AplusB Business Growth Solutions

Slowly improving my miles/min speed. Nowhere near where I was a few months back, but I’ll get there.
It’s the same with business. If you take your foot off the gas, your results will slow and it will take a while to get back to where you were… but, as Katie from told me a few days ago: the only way to fail is by giving up… so keep going.

Just sharing 's book one last time because I can't sing its praises enough.

So, if you want to stand out from the crowd, be seen, and consequently grow your business, click on this link and grab your copy now:

https://link.aplusb.uk/getdifferent

Get Different: Marketing That Can't Be Ignored! Amazon.com: Get Different: Marketing That Can't Be Ignored!: 9780593330630: Michalowicz, Mike: Books

Sometimes, to reach your revenue goals, all you need is a a tiny tweak.

Maybe you need to raise your prices a little.

Or perhaps replacing a few words on your site will make all the difference.

The hard part isn't the change itself, but rather KNOWING what you need to change.

I know many of you have been massively affected by ' book Profit First.

That book definitely transformed the way I use my money in my business.

He's got a new book coming out this week, called "Get Different" and when it comes to marketing I really think he's going to do the same thing Profit First did:
(insert voice of "The Brain" from Pinky and the Brain here)

Try to take over the world!!! 😂

On a serious note, I was sent an advance copy to read and it's absolutely brilliant!

So, if you use and like profit first, or you want to stand out from the crowd so you can get more customers and clients - click this link and grab your copy before everyone else does!

link.aplusb.uk/getdifferent

Get Different: Marketing That Can't Be Ignored! Amazon.com: Get Different: Marketing That Can't Be Ignored!: 9780593330630: Michalowicz, Mike: Books

One of my favourite authors, has a new book coming out VERY soon. I got a chance to read it early. Here are my thoughts: https://www.aplusb.uk/blog?qb-b=get-different-because-in-business-better-is-not-better

Something exciting is coming...

link.aplusb.uk/getdifferent

Get Different: Marketing That Can't Be Ignored! Amazon.com: Get Different: Marketing That Can't Be Ignored!: 9780593330630: Michalowicz, Mike: Books

I was listening to Jon Acuff’s podcast yesterday and was struck by something incredible his guest, Rory Vaden said.

(Although I’m probably paraphrasing… 🤷🏻‍♂️)

He said:

“You are uniquely and most powerfully positioned to serve those who are the you you used to be.”

It’s so true and so simple it blew my mind.

Love it.

One of the biggest mistakes people make, particularly as business owners, is to think they have learned everything there is to learn.

When people are unwilling to continue learning, their businesses get stuck because they are unable to keep up with the ever evolving world of marketing, branding, and customer acquisition.

This is why I try to read at least one business book a week, whether I'm listening to it in my car or on my morning run, or actually, physically reading the book.

I love learning new things.

The latest book I've been reading is called The One Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib, and I highly recommend it.

If you haven't read it and you need to sort your marketing out, buy it!

I'm always interested in new recommendations - so what business book would you recommend I read next?

I know, as a busy dad of four, that life can be very stressful, particularly if you're running your own business as well.

Personally, I've found that if I use a meditation app like Headspace every day (or as often as possible!) added to a little bit of exercise, that my stress levels reduce dramatically.

I'm interested in finding out what other business owners like you do to reduce your stress or to keep your stress levels manageable?

When it comes to growing your business it’s important to have a super structured process - something you can really hang all your decisions on.

Something that helps you decide what to do next when you aren't sure.

This is why I use a process I developed called The Business Hero’s Journey.

It helps my clients identify exactly what to do next.

If you think this is something you might need for your business, click on the link and book a free call with me.

Together we’ll make a plan so you can start moving your business in the right direction again. 🙂

👇
https://geni.us/aplusbbook

If you're a counsellor, therapist, or coach, I've got just a quick question for you:

What's the biggest challenge you have when running your business?

In any business it’s vitally important you get your finances right.

It's particularly important if you have a counselling, coaching, or therapist type business.
Clients can cancel at a moment's notice, and things can come up that stop you from meeting your clients.

If your finances aren't in order, that can throw a real spanner in your cash flow.

I always recommend Profit First style accounting to all my clients, because it really helps you plan and prepare for those emergency moments.

