Why Do We Like A Page on Social Media?

Today, I would like to share with you about Social Media engagement around the globe.  Iybi (If You Build It) has compiled an info-graphic snapshot of  how consumers are engaging with business on social media, and may give you some insight into when and how to best engage with your current and potential customers.

So ask yourself these following questions:

• Why are you using Social Media in your business?
• Why do consumers engage with your brand on social Media?
• How can you optimise your social media strategy to most effectively engage with your consumers?
• How do you convert the interaction into sales?

Image & Source from

http://ifyoubuildit.com.au

What stakeholder alignment can mean for your business

Stakeholder alignment is the process of understanding your stakeholder’s interests and aligning those interests with your own business objectives.

Your stakeholders are the group of individuals who are involved in your business. They could be  your spouse and/or business partner(s), your team, and your customers too.

The alignment process gives you and your team the clarity and focus you need to do what is necessary for your business to be successful. The process also allows you to better define the specific target market you’re committed to attract.

You may think that as a sole trader you don’t have stakeholders...

If this is what you’ve been thinking. it’s time to rethink... In fact, the need to establish your stakeholder group and gain their support is greater than ever!

Your key stakeholders could be your spouse and your family. In other words, your greatest supporters. Imagine what it would mean to lack their support. This could even lead to your business failure...

The stakeholder alignment process is also a great empowerment tool. It serves to get all your stakeholders working together and delivering on the same common business goal.

What follows is a practical tool for talking to stakeholders about your business. It could be used in three ways:

1.    Understanding Your Stakeholders. Ask stakeholders the key questions and make a note of their answers. Stakeholder answers reveal their interests in, and perceptions of your business. When stakeholders answer the questions differently, you have early warning of emerging conflicts.

The goal of Stakeholder Alignment is to get agreement from stakeholders on what the answers to these questions could be. Note that it is easiest to achieve this agreement at the very beginning of a business or a project you want to implement in your business– ideally, during the “Define” Phase.

2.    Communicating with Your Key Stakeholders. It takes skill in communication and negotiation to align stakeholder interests, particularly when stakeholders have very different perspectives and needs. Keeping them informed about what is happening in your business, where you are right now, and where you will see the business going is critical.

    Make sure your communication also includes those who do not support your  business or project too. Have a shared understanding of the following points:

(i)   What your business or project is doing;

(ii)  Why your business is doing it this way.

(iii)  Who will judge the business success.

3.    Empower your Key Stakeholders. Share you vision with your key stakeholders. The more they are involved in your business they easier it will be for you to achieve your business objectives.

 Remember, a team effort is always better than trying to do every yourself.

Want to learn more about  Stakholders  Alignment in your business?

It’s as simple as 1... 2... 3...

1: Like  ArtSHINE's Facebook page

2: Come along to the ArtSHINE workshops in Sydney: workshops@quantumcompass.com.au

3: Contact Vinh for a no cost, no obligation coaching session:

Vinh direct on  0410 636 138, Vinh@QuantumCompass.com.au, 

or go to: 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ArtShineDiscovery

Who are the Key Stakeholders in your business?

As every business is different, so too will the stakeholders in a business vary. Recognising whom your business depends on is essential because they will determine your success.

Stakeholders are a group of individuals or groups with an interest in the success of your business. The stakeholders in a typical business can include:

·   Customers or clients

·   Staff members

·   Suppliers

·   You the business owner(s) or Shareholders.

·   Business partner(s)

·   Your spouse

·   Your family

So who are the Key Stakeholders in your business?

If you have yet to identify them, may I suggest you to start to determine yours as soon as you can!

By knowing the Key Stakeholders in your business, you can begin to produce a successful set of strategies that will help your business grow.

Why?

It’s because your business is dependent on your key stakeholders.

Stakeholder management is vital for the success of any business.  Without key stakeholders a business cannot remain competitive.

Market research will inform you of your target audiences’ needs and expectations, which in turn will determine the specific goals and objectives of your business. Thus, aligning your business with your customers’ needs through specific strategies will ensure business success.

Want to learn more about Your Key Stakholders  in your business?

It’s as simple as 1... 2... 3...

1: Like  ArtSHINE's Facebook page

2: Come along to the ArtSHINE workshops in Sydney: workshops@quantumcompass.com.au

3: Contact Vinh for a no cost, no obligation coaching session:

Vinh direct on  0410 636 138, Vinh@QuantumCompass.com.au, 

or go to: 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ArtShineDiscovery

Make Tomorrow Today™

Yellow as a colour Workshop 1- Part 2 by Artist Pascale Rajek, Art on Surface

Learning is doing…

Painting is exploring!

Two weeks ago, Artist Pascale Rajek guested posted an article about "Yellow as a colour". Today Pascale is sharing with us an exercise that you can try at home to get a close up with the colour of yellow.



