I was driving through Penrith last week and noticed a business van in front of me. What made me notice the van was that the phone number was without a ‘9’ at the beginning of it. Although a ‘minor’ thing, this immediately told me that it had been a very long time since this business vehicle had been upgraded.

More importantly, it told me that this business does not have attention to detail. The older vehicle would not be an issue (assuming that it functions well and looks presentable). But the fact that they had not bothered to invest in some new signage on their car gave me a negative first impression of their business. If they haven’t updated their signage, what else is out dated? If they are not concerned about how their business presents (that is, their image or branding) then do they really care about their customers?

Those questions are assumptions. But they are assumptions that I wouldn’t want anyone making about my business. No matter what industry or sector your business is in, first impressions count. Your business should exude professionalism and first rate customer service. And everything that your customers see or hear about your business should show them exactly that.

The van with the outdated phone number might be an amazing business. But personally, there is no chance of me becoming a customer of theirs based on my first impression. It is always worth regularly checking over your branding – or better still, getting someone objective to look at your business with fresh eyes. And if you need some sprucing up, make sure you get it done quicker than the van without the number nine!

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Up until a few years ago I would have told you I was an extrovert. And most of my friends and family would have told you the same. Now I realise that it was more a case of thinking that I must be an extrovert because I’m not particularly shy, I like pushing boundaries, and so on.

I have come to learn that not only do most people sit somewhere in the middle (i.e. there are few true introverts and extroverts), but that the terms refer to how you respond to the world. Introversion is not the same as shyness – Carol Jung (the Swiss psychiatrist who coined the terms) described introverts as people who tend to find social interactions tiring and are energised by time alone rather than in groups.

It now makes a whole lot more sense to me why I struggled with self-promotion when I first started out. At networking events, for example, it seemed essential to make sure that as many people as possible knew who I was (because that’s what I observed the extroverts doing), but ‘working the room’ always felt false and very uncomfortable for me. Instead, over time, I have used my introvert attributes to build relationships with a smaller number of people – the old adage of quality over quantity seemed to work well. This has resulted in both long term clients and quality word of mouth referrals.

If I had continued to try to ‘be an extrovert’ in business, I am sure I would have quit long ago. But embracing my ‘introversion’ and realising that it is an asset, not a liability, has been of utmost importance to my business journey.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Like most women in business, I have read many books related to running a successful business. Some are general and inspirational in nature. Others are more specific on topics like marketing. Whenever I read these books, and particularly the ones that have specific strategies, I always find myself wondering “well why isn’t everyone doing this?”.

What I have realised over the years is that while many of us may be motivated to read a book or listen to expert advice, actually making the required changes are on a whole other level.

There can be lots of reasons why we do not act on what we read or hear. Sometimes it is lack of energy or motivation. Sometimes it is lack of time and resources. Sometimes it is even a fear of success (what will that change mean for me?).

If you are anything like me, my biggest stumbling block to change is this: I read about some amazing strategies, I want to do them all at once, and then the task becomes too overwhelming. Sound familiar?

There is a simple solution: even though it goes against the grain for a perfectionist like me, it is perfectly OK to chunk the change down to smaller, more manageable tasks. You do not have to act on everything, or make massive changes all at once. Some sage advice from Brad Sugars is this: “you double the size of a business by adding 1% in 100 ways … not by adding 100% with just 1 idea”.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Maya Angelou is an author and poet who I greatly admire. One of her most famous quotes is this: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” While she meant this as a reflection on life in general, I think we can take heed of this advice in business as well.

Think about all the luxury car advertisements you see on television. While they may include some specifications about the car, the majority of the images you see, and the music and words that you hear, tell you very little about the mechanics of the car, but are instead designed to elicit a feeling. The car company wants you to feel good or excited or even envious when you view their advertisement. They want to convince you that you will be better off by purchasing their product.

Generally when we respond to advertisements, it is because of the way they make us feel. If the music is really annoying, we might remember it but we might not like it. If there is an overload of information, we might retain some of it, but long term the message is likely to be lost.

What does this mean for you in your business? It means you need to work hard at ensuring that every contact a customer (or potential customer) has with your business is positive. But more than that, you need to explore ways that you can make them feel exceptionally good about their relationship with your business – it will keep them coming back for more.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

In the early days of being a business owner, I quite regularly encouraged many friends to start a business themselves. As time went by, however, I began to realise that my well meaning advice might not be so valuable. I was beginning to be aware that not everyone is cut out for business ownership: but I also thought I would come across as ‘superior’ if I stated that fact.

