It’s natural to be wary of bigger, stronger competition in business, but being small has its advantages. It usually means that you can be more nimble, responsive, and change direction and focus much quicker when the world changes.

A new book by Stephen Denny – ‘Killing Giants: 10 Strategies to Topple Goliath In Your Industry’, focus’s on some of these advantages. Two pieces of advice which most of us can adapt or relate to are:

Win the last three feet. What this means is that you should position yourself to pocket customers money after the larger competitor has done all the hard work. In practical terms, that might mean approaching potential customers directly, right after your competitor has softened them up with expensive marketing.

Create Thin Ice Arguments. By shifting the emphasis to areas where your larger competitors can’t go, you can gain an edge. Those areas may involve the environmental impact of the business, detrimental social effects, or other unethical practices. Large businesses are rarely without skeletons in cupboards.

People’s Pops 

There’s nothing new about iced lollies, and yet start-up Brooklyn based company ‘People’s Pops’ are selling over 1,200 a week. They have a simple angle. The lollies they make use fresh fruit, and include unusual flavours like Watermelon-Basil and sweet Rhubarb.

With the growing trend towards healthy eating ( or at least a growing trend towards people trying to eat more healthily) there’s huge demand for healthier versions of popular treats. What previously frowned-upon food could be next for a healthy makeover?

Today’s National Day

NATIONAL DISCO DAY/NIGHT !

PUBLISHERS NOTICE

                      Dear Streetwise Customer, 

  Imagine sitting down this afternoon and tapping out a simple letter. It takes you perhaps a couple of hours to get it right… 

  And Then Over The Next Few Years It Brings In Over £5 Million.

Pure fantasy? 

  Not at all. I’ve done it. I’ll even show you the letter. And I’ve written lots of others just like it, although they weren’t all quite as successful as that one. 

  But Even So, Many Of  Them Landed Thousands Of Pounds In My Bank Account Within Days, and Hundreds of Thousands Within Weeks. 

Like to learn how to do the same? 

Well there has really Never Been A Better Time for three reasons… 

1. These letters bring in serious money when times are tough – and they don’t come much tougher than they are right now.

 2. These letters are even more powerful when the world is relying on the internet for its requirements, just like it is right now.

 3. You probably have some free time available to learn how to do this at the moment.

   Allow me to show you, for more details CLICK HERE

   This is an exciting and realistic alternative to the gloom which is all around us today – an escape route.  It’s an alternative that can  quickly see you banking more than enough money to see yourself and your family right through this current crisis and then into  uncharted financial success when all this is over. 

   This comes with a 100% cast iron 90 day money back guarantee.     
   There is absolutely no risk to you to take a look.

  Very Best Wishes,

    John Harrison
  Streetwise Publications 

                                  www.streetwisenews.com/OLR

Do you know what people are interested in more than anything else? Themselves! This simple fact goes a long way to explain the popularity of what might be called ‘life capture’ products. They’re products that enable the individual to record or document some aspect of their life, whether that be via the written word, audio, video or something else.

The latest product we’ve spotted is the Looxcie – a Bluetooth style video camera, which fits over the ear and points where the wearer is looking and therefore records everything he or she sees.

If something interesting happens, they simply press a button to save it, so that it can be later uploaded to Mac or PC – and even emailed to a pre – set list of contacts. Otherwise, the Looxcie records in a continuous loop, purging the earlier footage.

I mention this for three reasons: 

1.  There seems no end to the life capture phenomenon at the moment. Is there some aspect of your product or offering that would enable you to cash in on it?

2.  If the device took off, just imagine the amount of footage that would become available, and the potential creative opportunities that would bring. Could you make the first Looxcie film? 

3.  You might just want one, and if you do (and have a lot of female friends with a penchant for low cut tops or short skirts) I’ll be happy to check out the quality of your footage for free.

Make It An Event 

According to Forbes magazine, there’s an easy way to find out about your customers – hold an event. Events can be used to sell and build rapport, and if they’re well attended they can help to build social proof and popularity.

