Posts Tagged ‘entrepreneurs’

Social Media Entrepreneur’s Interviews No9 – Amanda Hamilton

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

Name: Amanda Hamilton               Twitter name: @ dreamingspain

What is your main Change challenge at present?

Shifting my focus between managing/marketing and PR-ing, running solo a lovely guest house, whilst being (and loving being) a single parent, realising that I also want to paint more.  So the challenge is in embracing honestly what I really want, & balancing it with not being a lazy git (which is so easy).  Plus accepting that everyone needs time out INCLUDING me – that’s a big one!

What is your strategy for dealing with it?

Taking time out.  Through quiet time, meditation, talking with real friends who know me well, I’m getting clearer about what the future needs to hold, and creating it.  Scary, but necessary

Are you using social media as part of that strategy, if so, how?

Not consciously … but then my SM friends would probably contradict and say that my SM profile is high enough now for there to be a level of curious interest in the latest developments.  I just enjoy talking to the people I enjoy online – and if that disperses out into the wider world, then I consider myself accidentally fortunate.  I can’t do real sales, it’s just not me,

What is your top Change tip?

Phew …. To know that, deep inside yourself, you ALWAYS have what it takes to move into the next phase of your life no matter how hard you find that to believe.  And if you don’t believe that, to get your best friends around you and ask for their help.  That’s what they’re there for.

What role does emotion / intuition play when you dealing with Change?

A huge role.  My emotions are my biggest clue.  They tell me how I feel about anything and everything.  By knowing that, I can follow the next right step before making a decision.  And my intuition is usually right.

Do you ever find Change brings unexpected gifts?

Always – especially the scary changes – by digging deeper and deeper, the gifts I find within me are usually the most important.

What thing best symbolises Change for you and why?

My paintings – when I feel wobbly, I paint – and that shows me how I’m feeling about any given situation.  By  taking time to be with myself, I learn more about what it is to be me – and right now, that’s really important.

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Posted in Blogging, Interview, Twitter | 2 Comments »

Social Media Entrepreneur’s Interviews No8 – Romany Thresher

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

Name: Romany Thresher    Twitter name: @directassist 

What is your main Change challenge at present?

Realigning my business to a specific niche. At present, there is an abundance of virtual assistants popping up all over offering similar services. In order to differentiate my business from competitors, I now specialise in a particular area. For existing clients I have done an excellent job at handling all their social media and online presence. Increasing online visibility is something they know is important but something they do not have the time or inclination to do day-in-day out. It’s a little bit scary but first impressions are that I am getting much more enquiries than before. My existing clients have all received massive benefits and that has given me the confidence to take this big step

What is your strategy for dealing with it?

Continuous research plays a very important role for me when dealing with strategies, monitoring and keeping track of new ways and methods to do things. What has helped me a great deal in being efficient is my constant hunger for learning which has now made me a bit of a girly geek as some have suggested.

My strategy is one of changing systems, processes and marketing material to meet the new focus.

For example, revamping my site content, training existing staff, and looking at the packages that I offer clients.

Are you using social media as part of that strategy, if so, how?

Yes I am most definitely using social media as a part of my strategy. It’s what I do for clients so I have to be great at it!. .

We have developed a social community to interact more closely with community members so we can learn to understand their needs and provide resources and tools which can help them minimise their costs whilst increasing visibility.

Attend networking events, continue to blog, participate in targeted social networking communities and make use of Twitter to communicate, share tips and relevant information to help business owners establish themselves and increase their online visibility using social media, events and workshops.

I currently manage accounts for existing clients who supply me with their content and are struggling to maintain their online visibility on a regular basis so that they can focus on more face to face networking and other areas of their business which needs their attention.

What is your top Change tip?

Change is necessary for growth both personally and professionally.

Change is something we need to do constantly in order to grow. Life has a way of putting us in a situation where we are forced to change direction. I call these times growing pains as it often comes with some form of calamity. Focused change is when you know what your ultimate life goal is and you make a decision to change and focus on bringing about change, this often comes with very pleasant gifts.

What role does emotion / intuition play when you dealing with Change?

Emotion plays a very important part in change. I still have to work on my emotions and often fear mixed with excitement will be my emotion, this can sometimes stop me from moving with change. Thankfully I am strong willed and am not held back by my emotions

If you embrace the change things will happen. If you resist change, which I have done a few times in the past, the doors close, the opportunities cease to present themselves and it seems twice as hard to get to where you should’ve been in the first place.

