weston culture » Brave New Work

The natural seasons of business

trish — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:57:41 +0000

When I was a bookseller, the month of October always meant Christmas because that was when the Christmas new releases arrived. It was a time when our stock level doubled (if not tripled) and the whole build up to the end-of-year busy season began.

The weird thing was, the books that made the bestseller lists at Christmas were being ordered in July or August, so you had to predict what was going to sell four or five months beforehand. Fortunately, in bookselling there are many publishers, distributors, and agents who are quite happy to tell you what’s going to be big in six months time. So the industry had its seasons, sometimes determined by customer need and sometimes driven by the suppliers’ marketing machine.

I was reminded of this ‘forward thinking’ this week when I suddenly found myself in March and wondered, what do I usually do this time of year? What season am I in?

For me, March means getting things up and running for April starts (for the 90 day cycle that takes us to the end of the financial year in June). However, working with people around the world means working with different cycles. For example, in some parts of the world the end of financial year is this month, so that brings all those questions forward.

Jeanette and I have recently been looking at how business can be enhanced from a permaculture framework. (Permaculture is an organic, systems-based approach to living and is usually applied to gardens). As with the season’s influence on when one plants, harvests, stores, and celebrates, I think we have natural seasons in business.

When is your time to plant in your business? When do your seeds get sown?
When do your seeds produce a yield?
Are there times where you have resources in store? Do you have dry (lean) or rainy (abundant) seasons that influence how you work?
When do you light the metaphorical bonfire and celebrate your yearly harvest?

Okay, the growing metaphors do sound a bit over the top, but, being aware of the cycles in how you work (especially those that you have little or no control over) means that you can look at how to work with the seasons. For example, you can:

stop beating yourself up for not having much work at the moment when it may be a natural market cycle of your industry
take advantage the slow times to ‘prepare the soil’
use your knowledge of the seasons to prepare for foreseeable obstacles and opportunities
celebrate the harvest – even if it’s not a bumper crop.

So what are your seasons? What season are you in now and how can you use this knowledge to help your business thrive this year?

This article first appeared in Design Notes, the newsletter of the Work/Life Design Program.

Meeting your clients’ needs

trish — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:54:49 +0000

Lately, I’ve been exploring Needs – those essentials in life. I’ve been wondering what are the simplest building blocks of a good life and how can that be applied to business so that we aren’t continually producing waste (products, time, energy, etc). As I delved into the world of Needs, it became apparent that it wasn’t just about minimising waste. Creating essential products and services can mean your business survives (and perhaps thrives) in uncertain times. Here’s my recently published article from Flying Solo that explains it more…

When cashflow gets tight, a natural response is to start eliminating those expenses that aren’t ‘essential’. How do you meet your clients’ needs and ensure that you don’t get crossed off their essentials list?

Recently I wrote about how understanding your needs as a soloist can help improve not only your enjoyment of your work and wellbeing, but also your performance. To ensure you’re not crossed off your client’s list of essential services, you need to be sure you’re meeting your clients’ needs.

This begs the question: what do people really need?

In my last article, I looked at our needs as soloists and found that in addition to our basic physiological needs we have the ABC of psychological needs of autonomy, belongingness and competence.

Most businesses meet some need – sometimes indirectly and sometimes creating more needs in the process. You can trade on your client’s fears and get them to continue buying your product because it gives them a temporary feeling of security or feeling good. For me, making clients buy five products to meet a need or setting up client dependency is akin to selling junk or creating waste – it is not only unethical but not sustainable.

The idea of creating services or products that help your clients to the extent that they no longer need you may seem to conflict with the purpose of business. Aren’t we here to maximise profit? Well, no, not all of us.

Most soloists I know and work with have moved beyond this approach. They want their work efforts to be more than the passing of time or making a buck. They are interested in providing great services or products that truly improve their clients’ lives.

A sustainable business for uncertain times addresses clients’ needs as directly as possible and does not create more needs in the process.

How do we create businesses that meet clients’ needs?

Your business may already address a basic physiological need. For example, you may produce the snuggliest winter coats this side of Antarctica and thus be meeting people’s need for warmth. Or, you could be addressing the need for shelter by providing access to home loans or rental properties. As a bookkeeper you are addressing your clients’ need for security and sleep – knowing that their BAS will be in on time!

