The NEWORK Centre
Level 2 Willbank House
57 Willis Street Wellington
Phone 499 1048
e-mail nework@xtra.co.nz |
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No 86 January 2006
It's 2006 -- Out With The Old
How much baggage do you have lying around? A lot I bet. More than you think you do. Now is the perfect time to get rid of some of that old baggage so it won't hold you back. Spend some time this week ruthlessly getting rid of the old stuff you no longer need. Here are some ideas to help you get started.
- Email Newsletter Subscriptions -- Are you really reading all that stuff that lands in your email box? If you're reading it, does it really apply to the current stage of your business? Chuck it if you can't say yes to both of those questions.
- Magazine Subscriptions -- What does your mail look like at the first of the month? Piles of magazines that get moved from incoming mail to another pile on your desk? Ruffle through that stack and vow not to renew the magazines that don't serve you well anymore. Be cautious not to give in to those "special two-year offers" you'll get letters begging you to renew. If you don't need it, you certainly don't need two more years.
- Memberships -- Are you taking advantage of that chamber membership you signed up for last year? What about the online membership site that bills you every single month whether you use it or not? Think about these memberships long term. Do they fit with your goals for this year? How are you going to get the value you should from these sites? If you can't answer these questions, it's probably time to dump them.
- Phones, phones and more phones -- Do you still have the same old phone service you had when you started your business? What about a phone line for fax? Don't need it anymore? And your cell phone? Does your service company have a better package that would work in your favour? You could get more for less money if you take the time to check. Wouldn't you rather keep those funds in your pocket?
- Software -- What's hogging resources on your computers? Is it a program you haven't used in forever? Time to uninstall that resource pig and free up some space on your hard drive.
That should get you started. Don't delay. Do this now and you'll free up lots of time and resources better spent on marketing your business. I've just begun my own review and already I've saved myself $300 by disconnecting a phone line and choosing a phone/fax machine. How about you? Do you have other suggestions?
It's 2006 -- In With The New
Time to refresh some of that old, worn out stuff. Take a look around your office. Or better yet, have a trusted colleague do it for you. What needs to be replaced? What needs to be upgraded to bring your business presence more in line with what you offer? Here are some things to consider.
- Computer -- Are you still chugging along on that computer you got five years ago? Can you swing purchasing a new one with the budget you've established for this year? Considering that technology moves so fast, your productivity could increase considerably just by getting a new computer.
- Software -- What needs to be upgraded? What new software do you need to accomplish the goals you've set forth this year? Is the software you need available via online license or must you purchase a whole new package?
- Office Supplies -- The last thing you want to do is run out of supplies during the critical moments of a project. Take a look at that supply cabinet and see what needs renewing.
- Office Space -- With that trusted colleague in hand, walk through your office using that person's critical eye. What could use some rearranging or sprucing up?
That should get you started. What other new things need to be considered to kick off your year on the right foot?
Don't Quit
When things go wrong; as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,
You might succeed with another blow,
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem the worst that you must not quit
Change
In his book, Anam Cara, Irishman John O'Donohue, introduces us to this thought from John Henry Newman, "To grow is to change and to be perfect is to have changed often".
Then John O adds this thought, "Change, therefore, need not be threatening; it can in fact bring our lives to perfection. Perfection is not cold completion. Neither is it avoidance of risk and danger in order to keep the soul pure or the conscience unclouded. When you are faithful to the risk and ambivalence of growth, you are engaging your life. The soul loves risk, it is only through the door of risk that growth can enter."
Words to tape to our morning mirror as we prepare ourselves and our dreams for the next century, and the new millennium.
Respect, Effort, Responsibility, Honesty, Caring, Choices
This graphic was included in an email I received at the end of 2005.
Seems to me that these are traits for businesses as much as other relationships for 2006.
Have you thought ……
- "And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."
~ Abraham Lincoln
- Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go for it.
Andrew Jackson
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