But I have realised that business ownership requires a particular set of personality traits. It requires being comfortable with risk and the potential for instability or unknown outcomes. It requires being excited about the journey as much as the end result.

Often people who have never run their own business only see the ‘glamorous’ side: setting your own schedule, working from home (in some instances), being your own boss, and so on. And while these are all aspects that are positives, there are also many things that are not as easy or good as they seem: being ultimately responsible for the failure or success of a project (or in fact the whole business) or needing a high level of intrinsic motivation to keep forging ahead. But for someone who is ‘cut out’ for it, those ‘negatives’ are not a hindrance – and in fact can be what they thrive on.

The fact is, we need all personality types to keep the world turning. We need people to work in supermarkets and factories. We need teachers and mechanics. We need garbage collectors and lawyers. And we also need business owners to do what they do and wear that badge proudly!

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Is it possible to keep your customers satisfied all the time? You may work in a particularly complex industry and scoff at such a question! Surely there is no way to keep a 100% customer satisfaction rate.

But why not? If you can honestly say that you aim for each of the following actions, you may find the satisfaction rate of your customers increases exponentially:

1. Fast response is paramount. Surprise your customers by getting back to them within an hour (rather than 24 hours) - and not responding at all is simply not an option! Even if you don’t have the answer, reply to let them know you are working in it. This is such a simple one, but it never cease to amaze me how often businesses are not doing it!
2. Offer solutions and choices. Particularly when a customer comes to you with a complaint, this gives them reassurance and helps them to feel included in resolving the issue.
3. Astound your customers. Don’t just ‘satisfy’ them, but do something well beyond what they expect. This will turn your customers into raving fans and they will remain long term customers. Weave these ‘extras’ into your every day procedures and your business will soon an enviable reputation.
4. Offer compensation. Wherever possible, offer a small compensation for ‘inconvenience caused’ or ‘for their understanding’. Most people are reasonable and you can turn an annoyed customer into one who appreciates when circumstances were out of your control. So often it is the way the process is handled that far outweighs the issue.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Last weekend we took our kids to Westfield Penrith to see the Lego Master Builders, who were building giant figures of Darth Vader and Yoda. The really great thing about this event was that kids (and adults!) were able to build the small ‘bricks’ that would become part of the giant structure.

If we were at home and I asked my kids to build plain old boring bricks, I doubt they would have been enthused! But because they could see that the small black bricks they were making would soon become part of Darth Vader, they were highly motivated.

I couldn’t help but see this as a fantastic analogy for managing staff. Each staff member under your employ is essentially a ‘brick builder’. They are contributing to the bigger picture of your business. But if they have no concept of what they are working towards, they are unlikely to complete their work with enthusiasm and productivity is likely to be much lower.

To paraphrase a popular saying, “If you are a leader and no one is following you, you are just a woman on a walk”. Meaning, in order to lead people in your team, you need to show them the big picture and their part in achieving it.

In addition, for you as an employer, it is a good lesson in how essential your staff are to your business. The ‘Master Builders’ could not have built their giant structures without the smaller bricks being supplied – and so it is with your staff: without them, your business will not succeed. So bring them along on the journey. And remember: “Everything is awesome. Everything is cool when you’re part of a team....” !

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

If you could write a letter to yourself to read before your started your business, what advice would you give? There are many things I wish I had known – perhaps some of the following will resonate with you too:

• You are not supposed to know how to do everything. What you DO need to get good at is finding the right answers quickly and getting the right advice. Trying to do everything will lead to burnout and not little success.
• You will never be ‘done’ with your work. The sooner you realise that putting in twice as much work generally doesn’t result in your business moving forward twice as fast, the sooner you will achieve work/life balance. There will always be more things you can work on, but your work should be about enabling a fruitful personal life, not be a drain on it.
• Your success is affected by the people around you. Jim Rohn has a great quote: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”. Choose to be around positive people, and choose to be around ‘doers’ not ‘talkers’.
• Never take advice from anyone who hasn’t done, or isn’t doing, what you want to accomplish.
• You will be embarking on an emotional rollercoaster. But know that when you feel down, things will improve. And when you feel great, enjoy the moment and celebrate! Starting a business will likely be the hardest thing you will ever do, but the rewards are also larger if you embark on it with support and the right advice.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

This week I’m speaking just to the numerous home based businesses, the overwhelming majority of which are run by women. There are a few ‘essentials’ when working from home – some you may be aware of them but need to reminded again!

A schedule is really important. Even if you are more of a ‘go with the flow’ type of person, you need to ensure that you have times for professional and personal. Make decisions about when you will stop answering business calls – and stick to it!