When I look at the businesses on my outgoings list that I consider ‘essentials’, it consists of businesses that not only meet some of my basic physiological needs but also my psychological needs. They give me choices, make me feel that I belong, and help me grow.

What can you do to better meet your clients’ needs?

1. See your clients as whole people

Your clients have a complex range of needs and are not just consumers who can be manipulated into buying an unending array of products.

2. Meet your clients’ need for Autonomy

How can your product or service increase your client’s autonomy? Do you give them choices? Do they have more choice in life after using your product? Does your product help them feel the “master of their domain”?

3. Meet your clients’ need for Belonging

Does your product help your clients connect with others and feel that they belong? Does it make them feel part of humanity or does it make them disengage with people and with life? Do you treat your clients with respect or speak about them disparagingly behind their backs?

4. Meet your clients’ need for Competence

Does your product allow your clients to learn new things and grow? Do you acknowledge your clients existing competence and give them ways to enhance it?

Finally, and most importantly:

5. Ask your clients what they need

Delve deeper should they answer “more money”: what does more money gives them? Choices? Security? Food on the table?

The opportunity awaits you to find creative, sustainable ways to meet your own and your clients’ needs – and not get crossed off that list.

This article was first published in the online community for solo business owners, Flying Solo.

Understanding your needs as a solo business owner

trish — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:10:54 +0000

Here’s my latest article from Flying Solo… One of the essentials of business success is understanding and meeting your customer needs. But a valuable first step in creating a business that works for you as well as your customers is understanding your own needs…

To succeed in your solo business, you have to understand your physiological and psychological needs. So how do you identify these needs and get your business to satisfy them?

Broadly speaking, needs can be divided into two categories: physiological and psychological.

Basic, physiological needs

These needs are the essential, innate and universal requirements for our well-being and health. We all have physiological needs that have to be satisfied for our bodies to function and stay in good health. These include air, water, food, warmth, shelter, sleep/rest, and safety from harm.

As soloists, we work to keep a roof over our heads, food on the table and that extra warm coat for when we have to venture out of our snugly home offices in winter. But on closer examination, some of the things we might refer to as needs turn out to be something different. Often, we confuse our Wants and Needs.

While our Wants are certainly helpful in providing a window to our actual Needs, they can also thwart or compete against other Needs. For example we may feel we need the waterfront home in the best suburb, but a high mortgage may undermine our ability to satisfy our food, sleep or safety needs. Alternately, the waterfront home might be temporarily satisfying or thwarting another type of need – our psychological needs.

Satisfying your psychological needs

In addition to our physiological needs, we have psychological needs. You may have come across these through Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow believed that it wasn’t just physical and safety needs that had to be satisfied. People also needed to feel that they belonged to a group and were loved, respected, and were able to self-actualise (live their potential).

Maslow’s theory provided the spark for us to begin understanding how human needs influence behaviour. Today, our understanding of psychological needs centres on how our behaviour is self-determined and presents an ABC of psychological needs:

Autonomy

Autonomy must be close to the heart of all soloists. It doesn’t mean we all want to be islands in the sea of humanity, rather that we need to have choices and be free to act as we choose. And think about it, how many of us chose the solo business path because it gives us the opportunity to be our own boss? There are plenty of opportunities to revel in our autonomy as soloists – from designing and delivering our own product or service, to poring over options for that new computer purchase.

Belonging

We need to feel that we belong to a group, whether it’s our family, friends, or work colleagues. We need to feel we are able to connect with others. And as soloists, this is a need we often meet head on in the early days of our ventures. Consequently, we participate in forums and join business or professional groups. Also, part of the belonging (or relatedness) need is love – to be loved and to love others. And while business and love aren’t usually two words that appear together very often, love can flow in our solo ventures. It might be the love you have for your work, showing you care for a client, or your client showing their appreciation of your work.

Competence

We need to feel that we are capable of getting the outcomes we desire. Many soloists start their businesses in fields that they’ve been working in for years, and so have developed a certain level of competence already. But going solo means facing new challenges and in doing so, developing further competence. It can also be the case that soloists are embarking on a new field and have to develop their skills and knowledge as their business grows. When the task is too challenging and the competence need is not being satisfied it can lead to stress, overwhelm and doubt, and thwart other needs.

