed?

What change have we already been through? At almost 50 (generation X) I have seen lots of change in the way I communicate and the business tools I have used to collaborate and do business. No one stopped and asked if I was ready. I was eager to experience it to be honest and embrased it. I have seen work change from being repetitive and time consuming to become replaced by technology and efficiency. I adapted and changed because I had to and because it was exciting.

My changing landscape

When I started work in the late 80s fax machines were just coming into my workplace, there were no cell phones, no ATM machines and the home computer was for playing games on. There was not social media. If you were going to be late home you had to find a phone box or ring from work. If you broke down you walked to someone house and used their phone. If you wanted to know what a shop had to sell you had to go in or look at a catalogue or advert. We got our news on the radio or TV at the appointed hour. If you wanted to research something you had to go the library. If you wanted to read a book you bought it or got it out of the library.

If you wanted to communicate with a work colleague, family or friends you wrote a memo, letter or picked up the phone. Or better still you walked round the office to went to their home to speak to them in person. People were not so accessable and we had to wait to tell them things. Memos and letters were longer because you saved it all up to put in one document. Now a days we do everything in bit size pieces. Sometimes we send our thought on social media or text as they come to us. Maybe we used a diary for this before or wrote it down in poetry or songs…….imagine not being able to tell your partner something when you thought of it- ping off goes a text.

In the 90s I remember getting my first “flip phone”. It was a great comfort to think I could text my partner about my location so we could meet up after work or I could get help if I broke down in my car. It was quite expensive to make calls so I really treated it as an emergency device for calling. I was listening to music on my stereo or walkman. I was using my camera for photos and having them printed out from a role of film. I needed a video camera for video.

I taught myself to type so I could use my home computer to type up assignments for university (when I went back to uni after 10 years working so we are in the 90s now). I taught myself to use email and started sending emails to friends. I remember one friend saying she thought it was funny how I wrote like I was talking to her. She thought I should only use it to send a quick message and if I wanted to talk I should phone. I remember sending emails at work and treating it like a letter. I would save up things to say and send one long email.

In the early 2000s I was using the internet for booking flights, reseaching things that interest me, and checking emails when I travelled. I was using my home computer to do my accounts, business documents and communicating with work and friends who were out of town. When I travelled I took photos or video on my camera and I left my phone at home. My only form of commuication with people back home was sending a postcard, letter or checking my emails in an internet cafe. I used an walkman playing cds for music. If I wanted a job I had to look in the papers, and post in an application, then go to an interview. If I wanted to buy something I could search about it to see where I need to go to buy it. It wasnt the norm to pay online but you could email an order.

Digital landscape today

These days, I generally don’t go anywhere without my phone. I use it for my emails, internet searches, bookings, games, phone calls, texts, social media, business information storage in the cloud, my calendar, to take bookings for business, listening to music, accessing stored doucents in the cloud, taking photos and videos, read the news, do my banking and to tell me the time. When I travel I take just my phone and I can Skype or Facetime, or use my social media to communicate and share realtime what I am doing, where I am with whome I like.

Workwise I have seen that more and more people are working from home. Some are working remotely for someone else while others are working for themselves. Working around family is a big focus. Information is more accessable, its being stored electronically in the Cloud. People are collaborating through online meetings such as Zoom and Skype. Technology has changed the way we do business. We dont need to be in a clients office to speak to them, do training for them or with them, having a meeting or exchange ideas. If I want a job I apply online, I network with people imporant to my business or future business online. If I get an interview it wouldnt be unusual to be interviewed by Skype. If I want to order something I can seach online for the best price or product. Then I can order and pay right away online and it will be shipped to me.

What does this all mean for the future of work?

Our epectations have changed (mindset). We expect things to be at our finger tips. We expect businesses to get back to us quickly and to find what we want in an instant. We no longer expect to have to go to the shops for items. Dispite social media we are still meeting up to socialise (collaboration). We are just sharing the experience with more than just those who are there.

