Screw Business As Usual Book Review

Why did you start you business?

Do you operate your business as you’ve seen others operate theirs, because that’s just the way business is done? If so, you’re going to love this business book review.

Here’s my book review of Richard Branson’s book: Screw Business As Usual.

Screw Business As Usual Book Review

Who Is It For?

Screw Business as UsualWhen I first picked it up I knew I would gain insights from Richard Branson’s genius business mind. For my small business, you see.

But after diving deeper into the book, I realized how amazing this information would be in the hands of leaders within bigger companies.

It’s just a matter of getting the changes happening both from the grass roots level and from the top-down.

Having the concepts of “Screwing Business As Usual” available at all levels of commerce will transform the world. I have no doubt about that.

Social entrepreneurship is on the rise, and this book is the primer everyone should read.

How Are You Screwing Business As Usual?

Up to you now! I’d love to hear how you’re screwing business as usual in the comments below.

Or, if you’re not yet in business and have ideas for bigger businesses to screw business as usual… leave those in the comments too!

The Synergist Book Review & Interview with Les McKeown on Managing Virtual Teams

This week we’re taking a pause in our list building tips series to talk about something that all businesses need to face at one point or another as they grow: hiring and managing a team.

Since I’m still a young whipper-snapper when it comes to managing a team, and my team is also a fully virtual team, I jumped at the opportunity to interview Les McKeown.

About Les McKeown, Our Esteemed Interviewee

les-mckeownLes McKeown is the President & CEO of Predictable Success, where he advises CEOs and senior leaders of organizations on sustainable business growth.

Les is also a serial founder and he’s started more than 40 companies. I thought I was good at reinventing myself and switching businesses, but Les has me beat!

Managing Virtual Teams

For years Les McKeown has been studying patterns and strives to help teams work better together. In the following interview, you’ll learn the ins and outs of managing virtual teams, leading a team, and being the synergist for your company. His latest book, The Synergist: How to Lead Your Team to Predictable Success, is the inspiration for our discussion.

Click play to watch.

You can get the book at Amazon, available in print and on Kindle.

Interview Highlights

The SynergistAfter learning a little about Les McKeown and his latest book, our interview dives right into the different managing styles. We discuss how to recognize each of the styles and how they work together, especially for virtual teams. Here is a brief outline of how the interview takes shape:

  • [02:20] Overview of the different styles and how they interact.
  • [04:46] How the book applies to every day life.
  • [05:26] Learn about the synergist and why the style is needed.
  • [08:33] The enterprise commitment.
  • [10:03] How to apply these styles virtually and how the styles interact.
  • [12:50] Learning by numbers how the styles interact.
  • [14:44] How to have meetings with different styles.
  • [18:07] Hiring with certain styles in mind.
  • [21:08] Last words and where to get the book.

I highly recommend taking some time to watch the video and hear directly from the author. After watching, you will understand why you should read his latest book on learning how to better manage virtual teams, or any team for that matter!

Are you a Visionary, Processor, or Operator?

Even without the book as a reference, which of these types describes you the best? Leave a comment below, I’d love to know!

Do check out Les’ book The Synergist to get all the details, it truly is life and business changing stuff!

How To Email Your List Without Being Annoying or Spammy

Today we’re talking about how to email your list without being annoying or spammy. This is the fourth video post in the list building tips series here at NathalieLussier.com.

We’ve been talking about how to build a list, by creating free opt-in goodies, and going over what an ecourse is and can do for your list…

So now that you’ve started building your email list, what happens next? If you’ve ever cringed when hitting the “send” button to email your list, then this video is for you!

How To Email Your List Without Being Spammy

Top Tips for How to Email Your List Ethically and with Confidence

The first and most important tip to e-mailing your list without feeling sleazy, is to shift your perspective away from being a spammer and towards being a value provider.

If you feel like you are providing value in your e-mail marketing, your audience will feel the same way (and vise versa!). This should not be confused with thinking that everyone already knows what you know, that’s why people have signed up to your e-mail list because they want to learn what you have to teach them.