Understanding your own physiological and psychological needs and creating the environments to satisfy them will not only give you more satisfaction, performance and well-being, but it can also give your business an edge when used to understand your customers’ needs.

This article first appeared in the online community for solo business owners www.flyingsolo.com.au

Career Change: Designing my new brilliant career

trish — Mon, 25 May 2009 00:59:54 +0000

When you’re self-employed, changing careers isn’t just about looking in the local paper to see what jobs are on offer. You actually have the opportunity to continue creating your own work in whatever field or way you choose. Over the last few months I’ve been re-imagining the work I do (and importantly, could do) and I’ve written about it in this article that is published today at Flying Solo.

There is plenty of career advice out there for job jockeys who want to change their employer. But what about a career change for soloists? What do you do when you’ve lost heart in your business? How do you tell it “I’m just not that into you”?

I’ve been going through what those in the personal change industry call [adopt warm counsellor voice] a transition. I’ve been in my current field for seven years, just completed a qualification in a different field, and most importantly, have discovered another (yes, third) field that I’d rather be playing in. Sigh.

In a way, it’s exciting because like the kid in the candy store, I can see much joy ahead of me. On the other hand, part of me doesn’t want to let go of my current business. We’ve had so many fun times together. We’ve grown together. Spent so many late nights together. Parting seems intolerable.

So I’ve decided to go for Option 1.5 The Cake and Eat It strategy. That is, it takes the best aspects of each of my options (1. Stay and 2. Leave) and creates a new option, 1.5 my new brilliant career.

So how did I get here?

1. The thrill has gone. I think it’s common for your feelings about your business to change over its lifecycle. But when my feeling of unrest was joined by a lack of interest, I knew it was time for a rethink. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to ditch the business and do something different or if it just needed a bit of a rejuvenation jag.

2. The cycle of (work) life. Over the course of my working life, I have changed my career focus about every seven years. The lack of attachment to one, lifelong career has given me the freedom to move or shift as my life or situation changes. And as a soloist, I can act on a career change when I’m ready.

3. What next for me? Having made the decision that I was ready to move on (or at least sideways), I sat down and re-visited my values, purpose, strengths, interests, knowledge, skills and abilities – all those things that I personally bring to my work.

I asked myself: what am I interested in now? What’s important to me now? What aptitudes do I want to develop? All this comes together and forms my soloist capital or potential – something that I can access whenever I choose.

4. What next for the world? Here at Flying Solo, you’ll read a lot about business being about connection. Recent technology changes mean that connecting with people who are interested in your product or service is easier than ever. With the world in flux, new market needs are emerging every day, some of which will endure. For me, I see so many opportunities to address these needs with my unique mix of soloist capital.

5. Embrace my inner-entrepreneur. This is my favourite step as it’s about bringing it all together, creating something new and getting very excited. It’s the time of grand visions and audacious goals. Enthusiasm for what I’m doing not only means that I enjoy my work (yay), but it also goes hand in hand with being more productive. And I’ve found that people love to be connected to exciting things.

So I’m now putting Option 1.5 into action. I’ve taken aspects of my former business (the knowledge, the skills, the contact list!) and merged them with the opportunities (the excitement, the obsessive interest, the talent to be developed) and created something fresh: My new brilliant career.

And as a soloist, I don’t need to go out and find an employer who has a position like this. I am my own job creation programme.

This article first appeared in the online community for solo business owners www.flyingsolo.com.au

Look over here! Social media and distraction in the age of anxiety

trish — Wed, 20 May 2009 03:02:38 +0000

I have this list of changes I want to make to my business and its website that’s grown very long over the last few months. It’s not that my workdays aren’t productive; it’s just that I find myself constantly distracted. (BTW This is a 1900 word post but I’ve put lots of bullet points, short paragraphs and headers toward the end – for those of you whose attention may flag after 700 words!)

In the past my distractions may have been the phone, my partner or work colleagues – all legitimate requests for my attention. Or it may have been a cow wandering past the back fence; its hulking mass reminding me that all the awe and inspiration I need is, literally, in my own backyard.