The article goes on to say that energy levels and mood are often high at an event as well, because attendees are excited to get away from the daily grind. This makes them more receptive to offers of new products and services.

So, could you invite your customers to an event pertaining to your business? What reason or ‘excuse’ could you have? This will mean different things to different people, but there’s no doubt that many businesses could benefit from holding an event of some kind.

Today’s National Day

NATIONAL WIFE APPRECIATION DAY !

PUBLISHERS NOTICE

                      Dear Streetwise Customer, 

  Imagine sitting down this afternoon and tapping out a simple letter. It takes you perhaps a couple of hours to get it right… 

  And Then Over The Next Few Years It Brings In Over £5 Million.

Pure fantasy? 

  Not at all. I’ve done it. I’ll even show you the letter. And I’ve written lots of others just like it, although they weren’t all quite as successful as that one. 

  But Even So, Many Of  Them Landed Thousands Of Pounds In My Bank Account Within Days, and Hundreds of Thousands Within Weeks. 

Like to learn how to do the same? 

Well there has really Never Been A Better Time for three reasons… 

1. These letters bring in serious money when times are tough – and they don’t come much tougher than they are right now.

 2. These letters are even more powerful when the world is relying on the internet for its requirements, just like it is right now.

 3. You probably have some free time available to learn how to do this at the moment.

   Allow me to show you, for more details CLICK HERE

   This is an exciting and realistic alternative to the gloom which is all around us today – an escape route.  It’s an alternative that can  quickly see you banking more than enough money to see yourself and your family right through this current crisis and then into  uncharted financial success when all this is over. 

   This comes with a 100% cast iron 90 day money back guarantee.     
   There is absolutely no risk to you to take a look.

  Very Best Wishes,

    John Harrison
  Streetwise Publications 

                                  www.streetwisenews.com/OLR

I couldn’t write a novel, but I’ve written several business related books, and I suspect you could do it too. Over 11,000 business books are published each year, all from a slightly different angle or perspective. Hidden within your knowledge and experience is the basis of a useful and informative book. However, you can’t expect to make a fortune from sales, but that isn’t the point.

The vast majority of books published sell less than a couple of thousand copies – and many sell significantly less than that – so why go to the trouble? Well being a published author sets you apart from the crowd in your market or arena.

It puts you forward as an expert in your field and can lead to all manner of opportunities – invitations to write in trade journals, invitations to public speaking engagements, and invitations to participate in radio and TV shows. Your book also becomes your calling card, and one that won’t be hastily thrown in a drawer. It helps build your personal brand.

So give some thought to what kind of book you could write. It doesn’t have to be a 500 page epic, and printing technology is such these days that you can print in very low numbers until you’re sure how well it’s going to sell. You can even enlist the help of a ghost writer if you really don’t have the time or inclination

Hawaiian Energy

We’ve talked here before about turning waste into profits. Here’s another example. 

Hawaiian energy drink company, KonaRed uses a bi-product of coffee production as a key ingredient in its energy drinks. In order to use coffee beans, you first need to strip away the skin. An estimated 40 million pounds of the stuff gets dumped every year in Hawaii alone, and it costs the companies to do it.

The fact that there is a company willing to pay for the skins is a double bonus. This is a great win-win situation. The coffee companies get to make money from something they previously had to pay to dispose of, and the energy drink company have a cheap and ready supply of key raw materials.

So is there a waste product from your business which you could sell for profit? Do you know of a waste product from someone else’s business that you could utilise in a profitable way?

Today’s National Day

NATIONAL ENCOURAGEMENT DAY !

PUBLISHERS NOTICE

                      Dear Streetwise Customer, 

  Imagine sitting down this afternoon and tapping out a simple letter. It takes you perhaps a couple of hours to get it right… 

  And Then Over The Next Few Years It Brings In Over £5 Million.

Pure fantasy? 

  Not at all. I’ve done it. I’ll even show you the letter. And I’ve written lots of others just like it, although they weren’t all quite as successful as that one. 

  But Even So, Many Of  Them Landed Thousands Of Pounds In My Bank Account Within Days, and Hundreds of Thousands Within Weeks. 

