May 2014 Volume 2. The CONNECT SMALL BUSINESS NETWORK - NETWORK . PROMOTE . EXPAND.

6 reasons why networking won’t work for my businesses

Myths BUSTED!

DO YOU KNOWWhat YouTube can do to promote your business?

Part 2 in this edition.

MONTHLY

SPECIAL OFFER FOR

ALL CSBN READERS

Page 6.

Studio 4 Photography do exceptional works and can help your business with highly professional presentation. Check out how they can help you!

EDITIONLOOK WHAT’S COVERED IN THIS MONTH’S

3. Meet CSBN Editor in Chief Ben Mackie

4. I choose to be connected

5. CSBN’s Next Meet - Up

6. 6 Reasons Why network ing Won’t Work

For My Business

8. The CSBN small business guide to youTube

10. Your opportunity to SPEAK

12. Suggested networking events for April

14. Your Business Lifestyle - Special Offer From

Studio 4 Photograph

16. How To Get Where I Didn’t Know I Wanted To Go

17. Business Highlights

18. Is Social Media For You?

19. CSBN Think Tank - Event

20. Building Your Business #2

21. Business Highlights

24. The Importance Of Google Page Rank And

Google Ranking

26. Meet the CSBN team

C S B N E D I TO R I N C H I E F

BEN MackieWorking as a copywriter means that I am regularly involved in

creating or editing written content, marketing and business

networking. Getting these areas right are the solid, proven

foundations on which to build a successful business. Considering

that being Editor in Chief for CSBN Monthly meant I would continue

to be involved first-hand in all of these things, it’s a challenge I

eagerly accepted! In the early stages of managing your own

business, it can be difficult knowing what to invest the majority of

your time, energy and focus into. Sure you have a slick new website,

professionally printed business cards, eye-catching signage and a

couple of networking events scheduled in (aside from daily business

operations) but what else will it take for your business to thrive? I

know first-hand what it’s like to be in a start-up situation where not

only do most people not know who you are, but they don’t even

know what you do or what you could do for them. Then added to

that is the fact you’re not entirely sure where to go or who to rely

on for advice. All at once, not only can it feel like there is so much

requiring your attention, but like you’ll have to do it all yourself if

you want it done correctly. No wonder we get overwhelmed!

CSBN Monthly aims to help you overcome all of these common

problems, connecting you with a wide variety of like-minded

businesspeople and entrepreneurs as well as enabling you to

promote your business to a new (and growing) target audience.

People who, just like you, are keen to learn new skills or concepts,

grow their business, achieve their goals, help others and meet new

people along the way. As our name suggests, CSBN Monthly is

primarily focused on building a base to connect new and existing

businesses with one another because in business, strength and

success come in numbers. Not only will CSBN Monthly help you

establish new and valuable business connections, but

we’ll also keep you informed of upcoming networking

events in your area- this enables you to see what’s

upcoming, reasonably close and suited to you, all in the

one easy location.

Serving as Editor in Chief for CSBN Monthly, I look

forward to meeting you, learning about your area of

expertise and that great product, service or idea you

have to share with people. This is not just an opportunity

I’m glad to be part of, but something that Camille, Sam

and myself have been eagerly planning together as

a reliable and growing platform to provide you with

fantastic new business opportunities, partnerships and

relationships. Being involved from the beginning in

something that will ultimately benefit all of us- readers,

subscribers, advertisers, guests, the team- is a role I

greatly appreciate.

Instead of feeling like a lone farmer planting seeds and

then keeping an eye on reaping for himself, I feel as if I

am in a huge field, surrounded by farmers all keen as I

am to not just reap rewards for ourselves, but help oth-

ers to do the same. There is still much work to be done,

but also much singing along the way- and plenty of

celebrating when harvest time comes, I’m sure!

Author - Ben Mackie

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I CHOOSE TO BE CONNECTED.

“ Networking is the KEY to your business success. ”

Hi, my name is Camille and I am the owner and manager of

the Connect! Small Business Network (CSBN). I want to share

with you how constantly amazed I am by the opportunites and

people I encounter each and every time I choose to network!

Seriously, the power and privilege of spending time with like

minded and passionate people is mind blowing.

For years I convinced myself that networking was just not for

me. I was super shy, had a self confidence level of -7 and felt

safer ‘behind’ the sceens. That worked great, as long as I didn’t

want any clients or for my business to grow. (Viv Temple has

contributed a fantastic article about this - see page 6.)

I felt like I had bricks tied to my feet and was kicking like mad

just to stay afloat. And I did this for years! It was exhausting

and the more I struggled the more I felt like I was failing. I knew

I had one of two options. To quit, or to push myself outside of

my comfort zone. Obviously I chose the latter. And I did it

with OOMPH! I had long suffered from a crippling fear of

public speaking so after some NLP I started lecturing to the

NEIS training groups. It was crazy, I shook for a while, but

I thoroughly enjoyed it. The opportunity to connect with

like minded people was so empowering, I started looking

for networking events where I could connect with other

small business owners.

Since attending networking groups I have found that on

average, I gain 3 more clients every time. My secret? I be

myself. I’m interested to find out what other people are

doing in and with their business and I share any information

I have. I never give a sales pitch but I let people know what

I’m passionate about and a bit about my business. If they

ask for more, I give it.