People want thing fast, in bite sizes and they want to share their experience. They need to see and experience your product so photos or video are important. You need a presence online so you can be found, so your consumer can learn about you, and you need a way of interacting online with customers to create a following. Are you providing that? What does your digital landscape look like for your business? Do you have brochures, messages or busy ads that are long and boring. Are you refusing to get conected with social media and unsure how to take video, share experiences and photos of what you do? This is the future NOW.

What can you do to improve your digital landscape right now?

Its often easier to cope with this change when you are young. I think thats because you dont have other things like kids and financial pressures to worry about. Some people are better with change. But change is all the current generation know. The digital landscape is in their face and its changing fast. If you are a gernation X like me then you need to think about the changing nature of work and the fact that the next generation, the millenials are now in the workforce in bigger numbers and they have grown up with laptops, phones, social media and the world of instant gratification. They are your workforce and your consumers and are just plain expecting different things than you have grown up with. As parents we are grappling with the changing digital landscape our kids are exposed to. My advice is to learn about it now. Engage with them in their world as this is the next generating of your customers. I will explore more about the millenials in my next blog. You cant afford to miss it.

Kerri Bainbridge

One half of the Anywhere Team NZ

Colaboration, Mindset, Learning.

www.anywherebusiness.co.nz

Proven stress reducing tips to help you achieve work-life balance

Posted on 18/01/2018 by Kerri Bainbridge

One of the biggest problems with working for yourself is that we seem to never switch off. We are always dipping in and out of our work because it is always around us. We find it difficult to switch off and work-life balance can suffer when many of us work for ourselves to achieve better work-life balance. Whether you work for yourself or someone else, having a good work-life balance is important for your relationships, your health, your contribution to society and your job performance. If one suffers then many times so do the others.

This neat little 5 min video is a peach for practical work-life balance and proven stress reducing tips, all of which I’d support and encourage.…but don’t watch it eating lunch at your desk!

We hear a lot about going ‘off the grid’ to strike that elusive work-life balance. But what if we can’t afford to jet off to a remote island for a digital detox, or to lock our smartphones in a safe for a week?

BBC Ideas spoke with Bruce Daisley, Twitter’s VP of Europe, who offers six tips to unplug just enough – so that a mini-sabbatical or an email sojourn won’t make you look like a slacker, or make you feel that you’re out of the office loop.

One strategy is even called ‘monk mode’. A morning ritual not quite as ascetic as it sounds, it involves holing up at home for 90 minutes a day before coming into the office. That way, you’re not as chained to your desk as you’d normally be, but are still putting in that needed face time.

Did you watch the video? Tell me what you think.

Kerri Bainbridge

One half of the Anywhere Team NZ

www.anywherebusinessnetwork.co.nz

The future of work- how will you fit in?

Posted on 10/01/2018 by Kerri Bainbridge

The future of work

If you are struggling to find your place in the world of work that currently binds you to the 9 to 5 workday that includes a commute to work then perhaps you would be interested in working differently in our changing world of work. If you haven’t already noticed it, how we work and where we work have changed significantly in the last decade. Maybe you need to consider how you can use your skills and experience to work differently so you get more of what you want. For me it’s flexibility, over the last 12 years I have needed to work around my family commitments. What are you looking for? Whatever it is it can be achieved if you start by looking at the current digital landscape as an opportunity.

We are working differently

Consider the already changing way in which work is being done from when you first started work. Technology has changed the work landscape significantly. I no longer need to travel to my clients for all the interactions I have with them. For example, I can have a virtual online meeting with a new staff member to train them on the use of my system. I can see them, they can see me, we can record our meeting and review what was said, we can share information on the screen in real time and if we need to bring in anyone else we can invite them in too – no matter where they are.

HR professionals and managers too have used Skype to interview talent for more than 10 years now, making it possible to employ the right person for the job no matter where they live. Working remotely has also never been easier and is becoming more and more accepted. How many of you know at least one person who works remotely? I know at least 4.

