Office Evolution ranked #2 franchise in Entrepreneurs 2018

Office evolution is not a workspace with Ping-Pong tables and kombucha on tap, like WeWork and Regus, which tout Silicon Valley.

Office Evolution founder and CEO Mark Hemmeter saw a marketplace of entrepreneurs - many of them professionals that have managed small businesses such as accounting or legal firms, and are already plugged into a more traditional community. Many have known each other for many years - and since 2012 have opened more than 50 locations - each of which has its finger on the pulse of what its particular community needs.

BBG www.bbg.business provides these firms an opportunity to collaborate learn and grow with each other through a process enabling members to build know like and trust with each other. As CEO Geoff Hirsh says “if I sit with you for 3 hours a month with a mindset of “ how can I help you” what’s the chances of us doing business together ?”

Best

Ivan

Ps feel free to download my business card https://members.referron.com/bsivc. 

How important is the customer experience?

'Twas a rainy Wednesday this morning ..... and yet 21 BBGers attended the March 2017 HNI forum in Martin Place, Sydney at 7am. From the get go, with the support and guidance by our excellent facilitator, the legendary Geoff Hirsh, the room was charged with a feeling of collaboration and community, and by the end of the session, referrals were flowing.
 

 

The thinktank on customer service and customer experience generated the following list of Dos and Don'ts

Dos

1. Set expectations - Preframe what's going to happen 
2. Systemise and document processes , measure and record activity - using latest technology
3. Build Trust 
4. Obsess on the little things
5. Know your customer - what are their values , preferences, behaviours, lifestyle and attitudes
6. Relationship - making the customer feel needed and important and valued - Be warm, make it an awesome experience , be nice, don't make customer feel that they are just a number serviced by a machine 
7. Think outside the box - find different solutions 
8. Take responsibility - own the problem until it is solved 
9. 24/7 service 
10. Be accessible 
11. Regular contact - frequency is good
12. Demonstrate value upfront 
13. Human to human - but automate well
14. Don't avoid complaints - tackling it - a well handled complaint - a force for your business 
15. Have a partnership approach to business - not a transactional approach 

Don'ts

1. Over promise under deliver - be true to your world 
2. Lack of follow up
3. Lack of respect 
4. Be late 
5. Be arrogant 
6. Take too long 
7. Be smartest person in room 

What is your top do and don't ?

If you share this, I will send you a strategy guide on "how to deliver a wow customer  service experience" and "how to run a client advisory board" 

GETTING CONNECTED

by Greg Kay Executive Director Business Builders Group Australia - connect with me here

As a leader, I'm attracted to people who make a difference.  

I've found that these individuals - I call them “make-a-difference people” - are greater on the inside than they are on the outside. 

They think differently and when they talk, their words inspire, probe, challenge and move others to aspire to be better.

Beyond all that, make-a-difference people encourage me.  They expand me.  They engage me.  And they empower me to become better.

As leaders (yes we are all leaders in our own way), we should all strive to make a difference - at work, in our communities, with our families, and so on.  Beyond that, if we want to be truly successful, we all need to have at least a few make-a-difference people on our teams.  That's easier said than done, of course. You can't always tell by looking at someone if they have what it takes to contribute something significant.

Now let me share with you two traits that do not automatically place people in the make-a-difference category.  

First, it's not about being gifted. I have known some extremely talented people who never accomplished much because they were lazy, undisciplined and self-centered.  

And secondly, it's not about position or title.  Just because someone has an impressive resume does not mean he will make a difference on your team.

If I had to think of one word to describe what sets make-a-difference people apart from everyone else, it would be the word "Connected".  I'm not talking about being connected in a name-dropping sense; it goes much deeper than that.  

Here are three key ways that difference-makers are connected.

           1.       Make-a-difference people are connected to the leader.

They don't wait for this connection to happen by itself, either. They take the initiative, because they understand that everything rises and falls on leadership.  If you want to be successful, find a leader who makes good things happen and get close to that person.  It doesn't have to be your boss; in fact, it could be someone in a totally different profession.  Just hook up with a leader who makes a difference, and soon you will be making a difference too. 

