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The rise of real-time, on demand services has led to a new generation of buyer expectations that no longer match with the way brands provide their online experience.

Have you heard of the On-demand Economy? Some people call it the App Economy.

Either way, you’re most likely part of it as a consumer (knowingly or otherwise) but are you thinking about your business model as this seismic shift on consumer behaviour?

How many large companies can you think of that have fallen by the wayside because they didn’t stay relevant in their market? Companies like Kodak and Blockbuster spring to mind as historical references but what about future possibilities?

Almost every business on the planet faces fierce competition. If yours doesn’t then you are either in an incredible niche that nobody else knows about or, you’re in denial.

How do you attract your ideal client or customer?

Its one of the biggest or most perplexing questions facing many business owners. Or to use a fishing analogy, landing the Trophy Fish. Following are a few of the techniques I have learned over the years.

Your Nightmare Competitor is coming. What are you doing about it?

In a previous blog I brought up the concept of nightmare competitors from a book I was reading called Rocking The Ship (Amazon best-seller, available here). You can read that blog here.

Everyone loves a good comeback story, but very few happen without brutal truths and planning.

Every business has its challenges. To sit here and tell you that nothing will go wrong would be flat out lying to you. The reality is every business faces challenges, particularly financial challenges, at some point.

Does it feel like there's people just sucking the life out of you?

Earlier this year I was at a business seminar with one of the key note speakers being a Hindu priest and international speaker named Dandapani. I was dubious as what I would get from him, but he was a thought provoking speaker in many ways.

Business today can be tough.
Check that. Business today IS tough.

With innovation happening in almost every industry, many business owners are looking at lower returns from their traditional business model.

Cash flow or profit? Brand recognition or longevity?

What determines if a business is successful or not has many elements, that of themselves don't make a business successful.

But successful business tend to exhibit 5 characteristics.

Being a parent is a big responsibility. As a dad I have a huge influence on my children's life. I am a leader, whether I like it or not. From me my children learn boundaries. They learn how to treat their spouse.

Ive just finished reading Killing Fairfax. A very interesting chronicle of the demise of Fairfax; especially so for someone who grew up and got his professional start in print media, with a bit of ink still running in his veins.

And it has some excellent lessons for businesses that face pressures due to change.

For business owners, running a successful business is often challenging enough, but succeeding in business in the current tough times for many has become a real nightmare.

However, there is good news!

More and more businesses are thriving through clever online marketing.

And many businesses push into this strategy without getting the first things right.

Online marketing is generally a cost-effective way of increasing your exposure and expanding your customer reach.

Building and growing a business doesn't happen overnight - it takes hard work, and a lot of it.

You'll get some things right and some things wrong - but you'll learn a lot from what happens.

If you're a start-up or considering one, don't think its going to be all sweet from the get go.

For every business that shoots to the top theres a heap on the scrap pile below. 

The landscape of business software has changed dramatically in the last 3-5 years.

Online, cloud, collaborative are all terms used. Business is no longer about a big file server and everything being on site.

And there’s plenty of providers wanting your business.

Reality - between 50% and 75% of new businesses wont make it past the first 3 years!!

So why is that?

I really hope you're not leaving meeting your budgets and targets to the whims of chance.

The only way to make sure you're actually achieving what you set out to  achieve in $ terms, new customers, visiting clients - is to chunk it down and monitor it.

But what does that actually mean?

A "Business Value Gap" is the difference between the value of your business today and what you need it to be at time of sale.  

A shortfall can have a significant impact on your retirement plans and may force you to reassess your desired standard of living in retirement.

Worst case - it can mean you cant afford to sell.

As business owners we often want to feel essential to the success of our business.  Some common quotes from business owners are:

“My Customers are totally loyal to me”

“I am the face of my business”

Youve grown your business gradually, and now your mind turns to collecting your reward from your investment of capital, know-how and years of effort.

Achieving the most money for your business requires the same diligence it took to grow it.

So how can you ensure you receive a return for your efforts?

Well, Ive come to the final leadership series blog. Focus.

I'm sure everyone will recognise the need to focus when they're involved in a task or action.  Something like driving the kids to school takes focus to keep on the right side of the road, all the while with warring factions and arguments going on in the back seat.

We generally think of competence as the ability to do something. Catch a ball, drive a car, perform CPR. Or lead.

A competent leader will leader by example, to show that they can and are willing to do what needs to be done.  They show up each day ready to get stuck in and are consistent in their approach.

Communication. Seems to be a problem at one time or another in each and every business and personal relationship.

Im sure there are plenty of marriages and business partnerships that would be still humming today if the communication had been better.

All around us every day we commit to different things. We commit to a new diet or exercise regimen (generally at New Years celebrations). We commit to a to do list.

Commit to a course of action like getting through that round-a-bout ahead of that oncoming bus to make sure we're not 3 seconds behind.

And we all know someone who we would say is charismatic. But without other qualities they're not a great leader.

But what is charisma and how does it relate to leadership?  Heres how I see it;

But I harked back to one of the first managers I dealt with many years ago, a man named Warren McLennan. He was a gentle man who, despite his position in the company, mixed extremely well with everyone.

He had the ability to get people behind him as he moved the business forward, and would show the way rather than just point.  

Businesses always talk about 2 main issues with their staff or team - finding good ones and then keeping them. Another common complaint is that they seem to only ever lose the ones they don't want to.

What can a business can do to make sure it is profitable and successful?...Without doubt, using an annual process called the Three Way Budget.

I watched an inspiring movie last night. "Soul Surfer" is the story of Bethany Hamilton, a girl living in Hawaii, who surfs every day and is an aspiring professional surfer. 

At age 13 Bethany looses her left arm in a shark attack.

Technology, whether you like it or not, infiltrates and impacts every aspect of our lives.

Smartphones allow us to have the world at our fingertips and to be accessible wherever we are, even at the most inappropriate and inconvenient times.  But that doesn't make it a bad thing?

A few years ago now a rather astute client told me about his business being a bus.  I looked at him with a quizzical expression, so he elaborated. 

What did he mean?  Well, let me tell you.

I have recently been talking to retail clients about how hard they are finding business over the last year or 2 and especially over the last few months. The most obvious cause of this is the uncertainty in global economies and lack of consumer confidence.

We also have the cloud of the new carbon tax with no one really certain how this will affect our costs of living. 

I love the idea of a family business. Parents and children working together in building a business that passes through the generations.

A business that supports all the family members as well as the families of the team that works together.

Over the last few months I have gone through the process of putting in a pool at home.  Well, it actually started back in January when we decided to go ahead. 

And it is here my story starts...

So what happened to fire??

There are many examples of businesses getting in the ready mode for growth, change or advancement.