What Are People Saying About Your Business Online?
January 31, 2008
Do you know what people are saying about your business online? And do you know how to protect the reputation of your business on the Internet?
Whilst freedom of speech is important, that doesn’t mean people can get away with telling harmful lies about your business. So don’t just stick your head in the sand. Make sure you check these resources regularly and ensure your business hasn’t been smeared online.
If Your Business Does Something Dumb You Could Wind Up On You Tube
Did you know that 100 million videos are watched on YouTube each day? And remember the camera never lies, so if your business has done something stupid, you may not be able to do a thing about an embarrassing YouTube video.
A little while ago, I blogged about a staff member of Rainbow International who tarnished the image of the company by posting derogatory video’s on YouTube. And whilst I was able to get those videos removed, it isn’t always possible.
For example, if you click here, you will find several videos of rats in KFC/Taco Bell in New York. And after watching them, I think they’d have a difficult time proving that they don’t have rats in their premises.
And McDonalds can’t do a thing about this damning video, which is in the public domain. It shows how one of their Assistant Managers abused a teenager, upon the instruction of a prank caller.
Running your business as though it is always under the scrutiny of a video camera, would be a great way to avoid a YouTube embarrassment. And I’m guessing that you’re already smart enough to know what to do if your staff make damaging videos about your business and put them on YouTube.
It’s Not Just Your Business Name That Customers Will Google
You’ll want to Google your business name often to check what turns up on the front page. But, also make sure you Google your own name and the names of key members of staff.
Potential customers will often Google key staff, so if your business name isn’t mentioned at all, you could still be at risk.
In this post, Tim Ferris describes how he Googled the name of the Vice President of a PR company he’d considered using. But, some of the things he’d read on her MySpace page put him right off.
Don’t let it happen to you. Make sure that your key staff are aware that anything they put online can be searched by customers and competitors.
Have Your Employees Reviewed Your Business?
Do check to see what your employees have said about your business online. If you’ve upset them, you could wind up on AboutMyJob.com right beside McDonalds. And they seem to have many employees who are not, “loving it”.
If the reviewer is still working for you, an appraisal is long overdue. And if they’ve left, your best course of action will depend on whether they’ve been honest in their review.
You could casually mention the site to loyal staff and hope they’ll review your business in a better light. And if the original review is libellous, check out the section further down, on how to get a cease and desist order.
What If Someone Has Printed Libellous Information About You?
Don’t feel that there’s nothing you can do if someone has printed libellous information about you. Often they’ll remove it as soon as you contact them. And if they don’t, there are other things you can do.
For example, I was searching for a biography on Patricia Cornwell, and on the first page of Google, I discovered that some nut had set up a site accusing Patricia of terrible things.
Fortunately, Patricia was able to put a stop to this libellous site. And if you search Patricia Cornwell biography now, Google state at the bottom of the page that they have removed 3 results from the search page. They also provide a link to Chilling Requests, and there you can find instructions on how to send a cease and desist form to a libellous site.
Rip Off Report
The Rip Off Report is a place where unhappy customers go if they have a serious complaint about a bad company. Unfortunately, it is also a place where your bad customers can go, when they want to avoid paying you.
The trouble is, whilst Rip Off report will allow businesses to refute the claims on their site, they also refuse to remove complaints that have been posted.
And I wonder how long the Rip Off Report will continue to get away with this – particularly if the company involved can prove they have been libelled.
The credibility of the Rip Off Report has come under fire recently. In this SEOmoz article, Sarah Bird accuses the Rip Off Report of keyword stuffing and violating Google’s guidelines. And in this one SEOmoz have links to a video showing how the Rip Off Report, rips off businesses, by offering to turn a bad report into a good one in exchange for money.
So, if your business is libelled on the Rip Off Report, you should still fill out a cease and desist form.
Don’t just limit your searches to Google
There are many sites you might want to search including:
Wikipedia
My Space
Squidoo
Facebook
And don’t forget to search your company name on discussion forums too.
Has your business been slated on line? What did you do? Have you been successful in having an offending webpage removed? And do you know of any more online resources that businesses can use to protect their reputations online?
From £1 Million To Bust: How To Turn Your Business Round Again
January 30, 2008
What would you do if your business was about to go bust? Do you think it would be possible to turn things round again?
Ian Denny did it. In their 8th year of trading, Ian’s IT company was turning over almost £1 million ($2 million). To an outside observer, the business appeared to be booming. But, things were far from good. In this interview, Ian explains how he resurrected the business after it went bankrupt.
Ian - your business had many years of success before you faced bankruptcy. What was your most fatal mistake?
