Where’s The Leadership?

I don’t know about you, but both (all) sides of Politics seem to have lost the plot. Instead of being visionary and global and developing great strategies to ensure better lifestyles for future generations, they are more intent on the media reaction/coverage of silly things like illegal immigrants (.00% of an already too low immigration number) and carbon tax, which in no way is ever going to influence the production of carbon (all while smart business people are registering their businesses, overseas to avoid all this).

The Budget is same. They now announce expenditure 5 years from now, over and over – what a con.

We need to focus on creating entrepreneurs; the future of Australia is dependent on these value creators.

In my studies, now all round the world I’ve learned that we, in Australia are not good at creating entrepreneurs.

Come on – let’s see some leadership.

MikeO

Join Mike in his Upcoming Speaking Events this May 2011!

Friday, 13 May –
Corragio Group S1
Kirribilli Club, 14 Harbourview Crescent, Kirribilli NSW
Corragio

Wednesday, 18 May –
Wealthy Frog Event
“Who Wants To Be An Entrepreneur?”

Click here to Register

Wednesday, 25 May –
Westside Business Women Inc.’s
“Breakfast Networking Meeting”

More Speaking Events will be posted soon…

Need an engaging speaker at your next event?

Book Mike O’Hagan to Speak

If you are planning a conference or event and would like to have a proven successful small business expert address your audience, then Mike O’Hagan is your best choice. Mike will have your audience engaged! Audiences receive ‘opening night’ like performances. Sitting in his audience will be like drinking from a fire hose you’ll have that many ideas to put in place.

Cash Is King

I regularly mentor prestart-ups. Inevitably they roll in with a business idea that has negative cash flow (most expenses need to be paid before the customer pays).

When I point this out and explain that combining this with strong growth will lead to substantial cash flow short falls – they comment that “I’m lucky” in MiniMovers, as my cash flow is positive. Customers pay (electronically) upon completion; we have the cash in the bank before we pay our people (our biggest expense) later that week.

“Luck” is a funny beast – I rejected many business ideas before finding my MiniMovers with its positive cash flow.

MikeO

Join Mike in his Upcoming Speaking Events this May 2011!

Wednesday, 11 May –
Sunshine Coast Business Networking Group’s Workshop Series:
“How I Built My Business From Nothing”

Click here to RSVP

Thursday, 12 May –
Employment Services Queensland’s Workshop:
“How To Get That Job”
PH: 07 3324 5300

Wednesday. 18 May –
Wealthy Frog Event
“Who Wants To Be An Entrepreneur?”

Click here to Register

Wednesday, 25 May –
Westside Business Women Inc.’s
“Breakfast Networking Meeting”

More Speaking Events will be posted soon…

Need an engaging speaker at your next event?
Book Mike O’Hagan to Speak

If you are planning a conference or event and would like to have a proven successful small business expert address your audience, then Mike O’Hagan is your best choice. Mike will have your audience engaged! Audiences receive ‘opening night’ like performances. Sitting in his audience will be like drinking from a fire hose you’ll have that many ideas to put in place.

The Future Of Most Business

Following oDesk, I decided to explore more permanent employing – where I can develop / build a strong team – around amazingly low wages.

With this opportunity we can do so much more powerful marketing, processing, etc.

So last year, I explored permanent facilities in which to hire full-time staff in India. I was disappointed with their business practices, so I then went to the Philippines. After visiting a variety of different solutions I found an amazing business, Dutch owned, that specialises in Full-time employment of back office people (not a sales call centre).

This business is called MicroSourcing. Involving a couple of my (now) 8 other businesses I now employ very smart, willing focussed employees for around $280AUD a week – ALL UP – including admin, computers etc.

If you want to explore this then email/message me – I’m happy to explain and introduce.

P.S. They also do casual projects around “creative” work, like Graphic design, Web Sites etc.

Without doubt getting customers is becoming more and more digital.
This free eBook written by friends of mine clearly sets out fundamental strategies we should all be implementing.

MikeO

Join Mike in his Upcoming Speaking Events this May 2011!

