Joint Ventures - Collaborate and Grow

After running the first Biz'Share Peer Group a few weeks ago and seeing how powerful bringing like minded people together can be, it got me thinking about joint ventures. After all, the biggest and most successful projects are the direct result of two or more people coming together and combining their unique talents to create something extraordinary!

It happens everywhere...

Singers + Lyricists = Award winning songs/albums

Wedding Planner + Florist = Great weddings

Photographer + Event Manager = Great press and great memories!

Author + Illustrator = Best-selling books

Mortgage Advisors + Estate Agents = More business leads and increased sales

McDonald's + Disney (children's toys) = Happy Meals

I'm sure you can think of lots more.

It's not just about what joint ventures help you create. It's about how they can help you reach more people who are interested in your product or service. You've heard the saying 'the money is in the list'. Well it's true. The money is in the list, so how about getting together with someone else who already has a list?

To help you choose the best partners think about what kind of services and products your client has or needs before and after yours. It's also a good idea to produce a compelling offer for your prospective partner as well as the clients you're trying to attract as they're sure to be thinking 'What's in it for me?'

Good luck and happy collaborating!

Business library raising money for charity

I'm often asked for books I'd recommend to help inspire and motivate business owners and managers - which got me thinking! What better way to bring business owners and managers together to share experiences and expertise than provide a service that helps them share books that have inspired them along their journey.

How it works

1) You 'share' a book that's inspired you and your business (you always retain ownership so you can choose to have it back at any time)

2) You can borrow 1 book at a time for a period of 2 weeks.

3) Books are delivered and collected from your workplace FREE OF CHARGE.

4) All we ask for is at least £1 donation each time you borrow a book. Every penny of which will be donated to Nelson's Journey.

5) Books will be listed on http://www.jamessessa.com/bookshare along with the names of the individual or company lending it.

Books already donated include; The 4hr Work Week - Tim Ferriss, Losing my Virginity - Richard Branson, The One Minute Manager - Ken Blanchard, The One Minute Entreprenuer - Ken Blanchard, Farewell but not Goodbye - Bobby Robson.

Our aim is "To create the largest local book sharing resource for small business owners and managers whilst raising funds for local charity Nelson's Journey"

To learn more about Nelson's Journey you can visit http://www.nelsonsjourney.org.uk

To register your interest in this service you can call 01603 444453 or email info@jamessessa.com

PRESS RELEASE - New Peer Groups For Business Startups in Norfolk

Local business coach, James Sessa has launched a series of peer groups to help people who have started, or are thinking of starting their own business. James discovered a demand for the groups when he launched his own business last year. He says “Although becoming self-employed can be very exciting, at times it can also be lonely. For many, it means leaving behind a peer group who offer support and encouragement.”

The peer groups allow business owners to share ideas and support one another as well as getting advice from local business experts. He goes on to say that “Developing solid relationships and a support network to encourage and motivate you is a key ingredient for business success and is often undervalued.”

The groups use peer pressure (James prefers to call it peer power) in a positive way to motivate and challenge business owners to build better businesses. Each group which is limited to 10 business owners, meets monthly and runs for 6 months. They also provide access to local business experts in areas such as Marketing, Leadership, Sales, Personal Development, Networking, PR and Web Design. To find out more you can call James on 01603 444453 or visit www.jamessessa.com/groups

Peer Power - How you can use it to accelerate your business

Becoming self-employed can be very exciting, but at times it can also be lonely. For many, it means leaving behind a peer group who offer support and encouragement.

This was something I learned very early on when I started my own business. It was also reinforced by lots of business owners that were coming to me for coaching. Time and time again I heard how this put unnecessary pressure on wives, husbands, partners and families.

So I decided to do something about it!

This month sees the launch of Biz'Share Peer Groups. The groups allow business owners to share ideas and support one another as well as getting valuable advice from local business experts. The groups use peer pressure in a positive way to motivate and challenge business owners to build better businesses. Each group which is limited to 10 business owners, meets monthly and runs for 6 months. They also provide access to local business experts in areas such as:

Marketing, Leadership, Sales, Personal Development, Networking, PR and Web Design.

Developing solid relationships and a support network to encourage and motivate you is a key ingredient for business success and is often undervalued. The limited group size and commitment made by each group member guarantees to provide the support needed to accelerate your business!

To find out more call 01603 444453 or visit www.jamessessa.com/groups

Corporate Games

The inaugural Active Norfolk Corporate Games, sponsored by Swiss Re took place on Friday 11th September 2009. 22 teams from businesses in Norfolk took part, including the 'Sessasins' (that's us!)

The competition was fierce as the teams went head to head in ten different activities (sitting volleyball, dodgeball, basketball, softball, table tennis, cycling, speedstacking (look on youtube for this it's amazing!!), petanque, ultimate frisbee and archery).
We spent 25 minutes on each activity, competing against other teams and earned 10 points for each win.

We narrowly missed out on 3rd place after an impressive 8 wins out of 10! It was a thoroughly enjoyable day and it's a must for any local business interested in networking, team building, promoting fitness in the workplace and generally having lots of fun!

Time Management Tips

There are days when you’re just not feeling it. You feel pulled from pillar to post, the phone rings just as you find your stride and then dealing with whatever has come up takes you away from what you intended to do that day. You get to the end of the day and you don’t feel like you’ve achieved anything.