“The more I connect, the more I succeed. It ’s just that simple.”The power of networking, however you choose to do it, is

phenominal. I assure you it is the most potent and effective

method by which to grow and expand your business. So

grab the next opportunity you have with both hands and

jump in with both feet. The more I connect, the more I

succeed. It’s just that simple. You will be surprised by how

easy and enjoyable it is. Just remember, every other person

at your next networking event is just like you - creative,

clever, hard working and passionate about their business! Come and have a tea or coffee with me at the next CSBN

Meet Up. Details are on page 13. I look forward to meeting

and connecting with you soon.

Kind regards, Camille.

Author - Camille Scott

4

an easy way to connect!

CSBNMEETUPS

Wednesday 28th May, 5 to 7pm.

THE DECK (upsta i r s above ARCHIVE), 100 Boundary Rd, West End.

$5.00

New bus iness leads in a fun, welcoming & fr iendly atmosphere. The Loft has a range of refreshments available from the bar as well as two for one meal specials available for purchase.

OUR NEXT MEET-UPWhen:

Where:

Cost:

What to Expect:

As part of the developments and changes at CSBN! we have listened to your requests and brought back the CSBN! Meet-Up’s with a new venue the Loft in West End on the last Wednesday of every month starting from 5pm.

The CSBN! Meet-Up’s are a chance for you to meet with other likeminded small business owners to mingle, converse and expand networks in a relaxing friendly environment.

5

VIV TEMPLE

“No matter what your response is to the industry, ‘networking’ is something that will

benefit every business. People buy from those who they know, like and trust. Your

ability to network will increase the number of people who know you and will refer

your business to their friends.”

NETWORKING

When you say the words ‘Network Marketing’ it generally

elicits a response. You may be a big fan, maybe you don’t

like it because you heard a story (possibly from a friend of a

friend) or you might just have no idea what it really involves.

No matter what your response is to the industry, ‘networking’

is something that will benefit every business. People buy

from those who they know, like and trust. Your ability to

network will increase the number of people who know you

and will refer your business to their friends. Despite this fact

many have plenty of reasons why networking won’t work

for their business. Here are six of those misconceptions

debunked:

1. I don’t know anyone in the industry

If you feel that you need to widen your circle of influence

there are plenty of opportunities. You could join the society

for your industry. Find a facebook page that is aimed at your

industry or clients. No facebook pages around? Create your

own and become a leader in your industry.

6 REASONS WHYNETWORKING WON’T WORK FOR MY BUSINESS

2. I don’t have time

Most people feel that they can’t fit any more tasks in to their

day. Start with little steps that can become part of your daily

routine. Sending one email each day to increase your network

will mean that you’ve connected with over 250 by the end of

each year. Connect a little more with your existing clients.

3. I’m too shy

Start off slowly. Begin by just aiming to say ‘Hello. How’s your

day going?’ to more people (at the checkout, when you buy

petrol, picking up your dry cleaning, etc). Most people will

respond. After a while you can build up to asking them what

they do - they almost certainly will then ask you what you

do - have a short pitch ready. If necessary, start in a facebook

group where you have time to write your conversation.

6

Author - Viv Temple

ph. 0457 997 540

email. vivtemple@hotmail.com

www.vtemple.isagenix.com

www.facebook.com/viv.temple

4. I work by myself

Make an effort to get out. Have your early morning coffee

on the way to your business to spend some time ‘out of the

office’ so that you can interact with others. Use technology

to ‘virtually’ get out of the office.

5. My clients don’t live close by

Isn’t the internet a wonderful invention? Use facebook to join

groups where your clients do live. Add value to their groups

and you will soon make connections in this area.

6. The only people I see are in my business

Make the most of everyone who comes to your business.

Treat them all as if they are important to you and they will

almost certainly let others know how impressed they are. So

many businesses are letting their customers down that you

can become a stand out in your industry simply by being

reliable, returning calls as promised and advising clients of

any delays that may occur.

7. People don’t want to hear about my work

In these times of online testimonials and recommendations

that may or may not be legitimate, word of mouth can be

even more important. Let your dry cleaner know that you

are a mechanic or a personal trainer. When your dry cleaner’s

neighbour asks them to recommend someone they will think

of you if you’ve already made that connection (they know like

and trust you).

Our days our filled with opportunities to network. These

opportunities are often disguised as dealing with clients,

running errands (face to face and on the phone), taking the

kids to soccer or buying milk at the corner store. If you take

a little time to consciously connect with others you will stand

out from the crowd.

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T H E C S B N S M A L L B U S I N E S S G U I D E TO YO U T U B E

PA RT 2 . In the April edition of the CSBN Monthly, I

introduced the idea of how easy it can be

to make your own video - out of images!

That’s right, you don’t need any expensive

equipment or software. Chances are you

already have a phone that takes high

resolution images, or better yet a digital

camera. And the software is most likely

already installed on your computer.

Fi rst things f i rst , lets check for the

software. Go to your programs and look

for Windows Movie Maker. The program

will vary somewhat depending on which

version of Windows you have installed. If

you don’t already have it, go ahead and

download it here.

OK Mac peeps, I hear you. You can also get

Windows Movie Maker for Mac, just click

the link, download and install.