We want different things

So we know technology is enabling change but, what is driving this change in work? Technology is replacing functions that are time-consuming and in our current digital environment, we expect the thing to available quickly. We don’t like wasting time. This will be even more relevant to the Millennials who have grown up in this instant world and they are changing our world of work already. Staying in one job, doing the same thing day in and day out will not be tolerated by millennials who expect to be entertained whenever they want. They have ideals, causes and are motivated by these and not by money. Money is important, yes but freedom and variety are more important.

What can you do?

First, ask yourself if it is possible to do your work, or the majority of it from anywhere? If some tasks need face to face interaction can this be done by an online meeting?

Secondly, could what you be done on line or out sourced? Would you consider contracting on a short or long term basis?

Thirdly, could you or you and a business partner set up a business contracting to businesses anywhere doing all or part of what you do?

Fourth, do you need help understanding the digital landscape so you know what is possible?

We have lots of free information on the Anywhere Business Network website so feel free to look through this. We highly recommend you check out our video series if you are thinking of a change so you have all the support you need on this journey. We even have a 30 day free trial to our online learning platform where you will collaborate with others just like you who are in various stages of development of their work life. They are all learning about having a mindset that will take them where they want to go. They are all setting aside any spare time they have to learn from those who are sharing their experiences, mentoring, encouraging and challenging those who are telling them “yes, I need to think differently, I need a change, I am ready to learn, work with me”

We are AWB are here to help you. Check us out. Here our stories. Subscribe to our newsletter or our social media platforms and kick start you new career or business into life.

Kerri Bainbridge

Half of Anywhere Business Network

5 essential business tools

Posted on 10/01/2018 by Kerri Bainbridge

Here are my 5 tips for any business to succeed.

Get a good logo

This is vital, your logo is the thing people most associate with your brand identity and will be visible on all your business properties. Freelance sites can do this cheaply and there are have providers available on a site such as Fiverr.com. You can order stationery via vista at the same time with your logo!

It is worth spending some decent money on a professional logo design that will make a lasting impression and stand the test of time as your business begins to grow. Trade Mark the logo can help in adding intellectual property to your business Email us we might be able to help

Get your brand name in your domain name

Some people like to key keywords into the domain name at the expensive of the brand name, for SEO benefits, but you really shouldn’t do this for an e-commerce store You are trying to build trust with your audience for long lasting relationships so choose a domain that is either just your brand name or brand name plus keyword. Local providers can get you hosted and get those domains even a mobile friendly site try this

Claim your social media accounts

At the very least get your business set up on Facebook Linkedin Twitter Instagram and claim your business names before anyone else tries to. Try to make sure your social names are consistent across all platforms and make sure you add links back to your website.

4. Trending

Regular posting is the key to a successful business social media accounts, you can use automated posting tools such as Buffer to ensure you are posting consistently. This can be a valuable way to get your brand in front of an audience and get some initial traffic to your website. Check out this video:

Use branded images

You can apply branding to the images on your website, this will stop people from stealing them and also it means your logo or branding will be visible on images if they are shared onto social media platforms. Changing your pictures to your own by adding a logo is easy using tools such as pablo which is provided with your buffer account.

Andrew Elphick

Half of Team Anywhere Business NZ

Want some online business ideas?

Posted on 10/01/2018 by Kerri Bainbridge

Here are some ideas. If you adopt some of the ideas it is a good idea to do a business plan and find out the reasons that will motivate you towards your goals.

1. Affiliate Marketing…………… Six Figure Mentors as an example:

2. An Ecommerce Store…….. selling goods and services on behalf of others -Local Craft is an example

3. Earning advertising revenue from Blogging… using your hosted site and google ad sense

4. Sell products on sites such as Trademe and ebay…. Picking up goods cheaply and on selling at a profit

5. Coach, train and mentoring…. Like Anywhere Business Network

6. Drop Shipping….. Being an Amazon Affiliate

7. Freelance Blogging…… Writing other people’s blogs for them

8. Virtual Assistant…. Answering email and telephone communication organising email etc

9. Web Designer…. Designing word press sites for people

10. Deal in Domains…. Domain reseller

11. Outsourcing Services…. Find and source cheap producers sell at a margin

12. Forex Trading… Risky

13. Building Apps…. Games etc

14. Become a telemarketer…… Speaks for its self

15. Create and edit video…. High speed internet and software patience required!

16. Manage Social Media on behalf of others….. An increasingly in demand group

17. Create Content of Value and Sell it… eBooks and webinars

18. Translate…. Skills required

A fair few of the above revenue streams can be combined to ensure you do not have all your risk in one area!

