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SECRET?
TH
DE
INSI
ON
M
S
HI
Entrepreneur of the
Month Page 4
Lessons from the
Pyramids Page 4
Creasers Got 99
Problems Page 10
Success Story Special:
Kip McGrath Page 12
How to Get More Stuff
Done Page 16
QUOTES
of the
MONTH
We mix and mingle, online and offline, with the same group of people,
week in, week out.
For some of us this group is quite
large, for others its a little smaller
but, in all cases, its inadequate if
were to achieve the goals for our
business. We need to amplify our
presence. To expand our circles. In
short, more people need to know
about us.
Now, of course, Im aware here that
Im stating the bleeding obvious, but
that doesnt make it any less right.
The truth is that every member of
the Entrepreneurs Circle has ideal,
perfect customers who are ready
to rock and roll and would spend
money with us if only they knew
we existed.
entrepreneurscircle.co.uk
June 2014
GOOGLE SECRETS
Google Adwords.
Email.
Direct mail.
Banner ads and ad networks.
Facebook ads and social media.
Affiliates and referrals.
PR.
Print advertising.
Radio advertising.
SEO.
Jez Rose
Jez Rose joined the EC in November 2011
and his first year was a whirlwind of activity.
you!
It could be
07
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Snezana Knowles
Grannys Secret
www.grannyssecret.co.uk
AMATEUR DRAMATICS
DIGIT
AL
SHARECROPPING
Social Media Manager and Ace Reporter Alice Tew gets dramatic
about the internet monsters coming to a city near you soon...
Constant change
Social media networks are constantly
changing, usually at a rapid pace and
without much prior warning to its users
- Facebook, Im looking at you. If those
sites decide to drop a particular feature
then your content will disappear; or if
youve done something that they dont
like then your account will be, at best,
suspended. To some, this might be a
mild inconvenience, but if youre relying
on a social media profile as a makedo website then its a big problem; it
means that for every day your content is
missing or your account is on lock down
then no one is seeing you, and if no
ones seeing you then theyre forgetting
about you.
Disappearing acts
Social media networks and
sharing sites can disappear
in the blink of an eye. Users
could have put hours of work
into crafting a perfect profile
or creating brilliant content
for sites like Myspace and
Digg, but even though the
sites still exist, they dont get
anywhere near the amount
of traffic that they did in their
heyday.
Facebook and Google are
probably going to be around
for a fair while yet, but do you
want to pin the success of
your business on probably?
CREASERS COLUMN
99
problems
But a8 nitch3 aint one9
ECs very own M.C. (Mark CreaSer) raps about
niche marketing, cars and cans... whats your
niche, and how are you going to exploit it?
Cant Beats It
As I write this, it seems that Dr Dres
Beats business is being lined up by
Apple as a $3.2 billion acquisition.
Whether its the right or wrong thing to
do from Apples perspective (and when
youre sat on a $100 billion cash pile,
what does $3 billion really matter?),
its interesting how Beats has gone
from literally nothing in 2008 when
it launched, to a multi-billion dollar
valuation today.
Theres the product placement in music
videos, the free headphones given to
athletes, the endorsement deals with the
likes of Puff Daddy, Justin Beiber, Lady
Gaga, and David Guetta, the partnership
deals with brands like HP, Chrysler and
HTC it all works.
executive
Youve Earned Them.
11
Kip
McQuotes
Here a few quotes from some of the other
Kip McGrath franchisees within the EC
12
d teach you
Cerys Llewellyn-Bevan Kip McGrath Neath
Cerys doubles her business in less than a year
It was the success of fellow Kip McGrath
franchisee Jana Meyer that first inspired Cerys
to join the EC and since becoming a member
in August 2013, Cerys business has doubled!
Cerys has been spurred on by the inspiration
provided by other Kip McGrath franchisees
within the EC; they even have their own
Facebook group where they exchange
updates and advice.
In order to grow her business and reach her
goals Cerys decided to focus on building her
marketing pillars and set about implementing
Adwords and Facebook ads.
Motivation,
motivation,
motivation!
Claire Hitchcock from
Kip McGrath Gravesend
Developing my ideas
and creativity has enabled
me to see the potential
for my business far more
clearly. EC has motivation,
enthusiasm and support in
abundance
Gareth and
Clare Powell
of Kip McGrath
Scunthorpe
13
Adam Cliff
Make It Media
Every month we ask four experts to share with us a few pearls of wisdom that you can put to good use in your business.
This month were featuring three of our Trusted Suppliers. Theyre all longstanding members of the EC that understand
how to service business owners that approach business with an EC mindset. Take note of what these guys say, theyre
our Trusted Suppliers for a reason!
David Kyte
Andy Wilcox
Doodle Ads
Let me explain
15
How To Get
More Stuff Done
If you want super-success in
business, youve got to get better
at getting more stuff done. If you
want to be a millionaire, then
youve got to get really good at
getting stuff done.
One of the most frequently asked
questions I get from EC members,
especially new members, is this:
How do you get so much done?