Wherever possible, have a dedicated office space that you primarily only enter when you are working. It needs to be a place that you want to go. If it doesn’t inspire you or enable you to operate effectively then you won’t be productive.

Write out a plan for running your home based business. Even though you are not a large company, it is still imperative that you have a path to follow and goals you are aiming for. This also helps you to think ‘big’ and stay focused as your business grows.

Use your status as a home based business to your advantage. Promote the fact that you are flexible and can often respond more quickly than larger enterprises that are beholden to company structures and procedures. Think of other advantages that distinguish you and explain that uniqueness clearly in your promotional activities.

The power of technology has dramatically shrunk the gap between micro and large business as far as service provision and you can be a formidable competitor in the world of business!

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

We all experience slumps in our enthusiasm for running our business. It is a rare person (if she exists at all!) who can maintain a high level of energy all the time. So how do you pep yourself up? Here are some tips:

• Use a business coach. A good business coach can give you the positive push you need, provide accountability and increase your enthusiasm immensely.
• Network with other business owners. Talking through struggles and triumphs with other business owners can be a great release and a great way to increase your energy levels. Mutual support and a shared understanding will improve your outlook.
• Find a mentor. While it is valuable and important to meet with other business owners, meeting regularly with a mentor who has more experience is a great way to be encouraged. Mentors can often be a source of advice and a sounding board for new ideas.
• Commit yourself to lifelong learning. There is no one who can profess that they have learnt ‘everything’: there is always something new to learn. And learning has the added bonus of increasing your enthusiasm.
• Take a break! Too often we fall into the trap of thinking we need to keep working and get the job done. But our energy levels will continue to drop, and productivity will suffer, if we don’t take regular breaks.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Even if you didn’t watch The Oscars this week, chances are you heard about “the selfie that broke the Internet”. Ellen DeGeneres hosted The Oscars in her typical laid back, slightly irreverent, style. During the show she decided to take a ‘selfie’ with Meryl Streep, which turned into a group selfie with lots of stars jumping spontaneously into the shot. She posted it on Twitter and it apparently broke the record for re-tweets.

The reason I mention this photo, is not just because it was a great photo, but because of one person who jumped into the shot. If you are near a computer, take another look at the photo and you’ll see an attractive young black man with glasses right at the front of the shot. I assumed it was an actor I hadn’t heard of. But it turns out, he is the brother of Lupita Nyong’o (winner of the Best Supporting Actress award), a college student and not in the least bit ‘famous’.

What a great example! Instead of being intimidated by the famous people around him, he jumped right in with them. Instead of wondering if he was entitled to be there, he had confidence to take advantage of a situation. It is likely that he didn’t think it through all that much before he did it: as his sister said in an interview after The Oscars, “he lives his life with an exclamation point!”. His natural inclination was to be where the action was and jump in with both feet.

What a lesson we can learn from him: be bold and embrace opportunities. Who knows where they might lead!

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Last week I experienced some interesting scenarios in my interactions with local businesses. On the one hand, I was provided with excellent customer service via genuine and sincere concern by a business owner and her staff. On the other end of the spectrum, I was compelled to pen a rather long and detailed letter of complaint to a business that showed little disregard for fulfilling their obligations.

It was very obvious to me that my positive interaction was with a business who understands that their most important asset is their ongoing relationships with customers. They clearly demonstrated a desire to remedy an issue and did everything possible to ensure that I would remain a returning customer.

The negative interaction with the other business showed by their actions that they are not focussed on meeting the needs of their clients. Even when a situation was brought to their attention, they did little to remedy it.

It is highly likely that you will need to deal with complaints. It is how your business deals with those complaints that will set you apart. There are some essentials that are relatively easy to cover, including: respond to complaints as soon as possible; provide customers with an opportunity to be heard; assure the customer that you are seeking to find a solution; give the customer reasons to return to you despite the issue that has occurred.

Although you may not always find a solution that is mutually agreeable, the way you deal with the complaint will show your business in an exponentially better light than the one who deals badly with a complaint. Give the complainant as little to complain about as possible.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

"Snowboarding to me isn't about the accolades. It isn't about competing. I do it because I love to snowboard, not because I love to compete.". Torah Bright is becoming one of Australia’s most well known Olympians, not just because she has won, and continues to win medals. But more so because of her attitude to what she does.