          2.        Make-a-difference people are connected to the vision.

As I see it the future belongs to those who see the possibilities before they become obvious.  Vision isn't just something you see; it's something you hear.  What should you be listening for ?                     

Let's start with three voices -

* The Inner Voice.

This is the voice inside that pulls you above the mundane and says, "You were born for something better than this.  You were created to do something great."

* The Unhappy Voice.

This is the voice of discontentment that says, "I don't like things just as they are."  Great leaders create change because of the internal voice that proclaims, "Things could be better. Things should be better.  And there's something I could do to make it better."

* The Successful Voice.

This is the inspirational voice of somebody who's already climbed the mountain and is saying, "I'm up here and there's room at the top.  Come on up-you don't have to stay down there !" 

      3.         Make-a-difference people are connected to others who want to make a difference.

People who want to make a difference spend time with other people who want to make a difference.  And people who don't care about making a difference hang around with other people who don't care about making a difference. Like attracts like.

If you want to be a make-a-difference person, "Get Connected" to a good leader, a powerful vision, and other people who want to make a difference.  And then get busy. 

No matter who you are or what you do, you have plenty of opportunities to make a difference in your world.

So what’s stopping you "Getting Connected" – join us at a BBG breakfast forum and we will help you "Get Connected" tand become a “make a difference person”

Visit - www.bbg.business

Greg Kay

Get Connected NOW as your network is your biggest asset

Koshy SAMUEL ✔"INNOVATION and ENTREPRENEURSHIP"​ --- Oilfield Services & Energy transformation Insights - Oil veterans'​ new frontiers

Business or Personal - Why I think your Connection matters big time - Get Connected NOW as your network is your biggest asset 

“Your network is your net worth.” – Tim Sanders, author, public speaker, and former Yahoo! director

Get Connected before you are too late to know what exactly is the next step to take in a difficult and challenging future ahead... People share posts, knowledge, news and ideas here from everywhere around the World which is a very useful means to get a better understanding on both personal and business interests.. mostly it helps you make the right decisions and also allows you to ask some good people who are ready to help you with their ideas, insights and vision. Yes 90% is what I call them tourists who just exist to see what is happening around and have no role to play in any contributions but there is even a stronger 10% of the crowd who are real passionate, kind and helpful selfless people who really contribute much more than the 90%.

“To any entrepreneur: if you want to do it, do it now. If you don’t, you’re going to regret it.” - Catherine Cook

"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try." Beverly Sills,

Why is it so important to grow your connections on LinkedIn? and why it matters more than you think,  is this universe one big sea of energy - are we all connected? to make a difference to the World by contributing our best to every need that is challenging our minds today.

To me, adventure has always been to me the connections and bounds you create with people when you're there. And you can have that anywhere. Bear Grylls

I've learned, like with anything else, business is only as good as your connections and your resources. And some of the resources that I have are the fact that I work with huge artists. Daymond John

3 ingredients needed to build a successful professional network

Daniel TunkelangData science. Engineering. Leadership.

I’m a strong believer in professional networking, as you may have guessed from my long-term obsession with LinkedIn. I was one of the first 50K people to join LinkedIn in 2003; I started writing about the company as soon as I started blogging in 2008, and I worked there for over four years.

But I’m surprised that so few people seem to do it right. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I feel I have a basic idea of how it works.

Many of us value our second-degree networks— that is, our connections’ connections. But when we collect connections like Pokemons, we stop taking those connections seriously.

Here’s how I believe professional networking really works: strong connections to credible individuals who themselves have many connections. Let’s unpack that.

First, strong connections. It’s not how many people you know, but how many people know you well enough to vouch for you. Ideally they’ve worked closely with you. But what really matters is that they can and will risk their credibility for you.

Second, credible individuals. People willing to to risk their credibility for you need to have credibility in the first place. And credibility is contextual, usually limited to a domain or industry. You want strong connections to people whose credibility is relevant to your professional identity.

