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

Peter is also a partner in www.flyingsolo.com.au, Australia’s online community for solo business owners. Over on Flying Solo you’ll find over 800 more 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 are one of Australia’s million solo business owners or have dreams of going it alone, you’ll find inspiration, advice and a sense of connection through Flying Solo. Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »

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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by Steve Manning

Last month, I looked at 7 essential rules to writing effective web copy.

I’ll now share my remaining 6 rules to help your web copy shine. Read the rest of this entry »

by Peter Crocker

Up until last year I thought giving clients a gift at Christmas – or at least a card – was a sure-fire winner. It turns out there is a very passionate divide on the subject amongst business owners.

In response to my newsletter last year called four unique corporate gift ideas, 75 commenters jumped in to have their say.

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