Actual for You - Business

What is a Bodyguard?........ A Secret Service Agent lookalike?........A Goon?........
What does one envision when thinking of a "bodyguard"? When one considers the historical image of a “bodyguard”, most people envision a large, tall, mean looking individual, capable of lifting you in one hand and tossing you across the room, seemingly without effort.In today’s world, security professionals refer to “bodyguards”, our associates, as “executive protection specialists" or "EP agents”.In terms of answering the first question, “What is a bodyguard"; let’s first ask the question: What is Executive Protection?Executive Protection is the integration and deployment of physical & technical security measures and countermeasures to protect the life of the protectee (person protected) and/or corporate asset or property.Executive protection is not simply the traditional image of a "goon" guarding a

Australia, Zealand, and Holland.

I’m sure you’ll agree a remarkable, and unfinished, success story.

What’s stopping you from doing the same?

Finally Virgin. If you haven't read Richard Branson's autobiography "Losing my Virginity” I commend it to you.

Love him or hate him what he and his remarkable team have managed to do is to create a brand that is inherently trusted by a vast range of people - having started with the music industry he's then gone into airlines, mobile phones, financial products, cosmetics, trains and many other markets. What other consumer brand would you trust so highly that you would give them your money to invest if they decided to go into financial services?

When Virgin first moved into the airline business in the UK by far the dominant player was British Airways and it is now the stuff of legend that the then Chairman of British Airways, Lord King, dismissed Virgin as a serious competitor simply because Richard Branson wore a jumper to work, not a suit! - A classic case I think of sitting in the Room of Contentment in the Change House model in my book!

Indeed applying the Change House model to Virgin you have to agree that

Interviewing Basics
Preparation basics for intervieweesLet's face it successful interviewing is much more than just giving the right answers to questions. As with most things, preparation is the key to success. Without proper preparation, you will go into an interview as if you were driving a car blindfolded and on the wrong side of the road.Plan your travel routeThe last thing you want to do is get lost or be late for an interview, so plan your travel route ahead of time. Find out where the interview will take place and decide how you will get there (car, bus, taxi, etc.), then conduct a "trial run" using that mode of transportation. Factor in any other possible complications such as road construction or rush hour traffic do determine how long it will take you to get to the interview.Once you know how long it takes

If you operate in a market where there are one or two prominent players - perhaps many times larger than you are - it's very easy to get into the mindset that all you can do is chip away around the edges rather than take them on head-on. The natural assumption is that if you do take them on head-on either they will simply wipe you out with predatory pricing or the like or that you need massive amounts of finance to be effective to do so. It’s then very easy to convince yourself that it's simply too risky and a lot safer to stay as you are.

Well it's not true! – the secret is to not only be bold but also innovative and, as Michel Robert put it in his book “Strategy Pure & Simple", force the competitors to play in your sandbox rather than playing in the theirs.

To illustrate the point let’s have a look at three European companies that have each grown from nothing to major players in industries where there where massive, dominant successful competitors such that they now have those competitors seeking to play in "their sandbox". The three companies are Red Bull, King of Shaves and Virgin

Red Bull is an Austrian company it’s product of the same name is marketed as a "high energy” drink (in fact it has just twice the caffeine content of normal colas and the same as a cup of coffee) and is sold in cans significantly smaller than their behemoth competitors Coke and Pepsi.

Red Bull was formed in 1984 after Dietrich Mateschitz and Nina Avery travelled to Thailand and saw that the tuk-tuk (rickshaw) drivers drank a substance to keep them energized throughout the day. After some alterations to the recipe, and a flavour modification for the public, Red Bull was born.

Now over 2 billion cans are sold each year in over 120 countries and both Coke and Pepsi have developed ‘me-to’ products

What Red Bull have succeeded in doing in a remarkably short period of time is to take on and beat - certainly in terms of contribution - two of the biggest brands in the world. That is something that most of us would think impossible – or at least we would have only been possible by undercutting on price. In fact the reverse is true, Red Bull is considerably more expensive that Coke or Pepsi.