The above skills are available to learn at the Digital Experts Academy Digital Business Lounge at SFM -see our banner on this page.

What ideas do you have for 2018?

What is your goal?

Feedback is appreciated!

You can follow us on facebook or our website!

Andrew

4 easy steps to success for 2018

Posted on 07/01/2018 by Kerri Bainbridge

2018 is going to be an awesome year for you! Why not make it even better!!!!!! Ask yourself these questions:

1. Where is your Time Going?

Have a look at what you are doing in business and starting asking the question is productivity resulting? If nothing will result from the activity stop it! You are wasting valuable time!

2. How is your cash flow?

Can you identify at a glance how much you owe, won and have available for your needs at any given time? Chances are you may need to upgrade your accounting systems!

3. What does your marketing Achieve?

What is your return on investment from marketing? What is working what isn’t? Are systems in place to track your marketing effort?

4. Breathe and take more time for yourself!

Chances are that this may have not been a priority in the past! This is a golden opportunity to make a change!

Establishing a set of values to carry you into the next year and to be created are a foundation for knowledge so you can develop feeling and emotions that match where you want to be! A paradigm shift in mindset is what you want to achieve in your motivation!

Planning your business and personal goals for the year may assist you with your own buy-in!

Spend the time planning!

Feedback is appreciated!

You can follow us on facebook or our website!

Andrew

Five-Minute Decluttering Tips to Start Conquering Your Mess

Posted on 06/01/2018 by Kerri Bainbridge

“Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein

When your home is filled with clutter, trying to tackle a mountain of stuff can be quite overwhelming.

So here’s my advice: start with just five minutes. Baby steps are important. Sure, five minutes won’t barely make a dent in your mountain, but it’s a start. Celebrate when you’ve made that start!

Then take another five minutes tomorrow. And another the next day. Before you know it, you’ll have cleared a whole closet or a room and then half your house and then … who knows? Maybe before long your house will be even more uncluttered than mine. We’ll have a challenge!

For those who are overwhelmed by their clutter, here are some great ways to get started, five minutes at a time.