So many business owners are full of
great ideas, things that they want to do,
but, for one reason or another, their
rate of implementation and execution is
not where they would like it to be and
as a result theyre being held back. Lets
be clear, right up front the biggest
difference between high income, high
profit businesses and run of the mill, low
income, low profit businesses is
IMPLEMENTATION.
If you want super-success in business
then youve got to get better at getting
more stuff done. Ideas are worth
diddly-squat. Its the execution and
implementation that gets results.
Call Handling
Getting your telephone answered by
somebody else is one of the most
useful services for many businesses
especially when theres only you.
The services provided by people like
Graham Hill and his team at Verbatim or
Jacqui Frost at Office Genie are brilliant.
Your phone can be answered at certain
times of day, by them, or all the time, or
just when your lines engaged.
You can teach them exactly what you
want them to say and what you want
them to do with the calls. Its genuinely
game changing especially if youre
getting more than two or three calls a
day.
Your phone gets answered by a real
person who knows what theyre talking
about (their systems are fab so the
scripts are always consistent) and they
answer the phone as if it was someone
working in your business, which gives
you the added benefit that it makes you
look and feel like a bigger organisation
and it strengthens your positioning in
your market.
Bookkeeping
If youre a business owner and you are
doing your own bookkeeping, then you
are certifiably insane OR lacking in all
ambition to grow OR unenlightened
and were about to put that right!
For most small businesses your
bookkeeping will only take 3-4 hours
per month. With an outsourced
qualified bookkeeper doing the work
it will typically cost you less than 100
a month. It will take them less hours
than it will take you
anyway, so lets say,
conservatively, that
handing over all your
bookkeeping and
invoicing will probably
free up at least six
hours of your time
per month plus a
whole load of mental
baggage that youve
been carrying around
with you whilst youve
been worrying about
having to do your
accounts, invoicing
etc.
Now, the trick for you
is to bunch that time
together and use it to
get new customers
and new business.
Continued on p18...
Graham Hill
Jacqui Frost
Verbatim
Office Genie
Youre
Definitely
Missing Calls
Everyday, at 8.00pm, an
email pops into my inbox
from my telephone system!
Attached to it is a PDF listing
all the missed calls for that
day. Theres usually 5 or 6,
occasionally 10.
It tells me the number that
rang and which particular
extension or department
they were calling when they
didnt get through.
It also tells me how long
they were hanging on for
(sometimes its only one
second because all the lines
were engaged!)
17
We re
DOING A
RATNER
(sort of...)
National Event
Monday 7th July 2014
Youll also be listening to (and taking
home) nuggets from Nige, so it really
isnt something you want to miss out on.
For more information and to book
your ticket then go to:
www.nigelbotterill.com/events-2014
...or phone our Member Support Team
on 0121 765 5551
!
See you there
By Alice Tew
Its standard for people who come into a new job to describe their first few weeks in the role
as a learning curve. Maybe, if theyre working in an intense environment, they might describe
it as a steep learning curve. I thought about whether this applied to my first few weeks at
Botty Towers and decided that no, it doesnt. Not even a little bit.
If there is such a thing as a learning rock
face, a totally vertical rock face, then
thats what my first six weeks were likein the best possible way. If I was to list
every single thing that Id learned since
joining the team, then that would be
this issue filled (actually, that would have
made my job much easier), so here are
just a few...
Taking responsibility
S*** systems
Sometimes I am an idiot. I try very hard
not to be, but sometimes it happens.
Thankfully, at Botty Towers, if youre
being an idiot then it will always be
pointed out to you. This has happened
to me a few times, but Im just going to
stick to recalling the one, for now.
I was, before the big move around, lucky
enough to have two screens on my
desk.
19
REBRANDING
Nic Johnson
of DesCom
is no April
fool...
AN EC BAFTA WINNER!
Wed like to send a huge
congratulations to EC member
Jeremy Tidy and the team at
Happy Graphics for their BAFTA
win!
On the 27th April Happy
Graphics were awarded a
Television Craft Award in
recognition of the outstanding
creative and technical teamwork
behind Strictly Come Dancing.
Jeremys team are part of a
wider group of designers and
animators who work to provide
all of the stuff that makes
Strictly Come Dancing, and It
Takes Two, look so amazing.
20
COMMUNICATIONS
SWEET TREAT
Galaxy anyone?
So recently I bought a bar of galaxy,
nothing unusual - not for me anyway...
But I noticed a pretty tasty offer that I
couldnt refuse; text the word galaxy
to 88802 every hour for a chance to
win a Kindle. Texting was free. And who
honestly would remember to text every
hour?
I still think Im in with a pretty good
shot of winning that kindle. (Ooh, Im
going to read so many books!)
But then, as I was typing the word
galaxy into a text box for the 8th time it
hit me...
22
MARKETING LESSONS
Five-Star
Days
Free
Sunglasses
Cleaner
Googles
Direct
Mail
23
Success Story
Roll Call
In the last month we have had some amazing
success stories from our members, all of whom
have made real strides in making their businesses
into the success that they want it to be. Our new
resident success champion Alice Tew has been
gathering the finest examples from across the EC
and you can see them all by heading over to
www.nigelbotterill.com/success
As well as this months Success Story Roll Call, weve
also picked out two of the most impressive success
stories from the last four weeks, which we hope will
inspire you and your business.
