Online Business Adviser

The Forum For Online Business Success

I think it’s true for everyone that no matter where you have worked, you will come across people within an organisation who are just really, really good at what they do. Certainly for me, having worked across a number of different media companies, I have found people in all sorts of departments (not just mine) who know their stuff inside out and astonish me with their knowledge.

I consider these people as my Fantasy Business Team – the people that if I had was to go into business for myself and had the scale, I would want to recruit and have work with me, because they each bring something special to the table. It’s the kind of team that you think you could accomplish anything with.  Read more...

A few weeks ago I wrote about how you position your business to place you ahead of your competitors, using the coffee shop in my office foyer as an example.

Today, I noticed something else they are doing that puts them ahead of the competiton. Pre-paid coffee cards.

Nothing fancy, just a regular coffee loyalty card except this one is pre-paid for 10 coffees. Why is this brilliant? Well for one – the nearest ATM to work is about a 10 minute walk, or you can get cash out from the supermarket that is about 5 minutes away, but need to spend at least $10 in store to do so.  Read more...

Yesterday I had a guy ride up to me on a bicycle while I was waiting to cross the road and ask me if there was a Starbucks in Balmain. When I told him it had closed down, he said “damn economy”. Sure, Starbucks had closed 61 of their 80 odd stores in Sydney last year, but the Balmain one closed down long before that.

The reason? They really picked the wrong market to compete in. For those that aren’t familiar with Balmain, it’s in the inner west of Sydney and it’s very much a cafe hub. A lot of people in the area are very passionate about their coffee, and Starbucks were up against dozens of established coffee shops (and were 3 doors down from what is widely considered one of the best in Sydney). There was simply no room for half fat extra grande triple shot soy mugachino frappé with whipped cream, sprinkles and a twist of lemon (not that I begrudge anyone their Starbucks – drink it how you like).  Read more...

My collection - yes, I'm a fan

Paid versus free content is really under the spotlight at the moment, and I wanted to take a look at one of the most successful brands of recent years and demonstrate how providing information and services at no charge can lead to revenue and more on the back end. This is a post that I have been wanting to write for a while, but with a TV show on air in a couple of weeks, it is timely.

Since being discovered on a TV show, Jamie Oliver has become one of the most successful brands of the last decade. I am a huge fan of everything he does in both cooking and business. Notice I said brand, not chef. Sure he deals with food, but Oliver’s real business? Education. His positioning? Simplicity. The Naked Chef moniker of his early days was derived from the simplicity and accessibility of his food, that you can create something great without too much fuss.  Read more...

To call this post “What’s In a Name?” would have been too easy. But to answer the question – lots. A bad name can negatively affect

My "collector's item"

perception of your product even if the product itself is good.

Just ask Kraft. By way of context, particularly for my international readers, over the last 6 months Kraft has been looking for a name for their new type of Vegemite. Vegemite is a yeast extract spread that is thick, dark brown and has a tar like consistency. It’s fantastic on toast and has been and Australian icon since it’s creation in 1922. Back in June Kraft released a new version, mixed with cream cheese to make it easier to spread, and has sat on shelves with a label reading “name me”. After a public competition to pick the new name, they settled on iSnack 2.0. The backlash from the Australian public was incredible, and only days after (but not before rebranding 500,000 jars), they announced plans to dump the new name and open up a public vote on 6 of the more “tame” suggestions.  Read more...