Designate a spot for incoming papers. Papers often account for a lot of our clutter. This is because we put them in different spots — on the counter, on the table, on our desk, in a drawer, on top of our dresser, in our car. No wonder you can’t find anything! Designate an in-box tray or spot in your home (or at your office, for that matter) and don’t put down papers anywhere but that spot. Got mail? Put it in the inbox. Got school papers? Put it in the inbox. Receipts, warranties, manuals, notices, flyers? In the inbox! This one little change can really transform your paperwork.
Clear off a counter. You want to get your house so that all flat spaces are clear of clutter. Maybe they have a toaster on them, maybe a scented candle, but not a lot of clutter. So start with one counter. Clear off everything possible, except maybe one or two essential things. Have a mixer you haven’t used for ages? Put it in the cupboard! Clear off all papers and all the other junk you’ve been tossing on the counter too.
Pick a shelf. Now that you’ve done a counter, try a shelf. It doesn’t matter what shelf. Could be a shelf in a closet, or on a bookshelf. Don’t tackle the whole bookshelf — just one shelf. Clear all non-essential things and leave it looking neat and clutter-free.
Schedule a decluttering weekend. Maybe you don’t feel like doing a huge decluttering session right now. But if you take the time to schedule it for later this month, you can clear your schedule, and if you have a family, get them involved too. The more hands pitching in, the better. Get boxes and trash bags ready, and plan a trip to a charity to drop off donated items. You might not get the entire house decluttered during the weekend, but you’ll probably make great progress.
Pick up 5 things, and find places for them. These should be things that you actually use, but that you just seem to put anywhere, because they don’t have good places. If you don’t know exactly where things belong, you have to designate a good spot. Take a minute to think it through — where would be a good spot? Then always put those things in those spots when you’re done using them. Do this for everything in your home, a few things at a time.
Spend a few minutes visualizing the room. When I’m decluttering, take a moment to take a look at a room, and think about how you want it to look. What are the most essential pieces of furniture? What doesn’t belong in the room but has just gravitated there? What is on the floor (hint: only furniture and rugs belong there) now get rid of the rest.
Create a “maybe” box. Sometimes when you’re going through a pile of stuff, you know exactly what to keep (the stuff you love and use) and what to trash or donate. But then there’s the stuff you don’t use, but think you might want it or need it someday. You can’t bear to get rid of that stuff! So create a “maybe” box, and put this stuff there. Then store the box somewhere hidden, out of the way. Put a note on your calendar six months from now to look in the box. Then pull it out, six months later, and see if it’s anything you really needed. Usually, you can just dump the whole box, because you never needed that stuff.
Put a load in your car for charity. If you’ve decluttered a bunch of stuff, you might have a “to donate” pile that’s just taking up space in a corner of your room. Take a few minutes to box it up and put it in your trunk. Then tomorrow, drop it off.
Create a 30-day list. The problem with decluttering is that we can declutter our butts off (don’t actually try that — it’s painful) but it just comes back because we buy more stuff. So fight that tendency by nipping it in the bud: don’t buy the stuff in the first place. Take a minute to create a 30-day list, and every time you want to buy something that’s not absolutely necessary (and no, that new Macbook Air isn’t absolutely necessary), put it on the list with the date it was added to the list. Make a rule never to buy anything (except necessities) unless they’ve been on the list for 30 days. Often you’ll lose the urge to buy the stuff and you’ll save yourself a lot of money and clutter.
Teach your kids where things belong. This only applies to the parents among us, of course, but if you teach your kids where things go, and start teaching them the habit of putting them there, you’ll go a long way to keeping your house uncluttered. Of course, they won’t learn the habit overnight, so you’ll have to be very very patient with them and just keep teaching them until they’ve got it. And better yet, set the example for them and get into the habit yourself.
Set up some simple folders. Sometimes our papers pile up high because we don’t have good places to put them. Create some simple folders with labels for your major bills and similar paperwork. Put them in one spot. Your system doesn’t have to be complete, but keep some extra folders and labels in case you need to quickly create a new file.
Learn to file quickly. Once you’ve created your simple filing system, you just need to learn to use it regularly. Take a handful of papers from your pile, or your inbox, and go through them one at a time, starting from the top paper and working down. Make quick decisions: trash them, file them immediately, or make a note of the action required and put them in an “action” file. Don’t put anything back on the pile, and don’t put them anywhere but in a folder (and no cheating “to be filed” folders!) or in the trash/recycling bin.
Pull out some clothes you don’t wear. As you’re getting ready for work, and going through your closet for something to wear, spend a few minutes pulling out ones you haven’t worn in a few months. If they’re seasonal clothes, store them in a box. Get rid of the rest. Do this a little at a time until your closet (and then your drawers) only contains stuff you actually wear.
Clear out your medicine cabinet. If you don’t have one spot for medicines, create one now. Go through everything for the outdated medicines, the stuff you’ll never use again, the dirty-looking bandages, the creams that you’ve found you’re allergic to, the ointments that never had an effect on your energy or your eye wrinkles. Simplify to the essential.
Pull everything out of a drawer. Just take the drawer out and empty it on a table. Then sort the drawer into three piles: 1) stuff that really should go in the drawer; 2) stuff that belongs elsewhere; 3) stuff to get rid of. Clean the drawer out nice, then put the stuff in the first pile back neatly and orderly. Deal with the other piles immediately!
Learn to love the uncluttered look. Once you’ve gotten an area decluttered, you should take the time to enjoy that look. Make that your standard! Learn to hate clutter! Then catch clutter and kill it wherever it crops up.