Emotion painting workshop 1 and workshop 2 will be post in two week time. Thanks for visit our site.

Emotion painting workshop 1

Objectives

Discover how a colour can heighten an emotion (positive or negative)

Explore how the intensity of the colour can have different effects on our perception and emotion?

Explore how lines, shapes, marks create a mood, a story.

Develop an understanding of how much of a role emotion plays in art making.

See the connection between line, colour, texture, shape, etc.. and how it will help express a certain emotion or feeling.

Create using only yellow, white and black painting, using words to influence the choice of colour, the intensity of it, the way we paint the emotion from the word.

What you will need:

• large sheets of heavy Canson Canvas paper (or canvas)
• spare A4 paper
• acrylic paint: yellow, white and black
• paintbrushes
• water
• containers
• mixing trays (could be plastic containers)
• paper towels
• newspapers
• pencil
• ruler

A gift about colours from  Art on Surface
Would you like to learn more about colour? 
Click the below link to receive a gift about colours
http://www.art-on-surface.net/freedownload#!freedownload/caud

Creating a “Media Kit” - Some ideas...

There are many ways to create a media kit. With easy access to the internet a first great step is to do an online search and see some examples you can use to model and build your own media kit. There are many companies or businesses that are happy to share their work on-line and display their media kits. You can learn a lot from them and apply what you’ve learned to create your own media kit.

It’s important to decide what's appropriate for your audience, then to define your graphics & style, print & digital media, and messaging & content.

Think about how you’ll position your business in one compact package that meets the varying needs of press, stakeholders, investors, suppliers, and customers.

When we work with our ArtSHINE's clients the first thing we look at is how we cover the conventional basics.

The balancing trick, of course, is to create easily accessible, well presented materials that encapsulates your brand and your business with enough detail to satisfy serious interest.

The essential elements in any kit include:

• Product reviews or fact sheets
• Testimonials
• Tips sheets that offer industry context or surveys
• A recent article or trade write-ups (optional only if you have)
• A calendar of appearances and events: Trade shows, market events or workshop classes, etc.
• A list of media appearances such as newspaper, magazines.
• Any industry seminars you’ve presented or speeches you have made. (At this stage we do not recommend story angle sheets; why your you want an editor to think that you are sharing all of your story angles with everyone else?)
• Product samples and / or gifts.

Brand building: - Using appropriate, appealing, and consistent packaging create a complete look of ‘brand’ for your business. You always want to match marketing materials to the personality of your business. If you produce top end quality handmade handbags, don't settle on a sober low end image. Find something elegant, classy, and appealing. You also want all material to look consistent.

Brand concept: - Business logo, website and stationery. The entire package should look and feel first class and impressively put together, standout and solid.

As you’ve identified there’s several production choices... you can create materials for kits and other marketing materials yourself, using desktop publishing programs you have access to (Pages for Mac, or Publisher for Windows for example). This is a great idea if you are good at graphic design and have the time to do it all yourself.

Outsourcing: - You can hire an outside copy writer and a designer to complete the entire package for you. Obviously, the costs associated with this vary widely depending on your production method, and who you engage for the task. We’d suggest that a cost of $1000 to $5000 would cover most basic options. Make sure you get a few quotes and have detailed conversations with the potential suppliers. It’s essential that they can relate to you and your business.

Would you like an invitation to attend the next ArtSHINE ‘ Media Savvy’ workshop? - contact us now here: MediaWorkshop@QuantumCompass.com.au

Want to know more? It’s as simple as 1... 2... 3...

1: Like  ArtSHINE's Facebook page

2: Send an e-mail to this Quantum Compass address: MediaWorkshop@QuantumCompass.com.au and get more info about our workshops for creative professionals.

3: Contact Vinh for a no cost, no obligation coaching session: just call Vinh direct on  0410 636 138, Vinh@QuantumCompass.com.au, or go to: 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ArtShineDiscovery

The only two ways to create change in your life

“First you say to yourself what you would be;

and then do what you have to do.”

                                     - Epictetus

Remember, here are really only two ways to create change your life.

You can make an external change (e.g. you can learn a new skill, change jobs, start a new relationship, get some more ‘know how’, or learn a new strategy for property investing) or you can make an internal change (e.g. change your beliefs, values, emotions, and patterns of behavior, etc).

What people usually do when they set a new goal or strive to create a new life for themselves is that they try to make external changes. “What can I learn or what skills do I need?” or “What new actions should I take to reach my goal?” are just some of the usual ways for people to approach their dreams.

The challenge with that is that if your desired external change doesn’t match your internal world then there will be a conflict on some level in your life and in your business. It can show up in ways like addictions, not following through, procrastination etc. The reason for this is that your external world is not aligned with your internal world (your unconscious mind).