Torah’s friends have described her as someone who refuses to be limited by outside expectations. This Winter Olympics she has added a third snowboarding challenge: her past success has been in half-pipe and slope-style, and this year she has added ‘snowboard-cross’ to her competition. When asked why she doesn’t just focus on the disciplines that are her strengths, she says “This is about pushing boundaries...I call it character building. It’s a chance for the inner Torah to come out”.

What an amazing attitude! In business we are often told “do what you love” and “focus on your strengths”. Which is not bad advice. But Torah has taken this a step further and decided that she needs to pursue areas that will grow and stretch her, even if they are not ‘areas of strength’ yet. She is choosing to challenge herself, not for reasons of glory and winning, but for her own enjoyment, achievement and sense of joy.

Do you feel that way about your business? Do you find joy in what you do? Or are you going through the motions of what you think you need to do, according to other people’s expectations? These are big questions, but important ones for ensuring that we are living our life truly doing what we love and what fulfils our potential.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Many businesses, whether they are new or been established for a number of years, are committing mistakes that can easily be avoided. Sometimes we are so used to getting the job done that we don’t stop to realise that some aspects need to be evaluated.

One of the top mistakes is not having a niche. So many of us think that if we are ‘all things to all people’ or if we say “yes” to anything our customers ask of us, that we will create more wealth. After all, the wider our target, surely the larger our profit, right? Wrong. It’s been said that if everyone can use your product, no one will. You need to find a niche and focus on doing that one thing exceptionally well. Become a specialist and stay focused.

Another common mistake is expecting a short term gain. The first few months (and sometimes years) can bring pressure to earn money, which in turn can make you come across as desperate (“I really need this sale!”). But your focus should be on building long term relationships with your customers which will sustain your business in the long term.

And finally, many business owners are guilty of not knowing their numbers. You must keep regular tabs on profit, know your costs, how much money it costs you to run your business each month and so on. You also need to generate regular reports on your numbers, so that you can make sensible and realistic decisions about the next steps for your business. This is not to say that you shouldn’t take some risks, but these should be calculated risks based on research of your own financial situation.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

One of the earliest pieces of advice I was given when starting my own business was to ‘be myself’. I think it is still the best advice I have ever received. Too often I meet people in business who are obviously trying to be something, or someone, they are not. They are trying to emulate their competition, or be who they think people want them to be. But no one can sustain this for long. The only way to succeed in business is to be genuine.

In almost every industry, there is a level of trust that must be achieved before a customer will engage with you, and more importantly, continue to engage with you. Much of that trust ultimately comes down to the strength of your character. Every person you meet, whether they realise it or not, are looking to see if you are genuine.

When you communicate with someone (in person or otherwise), your reputation is established by what you say and by what you do. Brilliant branding and a fantastic mission statement mean nothing if it is not also backed up by a genuine connection. Much of this comes down to caring: when you care about your customers, they feel respected and valued, and will come back for more.

Being genuine is also about creating a strong reputation and credibility. To be credible, you have to consistently reflect your values and principles – if you are attempting to emulate someone else’s values, it will soon become obvious to others that you are not the ‘real deal’. ‘Being yourself’ not only becomes the simpler and ‘easier’ option, it is also the best way to build a business with a solid foundation.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Many of you will have seen the movie “I Don’t Know How She Does It”. And if you are anything like me, many of the situations that Sarah-Jessica Parker’s character, Kate, found herself in, will have rung true.

Although men can be just as guilty of over committing, women seem to have a strangle-hold on feeling like they have to ‘do it all’. Like so many working mothers, Kate makes lists to try and keep track of her busy life, including fundamentals such as ‘keeping her head above water at work’ and ‘making her marriage work’.

But as Kate discovers, trying to ‘do it all’ means that someone or something always loses out, and in the long run, your business won’t achieve the success you desire. To advance your business, you must focus on strategy not tasks. And this means you have to bite the bullet and outsource as many areas as possible.

Most of us are not accountants, or even particularly good at bookkeeping. But so many business owners hold on to this task, despite the fact that it takes you three times as long as a professional (and you probably do a mediocre job of it). Outsource it!

Find a good IT consultant who can set up your systems in the most effective manner to suit your business. Someone who you can call on to troubleshoot issues, rather than you spending 5 hours trying to retrieve that document you deleted by mistake.

Doing this will save you time, allow you and your team to focus on core areas, and add to the quality of your business by bringing in expertise in a cost effective manner.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

There are some recent studies which show that female entrepreneurs are happier than their male counterparts. Not only that, they are generally amongst the happiest people in the world. Speaking from my own experience, I know that I only have to imagine working for an employer, and I immediately realise how satisfied and happy I am with my current circumstances!

