Bruce Outridge

Time, It’s Yours for the Taking!

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Bruce

There are two schools of thought on time management. There is the one group that says everyone should take time to smell the roses (or is it coffee) and experience life to the fullest. Then there is the other group that says time stands still for no man (or woman) and you need to make the most of it while you’re here. I agree with both parties and do manage to work both ways. As someone who has multiple businesses going on at the once time management is something not to be taken lightly. Where I find many people going wrong is that they are on one side or the other, but need to challenge themselves to reach a place in the middle that works for them. Many of you and I have in the past focused on the time for personal satisfaction or were way on the other side focusing on business satisfaction. If you focus on personal satisfaction then personal issues dominate your time and you may run fast for no one. That is fine and dealing with artists as I do I also find that many of them do not complete projects promptly. On the other hand I work with many entrepreneurs who are focused on business are stoking the fire like crazy trying to get everything done and attain their goals. These folks are on the other side of the fence and sometimes as my wife reminds me from time to time need to slow down and smell the roses. Both groups are right so how do you find a happy medium?

For me the happy medium comes from a partial blend of both formats. In my past career my days routinely started at 3.a.m. in the morning. I worked a 60-70 hour work week and was gone for a week at a time for the most part. I ma not complaining about that as I chose that profession and enjoyed it very much. When I left to start my own business one factor was driving the decisions, time! I wanted time for me, I also however wanted to be successful so business was important for me as well. The challenge was finding middle ground. Middle ground was found by setting my own set of rules. I found I am a morning person, I enjoy the freshness of the day. I also found I felt better with exercise therefore that was important to my day. I hate traffic so I arrange my schedule around those factors. So it works out like this.

I am up at 6 a.m. each morning and put in the important information first. I start by reading for an hour, I then write for an hour, I then take two hours for myself and go for a walk, make breakfast, shower, etc. I then set my hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m as my regular hours. If I choose to work at night that is my choice. I try not to book meetings before 10 am if possible. Now I do change things around to meet client demands, but for the most part I choose how I want my day to go. I am willing to work six days a week and some time do seven, but try to have Sunday for me if possible. So try doing the same for your business if you find yourself in a tangled mess with time management. Remember you can have the best of both worlds, you just have to schedule it.

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a business and leadership consultant. He specializes in the transportation and creative markets. For more information on Bruce visit his website at www.outridge.ca

Marketing by Saying Hello

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Bruce

8 Comments

Are you one of those people that say hello to everyone in the street whether you know them or not? I am most certainly that kind of person and it always amazes my wife when we are out together as to how I know so many people. The truth is that I don’t go out and try to know tons of people I just try to be a happy person. So you are probably wondering what this has to do with business? It has everything to do with business, these days business is everywhere, on the street, in the grocery store, and in the workplace. As more of us start to look for ways to get out of that dreaded office commute and technology affords us greater detachment from the office you will find more people out of the workplace that you can connect with. As an entrepreneur I am always in client attraction mode even if it is out on a leisurely walk. Now don’t worry if you see me walking down your street I won’t accost you but I will probably say hello. Most of us are looking for ways to market our business to others, but very few realize how a sales cycle works so they separate their marketing efforts. If they are out for a leisurely stroll they don’t say hi because they don’t want to think of work, however in work mode their hands start to sweat, and they foam at the mouth looking for prospects. Does that ever work?

I have met more people walking each morning around my neighbourhood, Usually it starts with hello a couple of times, then an introduction at a later date. Here is an example, my wife and I were walking on our usual route one Sunday when a man was unloading his car. He owned a catering business as the name was splashed all over the side of his vehicles, so as we walked by I said hello and then asked from afar, “So how’s the catering business these days?” Being a caricature artist he may have clients looking for entertainment for a venue. He dropped what he was doing and talked with us for nearly thirty minutes discussing our businesses. I didn’t have a card on me so told him I would drop off a package with my services at a later date. I dropped the package off a week later in his mailbox and got a call two weeks later about the possibilities of working on a project together. This is not unusual for me, all because I looked cheerful and said hello. The point of this is that being nice to people should be your first marketing strategy, as I tell people in my seminars, “Don’t try so hard!” Your next client may be right outside your front door.

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a business and leadership consultant for businesses. More information can be found on his website at www.outridge.ca

Where is the Bar Set on Your Value System?

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Bruce

15 Comments

Over the last few months there has been a big story in the media regarding a family that killed their two girls and the husband’s ex-wife. The family being accused and recently found guilty had said they did the horrific deed because their daughters were, shall we say being absorbed in western culture. This case got me thinking to how far would you go to protect your honor, integrity, or any other leadership quality you feel to be important? Now I certainly am not suggesting that anybody commit murder to protect any of those qualities as that would take you back to the other side of the leadership track. However there must be some internal setting within a person that makes them stand up for honesty, integrity, and the honor of their name? If there wasn’t then we would all be criminals without a care of the consequence of our actions.