Windows Movie Maker is quite easy to use

and like with most things, the more you

use it, the better and more familiar you

will get. Play around with it, the key word

here being ‘PLAY’. Have fun! You don’t

need to create a masterpiece on your first

attempt.

The next step is to take your photos.

You may be promoting your products,

work space, services or something

else. It ’s your business and no one

knows it better than you.

Let ’s assume you a re go ing to

promote your products. Make sure

you have enough lighting and use a

plain background. It can be as easy

as laying your products on a clean

white sheet and using a pillow or

book behind the product to drape

the sheet over. For a good shot, it’s

important that your background does

not create a distraction. Alternatively

your product may be better displayed

by being used or worn. Select a model

“You don’t need any expensive equipment or

software. Chances are you already have a phone that

takes high resolution images, or better yet a digital

camera. And the software is most likely already

installed on your computer.”

DO YOU KNOW

WHAT YOUTUBE CAN DO FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

(friends and family members are usually happy to help) and

don’t be shy about positioning and guiding them.

Photograph your product from many angles and be sure to

capture the detail. In the wonderful age of digital photography,

there is no cost involved so take heaps of shots. You can select

the ones you want to use in your video later.

There are many free digital imaging programs around, find one

that allows you to adjust contrast, crop and resize. GIMP is free

and available for both Windows and Mac, as is PicMonkey.

It’s a really good idea to create a folder for each product shoot.

I usually make one folder, then create other folders within it for

each product or subject. Organisation is key as you don’t want

to spend time searching for that one perfect shot... and not

being able to find it.

OK, now let’s import our images into Windows Movie Maker.

Open the program and you should see something like ‘Click

here to browse for videos and photos’. If you don’t see this, go

to ‘file’ and import from there.

Select the images you want to use and depending on

your computer hardware, give it some time to import

and render your images. Once done, you can click and

drag to change the order of your images. Click on ‘play’.

So far your movie will be pretty dull and each image will

probably show for longer than you want. That’s OK, we

are about to change all that.

In the top menu bar, click on ‘edit’, then click on an

image (images will appear as long strips). The standard

time setting is usually 7 seconds. We will change this to

4 seconds (longer or shorter as you like) by setting the

duration to 4.00 (again, in the top bar). Go ahead and do

this for each of your images. Your movie will now play

much more quickly.

It still looks pretty dull but not to worry. In part 3, we

will add transitions to each of our clips to give a smooth

or creative look to our movie. We will also add a title

with special effects and a credit, where you can let

people know how to contact you.

I will be creating a video to walk you through the whole

process of production, from start to finish covering

everything in these 3 articles. (3rd article and video walk

through in the June edition of the CSBN Monthly). The

end result will be great, easy to follow, and you will be

able to watch the magic as it happens.

In the mean time, PLAY! It’s the best way to learn.Author - Camille Scott

9

Guest Speaking is a great way to not only promote your business, serives & products, but also to promote yourself as an expert in your field.

After I had finished the NEIS course, Michael from the

Toowong Training Center approached me to guest speak

in the NEIS classes. I was terrified! I have had a well

known phobia of public speaking for as long as I can

remember. I avoided it in TAFE and uni, in social groups

and even among my groups of friends. I just couldn’t do

it. I thought about joining Toast Masters several times

but the idea of standing up to speak, of having all eyes

on me (apart from those catching a quick nap) just

made me want to run and hide. Impossible, I thought.

I realised that the opportunity Michael was offering me

was unique and would not only benefit my business,

but others as well. After all, my whole business is set up

to help other small business owners expand and grow

their businesses. It was time to tackle this beast that I’d given my

power to for way too long.

I am lucky enough to have a cousin who specialises in NLP (neural

linguistic programming) who was happy to help me. I didn’t

know what it was, or what was expected, but I was desperate

and determined to make the most of this amazing opportunity.

After just one 1 hour session I was wondering what all the fuss

was about. I was set to go! Of course, thinking it and actually

doing it are two entirely separate things... or are they?

After a few weeks of working late into the night to perfect my

presentation I was up. It was my turn to speak to a group of

people who, in reality, were just like me. I turned up early, pluged

in my presentation gear, took a deep breath and said “Hi. I’m

Camille and my business is the CSBN. It’s about...” I focused on

making eye contact with those who looked friendly and receptive

and avoided looking at the few who either fell alseep or were

busy giving me stink eye.

It needs to be said that a couple of sharp people noticed my

hands shaking, they made a point of coming up to me afterward

to tell me. But they also said that I did a great job and they found

value in what I had shared with them.

S P E A KYO U R O P P O RT U N I T Y TO

“I was so nervous, but the group was reallly welcoming. Once I got started I felt comfortable because I was just speaking about what I know well and do every day! It was an amazing opportunity to promote myself & my business, as well as share my knowledge with others”.

Author - Camille Scott

WOW! I was so blown away and I felt really proud of

myself. Not only had I delivered a presentation without wetting

myself or running away, I had helped people freely by sharing

my knowledge.

I went on to do many more presentations to the NEIS courses at

Toowong and found myself looking forward to every opportunity

to do so. I learnt that I didn’t have to be perfect and when I

made a mistake, it was OK. No one knew except for me so I just

rolled with it. Most people are not comfortable with the concept

of getting up in fornt of a group of people and speaking, and

I truly understand that. BUT I know the benefit you can be to

both yourself and others by doing so.