“We don’t need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants. Not wanting something is as good as possessing it.” – Donald Horban

Hope this helps???

Kerri Bainbridge

One half of the Anywhere Team NZ

How can you benefit from employee engagement?

Posted on 19/12/2017 by Kerri Bainbridge

Whether you are an employee, self employed or employer, you will be able to identify with the word engagement. The term employee engagement is a term we all need to regognise. Its what motivates us. It is my hope you will reflect on how you can apply this to your work life.

Employee engagement is not an exact science. To determine what strategies to use we tend to use our own experience, positive psychology and a good amount of research into what is working well in other businesses.

At the core of employee engagement, similar to any company’s foundation, are some values. Company values determine the why, how and what of that company. Similarly, personal values are the why, how and what that drives their engagement with the company.

One of the things new research suggests enhances engagement is value congruence. Value congruence is the extent to which the individual can behave at work consistent with his or her own self-image. It is very difficult to experience meaningfulness in your work if you are expected to behave in ways that are inconsistent with your values. When employees find that their role expectations require behaviours that they feel are inappropriate for their preferred self-image, they feel devalued, taken advantage of, and less willing to give themselves to their work roles.

So, after doing some research on ideas which may assist managers in need of some inspiration to engage their employees here are 10 ideas I liked:

1. Reward for alignment of company values

Reward staff where they demonstrate alignment with the company’s values. This could be as simple as a bar of chocolate for every person nominated by a member of staff or it could be every month and based on a process.

2. Team values

When you set your own game rules playing can be a lot more fun. Team synergy is not an easy objective to attain, and takes time. However, it is essential to your team objectives and to the overall output of the team. Having teams create a team culture, based on 2-3 commonly agreed values or ground rules can help nurture and speed up that process.

3. Encourage personal projects

Give employees a 1-2 h/ day window to pursue their own projects. Having people from different departments connecting and bouncing ideas can help get a new perspective. Projects and initiatives can get new directions, encouraging a creativity and energy flow that would only benefit the rest of the working hours.

4. Assign a buddy/mentor for every newcomer

An important part of the onboarding process is having someone answer some really important questions. Questions that someone may hesitate to ask their manager. Building a trustworthy relationship with someone with more experience in that company can help guide the newcomer. This way he or she can better adapt and grow part of the team.

5. Have team photos

Have photos of your team on a wall, or frame them around the office. Group photos, funny photos, events photos or random photos “snapped” when people weren’t watching. It’s a cultural element that can encourage and foster work relationships and employee engagement.

6. Encourage charity

Encourage teams to “team up” and raise money for that cause. The cause must be aligned with the company values. Alternatively, encourage individuals to nominate charities for which the Company will make a donation if they can show that the charities values align with the Company.

Better yet, encourage employees to apply to have a day to work for a charity. The application to have a day off to work for their chosen charity must explain how the charities value and the employees’ values align with the Company values to make it a win-win. The employee will receive their normal days’ pay.

7. Raise salaries or pay a bonus

Bear with me!

How much does it cost your business to recruit and train someone? How much time does it take managers and HR to hire a new employee?

Customers invest in their relationships with your staff too. How much does it cost in lost business when customers lose confidence in the business due to staff turnover and don’t come back. A company can reduce costs, increased revenues and improved the customer experience by developing employees to be more inspired and engaged. Use this cost saving and reward employees with an annual increase or service bonus.

8. Celebrate achievements- the glue

Big or small, they are the solid proof that the work people are putting in has meaning. No one can go through tasks and assignments for months, or even years without burning out. Refill their energy tanks with some recognition and celebrate their hard work. This is also a great way to glue together teams.

9. Celebrate people

A card on their birthdays, a morning tea for a retirement, a ceremony to welcome newcomers….there are plenty of important moments of showing them that they matter..

10. Get answers from your employees as well

Last but not least…This is related to feedback but it’s more of an indirect feedback. Employee surveys are a great way to monitor and analyse your teams and the overall workspace. You’ll get some essential information into what works and what you can improve.

