Business Is Chess Not Checkers

In this final episode we summarise the topics we have covered over the last six months - our experiences both good and bad. If you want to find out more about us, here are some links:   TRISH http://www.trishtaylorcoaching   https://www.youtube.com/Trishtaylorcoaching   https://www.facebook.com/Trishtaylorcoaching   JAY @authenticspeak http://effective-businesscommunication.com

We revisit an earlier discussion topic - scheduling posts on social media, and compare our experiences of using Buffer and SoicalOomph.   LINKS Buffer.com SocialOomph.com

Trish & Jay discuss the merits and options of working with virtual assistants. LINKS https://www.elance.com https://www.fiverr.com   BOOK 4 Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss

This week we talk about movies we found inspiring because of the messages we can apply to our own lives and approach to business.   MOVIES Pusruit Of Happyness Steve Jobs Jerry McGuire Field Of Dreams

This week we discuss whether in this day and age, we really need to incur the costs of renting office space. Both Trish & Jay have different ways in which they approach this.

This episode was recorded on the day of the new James Bond movie World Premiere - just before Jay is about to leave to get on the red carpet and have a look at that Aston Martin...! Trish & Jay talk about the brand that is 007 and how we can get inspiration from something that has endured over half a century.

In Part II of how speaking can benefit your business, we give a real life Dragons Den/Shark Tank case study that Trish experienced when pitching for funding - to demonstrate the pitfalls of not being well prepared. Some other talking points covered: - Enhancing audience experience - Back-up plans and kit bag to cover all bases - Slides as your support act - Keyboard shortcuts for your slides - Why stories/metaphors/case studies work & how to use them LINK TO BOOK: http://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Business-Presenter-Transform-Presentation-ebook/dp/B00A1PS40M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444751506&sr=8-1&keywords=authentic+business+presenter

In this episode Trish interviews Jay about how public speaking can benefit your business. Topics covered: - The most important thing: your audience - How to increase your confidence - Using notes the right way - Adding value for the audience   LINK TO JAY'S BOOK: http://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Business-Presenter-Transform-Presentation-ebook/dp/B00A1PS40M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444751506&sr=8-1&keywords=authentic+business+presenter

In this second episode on rapport we discuss how to gain it quickly. We look at matching and mirroring of body language and gestures, level and tone of voice, as well as finding similarities in the subjects we choose to discuss. We consider why it may be important to get into rapport with strangers and how it can be a benefit to our business. We question how can we find similarities even when we may have little in common with the other person and Trish shares her top tips on gaining instant rapport. 

In the first of 2 podcasts on rapport we talk about what rapport is and why we may sometimes want to break rapport; we also discover that Jay and Trish have very different ways of dealing with strangers on trains and planes!   In simple terms rapport is the art of getting to know and get along with people. Wouldn’t it be great to have that feeling when you instantly feel comfortable with someone who you have just met? In NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) we learn tools and techniques to shortcut the process of rapport building.

This week we were unable to record our normal show with both of us over Skype due to tech failure! This happens from time to time and so Trish recorded this episode to talk about the implications of tech failure. LINK Here is an article which talks about Skype & alternatives: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/fed-up-with-skype-here-are-6-of-the-best-free-alternatives/

This week we have a another special guest - Darren Dutson-Bromley. Trish interviewed him whilst over in the UK recently. Darren is a jazz guitarist and entrepreneur - in this interview you'll get to hear about how he made a living out of something he loves: playing and teaching guitar. We hope you'll be inspired to stick with your dream, be encouraged to think outside the box and be inspired by this short yet insightful glimpse into's Darren's world. LINK http://www.darrendutsonbromley.com

This week Trish was over in the UK and recorded this interview with June Dennis - Head of University of Wolverhampton Business School and international speaker. Some valuable insights on: - What marketing really means - Getting the right product, price and target customer at the right time - Common mistakes people make - How to leverage/scale your efforts

Between us we own and have read so many valuable books that help us with our business - from new ideas to useful techniques. Here are a few we picked out to discuss in this podcast: BOOKS Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi The Start Up of You, Ried Hoffman & Ben Casnocha Contagious Why Things Catch On, Jonah Berger   The power of starting something stupid, Richie Norton    The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz LINKS   http://jonahberger.com/  

In this episode we talk about how to manage your database of contacts using free or paid options and how we encourage people to join our list of contacts. Here is a breakdown of topics: - Why keeping in touch is important - Newsletters and adding value - Professional templates versus personal email account - Mailchimp versus Aweber - Finding balance between regular contact and being annoying!   LINKS www.aweber.com www.mailchimp.com http://www.taylorednlp.com http://effective-businesscommunication.com

Sometimes, especially in the early days of starting a business, it can be hard to turn away business and say no. However, not everyone is our client - they may not be a good fit for us or vice versa.  In this episode, we both share experiences when we have turned down clients and explain why. We talk about setting boundaries and having a policy in place to know when to say no in a business situation. READ Here is a link to the book we mention: "No Excuses" Brain Tracy: http://www.amazon.com/No-Excuses-The-Power-Self-Discipline/dp/1593156324

When we work for ourselves we often think that we don't have time to take a break or we feel guilty. In this episode we share about how beneficial we've both found breaks to be and how balance is important. Turn not working 9-5 to your advantage! Here is the Brian Tracy book Trish mentioned: READ http://www.amazon.com/No-Excuses-Self-Discipline-Brian-Tracy/dp/1593156324/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438456568&sr=1-1&keywords=brian+tracy

There are many more ways in which we can use Twitter for tracking, organising and engaging - and in this episode we talk about: - Quote Tweets - Sharing links on Facebook, Email, Texts - Using analytics to find out how engaged your audience is - Scheduling Tweets in advance and how to do it   LINKS https://www.socialoomph.com https://hootsuite.com https://tweetdeck.twitter.com

Adding images to social media posts and blogs make them much more appealing and more likely to be read & shared. Finding the right image that is of high quality can be a challenge though.  In this episode we talk about finding cost effective images to suit your budget and suggest sites where you can obtain images that don't cost anything. Another important point to be aware of is that in many cases permission is required to use images obtained from other sites. We explain the relevance of "Royalty Free" images. Finally, we share our experiences of creating our own images when we can't find the right image to match our message. Canva is a user friendly site that lets you create all sorts of images and social media banners at no cost or low cost. Here are the links to the sites we talk about: https://en.fotolia.com http://www.gettyimages.com http://www.istockphoto.com https://en.fotolia.com https://www.canva.com

If you are fairly new to twitter it can be confusing and seem like a huge time commitment. In this episode we talk about how Twitter differs from Facebook and the advantages of using Twitter.  Here are some tips we cover: - Who to follow and how find followers - Twitter rules about balancing who you follow with your followers - When and how to unfollow people - When and what to post - Strategies for finding time to post - Scheduling posts in batches - Interacting the right way - What are trending hashtags   Links we mentioned: https://www.socialoomph.com