Have a look at this comparison of the price per gallon of various liquids in the USA:

Milk
$3.79

Evian water
$6.40

Coke
$8.20

Budweiser beer
$8.88

Red Bull
$30.69

If we assume that the production cost of Red Bull and Coke to be similar we then get an indication of the simply stunning profitability of Red Bull.

What’s stopping you from doing the same?

You may not yet have heard of King of Shaves – but, believe me, you will!

By far the dominant player in shaving products is Gillette followed by Wilkinson Sword and this again is a market where most of us would say you must be mad to attempt to take on either of these world leaders head-on - but that's exactly what Will King did in the UK in late 1992.

- and now one King of Shaves product is sold every 7 seconds from 30,000 stores world-wide! In 1992 Will King created the shaving oil product that was to become the bedrock of the company. Alongside his girlfriend Ann, he initially worked from their back bedroom, selling King of Shaves Original shaving oil which he created after getting razor burn from shaving with conventional foams or gels. He hand-filled the first 10,000 bottles over the kitchen sink and in 1993, got the product listed by Harrods and Boots the Chemist.

King of Shaves specialises in shaving and skincare ‘software platforms’ for men and women, offering a number of shaving and skincare solutions ranging from the original natural essential oils to the low foam aloe based AlphaGels, the Kinexium silicon technology advanced shaving range, the silicon enhanced Proshave range, the new ASC2 antibacterial and DSC products and the recently enhanced and redesigned King of Shaves Woman range with multi-benefit shaving gels, the original and cult ‘Express Shaving' and VanishHair 'Shave Minimising' spritzes plus a fabulous leg toning moisturiser. Autumn will also see the debut of our first 'Skinvestment Series' range of 'skincare in shaving' products, designed for use with today's high performance, multi-bladed shave systems.

King of Shaves is now the #2 'shaving software' brand (by sales & volume) in the UK, and is widely acknowledged as one of the most successful brands in the fast moving men's grooming market place. It continues to grow in the USA too, with the brand now listed in over 20,000 stores across the USA and won the FHM USA's 2005 Annual Grooming Awards for 'Best Wet Shaving Product'. King of Shaves is also available in Australia, Zealand, and Holland.

I’m sure you’ll agree a remarkable, and unfinished, success story.

What’s stopping you from doing the same?

Finally Virgin. If you haven't read Richard Branson's autobiography "Losing my Virginity” I commend it to you.

Indeed applying the Change House model to Virgin you have to agree that

The Billion Dollar Marketing Secret of America's Wealthiest Entrepreneurs
I am in awe of Billionaires.Not the trust fund babies, but the folks that started with nothing and earned huge fortunes through their own hard work and creativity.For the last 10 years, I’ve researched the lives and companies of a group of entrepreneurs that I call the “Billion Dollar Marketing Club”. These entrepreneurs have a combined net worth of $41.6 billion dollars and together they are worth more than the gross domestic product of 151 countries.The companies they have founded titans in the marketplace.You may have heard of them – Google, Nike, eBay, and Harpo Productions (the owner of “Oprah!”). For years, I’ve been obsessed with “cracking the code” to their success. I obsessed over the question - “What is the Secret to Creating a Business Juggernauts that is Guaranteed to Ear

igh energy” drink (in fact it has just twice the caffeine content of normal colas and the same as a cup of coffee) and is sold in cans significantly smaller than their behemoth competitors Coke and Pepsi.

Now over 2 billion cans are sold each year in over 120 countries and both Coke and Pepsi have developed ‘me-to’ products

Have a look at this comparison of the price per gallon of various liquids in the USA:

Milk
$3.79

Evian water
$6.40

Coke
$8.20

Budweiser beer
$8.88

Red Bull
$30.69

If we assume that the production cost of Red Bull and Coke to be similar we then get an indication of the simply stunning profitability of Red Bull.

What’s stopping you from doing the same?

You may not yet have heard of King of Shaves – but, believe me, you will!

I’m sure you’ll agree a remarkable, and unfinished, success story.

What’s stopping you from doing the same?

Finally Virgin. If you haven't read Richard Branson's autobiography "Losing my Virginity” I commend it to you.