Do you ever find Change brings unexpected gifts?

Yes, often. The greatest gift change brings to me is the people who come into my life. They are often very precious and valuable.

What thing best symbolises Change for you and why?

Not changing symbolises death for me. Change on the other hand, symbolises life, ever growing and experiencing new things which then gives you the ability and opportunity to help others and add value to the people around me.

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Posted in Blogging, Business Change, Interview, Twitter | 7 Comments »

Social Media Entrepreneur’s Interviews No5 – Nikki Pilkington

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

Name: Nikki Pilkington      Twitter name: @NikkiPilkington

What is your main Change challenge at present?

As the business that I run and the industry that I am in is ever changing, it is difficult to pinpoint one area of change that is a challenge. In Internet Marketing change is constant, as new and more effective ways of marketing myself and my clients spring up all the time.

Whether the birth of a new way of promotion, or the decline of an old and previously trusted way, it is important for me to keep up with change, and alert my clients and potential clients to such fluctuations.

What is your strategy for dealing with it?

I constantly research and test my industry, and take advice from my peers. I’m of the mind that no matter how long you’ve been in any business, you can only grow by learning to adapt and change to the climate around you.

Those that refuse to grow, adapt and listen will find themselves left far, far behind when they might have been frontrunners.

Are you using social media as part of that strategy, if so, how?

The majority of my business comes from social media marketing, as it should be in my industry! Credible online networking websites such as UK Business Labs and BT Tradespace, social applications such as Facebook, blogging in places such as Business on Twitter and 299 Steps, microblogging on Twitter, as well as participating in a number of private clubs, including Last Thursday, private Facebook & LinkedIn groups, and private Ning forums are just a few of the ways I use social media for my own business and for those of clients.

With the above, and a few extras, I cover all of the important places for my company to be seen in order to develop reputation and gain credibility as well as clients.

What is your top Change tip?

If something clearly isn’t working, then standing by it and flogging a dead horse is probably not the wisest thing to do. Change is a factor of life, learn to accept it, make decisions and move on.

What role does emotion / intuition play when you dealing with Change?

A huge part, but that’s not to say that I make decisions lightly. If something needs to change, the start of knowing this is probably intuitive and emotional – the ‘how to deal with it’ and ‘what to do’ are logical thought processes and more on the practical side.

So, I may make the decision to stop using a certain method of promotion because my gut instinct tells me it is bad / not working any more. Without researching and putting facts to my emotional theory, I would be mad to change. Once logic and facts are in place, then it becomes obvious whether or not change is needed.

Do you ever find Change brings unexpected gifts?

Absolutely; I think it’s true that change can be a scary thing to face, but once a decision is made and the change has happened, then it’s worth looking for the good things that have come out of it, rather than hankering after days gone by. Change happens for a reason, and some of my best friends / clients and business ideas have come about because of change I wasn’t sure about in the beginning.

What thing best symbolises Change for you and why?

To see how change can be a good thing in your business life, read any business book by Richard Branson – the Virgin story is one of constant change and well worth researching if you’re afraid of change

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Posted in Blogging, Business Change, Interview | 7 Comments »

Social Media Entrepreneur’s Interviews No4 – Penny Power

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

Name: Penny Power Twitter name: @pennypower

What is your main Change challenge at present?

Helping business people understand that social networking is critical when they are building their business and brining context and understanding to the way that Social Media is a tool but cannot be used in isolation to networking

What is your strategy for dealing with it?

Blogging, writing my book (Know Me, Like Me, Follow Me, available 20th August 09). Training, speaking, 121’s, basically any way that I can communicate, share and learn

Are you using social media as part of that strategy, if so, how?

Totally, by blogging, Tweeting, YouTube, Slideshare, Private Messages.

What is your top Change tip?

To learn the new world philosophies of being open, random and supportive to others and move from the old world of being closed, selective and controlling.

What role does emotion / intuition play when you dealing with Change?

I am very emotionally driven, I believe change happens in the heart and then the brain interprets it and makes it logical and provides the methods and the means to communicate it

Do you ever find Change brings unexpected gifts?

I totally believe in serendipity and trust and since I have embraced an open and non-filtering attitude to global networking my life has become richer, both emotionally and financially.