When people come to me and say they want to improve their time management, one of the first suggestions I make is that they learn and understand the difference between activities that are:

Urgent and important
Not urgent but important
Urgent but not important
Not urgent and not important.

Activities that are important and urgent include emergencies, customer complaints, tasks or projects that are due, meetings, appointments, staff problems, reports.

Activities that are important but not urgent are ones which are vital to your success. They include; planning, preparation, research, investigation, designing, testing, networking and relationship building, thinking, creating, modelling, developing systems and processes, and developing strategies.

Activities that are not important but urgent are ones that include: trivial requests from other people, apparent emergencies, minor interruptions and distractions, misunderstandings, and pointless routines or activities.

Activities that are not important and not urgent are those that include surfing the net, lots of cigarette or coffee breaks, social chats, daydreaming, taking social phone calls, or reading irrelevant material.

Simply creating a 'To Do' list of all the tasks you need to carry out can help you identify those that would come under the 'urgent and important' heading. They're the ones that you need to focus your energy on and do first. This kind of list will allow you to retain control of your time and energy. After all, it’s a lack of control that leads to boredom and procrastination.

Remember that you’re only human and if any of your tasks seem overwhelmingly large, break them down into manageable pieces. Keep breaking them down until you have something that you can begin to work on straight away.

WorkWise

Last week I facilitated a two day programme designed to help young people become more employable and successful in their working lives. It's a unique programme organised by the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, delivered by trained facilitators from the world of work - so when I heard about it, I was keen to get involved.

The two days were spent at the Aylsham Fun Barns, which provided the students with a very real experience of what training can be like in the world of work as well as breaking the idea that this is a 'lesson' and they are being 'taught'.

We ran exercises to help improve general awareness in areas like, communication, teamwork, and positive thinking. It was an enjoyable couple of days and the feedback from the students proved what an important part of their learning it was.

The ideas were embraced wholeheartedly by the students and it left me feeling that if our aim is to improve relationships and productivity in the workplace - this is surely where it must start!

Firewalk & Boardbreak Challenge II

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes , yeeeeeeees! No, not a scene from 'When Harry met Sally', but the chants you would have heard if you joined us at the Forum, Norwich last Friday for the Fire Walk and Board Break challenge to raise funds for the Bryan Gunn Appeal .

It was an amazing evening where around 40 people helped raise over £4'000. The atmosphere was incredible and I must say I'm very proud of myself and everyone involved.

Follow the link to listen to the podcast from the event:
http://www.futureradio.co.uk/podcast/2009/march/firewalking

Redundancy Advice - Stop,Look & Listen

Are you worried about the threat of redundancy? Perhaps you've already been made redundant. Over the last few months more and more people are finding themselves in a similar position.

What is it that helps some people take it in their stride whilst others are struggling to cope?

Here's some advice that will help you get back into employment and on track to finding a fulfilling career.

Stop

• Give yourself time to come to terms with what has happened. Being made redundant can evoke strong feelings, let the reality of the situation sink in before you take action.


• Allow friends and family to help and seek professional support if you feel you need it


• Don't take it personally - it's difficult not too, I know, but don't let what is likely a business decision undermine your confidence and doubt how valuable an asset you are.

Look

• Assess your current financial situation so you know exactly where you stand - it might not be as bad as you think!


• Assess your strengths and weaknesses and think positively. You'll be better equipped to find a suitable job by getting to know yourself a little better.

Listen

• To yourself - you hold all the answers, deep down you'll know what your next step should be, it's just a case of digging deep enough and finding the confidence.


• To others - once you've set your mind on something it's amazing how our brains seek out opportunities to help us achieve our goals. Listen out for opportunities, they're everywhere!

And finally, good luck!

Firewalk & Board Break Challenge

As a coach, there's an expectation, quite rightly, that you not only talk the talk but that you can walk the walk. So that's exactly what I intend to do on March 13th at The Forum in Norwich where I'll be taking part in a 1inch Board Break Challenge and 20ft Firewalk to raise funds for the Bryan Gunn Leukaemia Appeal.

I'm extremley excited to be taking part and owe it to my good friend Donovan Goodman who informed me that the event was taking place in Norwich. For a while now it has been an ambition of mine to complete a firewalk, a method that demonstrates the possibility of overcoming limiting beliefs, phobias and fears.

An online donation towards the event/charity would be greatly appreciated, simply visit:

http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/giving/donate_b.asp?method=sitelist&charityname=1219&charitynamebox=&charitynumber=&next=Next+%3E

I hope you'll join me and many others in what is sure to be an entertaining evening!

Friday March 13th, The Forum, Norwich, 19:30

Future Radio Debut

Last Monday I was invited to talk about life as a Career Coach on Future Radio, a community radio station in Norwich. I was interviewed by Tim MacWilliam, who was, it appeared, well informed about the differences between coaching, mentoring, and advising. Tim's knowledge and ability to put me at ease very quickly (helped by our mutual love of football), meant that I thoroughly enjoyed my 'Radio Debut' and will be looking forward to meeting with Tim again next month to talk about what to do if you are currently facing redundancy.

For anyone that missed the show you can listen to the podcast by visiting:

http://www.futureradio.co.uk/podcast/2009/february/timmacwilliamwithcareercoachjamessessa

Listen to the next show by tuning in to 96.9fm on March 30th @ 11:30