Wednesday, 11 May –
Sunshine Coast Business Networking Group’s Workshop Series:
“How I Built My Business From Nothing”

Click here to RSVP

Thursday, 12 May –
Employment Services Queensland’s Workshop:
“How To Get That Job”
PH: 07 3324 5300

Wednesday. 18 May –
Wealthy Frog Event
“Who Wants To Be An Entrepreneur?”

Click here to Register

Wednesday, 25 May –
Westside Business Women Inc.’s
“Breakfast Networking Meeting”

More Speaking Events will be posted soon…

Need an engaging speaker at your next event?
Book Mike O’Hagan to Speak

If you are planning a conference or event and would like to have a proven successful small business expert address your audience, then Mike O’Hagan is your best choice. Mike will have your audience engaged! Audiences receive ‘opening night’ like performances. Sitting in his audience will be like drinking from a fire hose you’ll have that many ideas to put in place.

Growing Business?

You will not grow a business unless YOU absolutely WANT to. MOST of my Mentoree’s “say” they want to grow, then go and do all the work themselves, refusing to trust or delegate anything to others.

Apparently the desire to service a customer comes before the desire to increase “self time” and personal income.

Think about it. To grow you MUST delegate, delegate, delegate.

For me it was easy – I NEVER wanted to do any of the work myself – I just wanted to make money.

Your choice.

P.S. if they don’t do it the way YOU want it, it’s odds on that YOU are the problem – you haven’t trained them to do it exactly as you want it done.

MikeO
Listen to me every Sunday “Talking Business” between 8am and 9am on 4BC 1116

Join Mike at the inaugural Kochie’s Business Builders Bootcamp, 7th & 8th of April in Sydney!

It’s a business event not to be missed. Get one-on-one advice from our best business brains, mingle with experts over cocktails at the Small Business Celebration Night, and enjoy sensational networking opportunities.
Visit the website for more information and we’ll see you there!

Need an engaging speaker at your next event?

Book Mike O’Hagan to Speak

If you are planning a conference or event and would like to have a proven successful small business expert address your audience, then Mike O’Hagan is your best choice. Mike will have your audience engaged! Audiences receive ‘opening night’ like performances. Sitting in his audience will be like drinking from a fire hose you’ll have that many ideas to put in place.

Boot Strapping

My time at MIT taught me all about “boot strapping” – the strategy of starting a business with very little and growing it WITHOUT borrowing – funding from within. LOTS of very LARGE businesses started like this.

We never borrowed any money in MiniMovers during the first 10 years. We worked enormous hours and poured every spare dollar back into the business (carefully on expenses to avoid the provisional tax trap), taking very little out for ourselves (usually way less than we paid our employees).

My view was “I’m building a money machine to provide the lifestyle I dream of”.

I also had the view that it will be a lot more difficult to become bankrupt, if we owed very little and were careful with any fixed commitments (like leases).

As old fashioned as it may be – we went “without” until we could afford it.

It worked beautifully for us.
I don’t think this strategy is wrong – it just happens it’s the OPPOSITE of what they teach at “Business School” where “leverage” and “return on investment” are the mantra.

Still don’t think I’m wrong.

MikeO
Listen to me every Sunday “Talking Business” between 8am and 9am on 4BC 1116

Join Mike at the inaugural Kochie’s Business Builders Bootcamp, 7th & 8th of April in Sydney!

It’s a business event not to be missed. Get one-on-one advice from our best business brains, mingle with experts over cocktails at the Small Business Celebration Night, and enjoy sensational networking opportunities.

Visit the website for more information and we’ll see you there!

Need an engaging speaker at your next event?

Book Mike O’Hagan to Speak

If you are planning a conference or event and would like to have a proven successful small business expert address your audience, then Mike O’Hagan is your best choice. Mike will have your audience engaged! Audiences receive ‘opening night’ like performances. Sitting in his audience will be like drinking from a fire hose you’ll have that many ideas to put in place.

Diversity???

For years I’ve said I do one thing (short distance residential furniture), I strive to be THE Leader in this market, I defend and fight within this market, I rule the market. I want to be THE “name” in Short Distance Moving.

This allows us to have a very intense “focus” on what we do for who.

