24 February 2010 by Emma
Intuit senior marketing manager Melanie Vala attended
yesterday's We Mean Business conference, and couldn't resist
passing on a few more of their useful tips and tricks for small
businesses.
Here are 11 great tips from Deborah Szebeko,
founder of thinkpublic, who
started her business based on being inspired by wanting to help
improve the patient experience in the NHS:
- Be adaptable: things will change, be open to this and stay
flexible
- Learn the lingo: listen to others and record what they say, use
this to develop your language.
- Develop your story and brand: each opportunity has a story and
their story is their brand, embrace this and include it in all your
branding, right down to your logo.
- Build relationships: don't underestimate your clients as your
advocates.
- Give people respect and responsibility: by giving people
opportunity they will be empowered to learn and innovate, and this
will help the business to be great.
- Failure can sometimes be a good thing.
- Create a positive working culture: this draws the best people
to work for you and creates an environment where the team members
are accountable to each other.
- Find a great accountant: they will become the backbone of your
business, just because there's money in the bank doesn't
necessarily mean you're making money. An accountant can advise you
on how to grow the business and reinvest.
- Find a mentor: just having someone to listen and reassure you
is invaluable to keeping you on track.
- Don't forget to have fun: it's not worth doing if you're not
having fun.
- Trust and follow your instincts: disconnecting with your heart
will often disconnect you from why you started your business.
And finally, one great antidote Deborah shared was how she and
her team have their own 'Come Dine With Me' competition at lunch
time - each team creates a lunch and they vote. The challenge being
that they only have a microwave at their office! Talk about a way
to develop a fun, innovative and passionate work environment.