The CSBN is getting all geared up again for 2014 (yes, I know

it’s April already) and we will be hosting a variety of Meet-Ups

and Networking events in the coming months. I urge anyone

who is interested in being a guest speaker to contact me about

reserving a space to share your knowledge with others, just like

you. Doing so will help your business, your confidence, and will

generate new leads!. And guess what. It’s FREE. You will find it

more rewarding than you ever imagined and on more levels than

you ever thought possible. I welcome anyone who is interested

in being a guest speaker at one of the CSBN Networking events,

please contact me.

And lastly but not least, I send out a HUGE heart felt thank-

you to Michael for giving me the encouragement and

opportunity to step absolute miles outside of my comfort

zone. Greatly appreciated. t

11

Author

6

WOMEN’S BUSINESS NETWORKING LUNCH

Friday May 16th & 30th, 11:45am to 2pm Cost:

$5.00

The Ashgrove Golf Club

863 Waterworks Road, The Gap, Qld, Brisbane.

Organiser: Crystal Schekoske

Tired of always talking to people on the phone and

sitting in your office at home?

Want to meet some like minded ladies?

How about a few laughs over a relaxed lunch?

If you answered yes to any of the above then come

join us ladies next friday for an AWESOME networking

event.

MAYSUGGESTED NETWORKING EVENTS FOR THE MONTH OF

BRISBANE BUSINESS CLUB

Website Optimisation Strategies

Tuesday May 6th, 12 - 2pm Cost: $10.00

Chalk Hotel

735 Stanley Street, Woolloongabba QLD.

Organisers: Rob Thompson & Andy Henderson

For many businesses (especially small businesses) your

website is one of the most important ways to promote and

raise the profile of your products and services.

However, most business owners feel that their website is not

as good as it could (or should be), and that things could be

improved to improve rankings, increase traffic and maximise

sales or inquiries.

This event will consist of 1/2hr presentation and 1/2hr Q&A

session packed full of hints, tips and suggestions about

how you can go about improving the effectiveness of your

website. This could include (but is certainly not limited to) :

• Search Engine Optimisation Techniques

• Blogging Strategies

• Paid Advertising

• Conversion Optimisation

• Site Usability testing

• and more...

So if you are frustrated that your website is “under

performing” but don’t know how to go about improving it,

this is an ideal session for you.

Read more...

NETWORKING CHATS - for authentic networking

Thursday May 8th, 9:30am Cost: $35.00

The Business Hub

Unit 4/1311 Ipswich Rd, Rocklea QLD.

Organiser: Jennie Gorman

The aim of these groups will be to COLLABORATE, SHARE

and SUPPORT participants to ACTION their networking by

creating a programme that will help them to become not

only better networkers but to become stream-lined in their

networking.

Read more...

12

Author

6

No formal pressure. This is group of inspired women that

want to empower one another to live an abundant life.

This is Meetup with a twist... No Card Ninjas here... This

is about connecting on a level that enables sustainable

business relationships and who knows maybe even a few

personal ones formed xx

Looking forward to seeing you all.

Read more...

CSBN MEET-UP

Wedsday May 28th, 5-7pm Cost: $5.00

on THE DECK - upstairs from Archive.

100 Boundary St, West End QLD.

Organiser: Camille Scott & Sam Rosenbaum.

Join us for a friendly and relaxed meeting of like minded

small business owners for a powerhouse of casual

networking.

This is a great chance for you to come along, unwind,

and connect with like-minded people on the Deck,

upstairs from the Beer Boutique in West End.

The Loft offers an excellent range of beverages and

meals for you to enjoy.

Make new contacts, generate new business leads, let

people know about your business - Networking is the

KEY to your business success.

Bring your business cards, brochures, flyers, etc.

The Loft is a GREAT place for a meet up and I am really

looking forward to meeting with you all again on the

28th.

Read more...

“ Networking is the KEY to your business success. ”

Got a networking event you would like to advertise here? Let us know!

We’d LOVE to include it.

13

L I F E S T Y L EYO U R B U S I N E S S

You only get one chance to make a great first impression. Have you considered the image that you and

your business are presenting to the world? Are you communicating that you are: trustworthy; that you are a

professional; and that you are approachable? Are you showing that your business has personality and that you

are highly successful? Do you have strong visuals, demonstrating clearly what you do best, and the environment

you do it in? Or are you making the mistake of representing your business with poor quality random images that

are ill-fitting representations of your brand?

It has been established that 93% of communication is nonverbal and that we are able to process visuals 60,000

times faster than any text. Given that your Presentation is 9/10ths of the sale Your Brand Identity and your

business success hinges on having AMAZING Visuals.

Can you afford for your Corporate Images to be losing you money? No? Well, what is the thing that is holding you

back from putting your best foot forward and showing you mean business? Do you have any other option but

to build a portfolio of strong visuals, which show: you as a strong business owner with a cohesive team; what

your business, is; what your business stands for and how your potential customers may benefit.

Quality images are a major component of successful marketing collateral and websites. If you would like to build

a good Public Profile or Brand Identity you will need the help of a really good professional photographer. You

need to invest in Great quality Imagery and represent your business in the best way possible.

Studio 4 Photography offer photo shoots are quick, affordable and personalised. Our aim is to first understand

your business, how you operate and to demonstrate that in a very visual lifestyle documentary style.

