Next Steps for Business

What's the difference between Personal Strategy and Personal Development?
Dave and Marie are joined by Sandra Pollock, Director of Open mind Consultancy who breaks open the mystery of Personal Strategy and how it can allow you to make your life more profitable.
Sandra has so much experience in helping individuals become the best they can be by showing them how to develop and set a personal strategy to make the most of their life.
Also in this episode we explore the different areas in your life you can set your goals so you exceed.
What tips for making the most of life do you have?

You're busy, I'm busy, we're all busy. One way of coping with too busy is outsourcing but what to outsource?
In this episode Dave and Marie talk through the who's, what's, why's and how's of outsourcing.The not only summarise it in the early part of the show but then break it down so you consider all aspects properly rather than abdicate all responsibility. This detail allows you to form a mental checklist of steps you need to perform 
Also touch on what they mean by Fit For Purpose

What do you outsource?
Are you being effective in outsourcing?

Loads of use Social Media for lead generation as well as setting up business contacts, but do we always get it right?
In our experience the answer is no. So what are some of the Dos and Don'ts on how to conduct yourself on Social Media? Dave and Marie bring the Social Media Queen herself Karen Cureton of Cureton Consulting for advice on what you should and shouldn't do on Social Media. They talk through approaching people, posting and purpose.

What are your top tips for social media etiquette?
What really grinds your gears on LinkedIn? What makes your blood boil on Facebook? 

As part of our review of the Exit Strategy, we wanted to review what you can do with the money you make from your business. A popular one is the investment in property, be it "the flip" or buy to let approach. Also how you can invest, revamp and then draw money out of it but still own it, therefore gain an income from the property.
Dave and Marie invited Stuart and Natalie from NS Property Solvers. They outline options you have on SPO, MO and various other acronyms, as well as additional considerations on how you can make money in the property game. They will outline the basic premise of the investment, how you can structure your investments and then tackle how to minimise your chance of landing nightmare tenants.

Are you an Accidental Manager?
Do you struggle to get people to do what you have asked the to?
How easy is it for you to get your team to deliver on time?
Delegation or abdication?
How do you track on progress?

In this episode Dave and Marie talk to Marion Parrish from the Accidental Manager on The Art of Delegation. Marion helps people learn how to delegate, especially if they are new to management. She then reveals her 6 step list strategy at improving delegation. Her approach is refreshing, covering a key aspect we all need to be the best we can. Her discussion on communication and how you need to be clear that both parties understand the task needed to be completed, the importance of it and what the deadline is. Then the manager needs to follow this up, to ensure the deputised person is on the right lines, not hitting blockers and if so, to help remove them then ensure deadlines will be hit.

Do you know when to under take a project? Is it worth making an investment in your business? Do you spend the time or the money on the activity?
It simply comes down to doing a Cost Benefit Analysis on the task.
Dave and Marie discuss what is Cost Benefit Analysis, how it can help your business and why you should consider it.
As you will find out how it can be introduced in to your working practises and ensure you get the biggest bang for your buck or even if you should do it at all.

Regular listeners will know that Personal Development is a favourite of Dave's.  In this episode Dave and Marie invite Personal Development Coach Sandra Pollock on to talk through the difference between Personal Development and Personal Strategy. Sandra also explains how and when you should think about Personal Development.
Sandra's skills in personal development coaching come out in this episode as Dave and Marie ask her about the benefits and tactics on personal development.
How often does Marie get a word in? Listen and find out!

Planning for your future should have already started but in case you haven't considered that already then this podcast is for you.
We have previously talked with Marie on Tax matters and have spoken with Lindsey Atterbury on the legal sides for your future so to complete the holy trinity of future planning it makes sense that we now cover Financial Advice. In this episode Dave and Marie speak with Andy Goulter from Mattioli Woods about future considerations, how planning now makes a difference to the future, how much you typically need to have saved up to cover your needs etc. Furthermore, Andy tackles some tough questions from Dave and Marie as well as Dave not quite answering the question on how much he thinks he needs to cover his retirement.
What steps have you taken to cover your retirement?
Have you considered it as part of your Exit Strategy?
What tips do you have for your future which you can share with others?

How efficient are you?
What benefits can you gain by improving your efficiency?
What steps can you perform or review to gain efficiencies?
These questions and many more, Dave and Marie cover to help your company become more efficient and why you should do it.

To be fair efficiency is a constant battle. You need to keep reviewing your working practices to ensure you are not wasting effort and to maximise profits.
Are there any additional areas you look at that improve your efficiency?

Marketing is a mousive subject so Dave and Marie revisit the topic but today they are joined by Steve Brown from ROI Online.
Steve has been helping entrepreneurs, SMEs and large corporations with their marketing. In this interview, Steve candidly covers some of his top tips. He talks about serving his customers, the challenges you face as a business owner and what need to do.