The To-Do List

November 29, 2012

Keep Your To-Do List Fresh with the 3-Day Rule

A to-do list is only useful if you cross things off as often as you add tasks on. If something’s been on your list for more than three days, do one of the following:

• Do it immediately. It may take you less time than you think.
• Schedule it. Find a time slot on your calendar when you can get the task done. If it’s important enough to have on your list, then commit to doing it at a specific time and day.
• Let it die. If you’re not willing to do something immediately or schedule it for later, you won’t ever do it. Accept that it’s not really a priority and take it off your list.

Adapted from the HBR Guide to Getting the Right Work Done.

NEW BUSINESS CONCEPT TO BOOST SMALL BUSINESS IN GIPPSLAND

 Author: Karyn O'Brien

The first co-working business hub has been established in Gippsland to meet the growing number of mobile businesses and consultants who move between towns across the region and need short term office space.

 

Business Support Centre has opened in Warragul with moves to establish a network of business hubs across the region linking businesses in the Latrobe Valley, and South Gippsland.

Business Support Centre Director, Teresa Mitchell, said the business concept was innovative for Gippsland and was the first co-working business hub to be established in regional Victoria.

“Businesses and individuals become members of Coworx and are given options to use working space to suit their specific business needs. Membership is also open to not-for-profit organisations and government agencies. They may need a few hours a week, a few days, or establish themselves full-time in the Centre. The choice is theirs. Businesses have access to shared kitchen facilities, meeting or training rooms, printing, photocopying and scanning, Wi Fi Internet, a business resource library including government publications and car parking”

Mrs Mitchell said the plan was to set up similar hubs in the Latrobe Valley and South Gippsland giving businesses an opportunity to work more efficiently across towns and encourage collaboration between small businesses across the region.

“Technology has significantly changed the workplace in recent years with an increasing mobile workforce, one person businesses, and more people setting up home businesses.

“Often small business people work from home or in a one-person office, especially when they start-up.  Coworx gives them an opportunity to be around other small businesses, to share experiences and be part of a social business community where they can network and share information. It also had potential for businesses to reduce their costs.”

She said there were many travelling consultants and businesses that lease offices full-time in towns across Gippsland and yet may only need to use them a few days a week.

“With Coworx they can elect the number of days they need to utilise the office or meeting space and pay for that time."

Mrs Mitchell said a number of businesses were already operating from the Business Support Centre at Warragul offering business mentoring, job support, business information, financial planning, graphic design and web design.

 “The Centre will also host networking evenings and business and community workshops and presentations.”

She said the beauty of Coworx is that once a business becomes a member of Coworx they can also utilise similar co-working spaces in Melbourne. So if they travel to Melbourne and need to meet clients they can book in and use those facilities.

For more information on Coworx membership visit the Business Support Centre at 34 Mason Street, Warragul or phone Teresa Mitchell on (03) 56 233 332 or 0499 991 617 or visit: www.businesssupportcentre.com.au

Mental Health - Are you handling it?