Indeed applying the Change House model to Virgin you have to agree that

Business Careers
Everyone looks for a career that will be exciting and fulfilling. One that will help them move up and open doors for new opportunities. There are many fields that you can become involved in, but two that can be both exciting and rewarding would be a career in Accounting or becoming a Consultant.Have you ever considered a business career in accounting? If so you are looking at a very exciting field. The way a company keeps up with their income and expenses is through their accounting process. This is one of the most important aspects of a company as it keeps the operations of the business in proper order.To be an accountant you need good communication and people skills. Computer skills are also very important and you need a basic knowledge in sales. You would be responsible for financial statements and business tra

r> $8.20

Budweiser beer
$8.88

Red Bull
$30.69

If we assume that the production cost of Red Bull and Coke to be similar we then get an indication of the simply stunning profitability of Red Bull.

What’s stopping you from doing the same?

You may not yet have heard of King of Shaves – but, believe me, you will!

I’m sure you’ll agree a remarkable, and unfinished, success story.

What’s stopping you from doing the same?

Finally Virgin. If you haven't read Richard Branson's autobiography "Losing my Virginity” I commend it to you.

Indeed applying the Change House model to Virgin you have to agree that

Learning Guides a Great Addition to Procedures Manuals
IntroductionLearning guides are a very useful medium for delivering flexible delivery when the topic and circumstances are conducive to it. According to Bruhn and Guthrie (1994), a Learning Guide is a 'structured booklet designed to direct the learner through a series of learning activities and to a range of resources to achieve specified competencies or learning outcomes".A learning guide is not a 'how to' manual like manuals that accompany television sets, microwaves and computers etc, but they may be used in conjunction with them. The key focus of learning guides (hereafter 'guides') is that they guide users through a structured learning experience. Manuals don't do that, they simply provide a number of activities users can follow to get certain outcomes. An example will highlight the difference.<

I’m sure you’ll agree a remarkable, and unfinished, success story.

What’s stopping you from doing the same?

Finally Virgin. If you haven't read Richard Branson's autobiography "Losing my Virginity” I commend it to you.

Indeed applying the Change House model to Virgin you have to agree that

Mythbusters: Hard Work Always Pays Off
“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man, healthy, wealthy and wise.” – 15th Century quote, author, unknownAt least, that was the theory. I suppose it carried forward to the pre-industrial era where, as an agrarian society, one had to plant, cultivate, and harvest to survive. Early rising as the cock crowed, was the picture painted by many writers. Back then, one worked in the fields until sundown, only to repeat the process the following day. Except for the Sabbath, one could continue to work in this manner from the time one was able. That meant the relatively young and elderly, as well. As we transformed with the Industrial Revolution, machinery like the combine, began to take over the manual labor and allow us to concentrate on more productive ventures. We could manipulate the environment and natural resources to

Australia, Zealand, and Holland.

I’m sure you’ll agree a remarkable, and unfinished, success story.

What’s stopping you from doing the same?

Finally Virgin. If you haven't read Richard Branson's autobiography "Losing my Virginity” I commend it to you.

Indeed applying the Change House model to Virgin you have to agree that they have been very successful at constantly staying in the Room of Renewal and from there challenging and beating dominant, entrenched players in one market after another - it truly is very impressive.

So what's this got to do with you?

Your markets are different aren’t they? - Well I don't believe they are - the simple message I would give you is one that you've heard from me before:

You must be very good at what you do or, these days, you simply would not be in business.

If you are very good at what you do then get you shoulders back, believe in yourselves, work very hard on a compelling "new sandbox" strategy,

- and go for it!

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Market trends reveal that creative advertising is the need of the hour. Striking logos and funny phrases increase consumers' curiosity. Some firms believe that they can capture the attention of their customers through humor. Many companies use this market psychology effectively through their neon signs. Most businesses believe in promoting and maintaining brand equity because an established funny phrase or picture helps people relate to a particular product or company.

Do you want a surefire way to highlight the newest products of your company? Or do you want your product sales to go sky-high?

All managers hope for an employee whose contribution outweighs the effort required to manage them. But it doesn't always work out that way. Some employee require a greater investment of time and energy to manage than what they contribute to their job. That's what we call a 'High Hassle Factor Employee.' How would your boss rate you?

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