Fresh Ideas

How many workspaces do you have?

The other day I was reading a review about the internet access provided by Starbucks. As well as reviewing the service the article talks about the concept of a ‘third space’ for working. 
With the first two being a normal office and a home based office a third space is any other space you can use to work.

This set me to counting my spaces.

How much am I worth?

Working for yourself is great but how do you know that you are billing your clients an amount that accurately reflects your worth?

Many people, especially when they are starting out in business, find it hard to set their rates correctly.  Today I found a brillant report that helped me to assess my rates and make sure that I am charging a rate that is correct for me and for my clients.

Shifting focus

Sometimes there is so much going on in our businesses that we forget some of the basics rules to make it a success.

I was at lunch with a friend the other day and we were talking about our CVs and the work we want to do.  In the past my friend had interviewed me for a position and I was asking her about that process and what her thoughts were on interviewing me.

She explained that while my experience of delivering projects was clear she had not been sure that I had experience of influencing other staff across projects.  I was surprised to hear this because much of my last full time job had invovled cross team influencing.

What she said made me realise that maybe I have  not been focusing on the correct parts of my experience to communicate my skills and abilities.

Are new ideas the best ideas?

With so many new ways to communicate, email, internet, blogs and more it is easy to think that we always have to come up with new ideas for marketing.

Today I was reminded that this isn't necessarily so.

I am currently contracting in the direct marketing team of a national charity. In 2008 they reach their 60^th anniversary. Today the Christmas appeal from 1958 landed on the team manager’s desk.

No, before you ask, it was nothing to do with the postal strike.

Someone had been in the archives and found this fifty year old fundraising appeal and thought we might like it.

What a great piece of history and synchronicity, coming as it did, just as the team is putting the finishing touches on this year’s Christmas appeal.

In reading through the appeal it also made me realise that over the years we might have got more sophisticated in our direct marketing and design but the basics were just the same.

Welcome to fresh ideas

Welcome to Fresh Ideas.  A blog to keep you up to date with what is going on at my business ideas company.