I’ve always liked distractions. They often form a natural pause or lull in the mental hubbub of work. So when I’m thinking about how to do something differently, I’ll go make a cup of tea or google the question or do a quick check of my email. Then when I go back to my work with a fresh mind, there’s usually a new way of approaching whatever was slowing me down.

But these new distractions – which began over a decade ago with email but have mushroomed with the social meanderings of Twitter, Facebook and RSS – have me doubting whether they are really helping me.

Of course, I can see positives in all of them:

Facebook is a great way to catch up with old friends. In the daily updates, I can see that while we live very different lives, many of our concerns are similar (health, the environment, turning 40, social justice, art, humour). I see my values reflected.
Twitter is a great way to find instant news or opinion. It’s nothing if not a diverse dip in our cultural pool.
RSS Feeds are a great source of new ideas that help me think about my own little challenges differently. It’s the “Ah, that’s clever. I never thought of doing it like that.”
Email is how I keep in contact with most people. It’s convenient (I don’t have to worry about disturbing you at 11pm when an idea I want to share hits me) and I find I express myself better in writing (less of the “oops, I didn’t mean it that way” apologies).

At least with email, I feel I’ve gotten a handle on it. It has its place in my life and I can leave it if I need to. [CR Ed: Come swim with me in de river denial, it’s nice and warm.]

But the addition of the others is doing my head in. On a recent Monday morning, after a weekend without internet, I had almost 600 new RSS items. [CR Ed: You are a freak.] When I start looking through I find some feeds are re-feeds or are filled with duplicates, so there may only be 300 new items, but geez that’s a lot of reading, attention, and importantly, energy.

With RSS, I am beginning to open the feeds with the fear of overwhelm. Because of the way I subscribe to feeds – ie I subscribe to most things I find interesting and I’ll stay subscribed until I no longer find them interesting – I find I need to constantly cull. In the end, I may only look at 10 items. And for one hour a day, which admittedly comes out of my leisure time or my significant other time, I am just a human filter. Am I just filtering the rubbish on the web so that other people can make money telling us what’s trending? Hmmm.

Well, my curiosity is starting to wane.

So I’m left asking, what’s behind the distraction? Why do I feel compelled to subscribe to or follow all these things? What is it about them that mean they get my attention rather than my business development or the rest of my life?

There seems to be an approach/avoidance thing going on.

What attracts me to my social meandering distractions:

I see my values represented – If I got down to the brass tacks of it, I’m looking for some evidence that the what I believe to be true and important is in fact so. “Look, Joe Blow says corporations suck, so it must be true.” Yes, I know, this is sad.

I feel I have choices – I’m looking for different ways of looking at issues, so that I can apply it to whatever challenges I’m facing. I want choices.

I am on the Right path – I’m using it to see if I am living a worthwhile path ie Have I made the ‘right’ choices? Am I missing out on something because I didn’t stay in the city and get a “career”, have kids, go to the latest fringe exhibition or event?

Synthesis and meaning – I’m looking for someone or something that brings all the seemingly disparate ideas and experiences of my life together and gives it meaning.

Connection – I’m using it to stay connected because somewhere in my “busyness” I have stopped having face-to-face interactions. I rarely even speak to people on the phone.

I want to see change is possible – Sometimes it’s not enough to see little changes in my own life. Sometimes it’s not enough to read of legislative changes that indicate our culture is changing in positive ways. Sometimes I just need to see people bringing forth brilliant solutions to ongoing problems. A little reality check.

Observing is easy – It’s easier to talk about what other people are doing than to actually do something. You know, the planning, the calling, and the shovelling of shit. People talk about how new technology allows us to participate – but I don’t know if most of us are. Is sitting in your bedroom writing some rant or comment really participating? Shouldn’t there be some element of engagement when one participates? All I see is a lot of people talking in one direction. “This is what I think”, “You are wrong”, and “This is the real truth”.

What am I avoiding?

Engaging or actively participating – I’m not doing the things that actually require some level of engagement such as writing the new website or going out with friends.

The really important stuff – oh, that.

Which brings me to the big question….

Does social media actually enhance our lives?

There has been a lot of talk about whether media such as Facebook and Twitter are useful or energy/brain/life drains. The verdict seems to be that Twitter is “a new way of communicating” and we are still writing the rules about how to get the most out of it. But I’m not so sure.

We’ve had plenty of “sound bite” communication before: the newspaper headline, the tv or radio sound bite, or the “Hear Ye! Hear Ye!” town cryer. That’s not new. What’s new is that now everyone with a computer connected to the interwebs is a town cryer. And it sure is getting noisy.

Many to Many Connections

For the technology to work it has to evolve so that the noise is filtered; each person only shouts to people who want to hear him/her, and people only hear their shouters of choice. Although filtering is beginning to take place, it’s not as evolved as other technologies that connect people such as peer-to-peer file sharing.

But, also, I don’t know if I want to play in the shouty playground. When Caro edits my stuff she refers to this tone as my “outside voice” and it’s very clear that ranting at people is not the optimal way to have a dialogue. So, the shouty network may be entertaining but it is not going to be very functional. It’s probably just going to give me a headache. So the filtering will also need a volume control.

The new media evolution

I can see that the social media (r)evolution has the potential to provide trusted news sources for anyone connected to the interwebs. That would be ideal and it would mean a massive power shift from the current corporate media to the people. What was inscribed across the arches at my alma mater? Knowledge is power. (Well mostly) The idea that people could have the information and resources they need to live healthy and meaningful lives is exciting.

As part of this, Twitter, RSS, Facebook and whatever other new mediums are created and adopted in the new few years have the potential to be part of this new media. But they need a lot of work. And the marketing junk needs to be filtered out.

And true, Facebook is a brilliant way to keep in contact – but our real connections need to be in real time. This is already starting to happen with meetups which seem to have been adopted by urban and/or gen Y users. Hopefully, like the surge in the use of FB itself, the face-to-face meetings will increase.

When anxiety is the norm

While all this access to information and connectivity is great, there is the downside that I mentioned earlier: Is all this new information and attention flags actually diminishing my quality of life by making me more highly strung and anxious? Is there really a thing such as Too Much Information?

We are living in a time filled with much uncertainty. We’ve been sucked into the false prosperity of credit culture and living beyond our means. Now that the lifestyle is slipping away, where do we put our attention? What do we do when we can’t consume our way out of our anxiety?

For many, the possibility of losing your job isn’t just about a downsizing in lifestyle. There is growing anxiety about whether people will be able to meet their basic needs – to pay mortgages and put food on the table. But many don’t know how to plan for an uncertain future and as I’ve found, it’s much easier to focus one’s attention on junk culture than take action toward a fuzzy future. But, it seems that not taking action, and watching that fuzzy vision get further away, just adds to the anxiety.

Accepting what is

Those of a new age bent will tell you that in order to find true peace you must accept what is. Perhaps this is the key – or part of it; to stop chasing after the new or the inspiring, and just accept that new ideas and inspiration will naturally evolve from curiosity. It also means stopping the avoidance – but not in an active way, which is my usual response. Instead, accept that the changes will either happen or not happen.

Either way, I will be fine.

Using social media to enhance life

My hope, if I dare have one after that little soliloquy, is that social media will move beyond being a distraction to being one of many new, meaningful ways we connect with others.

I think it comes back to how we interact with our culture generally.

When we let the culture dictate what’s important and what we should give our attention to, then our lives will always be “missing” something – despite the frantic activity and achievements, we will continue grasping for something.

When we work out what we need, what’s important to us and how we want to live, and use the technology and culture to enhance that (if we need it), then we start living whole and rich lives.

And that’s what’s really important, isn’t it?

Surfing the internet can make you more productive

Seven ways to create a sustainable business

trish — Mon, 18 May 2009 02:04:16 +0000

Creating a sustainable business isn’t just about turning off the lights at the end of the workday. The triple bottom line of people, planet and profits is a useful way to approach creating a business that will manage all your resources sustainably. Here’s Part 1 of an introductory, sustainable soloist series that I did for Flying Solo a couple of years ago. I think it’s more relevant than ever …

The evidence is everywhere. If we don’t treat clients with respect, we lose them. If we take non-renewable resources from the planet, they run out. It’s time to look past our financial bottom-line to see how to create a truly sustainable business.