Start with these 10 employee engagement ideas and build on that. Whether you have employees or you are an employee, the benfits of engagement in what you are doing and aligning it with your values will determine how happy you are in your work.

If you have any other ideas share them with us.

Link- COMPANIES SUCH AS GOOGLE AND VIRGIN ARE PRIME EXAMPLES OF EXTRAORDINARY EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT REAPING REAL BENEFITS. FIND OUT HOW THESE, AND OTHER LEADING COMPANIES, ARE GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THEIR EMPLOYEES. http://www.managers.org.uk/insights/news/2015/december/six-companies-that-get-employee-engagement-and-what-they-do-right

Kerri Bainbridge

One half of the Anywhere Business Team NZ

Sitting disease

Posted on 17/12/2017 by Kerri Bainbridge

Sitting disease by the numbers

The term “Sitting Disease” has been coined by the scientific community and is commonly used when referring to metabolic syndrome and the ill-effects of an overly sedentary lifestyle. However, the medical community does not recognize Sitting Disease as a diagnosable disease at this time.

Whether it’s time spent working (in the office, school or home), driving, eating or watching TV, the impacts our sedentary lifestyles, often referred to as “sitting disease,” may be one of the most unanticipated health threats of our modern time.

Sitting Disease:
A term coined by the scientific community, commonly used when referring to metabolic syndrome and the ill-effects of an overly sedentary lifestyle.

Now that’s the bad news. The good news is…

…by making simple lifestyle changes we can make big strides to lead healthier lives. Mounting medical research proves that if we choose to stand up, sit less and move more, we can experience a great number of attainable benefits to our health, our minds and our bodies . If this topic interests you go to the source to read more….source:http://www.juststand.org/the-facts/

Kerri Bainbridge

One half of the Anywhere Business Team NZ

www.anywherebusinessnetwork.co.nz

3 ways to stay on top of your Facebook posting over the holidays

Posted on 10/12/2017 by Kerri Bainbridge

If your marketing plan involves posting to Facebook it is very important to keep posting over the Christmas and holiday period, even if you are not officially working. How can you do this and take a break?

You will need to writing as many posts as you need to get you through this period and then use one of these two options for publishing.

1. Many of you will have found that Facebook has a scheduling option. You will find this is located in the drop down button attached to the PUBLISH button. If you use this option I suggest you set up a system where you record which post will be posted on which day because it is very easy to get distracted when you are setting this up and scheduling a post. You may find you don’t remember which day you are scheduling the current post for and double up and miss a day. Have a plan.

2. Use scheduling software like www.buffer.com (see video above). If you only have one social media account it is free. If you have more it is about $10USD a month. You can enter your post straight into Buffer and it will post to Facebook when you tell it to. You can set up different times and days depending on when your audience is expecting to hear from you. Try to be predictable. You can get a plug in for Buffer for your WordPress site too so you could schedule your posts on your blog, these will go Buffer and then Buffer will post to Facebook. This is useful if you want to write big posts and you want them on your website as well as Facebook. Buffer allows you move the order of your posts around too. I like buffer as it comes with a Chrome add-on that allows me to Buffer articles I like from Google to re-share. It allows me to add my comments and then adds the post to the Buffer que. Check out this video link for more information about Buffer https://youtu.be/5hJLTuQq4WQ

3. Repurpose old blog posts. It is said that a person needs to see something 7 times to take something in or buy something. Chances are people didn’t see it the first time or may not have even been a subscriber when you posted it the first time. You need to read your post and see if it can be improved. Your blog writing skills may have improved since you wrote it the first time. You might add a different photo or change the title a little.

Happy holidays. Happy blogging.

Feedback is appreciated!

You can follow us on facebook or our website!

#Kerri Bainbridge

One half of the Anywhere Team NZ

Business is all about resources which are limited… utilize them to your best advantage!

For the mentor-mentee relationship to work, you must be open to new ideas… ego needs to be parked!

Are you keeping up with the changing digital landscape? It’s changing the way we do business.

My changing landscape

Digital landscape today

What does this all mean for the future of work?

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The future of work

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What can you do?

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