This is more about being clear about the value that you’re providing in your e-mail communication.

Let people know how often you will be e-mailing them, and what they’re going to get. If you feel like you are e-mailing people about things that they didn’t sign up for, then you need to rectify that.

Look at e-mail newsletters that you enjoy reading on a regular basis. If there are people in your market or other markets that always get you to open their e-mails, then there’s something for you to learn and apply in your own e-mail marketing.

If you don’t know what your people need help with or would like to learn from you in your weekly or biweekly newsletter, ask them. Send out a survey, ask on twitter or Facebook, and get a feel for what people really want from you.

Don’t be afraid to switch it up. If people aren’t responding to a certain type of e-mail from you, it’s okay to change tracks and send out a different type of email. The maybe your audience loves to read, listen to you in audio format, or watch you on video.

Frequency: How Often Should I Email My List?

One of the reasons that you might be feeling like you’re bothering people might be because you think you’re emailing them too often.

If you let people know ahead of time how often you will be e-mailing them, you won’t feel like it’s a bother every time you e-mail them.

It also helps for you to assess whether you have enough content and value to share with people on a weekly basis, or if you would like to start out on a biweekly or monthly basis.

There is no hard and fast rule for how often you need to e-mail your list, you need to do what works for you and your audience.

What list building questions do you have?

I know you have lots of great ideas and suggestions for other people when it comes to providing value in their e-mail newsletters, and I’d love for you to leave a comment below to share with everyone.

And if you have any list building questions, I would love to answer those for you in the comments below.

What Is An Ecourse?

Maybe you’ve never asked yourself what is an ecourse, because if you don’t know that ecourses exist you can’t ask yourself what they are.

Today I wanted to explore the world of ecourses, what they are, who should be creating them, and why.

An ecourse is short for email course. Usually an ecourse is delivered over time in several modules or sections sent via an email auto-responder.

Now you might be asking what is an ecourse doing in your list building tips series? Watch the video below to find out!

What Is An Ecourse?

What is an ecourse if not the best form of email marketing available?

Here are 7 reasons to create an ecourse for your online business.

  1. An ecourse trains people to open your emails. No more landing in the spam folder.
  2. An ebook can be too much for people to read and implement in one fell swoop. With an ecourse you can release your content over time, and make it more digestible and actionable.
  3. When you write an ecourse, you can educate an unlimited number of people as they all go through your process.
  4. With ecourses you can test, adjust, and rewrite without spending lots of time redesigning or editing a PDF.
  5. Ecourses also lend themselves to being shared better. You can ask your participants to forward your emails or share them on social media.
  6. You can build a relationship over time by providing value consistently through an ecourse, rather than a once and it’s done freebie.
  7. Creating an ecourse is as easy as writing an email, what’s not to love?

Over to you now…

Why do you prefer getting an email course instead of a PDF freebie? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Build Your List Using The Power of Free

You’re sold on the idea of using email marketing as part of your business plan, but now how do you build your list?

This video post is part of the free List Building Tips Series. Last time we looked at why it was important to build an email list to grow your online business.

Watch this week’s video training and find out exactly what strategies you need to use to build your list.

Build Your List Using Free Content

How to Build Your List

  • Tune Into Your Audience: When it comes time to build your list of ideal customers and clients… it really helps when you know who your ideal customers and clients are. Make it easy for people to say “Yes, this is for me” by creating an opt-in freebie that really speaks their language.
  • Ask Them What They Need: I’m currently working on a new opt-in freebie for my web site, and how did I come up with the idea for it? I listened to my customers to find out what they need help with. I’m going to use the same words they used to describe their problems, and you should too.
  • Create Something Valuable: Don’t just throw together your least favorite tips… but really put your most valuable actionable tips together for your lead magnet. It helps to make it actionable, so people will get results if they follow your advice.
  • Make It Digestible: Some people learn better via video, while others like to read, or listen when they’re working out. Consider converting your content to different digestible formats. Make the freebie tangible by showing a representation of it, so people know what to expect.
  • Tell Them What’s Coming: Let them know your newsletter publishing schedule, so they know what else they get after they opt-in. Build your list for the long term, and you’ll have people sticking around to watch you and your business grow.
  • Build Your List Using an Ecourse: The next video in this series is all about creating an email course that helps people over time. This is just another type of opt-in freebie, and you’ll need to be on the list yourself to find out how to create your own!

