Be the brand

Starting on Monday 12th January 2018 I am going to engage a polling company to identify how well my business is known in Scotland and how well thought of it is. It will be slightly more scientific than that but you get the gist.

Most of us need to plan ahead but that probably seems weirdly precise. It is, for good reason. I have a goal. To make my brand the No1 in our field in Scotland. So we need to measure it.

This goal is the most important decision I have ever made. We now have a reason to exist (the business, not the people.) Everything we do can be measured by how it contributes to our goal.

There is a famous quote by a wise person you will have heard of.  “How do you know if you are getting anywhere if you don’t know where you are going?”

Any idea who said it?

Winnie the Pooh.

Without that specific goal in 2018 we are just slogging away every day with no idea of why, it is just a treadmill.

I haven’t shared this goal with my team. Why not you cry in horror? Because I only just made it up. I will share it and I will put some decent bonus behind it if we are the best known, most respected brand in our field in Scotland.

What is your goal? Feel free to share in the comments.

 

Drains or radiators

Zazzle.com

We moved house a year ago. Three people we considered friends have still not set foot in our house despite many opportunities. My wife and I made a point of sharing their pleasure when they moved or got a new car or had an amazing holiday etc.

We have now made a conscious decision to be more careful about who we socialise with. We are not actually the most sociable people at heart but we do enjoy a natter with like minded people. The problem is we were mixing with the wrong people.

Who are the wrong people? Boozers, stupid people, mouth breathers, soap dodgers, small minded people and naturally jealous people. Come the revolution, I will have them all taken out and shot.

This post/rant was brought on by a night out. I attend a networking group which had a night out. Not being a party animal I was there to avoid being seen as anti social more than anything. I actually had a great night and a couple of blinding flashes of inspiration.

Who we ended up sitting with was totally random; a diverse bunch of people. The conversation covered everything from Scottish independence to accountants that talk “utter bollocks”, with military service, the law is an ass and types of exercise thrown in. I learned a few very interesting things that will help my business. I learned a few things that were simply very interesting to me personally.

The point is, I was mixing with like minded people. We all share a common goal. We want to build our businesses. We weren’t there to impress each other but to simply relax and enjoy the chat.

Life is too short to surround yourself in numpties. I love the concept that people are divided into two categories, drains or radiators. Fortunately I am now spending time with radiators. My life is far better for it.