Swindon College
PERSONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Isla Baliszewska is a business support specialist and serial entrepreneur, having run businesses in property, publishing, asset management and IT. She now works with Smart Coaching & Training helping business leaders and their organisations flourish.
For more information contact info @ smartcoachingtraining. co. uk
or call Isla on 07828 516058
A day in the life of a serial... ised tango-ing entrepreneur
The Innovative Day
The Pushing the Creative Boundaries day when you discover that tangoing your thoughts can elicit great strides forward.
The Start: A normal day, the usual mix of tasks, appointments,‘ todos. Top of the list; your monthly newsletter and the need to create good, enticing content( of course, you already have the theme prepared in your 6 / 12 month newsletter campaign strategy)… But your mind is blank, where is the flow of fabulous words, the lovely, novel teasing ideas to entice your readers? So you grab another coffee( for inspiration and a bit more procrastination time), rearrange your papers …
Some time later: You have had two enquiries from your newsletter and had several hits on your website and LinkedIn company page – and you only sent it a few hours ago. Feeling rather pleased and a teensy bit surprised you look at what you actually wrote. And this is what you learn- that you really connected with your readers and that you got what you wanted i. e. more people reading and responding to it, because you
1. Had a really creative subject line 2. Focused on one thing you wanted your readers to engage with 3. Had a clear Call to Action – just the one this month to make sure people would act 4. Enjoyed writing it.
SO … what did you do differently? You used your Tango Thinking! This told you that you have it within you to improvise, be powerful and expressive, absorbed in the task, and able to contextualise. Being innovative does not mean stopping and doing something new. What it means is asking yourself:
1. How can I make what I’ m already doing generate more action / engagement?
2. What are the better questions I can ask in order to get a bigger response?
3. What would my customers / market / readers like me to solve for them?
4. How can I expand my frame of reference to broaden my reach? 5. What is my real value to those I want to influence?
Being innovative is finding ways to do things better, differently. It requires a bit of deconstructing what is already there, taking a different perspective and seeing the potential for variation and enhancement.
“ We cannot solve a problem by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” Albert Einstein
For more Tangoing tips towards a successful business get in touch with Isla.
How can Apprenticeships deliver for your business?
Apprenticeships help businesses grow by:
• Reducing training and recruitment costs
• Increasing productivity and profitability
• Developing a skilled, motivated and qualified workforce
• Improving customer service results
• Providing financial return on investment.
Swindon College
More than 100,000 employers of all sizes and from all sectors in England currently use Apprenticeships to attract new talent, re-skill existing staff and tackle skill shortages.
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TOP PERFORMING COLLEGE IN THE SOUTH WEST FOR APPRENTICESHIPS
Source: Skills Funding Agency 2014 / 15
For further information about taking on an Apprentice please contact the Apprenticeship Team at Swindon College on:
( 01793) 498208 * apprenticeships @ swindon. ac. uk @ www. swindon. ac. uk
S w i n d o n C o l l e g e, N o r t h S t a r A v e n u e, S w i n d o n, W i l t s h i r e, S N 2 1 D Y
14 THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2016