Mental Health: A Big Issue for Small Business

by COSBOA Media

Mental health conditions affect one in five Australians in any given year. Almost half the population experiences a mental health condition at some point during their lifetime. With statistics like that, it’s fair to say that your small or medium business will at some point come into contact with people with a mental health condition, either as an employee, a colleague, a manager or a customer. Left unacknowledged and unattended, it might just become a big issue.  But handled well, mental health in the SME workplace is manageable. The following tips will help with a range of mental health issues in the workplace: Know it, understand it The first thing that must happen is an awareness of the issue… not just for you, but for any staff you may have. We all spend a significant part of our lives at work, so workplaces are in a good position to promote awareness and understanding of mental health conditions, as well as help to educate people. There is an Australian Government service called JobAccess that may be able to assist with funding training on mental health awareness in the workplace if one of your employees is eligible, or there are some wonderful free online training sessions available via beyondblue and other similar services. Workplaces that are open to meaningful discussions with staff regarding mental health also allow themselves to increase productivity by introducing solutions. What to do if you are worried about a colleague You might notice changes in the behaviour or attitude of someone at work. This may impact on their productivity or ability to meet targets – as well as on their wellbeing. Before you approach them, plan your discussion. Thinking about it ahead of time can guide you in what to say. A good starting point is to express your concern and be specific about the workplace behaviour that is concerning you. Remember to respond to what your colleague or employee says. There may be many reasons for a change in behaviour; for example, financial strain, relationship breakdown or physical illness. Addressing the behaviour of concern also allows you to put a plan into place. What to do if an employee or colleague discloses a mental health condition Step one… don’t panic! Mental health conditions are common and most are manageable. Ask how the condition affects your colleague. Don’t assume you know the impact their diagnosis might be having on their work or life – as mental health conditions can impact different people in different ways. Your colleague may be telling you in order to increase awareness or to put a plan in place. Offer to discuss the issues and be open to learning. If their symptoms are impacting on their ability to do their job, think about how the barriers could be overcome.  Some strategies to help include: Have clear role descriptions and key performance indicators available to everyone. Use these to identify and address issues that may arise. In some circumstances, an increase in the structure of the role may help. Employment Assistance Programs (EAPs) may assist in providing support to your worker, and in developing solutions. JobAccess is there is advise employers and may be able to help with ideas. Our website has accommodation ideas and psychologists available for a more tailored discussion. If more specialist assistance is required, JobAccess may be able to fund mental health support in the workplace for eligible workers. Workplace adjustments and accommodations: They may be cost neutral! Many small and medium businesses are run as very tight ships. There is not a lot of extra cash lying around. The good new is that employers are able to provide a range of workplace adjustments (for mental health conditions or disability) at little or no cost. Think laterally when developing strategies – just because something has always been done a certain way, doesn’t make it the best way. Circumstances and role requirements change. By reviewing periodically, you may just come up with better processes for everyone.  A few ideas to look at are: Flexible work hours Nominating a mentor Consulting your EAP if you have one Call JobAccess for advice about your particular circumstances Prevention better than cure Of course many mental health conditions will occur regardless of environment, but some are exacerbated by stress and an inability to cope with it. Good work practices and policies can support your employees more than you may know. It is always good practice to, ahead of time; identify workplace processes, actions or incidents, which may contribute to high stress levels for your employees. Take action to eliminate or minimise these risks and create a supportive environment and culture. For more information about managing mental health in the workplace, please call JobAccess on 1800 464 800 for expert advice, or visit www.jobaccess.gov.au. JobAccess is a one-stop-shop for all matters related to the employment of people with disability, including mental health, administered by WorkFocus Australia on behalf of the Australian Government.  JobAccess is a free service for people with disability, employers and service providers, delivering information and advice via phone and website, and coordinating adjustments in the workplace. ----------------------------------------------------- Don't miss our upcoming webinar, hosted by COSBOA and presented by JobAccess on Supporting Employees with Mental Health Conditions. Check our Events page for more information.

CoWorx membership now open!

We have been busy establishing the CoWorx space in the Business Support Centre in Warragul and are now taking membership applications. 

There is four membship tiers:

• Virtual - Access to the CoWorx/Yammer communication plateform
• Casual - Access to the CoWorx coworking space (including Hot Desk - maximum 1 day per week)
• Part-Time - Access to the CoWorx coworking space (including Hot Desk - maximum 3 day per week)
• Full-Time - Access to the CoWorx coworking space (including Permanent Desk and ordinary membership of Warragul Business Group)

 Cost from as little as $22 per month. All benefits stated on the CoWorx Member Application Form.

Membership application forms available from Business Support Centre, 34 Mason Street Warragul or emailing Fiona or Teresa on info@laconcierge.com.au 

www.coworx.com.au

Shooting for the stars

Virgin Galactic have called on budding space scientists to take advantage of NASA’s latest programme, which will fund worthy projects and send them up into sub-orbit.
NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program is keen to unearth some golden ideas and move them towards flight readiness, with those chosen getting the opportunity to fly their technology on a parabolic aircraft or suborbital reusable launch vehicle for free.
If you’d like to know more about the programme, head over to the Suborbital Coalition website and check out their handy FAQ section.

If you have a great idea and you would like to start up your own business then check out CoWorx for budding entrepreneurs. 