What thing best symbolises Change for you and why?

When I witness people letting go and trusting in their instinct and in others, also when they stop thinking about the money and start to consider the contribution, then the change creates the financial results they used to target but now they achieve without the control they wanted originally.

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Posted in Blogging, Business Change, Interview, Twitter | 11 Comments »

Social Media Entrepreneur’s Interviews No3 – Ces Loftus

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

Name: Ces Loftus          Twitter name:@Ces_Creatively

What is your main Change challenge at present?

Over the last 6 months or so I have done a lot of embracing change. I run Creatively Minded Design with my husband Jay and due to the economic down turn a lot of small businesses in the genre that we had previously worked with were cutting right down on their design and marketing expenditure or cutting it out altogether. However, the current financial climate means there is actually even more benefit to standing out from competitors with a professional business image and a consistent clear message.. Our business has done just that and evolved to really focus on the angle we can deliver the strongest benefits in and now the challenge remains in opening the eyes of other business owners..

What is your strategy for dealing with it?

The approach I have to helping fellow business owners to understand the rewards that from focusing on the right product or service for the right target market. I have written articles and blogs, started groups, I also help people with a business image health check, identifying their best products and target market, and attracting the right customers., ensuring you don’t risk damaging your great business reputation by not looking professional.

Are you using social media as part of that strategy, if so, how?

Yes, Social Media a provides a great platform for connecting with fellow business owners. Ecademy is a good network for blogging and sharing knowledge. I use Twitter to Tweet direct tips and links to really constructive articles. I have also recently started introducing many of my Twitter followers to the benefit of having a professionally branded twitter profile background in order to stand out on twitter and get more followers. Your twitter profile background can be used to display a clear message about what you do, perhaps display a short testimonial to show your credibility and raise brand awareness through the use of your logo, slogan and business colours. Having a professional image that stands out instead of a generic background will help potential followers to identify you as someone who is confident in the value of their business and is worth following.

What is your top Change tip?

Sometimes change comes as a result of something we have had our hearts set on and been planning and working towards for some time. Other times change is something that is just thrust upon us by circumstance and it may not have been part of our plans at all. My top change tip is to embrace change. Even if at the time it looks like a change for the worse, with the right attitude and drive all change can bring about something good one way or another. The way we experience and deal with change shapes us as people and defines the path we are taking to move on. The way we accept, understand and use change to our advantage in business can catapult us to realising a new and exciting business potential we did not even realise we had.

What role does emotion / intuition play when you dealing with Change?

Change undoubtedly pulls at emotional strings. Change can be scary. Change can really shake things up and mean you need to take a step back, take a deep breath and re think the direction you are going in. This is true on both personal and business levels alike. I have seen many clients who have been reluctant and resistant to change their business image at all when I first started working with them. They had a set idea about what they liked visually and that is how they had been doing business for some time. They saw change as a risk and not the opportunity for business development and influencing sales growth that it actually was. I worked with them to help them understand that their business image was not just a pretty picture and was a part of their business reputation. Then their intuition kicked in and together we tweaked their business image, keeping a consistent clear message throughout applications so their ideal high margin clients would very quickly see the value in doing business with them.

Do you ever find Change brings unexpected gifts?

Yes change can bring unexpected gifts. Many of the professionals I have worked with have found the changes we made to their business image have not only succeeded in immediately attracting the ideal category of clients they wanted but they have caught the attention of even bigger fish and won significant contracts because they were now being taken more seriously and were getting noticed for the right reasons.

A gift I have personally received as a result of our business embracing change and focusing on developing a business image advantages for clients is in several projects I am delighted to be working on at the moment. Due to the success we have been having and steady flow of work from people who understand the value we add to their business, I am in a position where I can afford lessen the pressure on the business accelerator pedal a little and give some time advice and design work to some worthy causes as gifts in kind.

What thing best symbolises Change for you and why?

In life often little changes can add up to make a big difference.

Changing the way we live, reducing water waste, saving electric, recycling, meat free days and so on. Small changes in our work life balance to make more time for family and enjoying life is very meaningful too. From a work perspective, I advise clients daily that making small changes here and there within their business image can have dramatic and wonderful results.

I embrace change now and I know in business, that in opening clients eyes to the changes that will help them develop their business image and really stand out, good things will come of it.

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Posted in Business Change, Interview, Twitter | 4 Comments »