The happiness of female entrepreneurs overall may be due to some practical reasons, such as the average ‘salary’ being much higher than those in traditional employment. But I think there are some more compelling reasons that this.

Although I have written a number of articles relating to the difficulties of ‘work/life balance’, the fact is that ultimately you are in control of the hours you work and can adjust your schedule to suit. Last year I was able to attend all my children’s special events and activities, despite working an average of 40 hours a week. I am fully aware of how valuable this is and this benefit was one of the motivating factors to starting (and now continuing) my business.

Many female business owners and entrepreneurs start their enterprise because they want to ‘make a difference’. This might be directly via business products/services or as an ‘offshoot’ of business profits (for example, donating money, time or resources to supporting social enterprises). Brain scientists agree that the more ‘good’ you do, the happier you are. It stands to reason that having the opportunity to incorporate rewarding work into your everyday activities will increase your happiness.

If what you do does not make you feel a high degree of happiness, perhaps it’s time to question why you do what you do?

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Some business owners can be categorised as ‘working for themselves’ – that is, they have chosen to create their own job and workplace, rather than be employed by someone else. They are not seeking to ‘change the world’ but are very happy being their own boss. Other business owners can be better defined as entrepreneurs, which “is someone who is always thinking [she] can do things a different, better way...and sees them differently than other people do” (Sam Zell, Chairman of Equity Group Investments).

When you read those two descriptions, you will know which one describes you. Neither is ‘right’ or ‘better’, and to a large degree, you won’t have a lot of choice as to which type of business owner you are. That is, if you are an entrepreneur, you will think as Sam Zell has described: your automatic response will be to see ways that something can be improved.

This trait does come with a downside: entrepreneurs are often viewed as arrogant. And it IS a fine line: just because you think (or know!) that there is a more efficient way, doesn’t mean people are ready to hear that. At best, you need to find a tactful way to make suggestions.

Although it can be frustrating, the best course of action is to channel that energy into the things you can control, and showing the end product as proof. Most people are not going to ‘see’ the vision you have, either for something new or how your method is going to change current outcomes. Where you do need to get stakeholders on board in order to progress your ideas, make sure you provide concrete examples of benefits and outcomes.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Many business owners use the New Year season to take stock of their business and life in general. It is a great opportunity to set goals and plan for the coming year, and make changes where necessary.

Hopefully when you started your business, you went into it with your eyes wide open. If you didn’t, it would not have taken you long to learn that running a business means you will need to sacrifice some blood, sweat, tears, money, time and so on in order to achieve success. The tricky part is maintaining some semblance of balance. You need to ensure that your sacrifices are not outweighing your success.

The very first ‘sacrifice’ you should evaluate is family time. There is nothing wrong with short periods of time where work has to come first. But if you spend little time with family and friends and spend most of your nights and weekends working, you need to make some changes. Reflect on what is most important in life and work towards creating more, not less, time on that.

Find a leisure activity that is completely different to your ‘work’ and make it a regular (i.e. at least weekly) pastime. This gives your brain time to recharge and will ultimately provide you with more focus and energy. Ensure that you take regular holidays, where you completely ‘switch off’. This is critical now more than ever in the age of 24/7 access to technology.

Evaluate whether your ‘normal’ state is one of stress and anxiety. If it is, you need to decide if a shorter life span (which is ultimately what extreme, constant stress results in), is worth it.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

It’s the end of the year. Most of us are winding down for a well earned break and hopefully a re-charge to start 2014 with a bang! I thought my column this week should include some lighter reading to help kick start the re-charge process. So here are some of my favourite quotes for motivation:

• “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent. It is the one most responsive to change” (Charles Darwin).
• “The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake – you can’t learn anything from being perfect” (Adam Osborne).
• “Be bold. If you’re going to make an error, make a doozey, and don’t be afraid to hit the ball.” (Billie Jean King)
• “Perseverance is failing nineteen times and succeeding the twentieth.” (Julie Andrews).
• Most of us have trouble juggling. The woman who says she doesn’t is someone whom I admire but have never met.” (Barbara Walters)

I can only speak for myself, but my motivations also run deeper than ‘business success’. The following two quotes are my all time favourites for remembering the really important things in life:

• “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” (Maya Angelou).
• “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” (Anne Frank).

And at this time of year, this quote is particularly pertinent for female business owners:

• “Women need real moments of solitude and self-reflection to balance out how much of ourselves we give away.” (Barbara De Angelis).

Have a wonderful Christmas and a safe and happy New Year!

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender