Business Brain Food

Bob Burg has a refreshingly different take on giving. He draws the distinction between sacrifice and giving in a way that achieves mutual value for a business and its customers. Bob certainly knows what he’s talking about, having sold over 1.5 million books worldwide on the topic. His mantra is that the amount of money you make is directly proportional to the number of people you serve.

See below for more of Bob’s take on giving:

**  You can always give to others before you do business with them, i.e. information, introductions etc.

**  No one is doing business with you for your benefit – they’re doing it for their benefit.

**  Giving doesn’t necessarily mean being a martyr. You can be a good giver but also receive at the same time.

**  Always ask questions of your customers. Only then can you properly measure the value you are giving.

**  Remember: what we find valuable about our service might not be the same as what your customers think is valuable.

**  Think of the goals of your customers. How do they align with what you’re selling them?

 

In this episode of Business Brain Food you will learn:

**  More about Bob’s book, The Go-Giver

**  The law of value

**  The difference between price and value

**  The five elements of value

**  How to balance “self interest”

**  How to become influential in your space

**  Should you pay attention to your competitors?

 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

**  Become a business Excellerator at Maxmyprofit: http://www.maxmyprofit.com.au/about

**  Bob’s website: http://www.thegogiver.com

**  Bob’s most famous book, ‘The Go-Giver’ can be bought here

**  One of Bob’s go-to books mentioned in the episode, ‘The Power of Why’ by C. Richard Welyman can be bought here

**  The Business Brain Food Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessbrainfood

**  All previous BBF episodes & show notes can be found at http://www.businessbrainfood.com.au

**  Twitter: https://twitter.com/bfewtrell

 

Call to action:

If you are to take one message from this episode it is that value is a two-way thing. Think long and hard about what value you can give, and then what value you can receive in return.

Also, if you are enjoying these Business Brain Food podcasts, then make sure to share them via social media sites or email the links to family and friends. A lot of time and effort goes into producing each of these podcasts with the goal in mind of the more people we can inspire about business the better. You can help us do just that!

Until next time, have a profitable day!

Cheers,
Ben Fewtrell
(02) 9111 5000

 

Direct download: BBF166_Why_giving_is_the_best_way_to_receive_with_Bob_Burg.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm AEDT

We’ve all heard horror stories of successful businesses who get completely taken down by legal action. If you take the advice of our guest this week, you can make sure your business isn’t one of them. Joanna Oakey will go through all of the main pitfalls your business may be exposed to, and we promise; there isn’t a hint of legal jargon! This is all to-the-point advice that any business owner can benefit from hearing.

Joanna is a commercial lawyer with a passion for business, having worked across a large portfolio of sales, mergers, acquisitions, commercial law and intellectual property. She has been a keynote speaker in events across Australia, and we like her even more because she hosts her own podcast!

See below for some great legal tips from Joanna:

**  If your business is growing quickly then you are probably the most exposed to a legal challenge.

**  Not having a registered trademark is very dangerous. You are exposed to attack from two different angles. Firstly, an organisation with a brand similar to yours could bring a case; and secondly you are open to other competitors sprouting up and copying your brand.

**  With intellectual property the only thing you can protect is the expression of the idea, not the idea itself.

**  Don’t forget your clients. Have a strong client engagement agreement to cover yourself.

**  You should only think of your terms and conditions as something to fall back on when your legal team fights another legal team. You should really do what you can to avoid this scenario, so make sure you are explicit with the most important parts of your Ts & Cs during the buyer journey.

**  Make sure you protect yourself against unfair dismissal claims. Are your employee agreements what they should be?

**  The key is to have all of these things in place BEFORE you need them.

 

In this episode of Business Brain Food you will learn:

**  How litigation really works

**  The definition of intellectual property

**  The definition of copyright

**  The definition of patents

**  How to apply for a trademark

**  Is clicking a box accepting terms & conditions legally binding?

**  What protection an employee probationary period actually offers

**  How to restrain ex-employees

 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

**  Free business advice and tools from Ben: http://www.maxmyprofit.com.au

**  If any listeners have a business and want to know more about their legal coverage, you can have a FREE 40-minute consultation with Joanna. Simply go to http://www.aspectlegal.com.au/contact and type in “I want my free 40-minute session, I’m a Business Brain Food listener" in the enquiry field.

**  Joanna’s Podcast is called Talking Law. If you type that into itunes or google you will easily be able to find it and subscribe.

**  The Business Brain Food Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessbrainfood

**  All previous BBF episodes & show notes can be found at http://www.businessbrainfood.com.au

**  Twitter: https://twitter.com/bfewtrell

 

Call to action:

Remember what Joanne kept going back to: have your legal frameworks in place BEFORE you have a problem. You could save yourself a lot of time, money, and maybe even your entire business!

Also, if you are enjoying these Business Brain Food podcasts, then make sure to share them via social media sites or email the links to family and friends. A lot of time and effort goes into producing each of these podcasts with the goal in mind of the more people we can inspire about business the better. You can help us do just that!

Until next time, have a profitable day!

Cheers,
Ben Fewtrell
(02) 9111 5000

 


What a tremendous character we have on the show this week. It really is difficult to know where to start with Akbar Sheikh. From being homeless and taking refuge in a San Francisco utility cupboard, he’s gone on to conquer the world of business, and even better, he’s now giving something back.

His epiphany came on a day when his network marketing business brought in $25,000, but he realised he felt so much more enjoyment from the free consultancy he’d given a not-for-profit business on that same day. He now works with a charity in Africa that cures children from blindness, as well as a charity in San Francisco that provides mattresses for the homeless.

See below for some Akbar’s amazing tips on life and marketing:

**  Most people fail at the fundamentals. They’re always looking for the next big thing, but if you have a foundation you can scale to seven figures.

**  Stop what you’re doing if you hate it. Remember Einstein’s famous quote: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

**  You won’t have a successful business unless you stop your bad life habits.

**  Think about scaling and growth every day. Don’t stand still or you will become bitter.

**  Do organic marketing before paid marketing - it helps prove the concept.

**  Make your content regular - keep feeding the machine.

**  It isn’t difficult to create content - it’s just documenting your everyday reality.

**  You are who you spend your time with. Hang with the right people and you will take the right path.

**  Find a ‘why’ in life that makes you cry. Motivation becomes completely automatic once you do.

 

In this episode of Business Brain Food you will learn:

**  The definition of a funnel

**  The ethical 7 principles of sales

**  The tools you need for a successful online business

**  The value of organic marketing

**  How to make producing content easy

**  How Akbar got 8 million in traffic without paying for any online advertising

 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

**  Free business advice and tools from Ben: http://www.maxmyprofit.com.au

**  Get Akbar’s international bestselling book (normally $47) for FREE here

**  Akbar’s Facebook group: The 2 comma club

**  The Business Brain Food Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessbrainfood

**  All previous BBF episodes & show notes can be found at http://www.businessbrainfood.com.au

**  Twitter: https://twitter.com/bfewtrell

Call to action:

This is an unarguably insightful quote from a man who’s lived one heck of a life: “As business people we are artists. We need a clean and clear canvas in our mind.”

Also, if you are enjoying these Business Brain Food podcasts, then make sure to share them via social media sites or email the links to family and friends. A lot of time and effort goes into producing each of these podcasts with the goal in mind of the more people we can inspire about business the better. You can help us do just that!

Until next time, have a profitable day!

Cheers,
Ben Fewtrell
(02) 9111 5000


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