MJWARD UK LTD

Today was a busy old day, a total of four meetings crammed into an afternoon plus a visit from the mum in-law, to be honest I am feeling pooped! Anyway… Glass of wine in hand, MacBook Pro on lap, I am now chilling out and reflecting on the kind of day I’ve had… What better time to write a short blog post on what makes a good brand?

Earlier today I had a conversation about brands, and the question was asked what makes a brand a brand? Ok, you have the company name, its logo, colour scheme and so on, but what makes one brand successful in its sector, and another brand fail? Is it really just down to clever marketing, a big marketing budget, pricing or a quality of service you just can’t find elsewhere?

I believe the challenge for any new or established brand in todays information age is to be unique and stand out from the crowd, we all look for that something special so marketing campaigns must have a positive impact on your business identity. A good brand will have its name (and possibly web address) embedded into your mind when you think of a service or product… So, if you are looking for fresh breath then you may think ‘Wrigley’s gum’, cheap flights ‘Ryan air’, children’s entertainment ‘Disney’, Sports ‘Nike’ and search engines ‘Google’… I think you get my drift; almost every sector in the world today has a strong brand assigned to it… Making new business both difficult and exciting!

If you are looking to start a new business, re-brand or create a company identity then you must first identify what it is you are offering… Make a note of the services and products you offer, what are your unique selling points and can you incorporate these into your name, trademark, slogan or logo?

So come on, what makes a good brand? The company image, its personality, energy or a desire to grow and do better… If you are proud to use a brand, happy to stock a brand on your shelves, and the customer experience and the expectations are always exceeded, then that’s a brand that will grow!

A good brand will be evolving and have its finger on the pulse when it comes to technology, market trends and what society (its target audience) will want yesterday! I personally love the development of brands, assessing how certain brands have achieved what they have achieved, seeing how products / brands are marketed on the web etc.

Remember, good business and good branding tend to go hand in hand; it is not only the customers committed to certain brands but often its creators who live and breathe the brand and ensure its success!

I hope you have enjoyed my ramblings on business and what makes a good brand? As always your comments and thoughts are much appreciated.

This week stared off manic, some seriously long days working on client websites, new projects and SEO! Tidy Design is very fortunate to be a busy little business that requires minimal marketing due to its organic SERPs, reputation and repeat business from existing clients… A position we got in through lots and lot of hard work.

The only negative (which is not really a negative) is that I sometimes work 24/7 on other company sites and find little (if any) time to allocate to my own projects! Yes, we are looking for some help with client updates, coding work and the general running of Tidy Design however this has taken a back seat due to personal and other business commitments… Anyway, forwards and upwards as they say!

The good news is that on Thursday / Friday of this week I found several hours to work on two sites I setup close to my heart. The first site I looked over was Plot of Land for Sale, a site I have been debating selling over recent weeks along with my plot in London to raise money for another venture.

The second site I looking over, fixing several CSS bugs and adding new promotional banners is Business Networking Link. Both of these sites see a reasonable amount of unique traffic each month, and both are structured to generate MJWARD UK LTD an income whilst we sleep. For me, that is the ultimate business model! However, for now the combined income of these two sites is not enough to retire… So time spent on improving, developing and marketing them is vital for their success.

Throughout 2011 I aim to spend much more time on the new sites / projects I have already started, the finish-line to have several high ranking sites generating MJWARD UK LTD an income with minimal effort from myself. Who knows, maybe I will then sell a couple of sites / domains to competitors or people looking to buy a profitable domain / business model.

For now it is all about hard work, dedication and the completion of projects… So on that note, I’d better get back to work! Have a great weekend and please visit again soon!

Waking up a good 45 minutes before my alarm clock today (5:15am) I am now relaxing next to my pregnant wife, MacBook Pro on lap and writing this blog to end what has been a VERY busy and productive day at Tidy Design.

This evening I am going to blog about websites and blogs and the importance / value of both unique and repeat traffic. A high-ranking website or blog really does have the potential to generate passive income through text ads, donations, lead generation, banner ads or sponsorship… Getting companies or adverts on a site or blog is the easy part; the hard part is creating, maintaining and marketing a high-ranking web site or blog that generates mass interest! So going back to the start of this blog post, if you (like me) are looking to boost unique visits to your website, encourage followers on twitter or entice readers back to your blog, then I think the secret is simple: “Hard work!”

When I research topics on the web and read other blogs I often think to myself what do people who stumble across my blog think about me? What will be there first impression? Will they remember my site? Have topics discussed helped and will they re-visit?

When blogging it is important to think about what effect you want your writing to have on other people… Ok, I write a lot about business, investments, building assets, marketing, business (did I mention that one already!) personal development and things that interest me at this stage in my life… With this in mind, I would like my late night ramblings to be of some value to those who come across them.

Lets face it; blogging is a great way to communicate with fellow people who find the things you enjoy of interest to them! For example, you wont find my blog if you Google your football team! I have not always been this interested in business, investments, new technology, brand development and what I do today… For me life is about experiencing the different things it has to offer, working in a factory (which I have done on many occasions) and running your own business is not that different from one another! Both require you getting up at silly o’clock, going to work, working hard (often very long shifts) and occasionally tolerating crap from people! What I call character building!