As a leadership coach and consultant and someone whose whole life has been built on my name integrity is high on my list of items that I keep dear to my heart. Like most people I don’t impose my idea of honor onto others, but set the standards in myself and don’t drop below the line. This internal setting is developed based on values that are important to me and my family name. For many people that bar is hard to set, it is also hard to keep at that level over time. I remember struggling with the right and wrong thing when I was a kid. Have you ever done that? For instance my parents taught me that on a bus or public transit you are to give up your seat to an older person, someone who is pregnant, etc. This caused great turmoil as in those days it wasn’t cool to do ,that is why we sat in the back. My friends weren’t brought up the same way therefore I was always questioned for doing it. I used to always be judging people as to were they old enough to stand or did they have to sit, would they make it all the way to the back of the bus and so on? It was very stressful! Holding the door was the same thing, when I am at a mall my wife thinks I am the doorman as I never get to go through it. Today I am glad the way I was brought up, but at times it has been a challenge.

So the point of this article is how important are your values to you? Are you trying to fit in with the crowd and do what they do or are you willing to stand on your own for your values and your name? There is only one person that has that answer and if you look in the mirror you will find that person. I wish you well.

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a business and leadership consultant for entrepreneurs and the transportation industry. More information can be found on his website at www.outridge.ca

What Do You Know Better, Sports or Your Future?

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Bruce

4 Comments

Have you ever watched or listened to people in a bar or at work talking sports? I find it amazing how many people are up to date with the latest stats, know the information on all the players, and who has been traded where and by whom. The same people can spit stats out at the tip of a hat yet most haven’t spent two minutes thinking about their lifestyle or where their heading. Now I am not down on sports, I don’t follow anyone in particular, but enjoy the odd game, I am just too busy to to keep up with sports and all particulars that go along with that.

Here is why I even bring this up, how many people that are deeply involved with watching sports know where there lives or careers are going in the future. I believe there is a time when we have to wake up and smell the coffee, start thinking about the future, and look at what we have accomplished in life to date. Any financial planner will tell you the same thing, think about the future but how many of us do it. In Ontario Canada here we have lost many positions in the manufacturing sector and it has put a real strain on the economy and people in general. I know that situation is echoed across North America and the world for that matter. I don’t see that situation changing fast or soon to be honest with you so it is important for people to take charge of their own businesses, careers, and personal lives. I believe many are caught up on how to do that however and it does take some effort. So here is how you start and for those of you in your forties you may already be thinking of this as it comes to mind as you may be going through a mid-life crisis.

The best way to start is to evaluate where you are now and what type of lifestyle you would like for the future. Now realize I am not talking monetary necessarily but that will play a big part of that, I am talking career, and personal needs. Do you want to travel, do you want a large business, are you happy in your current position, is the company one that may be around for a while? All those questions should be answered and thought about very seriously. Many folks stay at their current jobs, not paying attention to the economy and the company situation and then are mesmerized when the company goes out of business. Many times that can be seen very early, but people weren’t paying attention. This is the time to make that back up plan and get started protecting your dreams and goals. The best place to start is by turning off the television set with the sports on and sitting down with your significant other and talk about a plan.It may be the best use of time you could have, of course don’t plan it on a night with the Superbowl!

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a business and leadership consultant for entrepreneurs specializing in transportation and creative markets. More information can be found on his website at www.outridge.ca

5 Steps to Successful Marketing Plan

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Bruce

2 Comments

You do have a marketing plan don’t you? Every business owner should have a business plan that includes a decent marketing plan, yet many don’t. Unfortunately that causes people to waste time on things that don’t work or people that can’t help them. I have five steps that should be part of everyones marketing program and these steps can even be broken down more if needed. They are not in any particular order as the branding step should be the first step.

First is cold calling or outreach, now I know what your doing no one likes cold calling so use outreach. Outreach means calling a new new business to see if they need your services, mailing out a piece that will grab their attention on your services etc. You may do this more when starting out than you would when established but it is important to do it. Just do it tactfully so you don’t come across like a telemarketing company, unless you are a telemarketing company.

Networking is probably the best part of the marketing plan but make sure the places you spend your time are worth your time. I see people at networking groups that that shouldn’t even be in the group, their target market isn’t even present. You’re not doing yourself any good in that area.

Your online presence is critical both for social media and for your website. Make sure your website is working to do what you want it to do and that you have a presence on the main social media platforms. Online is how people are searching for businesses to day and if you don’t have a website you are missing lots of business.

Existing clients and referrals are crucial to the longevity of any business, make sure you treat your existing clients like gold. Asking for referrals or giving discounts for referrals are a great way to get additional business from satisfied clients.

The last but not least is branding your business. You need to have quality materials for your business cards, a decent logo that establishes your business. Make sure everything matches so that people start to recognize your business online and offline.

Marketing is an ongoing program that constantly needs to be tweaked and tuned to be effective. The place to start however is to get the plan down, know who your target market is and the best way to reach them.

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a business and leadership consultant. He specializes in business plans and marketing solutions for businesses specializing in transportation and the arts. For more information visit his website at www.outridge.ca