That’s a tough opener. I’ve got so many to choose from! But, If I had to choose one, it is focus.
Rapid business growth isn’t the same as a fast car ride. You can’t feel the speed or the acceleration. It’s just very busy. And as you grow, new problems arise. When a team is bigger you have a new set of challenges like management! And I’ve got to admit, I was both inexperienced and not exactly a natural!
I have picked up how to juggle many things now. But equally, I’ve discovered that you shouldn’t try to spin too many plates, or some will smash. Instead, outsource or increase focus on systems and quality rather than throwing more people at the problem.
Did you lose clients when the business failed? What did you do to try to minimise any losses?
Yes we did lose clients but not in the way you’d expect. The vast majority moved across. In fact more than we could cope with.
We were penniless and needed to start again. We actually helped some clients move to other providers. Not because we didn’t want them, but because we didn’t want to let them down as our small initial team of 4 couldn’t cope.
Were you approached by dubious companies offering paid help when you were facing bankruptcy?
Actually no. We are incredibly lucky to have an amazing accountant. He referred us to an insolvency practitioner he had known and trusted for many years. And it was an excellent recommendation.
If you could give just one piece of advice to someone starting out in business, what would it be?
Plan - pure and simple.
If you don’t decide upon the destination then the journey will meander and you’ll never really arrive anywhere. But, by being clear, setting targets and goals, and aligning your plan to financial realities, you have a better chance than the majority of businesses who fail.
Were you ever tempted to pack it all in and get a job?
For about 6 months before we went bust, I yearned for a job and an end to all the worries about paying salaries, taxes, rent etc.
Now, having doubled in size within 8 months, turned a profit, and reached a point where we are turning work down, I can’t see myself working for someone else again.
There used to be a huge stigma attached to bankruptcy in the UK. Do you think this has improved?
I actually think it has, which was a pleasant surprise. I’ve openly told many new clients we went bust, and it’s amazing how many of them reveal they had a failure.
After we’ve shown off our scars and war stories, it actually builds trust and a better start to the relationship.
What are the most dramatic changes you’ve made to the resurrected business?
I would have to say the opposite of my answer to the first question - focus.
We are so focused on the quality of what we do. We have put systems and processes in place we never had before. And we aim to get 95% of all customer IT problems solved within 4 hours.
That’s a tall order. Some take more than an hour to fix because of the nature of the call. And some take more than a day, especially when you have to wait for a part to be delivered. So every time an incident drags, we have to work harder than ever to stay within target.
If someone else is experiencing difficulties in business and they think they’re about to go bankrupt, what is the first thing you would advise them to do?
Don’t put off asking for help. The longer you delay, the worse it will get. Get professional help, but surround yourself with mentors too; friends in business who know what they’re talking about.
Don’t go with “Pub Talk”, instead trust the people who’ve been there. And try to talk to someone who has failed as they will help immensely. But don’t choose someone who failed and went down the pan also. Choose people who turned it around; positive people. People who don’t bemoan the cruel world and the fact that the world owes them a living.
You will get support from the most unexpected sources. For example our suppliers were amazingly helpful.
Where do you see Multisolutions in five years time?
I see it as a multi-branch operation, at least covering the North West of England, but possibly UK-wide. But, I refuse to be precise with 5 year plans, because I think that’s almost impossible. Either way, it will be based on a sounds financial footing.
Ian, thank you for sharing your story with us.
Have you had similar business problems? If so, please share in the comments section. And if you have any questions to ask Ian, please ask.
To read more about Ian’s amazing business turnaround, check out his blog: Phoenix From The Ashes. And if your business needs IT support (Liverpool and Manchester area), check out his company website: Multisolutions.
The Dirty Little Word That Prevents Success
January 29, 2008
Many people want to stop doing it altogether by the time they’re in their fifties. And author, Tim Ferris says we should be doing a lot less of it right now.
Work is a dirty word for millions of people. It’s impossible to be successful doing something you hate. So many people are doing as much work as possible now, in the hope that they can retire early and do something they actually enjoy.
And some dream of giving up work to start their own business but, many never move on to the actual starting stage.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could find work that we love doing to begin with? Then maybe we wouldn’t be so focused on retirement, or working a four hour week. Or is it just not that simple?
Perhaps one of these problems is preventing you from doing what you love: Excessive debt; lack of finance; not knowing, or indifference. And if so, how do you deal with them?
Not Knowing: If you’re not sure what it is you’d love to do, try this:
1) Make a list of every job you’ve done in the past.
2) Add hobbies - past and present to that list.
