Here on our blog you’ll find a collection of articles we’ve written about working for yourself, copywriting and marketing.

Peter is also a partner at www.flyingsolo.com.au, Australia’s online community for solo business owners. Over on Flying Solo you’ll find Australia’s largest small business forums and over 1400 articles from our team of experts. Articles are discussed throughout the week on topics such as starting out, networking, marketing, working smarter and technology.

If you’re one of Australia’s million-plus solo business owners or have dreams of going it alone, you’ll find inspiration, advice and a sense of connection through Flying Solo

by Peter Crocker

Is Twitter a sign of society’s shrivelling attention span and trivia obsession, or does it provide the strict discipline we need to distil our thoughts into focused nuggets?

We’ve previously explored the all-important 30-second elevator statement and discussed the benefits of a catchy one-line business tagline, but with the irresistible rise of Twitter, is it time to perfect the art of communicating in 140 characters?

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by Peter Crocker

Whether you’re loving, loathing or just knee-deep in building your business, it’s easy to forget that it won’t last forever.

During a recent family holiday, we met up with a couple that we hadn’t seen for a few years. What they’d achieved in the intervening years made me feel like I was standing still!

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by Peter Crocker

There is a whole industry built around selling the idea that you can escape your job, earn a six figure income and retire in a few years – all working part-time from anywhere. Count me in!

I’ve done some reading and the promise varies from sales letter to telegraph pole, but some of the common features are:

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by Peter Crocker

Between political correctness and sucking up, butt-covering, politeness and advertising spin, the big and small business world is awash with meaningless conversations and wasted activity. Does honesty in business exist anymore?

For example, during a recent stint back in corporate land, a friend of mine found herself in a group hug chanting a positive mantra to start the day. It was clear that no individual in that circle thought it was a great idea. So how did it come to be?

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by Peter Crocker

It’s fair to say that ‘getting out there’ and business networking – online or offline – is not something that comes naturally to me.

Truth be told, if left up to me I’d slouch alone in my home office all day listening to folksy music with headphones on and ignoring the telephone.

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by Peter Crocker

What is the relationship between money and happiness? I recall research from a few years ago that found that at all income levels, people say they would be satisfied if they could get 20% more.

If our goal is always ‘more’, then we’re destined to spend our careers striving for that elusive extra 20%.

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by Peter Crocker

A friend recently completed his first successful year as a solo business owner. His synopsis: “Why didn’t I do this sooner?” Well, there are lots of reasons that stop people starting their own business.

While the Flying Solo community is buzzing with established entrepreneurs, we know that there are also thousands of aspiring business owners lurking, learning and plotting their launch.
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by Steve Manning

Words. They’re everywhere. We hear them, speak them and read them all day long. So why is it so hard to write them down sometimes?

Whether it’s an important email, business letter, article, web page or advertisement, most of us have experienced writer’s block at some point in time.

Although you may be a good writer and have an idea of what you want to say, it can be extremely difficult at times to put pen to paper – or should I say fingers to keyboard.

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by Peter Crocker

From product design and processes to marketing and language, small businesses need simplicity to prosper. So why is it so elusive?

“Less is more”, “short and sweet” and “Keep it simple stupid (KISS)” are powerful philosophies. They sound straightforward, but are actually tricky for small businesses to attain.

Things start off simple. Innovative products, start-up business models and fresh ideas are generally born into the world polished up and free of baggage. But then they attract the sticky tentacles of complexity. Simplicity drifts into chaos as ‘stuff’ flies in to fill up the vacuum.

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by Steve Manning

As a business owner, it’s natural to want to tell the world who you are, what you do and why you’re the best. So when it comes to writing marketing or advertising copy, it’s easy to fall into the trap of only talking about “me, me, me”.

I’ll break this to you gently…your potential customers don’t really care about you.
(insert gasp)

Why? Because all they care about is what you can do for them.
(I know. Those selfish so-and-sos.)

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by Steve Manning

If you run a business, chances are that you’ll have to produce a sales letter at some point in time. Whether it’s to launch your business, a new product or to attract more sales, a well-written sales letter can be an extremely effective tool in your marketing mix.

However, it’s easy to get it wrong. There are a thousand ways to ensure your sales letter is scrunched up and thrown in the bin. You name it…boring headline, poor grammar, long sentences with no point, hidden messages, no call to action, lack of perceived benefits for the reader…the list goes on.
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by Peter Crocker

If you take your business seriously, then it may be time to lighten up. Adding a dash of humour can be a seriously powerful and often underestimated tool.When you’re wading knee-deep through a prolonged business drama or a nightmare project, it’s all too easy to get sucked into a humourless quagmire. Even the daily routine of business can stealthily drain your personality and turn you into a robot.

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by Peter Crocker.

I recently moved to one of those touchy feely fruity phones. Hardly a significant event, until I discovered many thought I’d been sucked in and paid a premium just to carry around a logo. Had I fallen for the marketer and ignored the engineer?

According to people in the know, there are smart phones that deliver a better performance for much less. And I’m sure there are.
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by Steve Manning

I have a problem.
I seem to be including smiley face characters in more and more of my emails these days.
Most times, it’s quite upbeat.
Other times, it’s just a cheeky wink. :-)

All pretty harmless stuff really. Why do I do it? Well, mainly for the following reasons.
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by Steve Manning

What drives someone to buy something? The simple answer is that they either want it or need it. But there’s more to it than that. Every purchasing decision has an underlying motivation that we, as business owners, marketers or copywriters, need to identify.

You see, whether you’re selling clothing, microwaves or insurance, there’s a common set of reasons why people will buy your product or service. Once you identify and understand these reasons, you’re well on the way to unlocking the secrets of effective selling.

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by Peter Crocker

Elite sports people often have a routine they go through before a game to help them get ‘in the zone’ to perform at their best. This powerful concept can apply to business professionals too.

Also referred to as being ‘in the flow’, ‘in the groove’, or simply ‘completely absorbed’, the concept has been studied by psychologists for many years. (more…)

by Peter Crocker

I’ve recently become fascinated by the idea of ‘work life integration’. Ok, so I haven’t even mastered ‘work life balance’ yet, but that concept is so last decade!

To me ‘work life balance’ implies a tradeoff between good and evil, where work is the thing you have to endure to get to the good things in life.
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By Steve Manning

Well, exercise could be the answer! We all know the physical benefits of regular exercise. It’s good for our heart, lungs, muscles…pretty much our whole body. But did you know that exercise can also help maximise our productivity at work?

Generally speaking, we tend to feel great after a good dose of exercise. Our respiratory system is activated, our blood is pumping and our mind is alert. Almost every part of the body benefits from the activity and there’s a good chance that your mental state will improve. Therefore, it makes sense that after we’ve exercised, we’re in a better frame of mind to launch into some productive work.
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by Peter Crocker

When you run your own business, you’ll inevitably be presented with great-sounding opportunities by prospective partners. But beware, most of what glitters is not gold.

While it’s nice to have options, the fact is that only a small percentage of ideas will come to fruition. Successful business people have a sharp ability to rapidly get to the heart of an opportunity, assess the facts, make a decision either way and move on.

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