Author: Admin

General Business

Why smart people chronically under-perform in business

Smart people choose complex paths that force them to become busy managers instead of business people. I challenge you to choose this method instead.

16 February 2016 by

You’re smart. I know that because you’re doing a hard thing – starting or running your own business. Plus you’re reading this highly credible Flying Solo article …

But here’s the problem with you smart people. You tend to choose complex paths.

The results?

  • You take on way too many tasks (from SEO to bookkeeping to insurance to leaflet design).
  • Managing yourself is more like managing a corporation. You fall asleep at night clutching time management books.
  • You’re obsessed with Pomodoro, GTD, Miracle Mornings, Micro Habits, and Evernote.
  • Mediocrity. You don’t master anything (because nobody excels in 26 types of work).
  • When your to-do list is only ever 10% complete, you can feel like a failure every day.

Our brain being such a cool gadget, we think we should use it as much as possible. But it clearly tends to choose paths that are too complex and difficult to manage.

How to get control back

You need a dumber strategy.

What’s a dumb strategy? It’s a strategy that doesn’t depend one bit on your brilliance.

Let’s imagine a version of yourself but with 50 less IQ points (some of you will need to take off 100). Keep subtracting until you’re picturing a caveman. Your inner caveman has one goal: to become the most known person in his market.

That’s it.

“Our brain being such a cool gadget, we think we should use it as much as possible. “

He may not have the IQ to write long and involved to-do list, but he can sure do this:

  • Knock on a door.
  • Say his name.
  • State what he does.
  • Hand over a phone number and leave.

Could he use a more advanced strategy?

Yes.

Does it need to be?

No.

The goal is very clear – simply to be the most known person in his/her market, (as that alone will provide a decisive business advantage).

By simply knocking on doors, your cave-self reaches 100 new business owners each day – face to face.

Now, with all your smarts, with all of your technology, how many new businesses found out about your service yesterday? Are you beating the caveman?

Most of us aren’t.

Is it time to stop being so clever?

If your cave-self can grow a business faster than you can, it’s because he has a plan that is dead simple, and completely under his control. He can’t control whether someone likes or trusts him, but he can control if people know who he is (even if he has to surprise them in the carpark).

And you don’t have to knock on doors.

Maybe you want to be THE most active person in your industry in social media. Posting more than anyone else is something you can control 100%.

Your brain however (in its wisdom) will try to tell you to increase your quality (to average) and decrease your quantity (to average). Then ‘balance’ these with 12 other marketing activities.

Before too long your cave-self is driving a Ferrari and you’re catching the bus to Officeworks for more post-it notes …

What one thing could your cave-self do to beat you in business?

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For members

AGM Sunday 17/1/2016

Hello All

An AGM for The Rocks Markets Small Business Association (TRMSBA) was held this last Sunday 17/1/2016. It was attended by about 20 people from the markets.

As a result of this meeting the new committee is made up of

President, Isaac

Treasurer, Bill

Secretary, Alex

Addition members, Ralph, Jeanette, Ronnie, Carolyn and Peter

 

Issues discussed

  1. Resignation of Peter Stephson, the previous President
  2. Future of TRMSBA
  3. The selection of new committee members
  4. The continuation of the $10 per year membership fee.
  5. Better communication required between stallholders and the committee
  6. The ability to sell your stall
  7. Advertising
  8. Repetition of existing stalls
  9. Notification of upcoming meeting agenda to allow discussion prior to the meeting
  10. Dwindling number of permanent stallholders

Item 5. Better communication required between stallholders and the committee.

The communication from the committee to the stallholders over the last few years has been non existent. By the same token no stallholders have utilised the TRMSBA email account to contact the committee members over the last few years.

Regular communication about the activities of the committee are required. More regular feedback from the stallholders to the committee is required.

 

Item 6. The ability to sell your stall

The Rocks Market Management have stated that the Stallholder Agreement conditions are to be changed in order to clarify that Stallholders cannot expect to automatically transfer their Agreement to a third party in the case that they wish to sell their business.  There is no guarantee that a Stallholder agreement will be transferred to a third party. A Stallholder can sell their business to another person but the new owner if they wish to trade at The Rocks Market will have to make a new application to the Rocks Markets and as such will be subject to all the usual conditions of a new applicant.

A diverse range of opinions were expressed both for and against. A unified position has to be determined on this subject. It is a complex issue and has further ramifications.

General Business

short notification to advise of the changes to TRMSBA executive following our AGM on Sunday 9th September

Hello All,
This is just a short notification to advise of the changes to TRMSBA executive following our AGM on Sunday 9th September.
The office bearers are as follows:
President: Peter Stephenson
Vice President: Peter Wing
Secretary: Caroline Mercer
Treasurer: Peter Stephenson
Publicity Officer: Isaac Savariego
Fundraising Officer: Isaac Savariego
Social Officer: Isaac Savariego
Nicole Kennedy, John Colquhoun and Mick Guthrie remain on the committee as general committee members and will no longer be attending the meetings with SHFA representatives.  Nicole Kennedy also remains the Public Officer of the Association.
I have confirmed the next meeting on Friday 28th September and look forward to continuing the execellent relationship our association has established with SHFA over the past twelve months.
Regards
Peter Stephenson
President/Treasurer