The Profit First accounting method allows business owners to start, and remain profitable from day one. (And if you’ve already started then switching over to this method could revolutionise your business.)

If you've not heard of Profit First or want to find our more, here’s a link to “Profit First” by Mike Michalowicz: https://geni.us/aplusbpf

Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine

When people talk about travelling to the past, they worry about doing something small that radically changes the present.

But very few people in the present really think that by doing something small today they can radically change the future.

It's Friday!

As business owners it's all too easy to forget to celebrate the little wins.

We're always looking for the big win and as a result every success we have along the way can too easily be pushed to the back of our minds.

So take a moment to share a win from this week, no matter how big or how small.

Tell us about your success, from finishing a task you've been putting off to closing the biggest deal in the history of your business - everything counts. 🙂

Leave a comment to encourage others with your success. 👇

Many businesses struggle to grow for one reason:

They have no structured plan.

Every day it's a case of guessing what to do, or trying to fix the latest problem.

And if you're always fixing the plane, you're never flying the plane.

To create a clear structured plan the first two things you need to know are:

1. Where you are now.

2. Where you want to go.

Once you know those two things you can plan for any challenges or obstacles that may come between you and your destination, but at least you'll know you're moving in the right direction.

So take some time to identify exactly where you are right now.

Are you getting enough sales?
Are you making enough profit?
Are your processes working well?
Are you making the impact you want to make?
What are your plans for when you want to leave or sell the company?

Get incredibly clear and objective about these areas of your business first.

Now take a little more time to identify exactly what you want from your business.

Do you have clear revenue targets?
When do you NEED to have met those targets?
What happens if you don't?

Once you know these two things, plotting a route to get there becomes much easier!

Last week I had the pleasure of helping launch a new business venture.

Matt Blandford is a friend and local artist who wants to sell his artwork to raise money for a very special personal project.

Not only is he a great artist, he's also an all round nice guy.

(And has a very impressive beard!)

More importantly though, he listened to advice, took action, and within a day of launching had his first order.

Go check out some of his work: www.mattblandfordartist.com

And if you like it, then do put an order in!

It'll make my day.

It'll make his day.

And when you receive the art through the post, it'll definitely make your day.

Click on the link and risk discovering something you really love! 🙂👇

Homepage Every piece of handmade art you order can be personalised to ensure your gift is unique, original, and most importantly, specifically made for your special person.

It's all too easy to fall into a rut as a business owner.

Chasing your own tail just trying to keep things afloat.

Putting out fire after fire but never finding the source.

The problem is, businesses can't grow when focus is spread so thin and all your hard work is spent just trying to keep things from burning to the ground.

So take a moment to step outside your business.

Identify where the source of the fire is.

Work out what problem you can fix that will resolve almost all other problems.

Then put a structured plan in place to tackle that one area for the next 6-12 weeks.

You'll be amazed at the impact this can have on both your business and your mental wellbeing.

If you want any help doing this, please get in touch 🙂☎️

Here's to your business' growth and massive success!

Who recognises this?

Know how you might use this in your business?

Stay tuned...

My day doesn't start with coffee.

It tends to start with a short workout followed by a school run.

But that is always followed by a delicious, freshly ground, V60 coffee.

(I keep telling myself I'm not addicted... 😂)

How do you start your day?

It's always encouraging to get testimonials from our clients.

Here's what Luke and Steph from Park Farm Glamping said about working with us:

"Working with AplusB has really helped us get clear about what our brand stands for and how we would best be serving our [customers].

This has been invaluable and we are now looking forward to welcoming even more guests."

Do take a look at their site, particularly if you're looking for a quiet break away from the city:

www.parkfarmglamping.co.uk

In story there is a mechanical device called an inciting incident.

They are the points in the story that propel the hero through the story - through the journey.

You can use the same thing in your marketing by creating moments that force your customer to make a decision.

Those are inciting moments.

So whether it's a decision to leave the page or a decision to buy, or a decision to sign up - create those moments.

And this is why scarcity is so important.

Add a deadline and it forces action.

It doesn't force people into doing what they don't want to do, but it does force them to make a decision.

Sometimes people need that push, especially if you know what you offer will help them.