Our studio is customer focused and will work with you to determine what is best for your business. Having a

AWESOME professional imaging will create a great first impression. For free quote or any other enquirers you are

very welcome to call our studio on 07 38215171 website www.studio4photography.com.au

Attached is a special gift for the readers of CSBN.

Warmest Regards

Cindy Lee

14

CSBN Recommendation - We LOVE Cindy!

If you have been wondering where the CSBN team had their amazing photos taken for this magazine, it was the incredible Cindy at Studio 4 Photography. My make up was done flawlessly (the boys were not in need), we were served delightful quality coffee , and we all had so much fun both in the studio as well as out and about! Cindy made us feel so welcome and comfortable while guiding us through the shoot to ensure the best results. We now have many awesome photographs to use to promote ourselves and the CSBN! A HUGEwarm thank you to Cindy and Studio 4 Photography, we will be back!

Author - Camille Scott

15

I D I D N ’ T K N O W

H O W TO G E T W H E R E

I WA N T E D TO G O

16

Hello, my name is Anthony.

Around about seven years ago I was unfortunately witness

to an accident. Not a car or airplane crash or even a bike

accident, but an accident none the less.

An accident in which the lady invovled had little chance

of a successful recovery. I knew this through my extensive

experience in the fields of health and wellness and as a

trainer at many gyms. She was in big trouble. The reason

for this was simple, she was a big lady, catergorically huge.

Someone who could fit quiet snuggly in the modicum of the

morbidly obese. To my horror I was the only one who saw her

slip and fall awkardly on the concrete steps out the front of

the local pharamacy. Not the worst place for injury I suppose

and certainly not the worst person to injury themselves

infront of, something I`d seen and treated many times before.

I assisted the ambulance officers after their eventual arrival

and never saw or heard from this woman again.

I wondered frequently, and still do to this day, what hap-

pened to her. Common sence suggests nothing good.

Although something good will eventually manifest from my

experience of that event, if certainly not hers.

17On that evening, seven years ago, I invented a device to

avoid such a terrible accident happening to the vunerable

in our society.

I never wanted this to happen to anyone again.

Strange thought process for me, especially after a distrubingly

large amount of beers. The trama of witnessing the event ,

my justification. As a person, I had always been socially adept

but almost certainly spritiually inept. If it didnt happen to me

it just didnt happen.

Seven years later this same process of caring for others as

well as yourself has become my benchmarch, my tattoo if you

will of who I am as a person. It has allowed me to experience

many painful and wonderful things ( sometimes together ).

An eventuality took place. I took my invention seriously.

Once that decision had resonated in my very being, the

syncronicity of thought process took over.

I met Camille Scott from CSBN - someone well versed in

web design and networking. After kind and intelligent

conversation she suggested I meet up with an engineer

named Gavin Babke. Gavin and his team`s enthuisaism

and dedciation to task was something I intially found

overwhelming, albeit something I desperately needed.

Together we tweaked and designed my invention close

to what I envisioned would be a maket ready product. We

sourced all our products through Australian sources and

designed a business plan and structure we believed would be

successful. Many problems still lay before us but the elephant

in the room would soon need to be addressed. No funding.

It was at this time Camille suggested, what would turn out

to be, her most vauable gift so far. Camille suggested we

WEDNESDAY May 28, 2014

6.45am for 7:00am start - 8.30am finish

If you want to grow your business and really get the most out of

Facebook and other online platforms, then this is a must attend

event.

At the May breakfast, you will hear from Australia’s Facebook

Small Business Expert, Nick Bowditch. Nick will be sharing what he

learned over the last couple of years working at Facebook, where

he headed up the small business marketing team for Australia and

New Zealand. Book your place and read more...

Terri Cooper Networking - networking

“What I learned about small busi-ness working for one of the world’s biggest businesses, Facebook”

go to a networking event run by a Jennie Gorman, a generous

and ego free gesture as both companies are very different yet

cross over similar lines in the business field. It showed me that

CSBN is all about helping small business first and foremost and

for that I will always be grateful. As a consequence of attending

Jennie Gorman networking chat session, I have found a potien-

tial investor and are likely to go Australia wide by the end of the

financial year, with overseas ventures a part of our plan. Once our

work with solicitors and lawyers is completed, Camille has kindly

offered her skills and experience on all aspects of social media,

the last step before completion.

All because of Camille and CSBN.

Thank-you Camille and your team, I will keep you updated on our

now, exciting journey.

Yours in business, Anthony.

Look, I am a 53 year old man who thought and still thinks

he knows everything. At least in my field. I don’t have the

necessary pieces of paper this world seems to require but

I have skill. I have experience. I have know-how. So when

i opened my small business in late October 2012 I kept

getting asked the same questions by my daughters and my

internet savvy friends.

Who is taking care of your Facebook? Who has got you on

linkedIn or Twitter or other strange words that truly meant

nothing to me. I calmly and carefully told them all to go

away! I told them all I needed was quality products, quality

service, competitive prices and a referral system certain to

introduce new customers and bingo! I`m a success! This

method was taught to me by my first boss in 1976 and he

ended up retiring as a millionaire at 55, just ten years later.

