Marketing for Entrepreneurs, Concepts and Applications for New Ventures is a cracking read. I wouldn't have come across it but we're in the middle of writing a piece for the UEA and it was from their bookshelf. It is a thorough look at marketing for new ventures of any size. It would equally be useful for established businesses wanting to review what they do and why. It was printed this year and offers an up to date version of marketing concepts with useful, real life case studies that demonstate the theory.

I'm about to start delivering a Personal Development programme following my break for Maternity Leave and to get me back in the zone I've just finished reading 'a new you' by Nicola Cook. I thought it was a great introduction or recap of lots of elements of personal development, right from creating the right mind set through to being physically fit for life. The cover say's 'the small changes that make the biggest difference to you life' and I'd recommend it as a good first step.

What I'll take from it - I was fascinated by the question - how hot does it need to be before you get out of the kitchen?

I train contingency planning all the time but still you can't help thinking/hoping it will never happen to you. Last Tuesday at this time however, I was in hospital after being carted off unexpectedly on the Monday afternoon in an ambulance.

Everything turned out fine, which is the important point but typically on Tuesday morning at 9am I had an appointment booked with the promise of two years work. Fortunately there was a plan in place and Sharon handled it beautifully and as a company we still have a fantastic two year training project to look forward to but my point is, what if......?

My maternity leave has come to an end this week and I've been working on our new courses. We will be running our first 'open' Business Development Programme, a Training Skills and a Coaching Skills course and a new Personal Development Programme which will begin in January.
Exciting times ahead!

I've been thinking about change this morning, and how with every change there comes choice. I was reminded of a quote from Helen Keller that I sometimes use on a course "When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us." How true, time to find those open doors!

This came up in a recent Business Development Programme and has interested me since. Goal setting is very personal and in a 1-2-1 coaching session I think the coach is able to get a feel for how challenging a goal should be, or at least develop an awareness of where the tipping point is from motivating to de-motivating.

Our group had a great debate whether a goal should be challenging yet still feel within your grasp, so as to enjoy the success of achieving it, or whether it should it be stretching to the point of almost seeming impossible.

I personally think both types of goal have their place, its more about knowing what you need at that time in order to move forward. For me personally, I like the overarching goal to feel a little out of reach and the smaller sub goals to be manageable enough to be achieved, leaving me feeling motivated to take the next step.

Just had an articled published in the training supplement (page 9) of Anglia Business - http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1nj8j/AngliaBusinessTraini/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acguk.co.uk%2F

During the Business Development Programme we encourage business owners to consider their own categories but have some suggested ones to get people started, these are: Motivation, Sales, Marketing, Business Networks, Resources, Finances, Product/Services and Business Planning.

We've found that it's important to define what the category means to you before scoring it. As our programme lasts a year it is not unusual for someone to think about a business area in a totally different way 12 months later. That is completely normal as every business evolves with time. Keeping a record of the changing definitions enables you to observe the progression made.

Being part of a group that you participate in, with people you respect and enjoy being around can be a really great experience. In business, it can help you broaden your networks and contacts and if the group shares a common focus or is well facilitated it gives you access to new ideas and a sounding board to discuss options. Being part of a focused peer group can also inspire and motivate you, which can be extremely useful in moving forward.

Choosing a coach or mentor is an important step and you need to spend time making sure that you have found the right person.  This needs to be someone you feel you could work with, someone you feel you can confide in and trust and someone who will challenge you in your thinking in a way that feels supportive rather than threatening.

A good question and one that provokes in me an instant answer of…none! It is the coaches job to ask questions and explore ideas, maybe even offer some alternative options but in my opinion it is never to provide any type of direction or solution. This needs to come from the person being coached, they need to identify it and want it for themselves. A skilled coach will ask the right questions and use the right tools in assisting a client but ultimately it is the client that pulls all the coaching threads together and finds a way of making it work for them.


Last year I coached a business owner who was facing a huge decision within his business. He said that he had been over the situation again and again and could see no clear way forward. During that coaching session he went on to identify seven options that he had never even considered. The use of coaching questions can’t be underestimated; it is all about opening up the issues and exploring them fully. For me coaching is less about directing and more about offering a fresh pair of eyes to take a look through.