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Lisa Murray Articles

Guest post by: Lisa Murray

Are Creativity & Cashflow Connected? - Click To Read Article
When you feel like your business is sinking into a quagmire or your day has become a puddle of putridness, it’s time to depend on that central core of creativity and resilience that brings the beauty and brilliance back into your business.

What if I am WRONG? - Click To Read Article
“I am relatively new into running my own business, having worked in a large corporate previously. How do you overcome the mental challenge of that little voice that says - you aren't good enough or - what if you advise someone and you get it wrong etc!”

Motivating Staff – (Empty) Words Are Not Enough! - Click To Read Article
In the course of my somewhat chequered career in marketing and sales, I worked for a range of small – medium businesses. One of the oft quoted platitudes from business owners was “we’re family here” – mostly said to entice employees to work enormous hours for no extra cash, to make unreasonable demands rather than requests and to create a general sense of guilt – as in: ‘we gave you a job…you owe us everything’ . This approach is often coupled with vague promises of future rewards.

Create Empire Building - Click To Read Article
Have you ever wondered how Richard Branson built his empire from nothing? What’s certain is that when he was 19 and larking about with his student newspaper he didn’t sit down and write out a business plan that included owning a couple of airlines, a space program, an island paradise and a financial institution or two!

Is Your Service ‘Entry Level’ or Extraordinary? - Click To Read Article
Has it ever occurred to you that what you think is great service is actually only the ‘entry level’ activities which allow your clients to put you on the list of possible suppliers? If not, you may be in for a rude shock!

Simple Rules or Stupid Rules? Which type is running your business? - Click To Read Article
All businesses have rules – some are simple, smart and understood by everyone; others are stupid, senseless and resisted by everyone. Simple rules make you efficient, they make you money and they make your team and customers happy. Stupid rules ensure you and your brand will be talked about for all of the wrong reasons…

Where do your brilliant business ideas come from? - Click To Read Article
As a small business owner, once you ‘shut up shop’ for the day do you also shut off thinking about your business? I find my best ideas come when I’m not doing anything connected with work… I went to Riverfire and the Brisbane Writers Festival on the weekend – a few hours chilling out and five new and amazing business ideas landed in my ideas notebook!

The Value of Your Personal Brand - Click To Read Article
When Barack Obama recently won the Nobel Peace Prize, he proved that your own personal brand can deliver results beyond measure. Whether or not he actually deserved the accolade has been well debated elsewhere. The bottom line is, when it comes to brand, ‘perception is reality’.

Culture Creates Your Brand's First Impressions - Click To Read Article
Your impact on potential clients, customers and team members starts with their first impressions. Those first few moments of communication are driven by your culture and your brand... how does your business meet expectations?

Is brand more powerful than strategy in creating competitive advantage? - Click To Read Article
“As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.” - Andrew Carnegie

Is Your Business Delivering The Lifestyle You Desire? - Click To Read Article
A recent survey of almost 2000 small to medium Australian businesses by Quest Newspapers has highlighted that 71% of business owners are in business because of lifestyle factors such as following their passion, creating better work/life balance and being their own boss.

Too Much Buzz, Not Enough Nectar? - Click To Read Article
Do you have too much 'buzz' going through your mind to truly do justice to the nectar that provides the joy in your business and life? Recently I've had a couple of insightful conversations with my sweetheart around our capacity to fit even more in than we already do, as well as minimising our stress levels. Sounds crazy but we are both high achievers and don't want to waste a second of our lives... here's the strategy we came up with..

Who else can contribute to your business? - Click To Read Article
Two years ago I effectively had a network of about 50 people including my friends – I was shy, introverted and mostly preferred my own company! Not only that, I really didn’t want anyone to see me – I rather liked being invisible!! Or so I told myself…

Many businesses build their brand by educating potential customers. Informative, high quality content promotes what they do and demonstrates their expertise. However, it pays to think of your content as the vehicle – i.e. content is plentiful and everyone has some! - Click To Read Article
One of the most common challenges I see with practitioners and technicians who own a business is that they actually love being the practitioner! All of the beautiful advice from the e-Myth stands completely at odds with their greatest strengths and desires. So what to do?

3 Easy Steps to Reviving Your Business Vision! - Click To Read Article
Are you a small business owner, solopreneur or entrepreneur with an unfulfilled vision? Have you set the same New Year resolutions for the past few years but failed to achieve your desired result? Do you have a burning business goal which you have not been able to accomplish? Contrary to the beliefs of some, your past does not have to represent your potential!

Small Business Coach - Revive Yourself - How to Get Focused Fast! - Click To Read Article
Often as small business owners, we have so much happening in our business and our life that we almost forget to breathe! As a small business coach, I recommend to my clients that they revitalize their energy by simply becoming conscious and present in the moment.

Small Business Coach - How to Recession-Proof Your Beliefs and Your Business! - Click To Read Article
Whether you are naturally pessimistic or just facing an uncertain future due to the current economic climate, it is worth developing the skill of challenging your negative beliefs. People often wonder how I can be so upbeat 99% of the time. Despite appearances, there are many moments when it is not easy - because it makes a difference to my life and my business I choose to work at it! Your mind has 50,000 thoughts a day. Choose your thoughts wisely: you are creating your life and your business with your thoughts!

Small Business Coach - Do Your Pricing Strategies Maximize Your Profits? - Click To Read Article
Pricing strategies are often the last marketing mix tactic that most business owners consider important, but the first to get attention the moment sales decrease! Maybe you've never considered how your pricing strategies can maximize your profits. This is the first of a series of articles on using pricing strategically to maximize your marketing results. So, we'll start with some basics - here's seven pricing options you can consider when initially setting your prices.

Small Business Coach - Why Entrepreneurs Need Routine, Structure and Focus! - Click To Read Article
Most entrepreneurs hate the idea of routines, structure and rules - that's why we're entrepreneurs right? As a small business coach, what I've noticed is that the most successful entrepreneurs actually have the capacity to use routines, structure and focus at the right time and for the right reasons (unlike bureaucrats who do rules all of the time and for all the wrong reasons!!)

Small Business Coach - How Your Small Business Can Create Profits From a Business Plan! - Click To Read Article
Late last century, E.B. White unwittingly penned the entrepreneur's planning mantra: "I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult." At the other extreme of self-determination is the proverb: "If you don't have a plan for yourself, you'll be part of someone else's."

Small Business Coach - Increase Your Business Productivity - Find More Time! - Click To Read Article
"Not enough time" is one of the biggest challenges for small business owners and people setting up home-based businesses in addition to their day job! As the economy tightens, that nasty feeling of 'frantic, panic, manic' has intensified for many people. The 'should, must and ought to do' lists are getting longer and the resources available seem to be shrinking fast. How we are used to working doesn't work for us anymore! (And maybe it never did...)

Overcome Stress - Use the Racehorse Strategy! - Click To Read Article
For many small business owners, stress and exhaustion are a 'normal' part of life. The good news is, it doesn't have to be this way. For a long time I thought "I don't have time" to look after myself properly - there's too much to do if I want my business to succeed. And then someone asked me whether I'd rather run my business like a racehorse or a donkey...

Stretched Beyond the Breaking Point? How to Manage Your Stress Better! - Click To Read Article
As the economy grinds to a halt, more small business owners are starting to feel stretched - for cashflow, for goodwill, for sanity. The first step away from stress and feeling over-stretched is to consolidate with your support team.

Small Business Coach - Want More Money, Power and Empowerment? Turn Crisis Into Opportunity - Click To Read Article
Money can't buy happiness, but the lack of it sure can create misery! Watching the global economic meltdown and the many and varied responses to it over the past few months has started me thinking about how much of our power we give away to money - making it, spending it and losing it!

