Entrepreneurship
109 posts
10 Reasons People Buy Your Product Or Share Your Idea
People buy your product or share your idea because….. 1. It makes them feel…better, smarter, more beautiful, healthier, safe, loved and on and on. Online courses, Jimmy Choo shoes, perfume, gym membership, life insurance, organic fruit. 2. They are looking for a shortcut. Information, more time, eas
Your Biggest Obstacle
“Here’s what I’ve got.” Joe said, as he held out his product to me. It wasn’t just a product though. This was something that had consumed him and five figures of his hard earned cash for months. The market research he’d taken as a green light to get going a year earlier hadn’t paid off.…
Credentials And The Fraud Police
If I had a dollar for every person I know who is making a difference doing something they care about yet feels insecure about their right to be doing it, I would be funding a very nice round the world trip. There’s the interior decorator who longed to be a stylist but doubted that she…
Tina Roth Eisenberg On Trusting Your Gut And Following Your Passion
Have you ever had an idea you thought might work that still hasn’t seen the light of day? If you’ve longed to bring something you’re passionate about to life it might be time to watch the video chat I had with Tina Roth Eisenberg. Tina is a Swiss designer based in New York who runs…
The Third Secret Of Great Marketing
It’s the reason Dropbox’s revenue hit $240 million in 2011 despite giving away their product for free and how Instagram has grown to 100 million users. Stand in your customers’ shoes. Start with their story. Image by Trey Ratcliff.
The Most Important Question You’re Forgetting To Ask
From the outside looking in The Lego Group had a hugely successful business a decade ago. It was a beloved brand that seemed to be surviving the digital age. The balance sheet told a different story though and Lego had more years in the red than in the black between 1998 and 2004. Part of…
Tell The Story You Want To Tell
You are not the first person (or the last) to admit that you’ve ended up doing the wrong thing. For the wrong people. For the wrong reasons. Something that didn’t bring you the joy you thought it would. If you’ve ever wound up at the end of a path that you have chosen and wondered…
If You Build It Will They Come?
I spent most of yesterday at Startup Weekend and was excited to hear the feedback from the judges during the final pitches. There were elegant apps and well developed presentations. Some teams had a product ready to roll out this week and others had nothing more than a well validated idea about what
Why Is Giving Easier Than Taking?
From my first day at school (the day after I turned four,I don’t think my mother could wait a minute longer), we were taught that giving was a great thing. It was a convent school and every day Sister Collette would come around with a box and collect our pennies for babies in Africa. They…
One Trick Pony
In the 1800’s small travelling circuses without big headline acts or a menagerie of exotic animals were known as dog and pony shows. The very average acts on the programme were derided as ‘one trick ponies’. When I was growing up conventional wisdom said that you must strive never to be a ‘one trick
Worrying About The Competition
Rachael showed up for her trial as a part-time dishwasher in a local cafe, donned her apron and was sent into battle alongside Lolita. Lolita who was a fairly recent addition to the staff was worried, the manager had already had a word with her about picking up the pace at busy times. As she…
Seth Godin On What We Need To Do Now
Seth and I got together yesterday and made this for you. He teaches me something every day and I know you’ll learn something from the insights he shares here. Seth Godin : What we need to do now from Bernadette Jiwa on Vimeo. “We’re living in a moment of time, the first moment of time…
2 Questions To Answer Before Bringing An Idea To Market
1. How does your customer want to feel after she’s bought your product or experienced your service? 2. How are you going to get her there? Image by Renato Targa.
The Business Buzzword Of 2013 ‘Platform’
Everywhere I look online these days I see people being urged to build a ‘platform’. The modern day platform is a digital connection to potential customers, contacts, followers or fans. A platform then is a tool and a tactic. There are plenty of consultants willing to help you with the ‘how to’ of bu
Something To Lose
The solitary guy who sets up shop in his garage or carves out a space at the local cafe to use as an office has nothing to lose. He can tell his friends that he’s following his passion, that it might not work but he’s giving it a go anyway. Not so easy to be…
On Being Noticed
You want your brand, your business or your cause to be noticed, but have you considered what you’d actually do with the attention if it came flooding in? What would you do if Oprah called? What would happen if you were featured in that publication of your wildest dreams? What then? How would you pre
Loved
I finally fell out of love with my favourite little cafe. 18 months ago I went there almost every day, not just for the coffee but because of how it made me feel to be there in amongst the noise, the life and the friendly faces with the smell of the ocean wafting through the…
5 Questions You Need To Ask About Your Ideal Client
1. Who is she? What’s her backstory? What makes her who she is? (Hint…she may not be you). 2. What does her typical day look like? How does she spend her time and where (both online and offline)? 3. What does she care about? What inspires and informs her? What motivates her to act? 4.…
The Secret To Spreading Ideas
I recently had the opportunity to share an idea I care about thanks to the team at TEDx Perth. The talk went live online two days ago. I hope it helps you to spread the ideas that you care about. Image by Sally Jarvis at TEDxPerth
More Than Words
The school public speaking competition was in full swing. One after another the young and accomplished speakers stepped up to the lectern. Their opinions, convincing arguments and confidence just blew us away. The evening was drawing to a close and the audience began to fidget as the second last spe