Well fast forward a whole year to October 2013 and my

business model, as sound as I still think it is, has stabilised my

business with no apparent increase in sales. With 12 months

until I am 55 I can no longer see myself emulating the feats

of Mr. Jorgensen back in the day. I begrudgingly listened to

my know-it-all 19yo daughter and joined Facebook, Twitter

and some other social media, I don’t know or understand,

but to be honest she does it all for me. At first I assumed

the results to be coincidental, related to a Christmas rush

or the like. Now, only five months on, as I write this on the

25th of Feb 2014, my business has increased 39% and i have

329 friends on Facebook. Whatever that means. I am now

convinced. In three weeks time I’m collaborating with CSBN

for my first work with computers, social networking and web

design. Still not sure if I really need it but, the results so far

have spoken for themselves. I will keep you updated on my

progress via this magazine, now that I can e-mail thanks to

my daughter.

Stephen.

Is Social Media For You?

W H Y

S O C I A L M E D I A

“I begrudgingly listened to

my know-it-all 19yo daughter

and joined Facebook, Twitter

and some other social media,

I dont know or understand.”

18

“The CSBN Think Tank consists of a group of people who meet regularly to conceptualize effective business strategies and solutions that WORK to expand and grow their business. Join us and break through the challenges that are holding your business back!”.

Author - Camille Scott

In The Month of MAYCome along and join us for a round table setting, discussing and

solving your current business issues. Everyone gets the opportunity

to throw something on the table and have the group help them

tackle it to success.

Guest Mentor John Laurenson, problem solver extraordinaire, will

be joining us and lending his expertise and knowledge to the

session, along with resident business mentors Sam Rosenbaum

and Camille Scott.

John will be introducing us to his tried and tested problem solving

methodology as explained in his book Make It Happen. John used

to work for the World Bank, United Nations Development Program

(UNDP), Business and Economic Research Ltd and the Institute

of Statistics - as a Senior Systems Analyst to help restructure the

Jamaican economy.

John has been trained by IBM in computer programming, systems

analysis and project management, and says, “By far I was a better

project manager because I had a natural inclination for it.”

“People I meet have been enjoying the clarity and ease of my ser-

vice for over 25 years now. The principles and processes are easy

and simple to learn because they have been distilled down into a

simple system that can work for anyone.

The reason why I do this is that I see people getting lost in the

world of business, personal development and achievement because

they don’t set crucial goals and they don’t make effective plans

to achieve them. I have fully leveraged this technology into my

life and over 100 other peoples’ lives (I stopped counting after it

worked for 100 people), and you can too. The process is simple and

supplies a framework for you to install your dreams in, and to make

them come true in your own way. Take a moment to think about

what more you want for your business and plan for this

to happen using these tools in Make It Happen.

Wishing you every success and may your dreams come

true. John Laurenson, 2014.

When: Thursday 15th May 2014. 12:30pm to 3pm, Join

us for lunch at Midday.

Where: The Park View Room, Pineapple Hotel ,

Woolloongabba. (See map)

Cost: $25 per person

RSVP: via the CSBN website or via CSBN on Meetup.

SPECIAL OFFER - RSVP

via the CSBN website to

receive a 20% discount.

You’re welcome.P.S. Amazing $10 lunch deals available!

19

BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS #2

In the April issue of the CSBN Monthly I introduced the strategic

planning process as the art of designing the future but what does

this mean? In essence it’s your business road map to what you

want to achieve and how you intend on achieving it.

The first step is to design your vision. This is the overall destina-

tion or outcome that you wish to achieve e.g. to be a leading

service provider for aged care services specialising in dementia

patients. This is your desired outcome. You may have heard the

term ‘SMART’ or ‘SMARTA’. This stands for Specific, Measurable,

Attainable, Realistic, Timely and Agreed (when in teams or a part-

nership).Using the SMART principal will help you develop and

work towards achieving your goals by defining a clear expecta-

tion on what is to happen and when it will occur.

Author - Sam Rosenbaum

Step 2 is to define why and/or the benefits of your

vision/ goal is to achieved, whether it be economical,

environmental, social gains or a combination of these.

Using the aged care business in the last example, an

economical benefit for the goal could be 65% return

on investment by the 6th year of operation. A social

gain could be expert provision of aged care services to

reduce the impact on families and careers. Having clear

outcome makes it easier to measure your milestones

and progress to ensure you are on track to achieve your

end objectives.

Once the ‘why’ questions have been answered you

have a clear understanding as to what it is you want to

achieve and why you want it to achieve. Now it’s down

to the leg work; how will the vision or goals become a

reality, what work needs to be implemented, who will be

responsible for what tasks and when each task is due by.

Each of these elements is crucial to the success of the

overall objectives. Using methods such as a Gant chart

or a work breakdown structure (WBS) make excellent

tools to help you collate requirements and tasks to be

completed.

With these steps accomplished you are ready to start

implementing your future design for your business. In

the next issue I will guide you through the execution,

monitoring and control components of your goals.

For more information or to set up a business consul-

tation with CSBN please contact Sam Rosenbaum at

sam@csbn.com.au or call 0455 502 909. Don’t forget to

register for the next CSBN Think Tank session.

Samuel Rosenbaum

Development & Events Manager

0455 502 909

sam@csbn.com.au

20

Here at Zahra’s beauty haven

I offer treatments of waxing,

Swedish massage, facials, and

tinting. I use products with only

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are free of parabens and artifi-

cial preservatives which make

Are you constantly competing

on price not value? How close

is your brand to your customers’

hearts? Is your business seen as

a mere commodity?