3) Add things you’d be interested in learning.
Now cross out all the ones that you wouldn’t be interested in doing full time. What are you left with? Can you think of ways you could turn any of them into your dream business?
If you think your hobby is too odd to have business potential, seek inspiration from these people who turned their unusual hobbies into a business:
White Dove Releases: USA Today Interview with Norm Brozovitch.
Scrapbooker For Hire by Janna Farley.
The Shark Diver - an interview with Cristian Dorobantescu.
Excessive Debt: Do you feel as though you’re stuck on a treadmill? Are your monthly expenses so high that you need to stay in a job you hate to cover them? If so, you need to cut your debt and outgoings if you want to pursue your dreams.
And to do this, you’ll need to cut your spending and use any money saved to pay off your debts. Check out these great resources for tips on doing this:
Mrs Micah: Finance For a Freelance Life
The Simple Dollar: Financial Talk For The Rest Of Us
Personal Finance Quicktake: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Money
Lack Of Finance: Lack of start up capital is a problem many new business owners face. In addition to start up costs, you also need at least one years living expenses, if you’re hoping to start up full time.
But, if you’ve struggled to raise start up capital, it may be an option to start out part-time as a freelancer. And How To Be A Rockstar Freelancer will show you how to get started.
Indifference: Some people just don’t have the necessary drive to succeed. They moan about their jobs and how unfair life is. And they’d like to win the lottery, but beyond buying tickets, or becoming involved in some get rich quick scheme, they’re not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to get ahead. If you come into this category, there’s not a lot I can suggest.
Do you hate your work? Have you come up against any of the problems mentioned above. Or is something else holding you back? Are you already doing work you love? What obstacles did you come up against before you started? How did you overcome them?
20 Things I Wish I’d Known About Business And Life When I was 20
January 28, 2008
Nobody knows everything. And life is about learning. But, with so many young people starting out in business now, here are 20 things I wish I’d known about business when I was 20:
1. It Isn’t A Race: You need patience; anything worthwhile takes time.
2. Don’t Let Others Do Your Thinking For You: Don’t allow the media to influence your beliefs. Do your own research and make up your own mind on important issues.
3. You’re Never Too Young: Ignore people who say you’re too young to achieve a particular goal. Those same people will tell you you’re too old tomorrow.
4. You Need Many Mentors: One person can’t teach you everything. Seek out several experts on different aspects of business.
5. Choose Suitable Role Models: Before you choose a role model, ask yourself if you would be happy living the way they do.
6. Keep a Disaster Journal: Keep a journal of business worries that keep you awake at night. Most things that seemed important will be forgotten in a few months time.
7. Don’t Seek Revenge: Don’t bear grudges and don’t eat yourself up with thoughts of revenge; it will only make you feel worse.
8. Enjoy The Journey: You may have huge goals but the journey towards them is the important part. As soon as you realise this, you’ll enjoy your work far more.
9. Create Something Worthwhile: If your goal is something great, make sure it’s something you’ll be proud of. Yes, some things sell faster than others. But do you really want to be remembered for building the world’s busiest porn site; or a diet fad that made millions of people ill?
10. Don’t Assume Others Had It Easy: Sometimes, others who are already where you want to be make it look easy. But they most likely struggled, just the same as you.
11. Don’t Be Afraid To Cut Your Losses: You can’t expect to achieve success in everything you attempt. If something just isn’t working out, don’t be afraid to cut your losses and move onto something else.
12. Ask For Help When You Need It: It’s ok to ask for help and advice when you need it. Anyone worth asking won’t expect you to know it all.
13. Maintain Control: Avoid situations where others have too much control over you, or your business.
14. Bad Relationships Can Hold You Back: If you’re in a bad marriage, get out of it now. Time will make it worse, not better and your business will suffer if you leave it too long.
15: Welcome Changes: When a huge disaster happens don’t feel like it’s the end of the world. You could find yourself on a new and better path.
16: Mistakes Benefit You: You can benefit from everything you experience; no matter how bad things seem at the time.
17: Don’t Be One Of The Crowd: Just because everyone else seems to be saying that X is a good thing to do; doesn’t mean they’re right. Have courage in your own convictions and don’t follow the masses for the sake of it.
18. It’s Ok To Change Your Mind: Don’t feel bad about changing your mind, or doing a complete u-turn on some issues. It means you’re learning.
19. Don’t Do Anything Unethical: Never do anything in business, or life which has the potential to harm or exploit others.
20. It’s Not All About You: Remember that building a business isn’t just about creating a better world for yourself. You should also aim to improve the world for others.