For me, it always hits me when I buy paper. Do I get the budget $4 ream or spend a couple of extra dollars on the eco-friendly, post-consumer-waste, recycled stuff? Sure, “What’s one ream of paper ?” I say, but what if every business says that and leaves it up to someone else to make the difference?

The challenge is not just to run a profitable business but to run a sustainable business – a business that gives back the resources it uses. Assessing your business with a triple bottom line looks at its environmental (planet), social (people) and economic (profit) impact, and it’s just as relevant to soloists as it is to large corporations.

Now you may not be ready to go solar, but here are seven simple things you can do to reduce your business’ environmental impact and create a more sustainable business.

Consume less

1. Switch off the lights, the computers, the fax and the photocopier at the wall at the end of the working day. If you’re not ready to harness the sunshine, then get supplied with green power. Put on a jumper rather than the heater. Open the window rather than cranking up the air-conditioning. In the heat of the day, have a siesta, take a long lunch or adopt a more European work day.

2. Get on the phone. Can that meeting be conducted by phone? Do you need to take the car or can you hop on the bus or carpool? What’s the impact of your air travel? If air travel is essential, buy some carbon offsets for your business.

3. Embrace working from home. Reduce your travel and doubling up on equipment and resources. Or share an office space with other soloists. When sourcing equipment and services, consider buying local to reduce travel miles.

4. Use less materials. Do you really need to print that? Do you need the glossy promotional materials? Could you ‘go digital’ instead? Consider ways of standing out from the crowd without producing endless bin fodder.

Reduce waste

5. Recycle. It’s now easy to use recycled paper, envelopes, pens, equipment, furniture and clothes. Keep the flow happening by recycling your own resources. Choose lunch on a ceramic plate or get your takeaway coffee in a ceramic mug.

6. Do no harm. Be aware of the potential harmful effects or by-products of the production processes you use. Are your raw materials contributing to rainforest loss or river pollution in the far off place they are produced?

7. Increase lifecycle. What about the lifecycle of your products? Are you buying equipment for life or something that will need to be replaced or upgraded in 12 months? Are you producing high-resource, short lifecycle products to make a fast buck? Or are you creating products that will last beyond the season, the fad or the warranty?

We have the opportunity as soloists to make immediate changes to create a sustainable business, so our business reflects our values and the world we wish to live in. We may be only one business but together we make up a vast chunk of the workforce and can make a difference.

In the next article in this series of three on creating a sustainable business, we look at our relationships with clients and suppliers and ask the question: what’s the social impact of your solo business?

This article first appeared in the online community for solo business owners www.flyingsolo.com.au

Good karma job hunting: Connecting with the hidden job market

trish — Sat, 09 May 2009 02:34:12 +0000

Tapping the “hidden job market” is an oft-mentioned strategy touted by employment experts advising how to find your ideal work.

If you’ve been looking for a job recently, you’ll know that relying on the newspapers or job sites for finding out about job opportunities doesn’t turn up many “woo hoo” jobs. At the other end, if you’ve ever looked for staff, you’ll know that advertising can be costly and often, unproductive. So how do you tap into something that everyone acknowledges is hidden?

It’s all about connections. At the moment we are inundated with new ways to connect with others. Word of mouth, or buzz, is just a Facebook or Twitter update away. But is anyone using this new accessibility to connection to match those who need staff with those who need work?

A philanthropic venture called Karmic Leads is giving job hunters and employers an alternative place to connect. And it’s not just a service to hook you up with “jobs” but includes matching for mentoring, speaking, and board positions.

I love this idea. It’s sort of like a Craigslist for work and it goes beyond the “9to5, full-time, employee” work model.

I have no idea how they are making money from it – as it is apparently a no-cost service – but I assume it is being approached with long-term goals. While the site doesn’t mention any other services, I would imagine that reciprocity would be at work. Those who use the job connections service would be likely to pay-it-forward by perhaps using one of the parent company’s other services. There are lots of possibilities to make this one work, if only for the database and connections it makes for Karmic Leads.

I’m not aware of any similar local sites but it would be a very timely business opportunity for someone who likes to connect with others. And it would get us a step closer to making the real job market visible.

I wonder if I know anyone who would be up for the job?

