As many of you know I love people with passion for what they do. Ex-dragons Den contender Doug Richard, founder of School for Startups, says in his letter to the leaders that they should remove the red tape for entrepreneurs and start-up businesses, and make universal and fast broadband access a priority.

His passion has taken him to sharing his message a the street level to get his point to the public. There is a lesson in this for all of us – sometimes you gotta roll up your sleeves and simply get stuck in, when you truly believe in your message and mission.

Check out this video of a man with passion for his purpose and for your Entrepreneurs : CLICK HERE

I was approached last week by PR Guru Miranda Leslau (twitter: @mirandaprguru) to comment for Business Wings on the question of How will a hung Parliament impact your business?

The Business Wings article on this page opens with the following paragraph and has some great comments from a variety of entrepreneurs:

In the second part of our feature about the likely impact of a hung parliament according to business owners, we listen to the views of those who are unsure about the impact of a hung parliament.

The Conservatives, traditionally the party with which small businesses have the greatest affinity, have repeatedly warned of the dangers of such an outcome which would likely usher in some sort of proportional representation-orientated reform and more coalition governments in future.

To read more and get my view on this CLICK HERE

Handling money issues between couples is a very sensitive area. In fact, money, debt and financial discussions often lead to heated arguments, and this is reflected by the fact that money disputes are the biggest cause of break-ups in marriage. In order for a couple to become financially free they must first develop a healthy relationship with money – together!

 

 Handling Money Issues Between Couples: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Let me ask you a question. What are you passionate about? What is it that really makes your blood boil? What is it that really gets you excited? One of the things that I advise my clients when I am mentoring them about starting a business, I ask them these questions. The reason for this is because people who are passionate about their business have a better chance of being successful. People who are passionate about something are more likely to fight for what they believe in and do all they can to make it work.

We are living in a era where there are so many opportunities for you to develop an area of passion into an income generating business. You simply need to get focused. If you want to read more on this – CLICK HERE to read my article.

The NATS Statement on the Icelandic volcanic eruption impacts business decisions in a massive way. I myself have been affected as I was on my way out to Spain to speak at a conference for international investors. In moments like these we have to adapt quickly and be thinking two steps ahead. Businesses need to operate the same way in any crisis or situation that occurs within your business. Millions of pounds of revenue has been lost in many sectors of the UK economy as a result of this one eruption – any businesses associate, within the flight industry will have been affected. So the the Icelandic volcanic eruption impacts Business Decisions in many different sectors – and it is the leaders in these areas who have the foresight to act swiftly.

Ryan air for example – from my experience of seeing what happened at the airport did not appear to act that swiftly and systems were not able to cope. Nor were their staff updated with current information such that people appeared to be given incorrect information – what systems could be put in place for the future? How could their website be improved? Many customers may choose to never use an airline again as a result of a bad experience – on a mass scale this can impact a business.

At the same time, millions of pounds will have been made by other industries like the hotels adjacent to the airports and other sectors like the rail industry. JUST FOR A MOMENT – ask yourself, how could your business benefit from external circumstance, and in particular ask yourself, what circumstance would they be – can you prepare for it or even identify occasions when this happens and develop a new element to your business or service.

I have already come up with a few ideas as a result of this past 48 hours that I believe will help me expand in one area of my business.

In ever adversity there is a seed of opportunity. Remember to have a look at my articles page for more tips on business.

As some of you know,  I am running a day of personal growth which wonderfully raised £20,000 towards the amazing charity Make A Wish. Thank you to all who paid to attend and I am really looking forward to what will be an awesome day.

Miranda Leslau is an absolute PR star and got onto the local media so have a read of one of the articles – please feel free to comment on the article too as we are wanting to really raise the profile for MAW:

CLICK HERE

One question that arises a lot with new business owners relates to getting a business loan in a struggling economy. The recent 18 months of economic upheaval have affected many facets of business. People are more reluctant to spend money, they are not buying as many large ticket items as they used to, and banks are more reluctant to give out loans for businesses.

So many people come to me asking for advice on where they can turn for money when it’s difficult to get business loans. The advice that I offer is what is listed below.

1) Securities-Based Lending

One of the best places that a business owner can turn to for business loans in a bad economy is securities-based lending. It’s a form of business loan that is very inexpensive, because the business owner is borrowing money either from themselves or from the partners that they have. For example, if a business owner has had success and they have put money away in an account that they have for investing, they can use that money as collateral to borrow against. This can allow some flexibility and means that original funds don’t have to be taken out of the company.

Note – the terminology for this varies from country to country but the basic approach is the same.

To read more CLICK HERE

Public Speaking involves not just delivering to an audience, but also challenging your audience. The more you engage your audience,  the more impact you will make. This podcast, gives a simple example of engaging your audience.

 

 Public Speaking - Challenge Your Audience: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download