Third, the size of their networks. Finally, size matters: an individual’s credibility scales across even weak connections, so more is better.

To summarize, you want to cultivate strong connections to credible individuals who themselves have many connections. That’s neither easy nor quick: there really is no shortcut to developing a valuable professional network.

But it starts with your own strong connections. Develop a taste for credible people, seek opportunities to work with them, and work hard to earn their trust and respect. You won’t develop a strong professional network overnight, but your investments will yield long-term return.

So keep calm and build strong connections.

The Unstoppables; a winning format for future business collaboration?

Graham RossSustainable sportswear pioneer, creating clothing that causes minimal impact to the planet.

It takes a grand vision to throw 55 A-type entrepreneurs together, a touch of genius to take them to one of the planet's most treasured areas - the Amazon, and a strong sense of purpose to achieve the goal: to meet, collaborate and create ideas and businesses that will deliver social and economic benefits to a global population. All in just 10 days. 

I was one of those 55. South America seemed like a great idea from my Sydney office. The reality is a 30 hour multi-airline flight across four countries. Last year's Unstoppables trip named Fire and Ice was held on a luxury boat in Antartica. The Unstoppables is much like any start up, it’s never plain sailing. In fact last year's event almost didn’t happen due to an incoming weather front. Like most entrepreneurs, founder Julio de Laffitte, made the almost impossible happen. 

This year's event, set on a floating resort on the edge of the Amazon rainforest was aptly called Ideas Gone Wild.  It's a place of intense beauty, extreme danger and for every inhabitant on Earth, a life source - where 20% of our planet's oxygen is generated. It makes you wonder why we continue to threaten its existence. 

Ideas Gone Wild drew a list of impressive attendees and not just by achievements or bank balance. The scope ranged from entrepreneurs just beginning their journey, to those ready to grow their venture to the next level, and successful business owners with exits under their belt now mentoring and investing in the next generation.  

With a marketing pitch of amazing people, amazing places, amazing results, the Unstoppables had a lot to live up to. What they delivered for me, was unexpected. By inviting people to travel long distances to a remote exotic location, they embedded a sense of comradeship from the outset. This foundation paved the way to build trust and collaboration and opened pathways for business deals. 

As Skyhooks lead singer, Shirley Strachan once belted out, 'ego is not a dirty word' and as every entrepreneur knows, you need a heathy ego. Of course there was ego aplenty and strong personalities vying for attention.  But what I found within the conference room, out in the wilderness and in the daily rituals of living in close quarters was simply, respect.  

I came away with both personal and business development. The Unstoppables concept shows the opportunities to do business are everywhere - especially if, as Julio puts it, ‘you see the other person’. If you engage and listen to others, finding ways to collaborate or even better, starting a new venture is easily accessible. When you have trust and respect, sharing your IP or knowledge comes more naturally and openly. Ideas can be given oxygen and with the help of others, can grow into real change. We found a rawness within the group, laughter and tears came spontaneously and in equal measure. 

As expected, we did deals, made investments and created new businesses, but the real value of becoming an Unstoppable didn't end in the Amazon. The opportunity to share deeper conversation, knowledge and do business with the other 54 members has only just begun.

And what better way to facilitate this as a BBG unstoppables forum - www.bbg.business - creating a forum where people can gain that deeper knowledge and get to know like and trust one another! 

Written by

Graham RossSustainable sportswear pioneer, creating clothing that causes minimal impact to the planet.

BBG SIngapore - with Allen Pathmarajah

Join our exclusive BBG Forum

DATE AND TIME

Wed. 18 January 2017

4:30 pm – 7:30 pm Singapore Standard Time Singapore Time

Add to Calendar

LOCATION10 Anson Road #06-19/20Lab 13 (Comat Training Services)International PlazaSingapore, 079903SingaporeView Map

Register HERE

BBG Singapore launch with Mr Allen Pathmarajah from Ivan Kaye on Vimeo.