The “financial/business” turmoil over the past couple of years has led me to change this view. Whilst retaining my MiniMovers cash cow (and single market focus), I’m now hunting for other business opportunities. Opportunities that are well away from the market changes we have just experienced.

The new game is carefully planned – diversity.

A spread of income sources is now appealing – the trick will be to NOT lose the intense focus EACH business will need.

Food for thought.

Management and Leadership

Management is about ensuring processes are followed.

Leadership is about motivation.

Irrespective if you are leading one person or a million people – you have two absolutely essential two tasks.

The first is to create a clearly communicated VISION. Paint a seductive “picture” of where you are going, what you want to achieve.

The second is to have clearly defined “acceptable” and “not acceptable” and enforce them. These can be defined “rules” but I find clear “values” work better. Failure to enforce will fracture the effectiveness of your leadership.

MikeO

Need an engaging speaker at your next event?

Book Mike O’Hagan to Speak

If you are planning a conference or event and would like to have a proven successful small business expert address your audience, then Mike O’Hagan is your best choice. Mike will have your audience engaged! Audiences receive ‘opening night’ like performances. Sitting in his audience will be like drinking from a fire hose you’ll have that many ideas to put in place.

Washed Out But Not Washed Up

The Brisbane flood is first major disaster I’ve been directly involved in. We had a building I own that houses around 50 employees go under to 600mm off the ceiling of the second (top) story.

What did I notice:

• We failed to empty the building because we misunderstood the height and time of the peak that was broadcast the day before it flooded. So did nearly everyone.

• Lots of employees and businesses not connected in any way with the disaster “took time off”.

• Amazing business opportunities were missed like- mobile coffee vans, didn’t trade even though we had 1000s cleaning up.

• On clean up day the media, politicians and all those type of folk were on about everything other than our real issues which were a lack of gum boots, rubber gloves, and drums of disinfectant.

• The promises of grants/aid poured out – which often wasted our time as the unannounced hoops/ eligibility cut most people out.

• There is an amazing misunderstanding by people interstate and overseas that we were completely wiped out – they are all (still) scrambling to give money – which I doubt most people actually affected will ever see. Most of Brisbane went to work as normal – a couple of days after the flood receded, in the sense of the whole of Brisbane, it was pretty well back to normal.

• My real issues were commonsense – clean, dry, get the power on, set up alarm systems and air-conditioning – start business again. We achieved all this in 7 days. Haven’t seen an Insurance person yet.

Perhaps the biggest issue we face is a collapse in our local economy if everyone doesn’t get back to work and all the “free” supplies flooding us from interstate don’t send the local businesses broke.

MikeO

Value of PA’s

More time, is something most of us constantly wish for. The easiest way to generate time is to get someone else to do the repetitive things.

It’s always been valuable for me to have a Personal Assistant. I have no time (or desire) to book my appointments, monitor respond to simple email, handle my travel and simple purchases. I’ve always needed someone to organise my to-do, to watch what I request people to do, and ensure I follow up. Having all this taken care of for me has given me the time to get on and grow my businesses.

Nowadays of course it’s all so much easier to have a Virtual Assistant who lives in the Philippines via something like oDesk.

Try it – you will be amazed how much better you can spend your time.

MikeO

Visiting Call Centres and BPO’s in Manila, Philippines

I’ve just returned from Manila where I set up permanent office staff for my business. Philippines and India have been used for decades by big business for lower cost workers. The Governments of both countries actively encourage and incentivise this industry. In both countries most providers to the West are tax exempt.

The services that best suit most of us come in two distinctive areas.

1. Call Centres handle “voice”. Incoming and outgoing sales.

2. Service businesses called “BPO’s” who provide “back office workers”.

To give you an idea of the savings; a Filipino office worker, with a University Degree, Microsoft Office skilled, written English up to my standard and spoken in an understandable way – is well paid at around 18,000 pesos a MONTH – that’s $95 a week. Add to that about 20% in outgoings (they have strict employment laws/benefits) plus office space costs (normally simular to the wages cost) then you have an alternative that will make your business a lot more competitive.

MikeO