Finding out the effectiveness of

your current branding is the first

The CSBN DIY Workshops are

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The software we use is free to

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step in transforming your busi-

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Highly effective branding does

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so the achieve the same quality

and professionalism as what you

see in magazines! This workshop

is under development and will

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ter your interest by emailing us

at admin@csbn.com.au.

BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS

CreativLi - Transform bland to Brand Champion TM

www.CreativLi.com.au

Zahra’s Beauty Havenfacebook.com/ZahrasBeautyHavenEmail: ZahrasBeautyHaven@gmail.

CSBN Workshop - introduction to basic imaging

Get your busines sin our Spotlight! Enjoy some effective promotion and marketing, while generating new leads and traffic!

I am a firm believer of supporting local small business, in our community. Lets face it - the service is better, and the owners have this funny thing called PRIDE and PASSION that the larger businesses seemed to have lost the concept of. Local Business is also a fundamental part of our community. And let’s not forget the Ripple Effect!

21

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Enjoy a wide range of tea, herbs and spices to create a diverse range of exotic traditional teas and tasty therapeutic herbal blends.

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BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS

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I am a firm believer of supporting local small business, in our community. Lets face it - the service is better, and the owners have this funny thing called PRIDE and PASSION that the larger businesses seemed to have lost the concept of. Local Business is also a fundamental part of our community. And let’s not forget the Ripple Effect!

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22

Located in the heart of West

End, Zen Bliss Therapy promotes

healthy lifestyle through offer-

ing high quality care in natural

health and alternative medicine.

Our aim is to leave you relaxed

and rejuvenated in body, mind

and spirit.

A beautifully packaged gift

set for the hands and body:

softening, smoothing, and mois-

turizing for all skin types. Enjoy

velvety smooth hands and cuti-

cles from the Clementine Spice

Hand & Cuticle Cream. This silky

cream pampers the hands while

The CSBN DIY Workshops are

designed to be so easy anyone

can do them. Empower yourself

and save money and time. The

software we use is free to down-

load and we make it fun. Learn

how to easily you can build

your own content management

Massage v Homeopathy

v Bowen Therapy v Beauty

Therapy v Reiki v Holistic

Counselling v Life Coaching

v Meditation and much more...

Call 0468 991 618 today or book

on bookings@zenblistherapy.

com.

the senses are treated to the

divine aromas of clementine

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mentine combines with spice for

a decadent smelling body lotion

that delivers hydration that lasts

all day. What a great gift idea!

website! These websites are val-

ued at over $3,500! Places are

limited so when you see a work-

shop advertised, get in quick so

you don’t miss out. To find out

more, visit the CSBN website or

call Camille on 0414 19 33 55.

BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS

Serene Havenwww.serenehaven.com.au

Eminence Clementine Spice Skin RRP: $41 - now $32.80

Zen Bliss Therapywww.zenblisstherapy.comwww.facebook.com/zenblisstherapy

CSBN Workshop - Build your own CMS website in 3 hours!

Get your busines sin our Spotlight! Enjoy some effective promotion and marketing, while generating new leads and traffic!

I am a firm believer of supporting local small business, in our community. Lets face it - the service is better, and the owners have this funny thing called PRIDE and PASSION that the larger businesses seemed to have lost the concept of. Local Business is also a fundamental part of our community. And let’s not forget the Ripple Effect!

23

D I D YO U K N O W A B O U T. . . ?

GOOGLE PAGE RANK - Ranking in Google has become one of the big-gest challenges for websites and online businesses that face thou-sands of new competitors every day. In order to survive sites must rank, otherwise they will become invisible to users and fail to generate traffic.

Ranking is typically based on a qual-ity score set up by Google, based on an algorithm called PageRank. The higher your quality score, the higher your chances of having a better PageRank and better positioning on Google’s search engine results.

PageRank was created by Larry Page and Sergey Brin to organize scien-tific papers of their doctoral thesis which later became the revolution-ary technology used by Google

to become so effective in organiz-ing and searching online content. Users, in an effort to adapt to this technology and improve their rank-ings, developed a Search Engine Optimization Strategy or SEO, which helps websites adapt and increase their chances of ranking on Google searches.

SEO BASIC ACTIONS FOR SUCCESS

- Seo becomes then the basic s t r a t e g y t o i m p rove yo u r PageRank which helps improve the overall rating that Google assigns to websites based on the following factors:

Textual and image content (key-words, texts and images)

Social relevance of the site (what others say about my site)

The above items can be opti-mized by following some basic act ions which I wi l l explain below:

1. Keyword Research Keywords are the core of your content and developing a strategy around it is absolutely necessary to

“SEO becomes the basic strategu to improve

your page rank which helps improve the over-

all rating that Google assigns to a website.”

T h e i m p o r t a n c e o f p a g e ra n k a n d G o o g l e ra n k i n g

24

succeed. For this, we must perform a keyword research which is the analysis of keyword traffic volume on Google.

