Online Business Adviser

The Forum For Online Business Success

I’ve just finished reading Gary Vaynerchuck’s Crush It. The book was released in October last year, so I know that a lot of people may have already picked it up, but if you haven’t and you are new to online business, looking to take it to the next level, or have any interest in social media at all – buy and read this book now.

For those of you not familiar with Gary’s work, he took his father’s $4 million a year wine business and managed to turn it into a $60 million a year goliath through the power of social media and personal branding.

There are many things I loved about this book. Firstly it’s less than 150 pages long, which makes it a very quick read. In every one of those 150 pages, it’s almost like Gary himself is there telling it to you. Watch him on www.winelibrary.tv to see what I mean. Rather than talking about how to run a business that will make a fortune, he talks about capitalising on your passion in order to be successful – whatever that success looks like.  Read more...

Well, it’s finally here. The end of the noughties, and what an amazing decade it has been. The technological advancements that have fundamentally changed the way we do business are now within the reach of everybody to take advantage of and create an online business.

My mission this year has been to share the knowledge and advice that I have to give to help give you the best chance of success. Next year, I have two business resolutions that I am making. One of those is to be more personal, which I covered in my last post. The other – take bolder actions. 2010 will be the time to make the most of the moment in order to get ahead of your competition.  Read more...

Yesterday I was shopping for my wife’s birthday present, and was at the counter when I was asked if I had a Myer One card. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been asked this question – it’s the stock standard one that all Myer staff are required to ask.

But something different happened today. When I said no, I was asked, “would you like to apply for one?”

This is the first time I’ve ever had a sales person try to upsell me to their rewards card, and it made me wonder how many new card customers Myer is missing because not all of their staff ask this. Obviously not everyone would say yes (I still didn’t) but even if it gathered a few more applicants a day then surely it’s a worthwhile exercise?  Read more...

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...

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...