So next time you're doing some marketing, think about creating a moment where your potential customer has to choose between being your customer and buying from you, or walking away.

You will get more sales (and help more people) this way, 🙂

Ever find yourself daydreaming when you should be doing work?

This is your brain's way of relaxing for a moment.

You see your brain is constantly filtering all those extraneous sensory stimuli that would otherwise distract you - the feeling of your clothes against your skin, the sound of the motorway in the distance, the dishwasher in the kitchen, the feeling of the floor against the bottom of your feet...

Sometimes it all gets so much that your brain takes you into an imaginary world where only the important things are known - that's daydreaming.

(and yes, I'm sure there's a more complex scientific sounding explanation for this, but hey, I'm not a brain surgeon! 👨‍⚕️)

Have you ever noticed how you don't daydream when you're reading a good book or watching a great movie?

That's because the author/director has removed all the information you don't need so your brain can just relax and enjoy the story.

And this is where a lot of marketing goes wrong.

Too much stuff, not enough clarity.

If there are too many things for the brain to filter out and your customers' will start to daydream and wander off.

Probably never to return.

If you want to learn how you can remove all the distractions from your marketing so your messaging becomes incredibly clear, making it easy for your ideal customers to choose you, book a meeting and let me know you want to talk about creating a Brand Narrative.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Click here to book a free call: https://geni.us/aplusbbook

This is just a straightforward, open offer:

If you are struggling to get your business moving in the right direction leave a 👍 in the comments and I'll get in touch to help you.

Have you started email marketing yet?

If you're stuck or want to get started, then check out my email marketing course and take the opportunity to be a beta tester (at a special beta tester price!)

here's the link: https://aplusb.uk/em101

As a business owner it's important to always be learning, and always training the mind to think.

What's the most important lesson you've learned recently?

Leave it in the comments 👇🙂

There are eight elements that make up a good story.

And if you've been following me for any time then you know that story based marketing is something I'm passionate about.

If you want to sell to people, you need to invite them into a great story.

In this blog, I explain what the eight elements of story are and how you can integrate them into your business - and most importantly - get more customers!

https://www.aplusb.uk/blog?qb-b=how-the-magic-of-story-can-transform-your-business-3

With lockdown (hopefully soon to be a distant memory!), we have got used to Zoom and video calls.

But, one of the biggest concerns people have when going on a call is background noise, whether it be dogs barking, children crying, children making noise, TV, building work outside any sort of other interruption. (We've all seen the video of the children interrupting a live news interview...😂)

During lockdown I found an incredible tool that instantly cuts out all unwanted noise. It's called Krisp and is genuinely incredible!

A little while back I recorded a video of my son Judah coming in playing kazoo while I had Krisp running and it literally cuts out all noise. Take a look and you'll see just how amazing this really is!

(Here's the link in case you wanted to get it for your own video calls: geni.us/krisp)

Krisp | HD Voice with Echo & Noise Cancellation Enjoy HD voice without background noise and echo during remote meetings, podcasts and recordings. Krisp prevents noisy distractions boosting productivity and professionalism.

There are three types of people in the world: heroes, villains, and victims.

And the good thing is that you get to choose which one you are.

Victims allow life to happen to them.

Villains have been hurt and seek revenge.

Heroes have been hurt and seek redemption.

Which one will you be?

One of the best books I've ever read on marketing, and something that is the foundation of everything I do, is "Building a Story Brand" by Donald Miller.

Read it, digest it, practice it, and I promise you: Everything about your marketing will improve!

https://geni.us/aplusbsb

Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen

A common problem many business owners face is being profitable on paper, but having nothing to show for it.

It's all well and good making more money than you spend, but if that money never leaves the business, then is it really profit? Or are you just creating more expense?

In Mike Michalowicz' book "Profit First" the author suggest flipping the usual accounting formula from Revenue - Expenses = Profit to:

Revenue - Profit = Expenses.

And this changes everything, forcing businesses to run a little leaner, ensuring business owners enjoy the profits their business makes, and ensuring the business is out of debt.

It's one of the strategies AplusB uses with clients in our Marketing and Business Growth Program.

If you'd like to find out more about our program, or just ask us about how Profit First could help your business, book a call with us:

geni.us/aplusbbook