Google provides a Keyword Tool that is able to provide statistics of monthly traffic volume of almost any keyword. This tool is free and it is included in the Google Adwords account. This tool is important to find out what keyword or keyword phrase combination is best for using as website content. You can research any keyword following this link: https://adwords.google.com/o/KeywordTool

2. On-page text and metadata opti-mization. Once you have figured out the keywords you would like to have on your website it is important to use these words in content creation and include them in the body of the page and the metadata which is the text embedded in the website code only crawlers can see.

This is very important for Google because it helps it understand and classify the webpage within the search results. In content creation generation it is important to have the following in mind:

Maintain a good keyword density (keep your focus keyword within relevant text and include it all over your website)

Use keywords in titles and headings

Use bold and underline relevant keywords

Maintain consistency in the text and content of the page

Balance keywords and use a wide range of them (try to use as many combinations of the keyword, plu-rals, synonyms, combinations, etc)

Think like a reader (create relevant, useful and comprehensible content)

Be careful with keyword spamming (Google penalizes you when key-words are saturated intentionally on website content, try to maintain a balanced and consistent copy).

WRITE A BLOG - The blog is the best communication strategy that helps to give a personality to your brand. Each article written on the blog is one more page indexed by Google.

The more articles you have in our blog the more the chances that you will appear on search results. The more needles in the haystack the more the chances there are to find one.

Besides this, a blog helps you retain users, by creating a community that can be loyal to your brand.

OPTIMISE IMAGES - A blog without pictures can be a bit boring, and most social networks index thumb-nail images to highlight an article. Besides this the images are indexed very easily if we optimize them, this will position you in Google Image Search.

Tips for optimizing images for SEO:

Upload images with good resolution

and with less than 1MB

Optimise file titles with relevant keywords

Optimise image alt (the alt is the title that Google uses to understand the image).

SOCIAL NETWORK STRATEGY - Social networks are essential to help us link our product or service eas-ily throughout the web. It is the way our product is validated by others. Beat the competition with discipline and patience. Having a Facebook Fan Page, a Twitter account, Google+ and Linkedin, helps us connect with millions.

B e a t t h e C o m p e t i t i o n w i t h Discipline and Patience - Today with the fierce competition on the Internet it is important to keep up with new technology, strategies and techniques. The above actions are basic for gaining a decent position in your search engine and have an acceptable performance on line. These will help you position yourself naturally in the search and increase the chance of appear ing when someone searches for terms related to your business. These actions are easy to implement but require disci-pline, consistency and patience.

Author - Camille Scott

25

meet the CSBN team

Camille Scott, owner & manager, came upon the idea for the

Connect! Small Business Network through her contact with

the amazing NEIS small business course, it’s staff and mentors.

By seeking new avenues through which to market my website

services, and to outsource required work, I quickly realised

that I had no clear and easy access to fellow NEIS participants.

“I truly hope the CSBN will benefit NEIS participants, both past

and present as well as other business owners across Australia

by providing a networking platform, from which we can all

connect and benefit from our unique business experiences,

services and products. Because I believe in the NEIS Small

Business course, its standards, people and mentors, NEIS par-

ticipants are the people I most want to do business with. I look

forward to connecting with you soon.”

C A M I L L E S C OT TC S B N o w n e r & m a n a g e r

“I truely hope the CSBN will benefit NEIS participants, both past and

present, as well as other small business owners across Australia.”

“Ihave the skills and knowledge set to under-stand and develop business requirements.”

S A M RO S E N B AU MC S B N eve n t s & d eve l o p m e n t

Holding a Certificate III in both Hospitality and Events

Management, a Certificate IV in Small Business Management

and also currently studying a duel diploma in Business and

Management, Samuel Rosenbaum has the key skills and

the knowledge set to understand and develop business

requirements.

“As the CSBN Business Development Manager, I bring a

passionate enthusiasm to the operations’ developmental

changes. As well as being a talented multi-tasker my under-

standing of project management principles means I am able

to consider various options when carrying out required

tasks as per particulars.

While Camille oversees the operations and marketing, and

Ben guides the Magazine, I take care of event and business

development to ensure the continued growth and develop-

ment of the CONNECT! Small Business Network.”

26

“CSBN is where we connect people from all different fields - those sowing their

seeds to those who have experience tending to their seeds and want to share

their knowledge of what it takes to grow a business into a mighty tree.”

B E N M AC K I EC S B N e d i t o r i n c h i e f

Ben Mackie, CSBN Editor in Chief, also manages his

own business (Scribe Copywriting). Through frequent

involvement in business networking, Ben understands

first hand how important it is for business (large or small)

not just to make stronger connections with their target

market and their existing client base, but also with other

businesses.

“Starting out in business is like planting seeds with the

intention of growing a big tree. You can plant the seeds in

healthy soil in a spot where they are exposed to enough

sunlight to grow. But it’s not an instant process, the seeds

and the soil need constant maintenance, attention and

care to grow. Patience is also necessary. CSBN is where we

connect people from all different fields- those sowing their

seeds to those who have experience tending to their seeds

and want to share their knowledge of what it takes to grow

your business into a mighty tree.”

27

BUSINESS

The Connect! Small Business Network can help you grow and expand your business.

Enjoy the benefits of networking with like-minded people and the resulting success.

and enjoyment. It’s easier than you think when you meet up and connect with the right

kind of people, just like you!

Feedback | Suggestionsplease send them through to:

admin@CSBN.com.auWe’d love to hear from you!

SUCCESS

CSBN