Has Your Business Startup Stalled? Overcome Your Barriers to Success! - Click To Read Article
Recently one of my clients thought that she should get some more education before she launched into her own small business. This is what I call a perceived knowledge or experience barrier. After a lengthy discussion, I persuaded her to forget about becoming more qualified and focus on generating a cash cow that will enable her to choose the most relevant educational qualifications, once she has a successful business.

7 steps to stop being held hostage by ‘indispensable’ employees - Click To Read Article
Most employees are willing to share information, knowledge and expertise. However there are the small minority who stick very closely to the ‘information is power’ adage and subtly or obviously refuse to share information throughout the organization. Often these people have come from corporate environments where this type of behavior was accepted and even encouraged.

The Business Owner's Challenge: Manager or Practitioner? - Click To Read Article
One of the most common challenges I see with practitioners and technicians who own a business is that they actually love being the practitioner! All of the beautiful advice from the e-Myth stands completely at odds with their greatest strengths and desires. So what to do?

Influence: You’ve Got It! - Click To Read Article
My dear friend and coaching client Wendy Mulder launched her new book ‘Learning From Grief’ today with great pizzazz and insight. I was truly honoured that Wendy chose me to MC this momentous occasion. Not only did I have a great time… not only was it a heartfelt privilege to promote Wendy’s phenomenal skills in this area… not only did I meet some amazing people who are following their bliss in life… I learned something today that will change my life, and quite possibly yours as well! Here it is…

How To Complete Your Small Business Goals With Ease - Click To Read Article
Are you struggling with a target you have set, or finding you just aren’t making any progress on a project that’s important to your business success? The bigger the dream, the harder it can be to get moving… Here’s a few simple tips that will make today productive for you!

Are your employees holding you hostage? - Click To Read Article
Ever had an employee who made outrageous demands (for salary, promotions, time-off etc) and you gave it to them because you felt you ‘had no choice’? As a leader, it’s important to manage your business strategically. Here’s ten tips on managing those who try to make themselves indispensible…

7 Reasons Why Your Small Business Must Have A Content Management Strategy - Click To Read Article
Marketing guru Seth Godin has said ‘Content marketing is the only marketing left.’ New technologies mean traditional mass media is fast being overtaken by brands as publishers of content. It’s easy to publish content online, but much more challenging to achieve tangible business results (like sales!) Why?

To Blog or Not to Blog? The Business Owner’s Zillion Dollar Question! (Part 1) - Click To Read Article
At a recent business coaching gig for the KBN Ashgrove Network I talked about blogging. So many business owners think they ‘should’ blog but in truth have no idea of where to start, why they are doing it or how to have their blog generate results.

To Blog or Not to Blog… Blogging Made Easy (Part 2) - Click To Read Article
If you are publishing content on a blog, you need a strategy. Without one you are shooting at moving targets and missing opportunities to hit the triple jackpot of being visible, valued and visionary! John Batelle, creator of Wired magazine recently stated that for brands to stay relevant and develop a true online experience for their customers, they must master the art of content creation.

Money, Power and Empowerment - It's your choice!! - Click To Read Article
Money can’t buy happiness, but the lack of it sure can create misery! Watching the global economic meltdown and the many and varied responses to it over the past few months has started me thinking about how much of our power we give away to money – making it, spending it and losing it!

How To Complete Your Goals With Ease - Click To Read Article
Are you struggling with a target you have set, or finding you just aren’t making any progress on a project that’s important to your business success? The bigger the dream, the harder it can be to get moving… Here’s a few simple tips that will make today productive for you!

Business Startup? What's Stopping You? - Click To Read Article
Recently one of my clients thought that she should get some more education before she launched into her own small business. This is what I call a perceived knowledge or experience barrier.

Are your economic fears imprisoning you? - Click To Read Article
What is keeping you awake at night?





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