What opt-in freebies and lead magnets got you hooked?

It helps to look at what other people have created as their lead magnets and opt-in freebies. If it worked to get you on their list, maybe there’s something to be learned.

I’m not suggesting you copy other people’s content or ideas, but just see what you are called to. If video works for you, then your opt-in freebie could be a video too. If you’re more of a checklist person, then use that format.

Maybe it wasn’t the format that got you in, but rather the marketing or positioning of it. Learn from that.

What free content do you LOVE?

Leave a comment below and tell me what your favorite types of free content are… so that we can all inspire and learn from each other.

Be sure not to miss next week’s video in the list building tips series, which is all about creating an ecourse to build your list.

My latest vision board & cool stuff for you to check out

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a more personal post here. Things have been crazy-busy-good, and I have so much to share with you.

Here’s a list of cool things I want to share with you today.

1. Dream vision board

Vision board

Inspired by Jamie Ridler’s Full Moon Dreamboards, I decided to put some visuals behind my goals for the year. There are also things that need to be absorbed at a deeper subconscious level that a written goal just can’t achieve.

Also a really cool realization is that in 2010 just two years ago I created a vision board at one of Jamie’s workshops here in Toronto, and my big vision was to get a dog. Now look who is my vision board making helper! It’s Millie!

Employees

2. Speaking of Planning and Goals

Life is messy

I’m really excited to be participating in Mayi Carles’ “Life is Messy Bootcamp” which is all about making the planning process more fun.

Mayi is a pro at designing worksheets (play sheets?) and planners that are fun to print out and fill out. Check out her program here, I’m a proud affiliate.

3. Become Your Own Business Adviser

Become Your Own Business Adviser April 2012

There are very few people who I trust with my business visioning, and energetic guidance. Hiro Boga is at the top of this list, because she has made a huge impact on how I look at my business and my life.

I took her Become Your Own Business Adviser program at the end of last year and it shifted so many things in my business that were stuck.

If you’re tired of looking outside for mentors and coaches to “fix your business” this is the program you need to start with. I’m a proud affiliate and you can read my testimonial on her site, click here to check it out.

4. Let’s Fix Young America

FixYoungAmerica | Solutions Based Movement To End Youth Unemployment

I’m a huge fan of entrepreneurship, and this is a Young Entrepreneur Council initiative to kickstart more small businesses for young Americans.

You can find out how to get involved and what the initiative is all about here. I’m a proud supporter.

5. Go Feed Yourself

Gofeedyourself all 400

My good friend Heather Pierce created the perfect eating method for busy entrepreneurs. It’s called “Go Feed Yourself” and it’s designed for people who aren’t cooks but who want to get a lot of energy from their meals.

I bought the program and even though I have a pretty particular eating style (mostly raw vegan) I learned a ton! I love how she structured the Mix + Match method she uses to design meals on the fly, and I’ve got her printouts hanging on my refrigerator.

Now I’m excited to share it with other busy entrepreneurs, because we could all use a little more energy and a little less time in the kitchen. I’m a proud of affiliate and friend, click here to check it out.

6. WomenWin and Epic Adventures

Suitcase

My company recently donated to WomenWin and Natalie Sisson’s epic bike trip across Africa.

As a young girl participating in sports really changed my perspective and my life, and I’m happy to be able to give that opportunity to girls around the world.

Find out how you can participate and join the cause here.

Thanks, more please!

Sometimes it feels like I need to put a stop to all the good stuff in my life… as if I can’t handle it all. But if I put a stop to the good, what am I left with? Huh.

So I’m committing to saying thanks for all the awesome, keep it coming Universe!

Let me know what awesome and cool stuff is happening in your life, share resources, and let’s keep the goodness flowing.

Nathalie Lussier

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