:: Thanks to Triple Pundit for the lead. ::

Surfing the internet can make you more productive

trish — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:29:30 +0000

In news that will have Facebook junkies frantically clicking “I like”, research from the University of Melbourne has found that taking breaks to surf the net at work can actually make you more productive.

Well, unless you are an internet addict, in which case it will make you less productive.

The study by Dr Brent Coker from the Department of Management and Marketing survey 300 workers, 70% of whom engage in Workplace Internet Leisure Browsing. They found that those who rewarded themselves, upon completing a task, with a little bit of WILB were 9% productive than those who don’t.

Unfortunately for those who can’t bear to be separated from their Facebook, Twitter or email, your productivity is lowered by breaks because you get irritable when your precious internet browsing is interrupted. (I have no idea why I’ve written this in second person)

It seems to support what we already know about working effectively:

break activities down into short tasks
reward yourself upon completion of task
make the reason for doing the task more compelling than not doing it.

I might go reward myself with a cup of tea and wee spot of email checking now…

No related posts.

Recession-proof business ideas #1: The topless coffee shop

trish — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 06:02:01 +0000

When times get tough, it seems the tough get a little creative. The Grand View Coffee Shop opened in the small town of Vassalboro, Maine last week and is gathering international attention for its very unique USP: All the wait staff (male and female) are topless.

Media reports indicate that the owner, Donald Crabtree, received over 150 applications for the 10 new positions – many with no coffee shop experience but plenty of the other pre-requisite, um, friendliness. Crabtree says that workers were not selected on an ideal or ‘10’ body shape but rather to cover the range of bodies from thin to full-figured.

In what we would consider an abysmal employment practice, but seems to be quite common in the US and the adult industries, staff are not paid a wage and make money only through tips. Tipping has apparently been high, and by the end of the week, it was reported that the 58-seat shop was full as soon as it opened at 6am, with queues out the door.

For those redesigning or starting new businesses in these unique times, there are a couple of lessons to be learned from the topless coffee shop:

Think laterally about what people really need. What do people continue to need through hard times? Drugs of choice can include alcohol, sex, caffeine, love, food, toilet paper, etc. How can these needs be combined in a unique, profitable and positive way?

Be persistent. Crabtree experienced a lot of opposition from the local community but as there was nothing illegal about what he was doing, the council could not stop him. (I wonder if health regulations would stop this kind of business in Australia?) Of course, the community may run him out of town but with the influx of visitors they will get from all the publicity, it is doubtful that other business-owners in the town, who would benefit from the flow-on, would get onboard.

Never underestimate the power of local media. This story first appeared in the local paper but was picked up by AAP and was across the world in days. Yes, even the Letterman show has called. And who knows what other publicity could have happened because Crabtree turned his mobile phone off after two days. The darn thing just kept ringing with “out of state numbers” and he was losing his voice from all the interviews.

So, for the sake of the workers of the Grand View, let’s hope the patronage and high remuneration continue. And while Crabtree’s venture is clever, I hope future job creation involves a fair wage and won’t require giving the shirt off your back – literally.

Time to start enjoying your work?

trish — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 02:16:36 +0000

Is consciousness around work finally beginning to shift?

Could we be starting to see work as something that doesn’t have to be a drudge or a means to a financial end?

Perhaps.

The uncertainty of the current economic climate seems to be influencing people’s decision to stay in jobs they are not happy in. It has been a jobseeker’s market for the last few years with some employers offering everything including the kitchen sink to attract talent.

But with massive job losses overseas, and prediction of 300,000 losses in Australia in the near future, the attitude of workers seems to be “hold on to what you’ve got” even if you’re not happy. In an article in Saturday’s Courier Mail, journalist Lucy Kippist asks “What can we do?” to get enthusiastic about a job which has lost its shine.

I’m quoted in the article, along with Robert Gerrish from Flying Solo, giving my own take on how you can enjoy your work (complete with Top 5 essentials for Lovin Your Work! I’m slowly learning how to speak in dot points.).

Why I ask if this represents a shift is because they contacted me, not the other way around, to comment on something their news-sense was picking up on.

Does it take a meltdown of the global financial market for people to start thinking more deeply about how they spend half their life?

You can check out the online version of the article, Enjoyment in Employment.