Get really clear about who your ideal client is and be exceptionally valuable to them.

After 27 years in the corporate world, I took the leap to set out on a journey to being a successful entrepreneur.

It was a great privilege to share my story in my recent podcast interview on the Corporate Escapees Podcast – a podcast where entrepreneurs like me share our first-hand experiences in successfully running our businesses and provide actionable tips for other corporate escapees.

Here are some of the takeaways from the interview.

• Communication and building the right culture are key to managing a remote team.
• Providing feedback is all about providing learning opportunities but also reinforcing positive behaviours. Give feedback in a way that a person can learn from it rather than putting them down.
• Marketing is around service orientation. It is not just pre-sales.
• Marketing is at the core of your business. It starts with understanding your target market all the way to delivering an exceptional experience, and making sure that you build on that relationship.
• My post-sale tips:
  • Always start the experience on the right foot.
  • Express your gratitude and appreciation
  • Take time to understand what else can you help your customers with
  • Build a partnership. Demonstrate that you are committed to helping them grow their business

• Structuring your business in seasons helps you match up where the expenditure and income are going to be.
• Have a system in place to get people to give you referrals.
• When asking for something, take a “contrary” approach – aim for the NO. Then you won’t worry about being rejected. A NO is not the end of the world so don’t take it personally.
• Hire for attitude and not for skills.
• My top three productivity tips:
  • Be clear about why you’re doing what you’re doing and what the outcome is from that.
  • Set quarterly themes and weekly targets.
  • Focus. Pick one thing each day to focus on then use lists to keep you focused on that.

• My Parting Advice at the end of the interview – Get really clear about who your ideal client is or your ideal audience and be exceptionally valuable to them.

Listen to the podcast to get the full scoop.

Links

• Podcast – Corporate Escapees
• Website – Build Live Give
• Youtube
• Twitter – @BuildLiveGive
• Twitter – @Innovabiz
• LinkedIn
• WP Elevation
• The Marketing Seminar
• First Fast Business Mastery Summit
• Tales of Marketing Transformation Podcast
• Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute
• Children’s Medical Research Institute

Apps

• Slack
• Notion
• Loom
• Bonjoro (check out Matt Barnett’s interview on the InnovaBuzz Podcast)

Podcasts

• Local Business Leaders Podcast
• The Podcast Talent Coach
• The Marketing Book Podcast
• All Selling Aside Podcast