Why Crowdsourcing your logo is bad for your business and bad for the designer

By Spencer Harrison

Recently in my coworking space at Hub Melbourne I have witnessed more and more small businesses looking to 99designs and crowdsourcing sites for their design needs. Time and time again I have explained to people that this is not the best way to get effective design and so thought it was time to finally write up in a blog post why crowdsourcing is bad for you and how you can find and work with a REAL designer. With many of my current clients that have used 99designs in the past I have to spend a lot of time redoing or fixing their logos and designs as there are many problems with what they received. This leads to greater costs for them as they have to effectively pay twice for the logo, once to design and once to fix or redesign it. All these problems could have been avoided in the first place if they found a local designer and worked one on one with them on their design.
Below are some of the reasons that crowdsourcing is not an effective option and some of the problems that are often encountered:
Effort and time spent:
In order for a designer to make a living on a platform like 99 designs they have to be able to do many many logos for many competitions as the odds of them ‘winning’ are low. Because of this they pump out designs and spend as little time as possible on entries submitted as there is no guarantee that they will be paid. For you, yes you get many options, but the effort, research and attention to detail in those logos will not be there. The best designs come from strong original ideas which require research (e.g into competitors, the market, the target audience etc), time and thought in order to come up with that suits your business.
Copyright infringement:
Time and time again I have seen people get logos 99designs they were happy with only to find that ideas and parts of the logo are direct copies of other peoples logos (rendering them unusable). Once again with designers on 99 designs spending as little time as possible on the logos they go looking at other people work and copying part of logos and designs they find online. Working with a reputable local designer you will avoid the risk of this happening and ensure you get an original design that is not plagarised.
Quality and attention to detail:
I have seen many crowdsourced logos that are poorly drawn with poor attention to the fine details of the logo. This might be fine when the logo is small or on a website but when you go to use it in other mediums or blown up bigger (e.g on a banner) it can cause problems as these rough details become apparent.
Different cultural context:
In many cases design works best when designed by someone familiar with the cultural context and business environment in which it will be used and displayed. Many designers on 99design and other crowdsourced sites are based in countries with lower cost of living (due to the low pay rates!) which means there may be language and cultural barriers involved. Of course there is argument that design should be universal but there will always be cultural factors and influences involved that impact the design outcome.
Experience:
Anyone can participate in 99designs no matter their training, level of experience or knowledge of design. This means that a Highschool student or anyone with a copy of photoshop could potentially be designing your logo. These people lack skills and experience in areas such as typography (e.g vertical type, squishing letters together, bad legibility), print production (e.g incorrect specification of colors, wrong file formats) and general knowledge of the proper design process.
Cost:
You may think you are saving money using a crowdsourcing platform but in the long run it can end up costing you more. From what I have seen around the Hub and through my clients they pay on average $300-500 for their crowdsourced logo. Later on when that logo needs to be fixed or they find it does not work as they wished they have to pay more to people like me to fix it or redesign it which costs them even more! For more around the $500-1000 mark you can find a young local designer or freelancer to work one on one with you and develop a bespoke, well thought out, high quality logo for you. If you consider the value added to your business from a well thought out design that speaks to YOUR customers the small additional cost will come back many times in additional income for your business.
So if moving away from crowdsourcing as an option where does this leave you?
Here is a bit of info on how to find a good designer and the process in working with them:
1) Find a freelancer/small studio locally if possible. Ask around, get referrals from people who have worked with them before. You can find their folios of work online or email them to send a PDF of their work. Additional things to consider might be; Do they deliver on time? Do they reply promptly to emails? Were they nice to deal with?…These things can make your like a whole lot easier and mean you can focus on running your business.
2) Put together a design brief to send to the designer for a quote. Here is a great list of the type of info you can put in a brief: http://justcreative.com/2008/09/26/how-to-write-an-effective-design-brief/ As with anything you can shop around and get a couple quotes from a couple designers. Just remember sometimes it can be better to pay a little more if you know (through referrals) that they are good to deal with and produce good quality work.
3) Normally once a quote is approved the designer will ask for a deposit up front (30-50%) to ensure that both parties are committed. This also assists in the cashflow for both parties which can be a killer for small businesses! If you are worried about your own cash flow ask if you can break the payments up into milestone payments (e.g on delivery of first concepts) to reduce the total lump sum payment required.
4) The designer will then work on your design and normally present several concepts to you (on which they would generally spend a decent amount of time, thought and care developing) and then work with you to determine if these designs match your objectives and how they can be improved.
5) The designer will then take that feedback and further finesse the design, working with you to develop something you are happy with and is appropriate for your business and target audience.
6) Finally they will deliver to you a logo/design in high quality formats (normally EPS, PDF, JPEG and PNG) and in CMYK color (for print), RGB color (for online) and B&W that you can use on any application needed. They will then send you an invoice for any outstanding payment (Which we LOVE love love if you pay promptly as cashflow can be tough for a freelancer!) and hopefully everyone is happy!
Design really is an iterative, conversational process involving a close trusting relationship between the designer and the client with the back and forth of ideas and input leading to design that is effective for your business.
Ask yourself is it worth skimping a couple hundred dollars now for a design that might not be as effective as an original well thought out one and which you may have to pay more for to fix in the future. Working one on one with a designer ensure that both parties get more value and are able to work effectively together. Forming a closer relationship with a designer also means that they will get to understand you and your business better so the more you work with them the better the design work will get!
If you still aren’t convinced here are a few more viewpoints on why 99designs and crowdsourced design is bad for the designer and bad for the client:
http://headspacedesign.ca/index.php/blog/entry/99designs-hacks-and-cheapskates-unite/
http://thedeependdesign.com/why-crowdsourcing-is-bad-for-design/
http://fortyagency.com/insights/crowdsourcing-your-brand
http://spyrestudios.com/6-reasons-crowdsourcing-and-spec-work-sucks/