25
AskNigel
Nige Says:
26
New members
this month
Congratulations and welcome to the latest group of forward
thinking business owners that joined the Circle last month.
Youve made a smart decision!
Make sure you make the most of your membership by booking on to our upcoming events (both
national AND local), delving deeper into the super useful content in The Vault on the members
website and taking away those valuable nuggets from the monthly Circulars to implement into
your business. Its great to have you on board as part of the EC gang.
Craig Brooke
Dale Leader
Daniel Murphy
Darren Fawcett
Darren George
Dave Evans
Dave Cottrell
David Bruce
David Emery
David Stead
David Cox
Dean Starbuck
Deborah Thompson
Dermot Murphy
Dick Bird
Donna Obstfeld
Fuzail Jamall
Gareth Dinnage
Gary Jeffrey
Gary Lee
Geoffrey Gordon
Girish Naker
Gordon Frew
Graham Davison
Hannah Weston
Helen McCann
Helen Raymond
Hema Rajah
Hiten Pabari
Ian Philp
Ijaz Akhter
Jack Mason
James Cook
James Welsh
James Newbery
James Levannais
Jane Wood
Jason Sutton
Jason Pass
Jennifer Barnes
Jeremy Knight
Jim Macmillan
Joanna Herve
Johanne Bone
John Oakden
John Campaigne
John Harris
John McKeown
John Thompson
John Mills
John Parkinson
John Michael Dane
Jon Field
Julie New
Juliet Goss
Justina Torrado
Kamil Bouzek
Kamlesh Makwana
Kamran Miah
Karen Hulatt
Karen Whitelaw-Smih
Kashif Saeed
Kate Duffield
Katie Sandrey
Keith Purkiss
Keith Davies
Keith Petty
Ken Whipday
Kerry Orr
Kevin Hamilton
Kim Geddes
Kristina Fields
Laura Fergusson
Linda Scannell
Lisa Pointin
Liz Newman
Liz Ware
Liz Price
Liza Poerksen
Lubna Alam-Orths
Luke Redding
Lynn Hilton
Lynne Austin-Dutton
Madeleine Morgan
Maggie Jackson
Marcus Earnshaw
Mark Hyde
Mark Tracey
Mark Boulcott
Mark Ball
Mark Roberts
Mark Neild
Mark Palmer
Mark Instance
Martin Dedman
Martin Jones
Matt Davis
Matthew Davies
Matthew Gawley
Megan Taylor
Michael White
Michael Cassidy
Michael Rogers
Michael Griffiths
Michele Judd
Mick Sheehan
Murray Macnaughtan
Neal Gurney
Neil Bridgland
Neil Milligan
Neil Thompson
Nicholas Gwynne
Nick Goodall
Nick Joiner
Nick Fenmor collins
Nicole Wright
Nigel Davies
Nigel Lumsdun
Nigel Asba
Oli Glockler
Pamela Coates
Patricia Niland
Patrick Johnston
Paul Haigh
Paul Samspson
Paul Abbott
Paul Hollis
Paul Jennings
Peter Court
Peter Cross
Phil Edwards
Pieter Claassen
Pravin Kharwadkar
Rachael Brockwell
Rachel OKennedy
Rakesh Dedi
Ria Carroll
Richard Clapp
Rob Birnie
Robbie Smith
Roman Marszalek
Ron Whitcher
Rowan Chuck
Roy Gwillam
Sally Dickson
Sally Tomlinson
Sally Peockock
Sam Bradley
Samantha Evans
Sandy Rees
Sanjeev Virdee
Sarah Williamson
Sarah Cook
Sean Toole
Shaun Luxton
Sian Chambers
Simon Hutchinson
Stefan Boyle
Stephane Xavier Magnani
Stephen Docherty
Stephen Allison
Stephen Tams
Steve Tyler
Steve Barber
Steven Brown
Susan Hooper
Susie Mackie
Taher Rashid
Taiwo Sheteolu
Tim Mulkern
Trevor Toms
Valari Hancock
Vickie Norris
Victoria Bush
William Okeeffe
Willie McLaughlin
Yolanda Kerr
Zia Butt
Zoe Phillips
27
www.nigelbotterill.com/local
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2nd June
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25th June
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Jay Allen
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2nd June
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3rd June
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5th June
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28
ting Dates
REGIONAL BGA SOUTH WEST
Andy Wilcox
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2nd June
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Your upco
ming loca
l
BGA Meet
ing dates
are availa
ble online
!
Weve now made it even easier to book a place at your local meeting.
Be Paranoid.
I had a horrible experience a couple of weeks ago. I was driving in my car listening to recordings of some of
the phone calls into Botty Towers. Im going to spare you the details here, but there was one particular call
which absolutely horrified me.
It was handled by an experienced
member of my team, someone who had
been with me for over two years, but it
was truly awful. Im squirming now, as
I write this, four days later. There was
hardly a single thing about the call that
was acceptable.
30
rd
And thats the final wo
31
Whats ON
June
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Solihull
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Made In Britain
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Solihull
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Solihull
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Solihull
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