Like to learn how to do the same? 

Well there has really Never Been A Better Time for three reasons… 

1. These letters bring in serious money when times are tough – and they don’t come much tougher than they are right now.

 2. These letters are even more powerful when the world is relying on the internet for its requirements, just like it is right now.

 3. You probably have some free time available to learn how to do this at the moment.

   Allow me to show you, for more details CLICK HERE

   This is an exciting and realistic alternative to the gloom which is all around us today – an escape route.  It’s an alternative that can  quickly see you banking more than enough money to see yourself and your family right through this current crisis and then into  uncharted financial success when all this is over. 

   This comes with a 100% cast iron 90 day money back guarantee.     
   There is absolutely no risk to you to take a look.

  Very Best Wishes,

    John Harrison
  Streetwise Publications 

                                  www.streetwisenews.com/OLR

There seem to be two types of people – those whose lives are organised and orderly, and those whose lives are in permanent state of disarray. If you are part of the first group, there may be a business to be built by helping those in the second.

Professional organising is the perfect business for people with a flair for neatness and developing systems. Not all disorganisation is the same of course, so it’s probably a good idea to choose an area of specialisation, such as cleaning out garages, helping people plan for moving or downsizing, or assisting professional men and woman with their busy lives.

Professional organiser Debbie Lillard has written a book on the subject – Absolutely Organised, and wanted to work part time after years as a stay-at-home mother. She launched her business by contacting old friends who were stressed by the disorganisation in their lives and created business cards and flyers and distributed them in shops in affluent neighbourhoods.

That’s where the first customers came from, and word of mouth took over from there.

Hardly Chicken Feed

 Just had an interesting conversation with our printer who has a friend who’s a chicken farmer. He supplies the big supermarkets, and I’ve often wondered how the farmers make any money given that you can often buy a chicken in Tesco and their competitors for just a few pounds.

Well it turns out margins on chickens are indeed tight, and the farmer makes most of his money from a surprising source – chicken manure. Apparently, chicken poo is a rich source of nitrogen and he’s able to sell both the solid manure and (sorry to be so graphic here) the liquid remnants that are left when the sheds are hosed down.

I’ve asked this question before, but it’s worth thinking about again. Is there some waste product associated with your business which could be sold at a profit? Most people would see chicken poo as something which needs to be disposed of, and there may be a waste product in your business which isn’t getting the attention it deserves.

Don’t think too literally here. For example, in our own business a ‘waste product’ might be enquiries who don’t ever buy from use. But perhaps they could be valuable to someone else. Think about what you have.

Today’s National Day

NATIONAL BEER LOVER’S DAY !

PUBLISHERS NOTICE

                      Dear Streetwise Customer, 

  Imagine sitting down this afternoon and tapping out a simple letter. It takes you perhaps a couple of hours to get it right… 

  And Then Over The Next Few Years It Brings In Over £5 Million.

Pure fantasy? 

  Not at all. I’ve done it. I’ll even show you the letter. And I’ve written lots of others just like it, although they weren’t all quite as successful as that one. 

  But Even So, Many Of  Them Landed Thousands Of Pounds In My Bank Account Within Days, and Hundreds of Thousands Within Weeks. 

Like to learn how to do the same? 

Well there has really Never Been A Better Time for three reasons… 

1. These letters bring in serious money when times are tough – and they 
    don’t come much tougher than they are right now. 

 2. These letters are even more powerful when the world is relying on the
internet for its requirements, just like it is right now.

 3. You probably have some free time available to learn how to do this at        the moment. 

   Allow me to show you, for more details CLICK HERE

   This is an exciting and realistic alternative to the gloom which is all around us today – an escape route.  It’s an alternative that can  quickly see you banking more than enough money to see yourself and your family right through this current crisis and then into  uncharted financial success when all this is over. 

   This comes with a 100% cast iron 90 day money back guarantee.     
   There is absolutely no risk to you to take a look.

  Very Best Wishes,

    John Harrison
  Streetwise Publications 

                                  www.streetwisenews.com/OLR