Designer, Illustrator and Typographer
www.spencerharrison.com.au

Follow me on Twitter

CHANGES NEEDED FOR SMALL BUSINESS

From Peter Strong, CEO of the Council of Small Business of Australia. Over 96% of businesses are small. Over 60% of workplaces employ less than 5 people. Over 7 million people earn a living from small businesses. Yet the workplace relations systems have been designed for the 4% of businesses who have pay clerks and experts. If we want improvements in productivity and innovation we must change the way we approach workplace relations. All sides of politics need to agree on a simple system for the small workplace. We need a system that isn't based on philosophy and vested interests - we need a system that is based on reality and people. WorkChoices and FairWork Australia are and were systems based on outmoded beliefs about the way the workplace should operate and behave. One system was designed by big business to suit their belief in what a workplace should look like and the other system is designed by the union movement with the support of big business, to reflect their needs. In the end these systems, their development and implementation (and their eventual dismantling and reconstruction into another system) has failed everyone except the vested interests. We should accept the reality of our working world and have two systems: one for big business and its experts and one for small business. We firstly need a small business award that is easy to understand and can provide certainty to all people in the small workplace.

FEAR OF HISTORICAL SITE DECIMATION

A sector of the Castlemaine (in Victoria) community believes developers will decimate a historical site in Castlemaine. The Old Goal in Castlemaine is up for sale and a number of community members are campaigning to keep the Old Goal in not-for-profit hands. The Castlemaine Shire is currently the custodians of the Old Goal after a not-for-profit organisation passed up renewing their usage contract over two years ago. The Old Goal is in need of restoration which the Shire estimates will cost over $500,000. The Shire cannot justify using rate payer’s money for the upkeep and the ongoing maintenance of the historical site and have placed the property for public sale. The Castlemaine community needs to look at how the sale of the Daylesford Convent into public hands was a match made in heaven. The building and gardens had declined into dereliction when Tina Banitska, a well-known local artist and ceramicist, found the courage and foresight to buy the property in 1988. Now in its 15th year of business, The Convent has undergone several stages of renovation to the building and grounds, far exceeding its original grandeur. Today, the building houses seven individual galleries, a large retail area, a café, a lounge bar, a penthouse and two function rooms. The Convent is an historical icon known for its celebration of art, history and culture. It is possible for business to partner with community and help drive financial surety, but still in keeping with community integrity.

Top 10 Signs Coworking is Growing Up

La Concierge is about to embark on a new venture opening a Business Support Centre incorporating CoWorx a coworking space for professional entrepreneurs. This new business sector is fairly new to Australia but is well established in the US and Europe.

Top 10 Signs Coworking is Growing Up

If you would like more information about CoWorx email us on info@laconcierge.com.au

Gippsland Women in Business go to Timor Leste

In October 10 women from Gippsland Women in Business will head to Timor Leste to start discussions with local Timor Leste women about assisting them to start their own business to assist their communities. One product that has been identified that would be beneficial to the Timor Leste communities is the mandarin solar light which would replace the kero lights. These products could be sold by the local women to their communities.http://www.illuminationsolar.com/

Can we save the planet and improve the region?

I would like to invite you to:

Meetup with Worldchanging's Alex Steffen

Tuesday January 10, 6:30 PM EST to 8:00 PM

Village Roadshow Theatrette at State Library Victoria (La Trobe St entrance)

How to change absolutely everything without leaving town, with Alex Steffen

Join us for this FREE event next Tuesday night in partnership with State Library Victoria and Hub Melbourne - Alex's only public presentation while he's in Melbourne.

Register on this website:

http://alexsteffencollab.eventbrite.com/

“Alex Steffen, a designing optimist, lays out the blueprint for a successful century.” -The New York Times

See what he has to say at http://youtu.be/mjDjbJJlqZ0

What does a sustainable future look like for the world's most liveable city? The latest climate science tells us we need to achieve carbon neutrality in the very near term - and for that we need bold leadership.

But how is this possible? And how does it relate to Melbourne's other central goals - like growing prosperity, delivering equity, increasing democracy and promoting health and happiness?

Can we save the planet and improve the region?

Please join us for a special night with Worldchanging's Alex Steffen, one of the world’s leading voices on sustainability, social innovation and planetary futurism. Hosted by founder of the Centre for Sustainability Leadership, Jason Clarke, be part of a unique experience to explore how we can build better (carbon neutral) futures for all, together.

Cheers Teresa
Founder of LaConcierge incorporating YBM and JobLink
www.laconcierge.com.au