And to conclude, for me the difference between a good blog and a great blog is the way it communicates and offers real value to its readers, whatever the topic! Once you have this foundation in place then the site should build its own reputation with ease, high-rankings will soon follow, and the option to generate revenue through ads and sponsorships will be a nice reward for your hard work and continual efforts!

If you are developing a new blog or site with the intention to generate a passive income via ads or affiliate marketing then please post your comments below! I must say it is the challenge that motivates me… what about you?

The last couple of weeks have been a strange time for business owners! Many people have been off work and enjoying bank holiday weekend, after bank holiday weekend, the weather has been amazing, sales of BBQ’s probably through the roof, and the overall vibe / coverage of a royal wedding made many of us proud to be British!

That said, it is now Friday and my mind-set is ‘back to business!’ … Although the break was lovely, probably needed and also refreshing, I do feel like May 2011 needs to be a good month financially to make up for time away and the disruption to day-to-day business.

Ok, being self-employed or running a business is awesome, however the downside is that many of us need to work very hard to pay wages or get paid… So, shorter weeks, time away from the office, suppliers / clients combining annual leave with statutory holidays etc has slowed down business for many of us. Yes, it has been great fun spending time away with family, allocating just 15mins a day to emails, not thinking about business, money or web design projects… But today is the day I say “back to business!”

Wishing all readers, fellow bloggers and business folk a great May 2011!

Today I’m typing a blog post that asks: “Am I an entrepreneur?” and looks at the motivation, mind set and entrepreneurial spirit of entrepreneurs. So what makes one person content with a 9 to 5 job and another happy to work 15+ hour days, seven days a week (initially for minimal or no money) to create and grow many businesses / brands? AKA entrepreneurs.

This question has always fascinated me; I mean we each have our own unique outlook on life, different business mentalities, value of money and self-motivation etc. I often think entrepreneurial spirits could be genetic traits, linked to our up bringing, triggered by key events in a persons life or even that ONE person who believes in you, thus making you believe in yourself! Like that old saying goes: “Behind every great man is a greater women”

When you decide to setup your own business not much will actually guarantee its success, so yes you will take risks! … I would say hard work and determination are my top two key factors for business success however you also need to be able to adapt your business as time goes by, take into account past events (the mistakes of others) and the events that may (or may not) be on the horizon. Planning for the future is one thing an entrepreneur does well; he or she will have solid projections, backup plans, supportive staff, build financial assets and create innovative marketing campaigns before others!

If you believe you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur then you are almost there! Self belief and self confidence is important for any business owner, after all you need to believe in your product / brand before others do!

So, does the above sound like you? Have you (or others) recently asked: “Am I an entrepreneur?” and found it hard to answer? Please share your stories, thoughts and comments on the above definition of an entrepreneur below … What ever you decide to do next… Good luck!

Evening all, it has been long overdue however tonight I have decided to write a short blog post! Moments ago I arrived home following a couple of beers with owner of Back Care Beds and High and Dry manufacturing, it is always a pleasure to chat shop, reflect on our Bulgarian adventures and newly married life… Over the years I have learnt a lot from these meeting / chats, lets not forget that business is all about learning from others and experiences, it costs nothing to listen.

So… Recently I have found little time to blog! Firstly my wife Rosie has been suffering with morning sickness since January… Business, web enquiries and client updates have been manic… And, although I am a workhorse (not afraid of 15+ hour day) blogging has sadly taken a back seat.

I must say that when I meet up with John AKA Back Care Beds I do take away something new and motivational each time. The reason I named this post “I used to fear leaving my 9 to 5, now I fear not owning my own business” is because it was tweeted by me earlier this week and brought up in tonight’s conversation. (Thanks @BackCareBeds for the follow)

Being in business is one awesome adventure and 9 times out of 10 you will feel as if you are climbing a mountain, challenged by others or tested by the events life throws at you… But that said, looking back at the many 9 to 5 jobs I have had, none of these really compare to owning my own business… Fact: Many doors have now opened; new friends made along the way and good times far out weigh the bad. It is for these reasons I now fear not owning my own business and I am excited for what the future holds… For me the fear of not owning my own business is a good thing, it is this mentality / motivation that gets me up early and makes me work harder than my competition.

And on that note I will say goodnight, thanks for reading and feel free to post your comments / thoughts on self-employment, business and life below.

So today is the first day of April, hard to believe X3 months have passed in what feels like the blink of an eye! I hope the first quarter of 2011 has been a good one for you? Now is the time to dig deep and work hard towards those resolutions, goals and targets you set three months ago!

I must say that all this talk of union strikes, our countries growing debt, mass redundancies, doom and gloom etc gets me down… I think the trick is to be positive during these tough economic times, don’t give up and work extremely hard to achieve ALL the goals you set… Ok, life is not easy at the moment (this goes for many of us), but we can all achieve some level of control over our own destiny!

Personally, the last 3 months have been mentally and physically testing for me, but all in all life is awesome! As the second quarter of 2011 kicks off I am mega excited to see what the next three months dishes out! Reflecting back over this first quarter so many things spring to mind, news of my first child has to come top of the cool list! Yes it has been crazy busy with life / business, but busy is good when you look at the bigger picture!

Anyway, it is getting late and it has been a long week! Good luck with all your goals / targets for 2011 and remember not to give up! What the mind believes, the mind can achieve! Enjoy!

A couple of years ago I purchased the domain LuxuryGuestHouses.co.uk, you could say I have this weird connection to the hospitality industry (having worked for so many companies) and I’ve always wanted to own / develop my own directory or SEO tool to help hoteliers escape high agent commissions… You will see under the ‘Our Business’ tab above a link to the commission free booking system we already licence out to hotels and B&B’s in the UK, so I guess Luxury Guest Houses is one of its USP, or maybe the other way round! I think it is good to develop / add unique selling points to a business, it gives you an edge over your competitors!

This weekend I pretty much revamped the Luxury Guest House website and created bespoke directories for England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales… The plan now is to throw some SEO into the equation and sell advertising space to luxury hotels, bed & breakfasts and guesthouses across the UK… My theory is this, if X250 properties signed up in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales that totals 1000 listings… Divide this into the 100+ catchment areas / web pages I created over the weekend, then that’s only 10 listings per page! If we now factor in the Google Adsense that generates money per click and multiply the total number of listings by £10 per annum, then we get £10,000 p/a. Ok, this may sound like easy money, however the initial time investment will be more than you think, white-hat SEO and the site development will be on-going… But yes, with time it will generate a tidy little income!

So there you have it, a basic business plan that I hope will develop and become much bigger and better as time goes by! If you have a dream or new business idea then I say go for it, act now and develop things as you go… We can all fall into a trap, spending months / years planning and thinking about how, when or if we are going to start something new… Remember, in business and life it is important to act NOW!

As the sun shines outside our office window, the smell of fresh coffee fills the room and our local blackbird sings away; I have decided to write this short blog post that explains why not all business is good business!

So far 2011 has been a strange year for me, so much has been going on with family and friends, my wife is pregnant again, we had our first scan and met our baby, Tidy Design has been undergoing some serious changes to the business model, we have invested lots of money into new hardware and the development of mobile apps, the Hotel Booking Reservation System version two is almost complete, the list goes on… In a nutshell 2011 has been manic, and as we are a small business with big ideas and aspirations the hours and work / home balance is not sustainable! Something was going to give, and it was not going to be my health!

The important thing here is to acknowledge when things are getting too much for one individual, for the first time ever I have started to say no to projects that sound half hearted or offer me potential headaches! This is a fortunate position to be in, especially in the current economic climate… Not so long ago I would have taken on some of these recent enquiries received, just because it was new business, and my frame of mind was new business = good business!

Lets face it, listening to, and looking after your existing clients is as important (if not more important) as gaining new business… This is something I had to address in 2011 due to our growing portfolio of websites, SEO campaigns and updates… It is all well and good getting new business, but if you are loosing the existing clients in the process then are you actually growing as a business?

Lucky for us we have not lost any business because of this, however I must say we did come close and if we had not turned down new projects then the workload would have been too much! I guess my conclusion here or advice is to remember that not all business is good business… Sometimes (when looking at the bigger picture) you may need to say no!

In the world of business and personal development you need to follow and protect your dreams. Before others start to believe in you, you first need to believe ‘full-heartedly’ that what you are doing is going to work, it is going to have a positive impact on others, and you will attack each day with all the energy and passion you can muster! Trust me, getting this mind set in place will really help!

In my opinion there is no real secret to success, just relentless hours of hard work and dedication to the cause. You simply need to invest your time and energy (day in day out) to the bigger picture! You don’t need to be the most naturally gifted or talented person to make a dream reality, as long as you are prepared to work harder than you thought physically possible! Another point to remember is building a business or reputable brand will not happen over night, it may take you decades! With this in mind, surely success is all about keeping focused, putting in the hours and not giving up when the chips are down!

It saddens me that some people may frown upon hard work or the dreams of others… In my opinion an entrepreneurial spirit for growth, or desire to work harder should be encouraged… Most people who question a “Work Hard Dream Big” attitude work 9 to 5, have so called job security, set weeks off each year, enjoy chilling with the TV most evenings and probably have no real concept of running their own business! So, don’t put your dreams on hold based on the negativity or lack of belief from others… It is your life after all, so why not grab it by the balls!

So to conclude, if you have accepted your limitations or not followed a dream because someone said “that sounds impossible” or gave out the impression that they didn’t believe in you then remember: Before anyone else believes it, you need to believe it! So giving up on your dream is not an option here, and the moment you make those first steps, leave your comfort zone, take a risk, achieve your first set of goals / business targets then people will soon stand up and recognise you! If you are just starting out in business then good luck and enjoy the journey… Believe in yourself and other will too!