Your unconscious mind is like an anchor on a boat, if you want it to start moving in a certain direction, you need to know how to lift the anchor and release the boat. If you don’t, the boat can only travel a limited distance before the anchor (your unconscious mind) will drag and stop you from moving.

In order for you to create the life and the business that you want, you need to learn how to create your internal world (unconscious mind) and design it to be aligned with your desired external world that you want to create. The ArtSHINE coaching process shows you how to do just that.

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act.”

“There is no other route to success.”

                                     - Stephen A Brennan

Want to find out more about creating a sustainable Business Lifestyle in your creative Fashion Design Practice?

It’s as simple as 1... 2... 3...

1:Like  ArtSHINE's Facebook page

2: Send an e-mail to this Quantum Compass address: ArtSHINE@QuantumCompass.com.au and get more info about our workshops for creative professionals.

3: Contact Vinh for a no cost, no obligation coaching session: just call Vinh direct on  0410 636 138, Vinh@QuantumCompass.com.au, or go to: 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ArtShineDiscovery

7 Steps to Business Lifestyle Success in Your Creative Practice.

1. Your Daily Focus:

Start each day with a focus on what you can do to create income. What actions and activities can you put in place? They don’t have to be big, and they could be small tasks in your overall action plan. So, by setting yourself a goal to do at least three income producing activities you’ll begin each day with a focus on completing these activities first. Before you do anything else. What this means is that you'll finish your day knowing that you've invested your time well and you'll be contributing to the ongoing success of your creative business.

2. Your 90 Day Action Plan:

Your 90 day plan can be something as simple as a series of Goals and Tasks put together as a list of priorities. Think about the “easy step” or “quick win” tasks that you can do that will take you towards your “big picture”, life changing goals. Think of activities you need to undertake, and then stay focused on those mini tasks over the days, weeks, and months of your plan. Make a habit of reviewing and revisiting your goals regularly each week. Get as clear as you can about what you really want. Establish a vision for your passion and commit to what you want to achieve. Believe it and most importantly… Take action!

3. Leverage Your Time:

How are you spending your time? Everyone gets the same 24 hours in a day... What are you doing with yours? Decide what’s important for you and build some habits and plans around how you priorities all the demands for your time. Ask yourself what tasks and activities will bring you closer to your goals, versus what activities take you off your path.

As you go about building your creative practice and developing your Business LifeStyle you can start to identify the tasks and activities that bring you closer to your goals, and those that take you further from them. As you start to understand these priorities you can develop systems and processes that keep you on track.

4. The Power of Your Team:

Even if you’re a “Solo Practitioner” and operate your creative practice on your own, you can still have a team... Think about all your stakeholders, and that includes you if you are the face of your business. Your team can include people like your key suppliers, your financial supporters or shareholders, your family & friends, your business advisors, and of course, your clients. How can you better engage this team to achieve your goals?

5. Your Income:

At Quantum Compass we work with our clients to develop multiple streams of income that work for you to support your artistic endeavour. Imagine how your Business Lifestyle will be different when you have more than one income stream. And there’s so many ways we can achieve this... Workshops & Classes, Information products, and on line shops for example are all great places to start. As we work together we start to identify opportunities to create income that isn’t a direct exchange for your time too... So income can be generated quite separately from your daily activity.

6. Your Investment in Yourself:

Investing in yourself is the best investment that you can possibly make. If you want to see your creative practice grow, invest in a mentor or coach who will teach, inspire and motivate you and who will keep you in action and accountable. Think about what training and workshops that you could attend. How about networking events and seminars? Books and magazines? (From the local library, it doesn’t have to cost you much!)

7. Your Attitude is Gratitude:

Look around at where you are, and what you have. Being grateful for what you have, and showing gratitude is an important aspect in creating a successful Business Lifestyle. It’s important to think about what you have to be thankful for everyday, and to appreciate what you’ve got. Your family, supportive partner, friends. When we thank others for their actions they immediately feel like doing more for us too. Expressing gratitude calms the emotions. Expressing gratitude brings us into harmony and is good for the heart and soul. Expressing gratitude opens many doors to happiness, serenity and good health. Expressing gratitude is one of our tools for enhancing and increasing the good things in our lives.

So... What are you grateful for?

Want to find out more about creating a sustainable Business Lifestyle in your creative Fashion Design Practice?

It’s as simple as 1... 2... 3...

1:Like  ArtSHINE's Facebook page

2: Send an e-mail to this Quantum Compass address: ArtSHINEworkshopInfo@QuantumCompass.com.au and get more info about our workshops for creative professionals.

3: Contact Vinh for a no cost, no obligation coaching session: just call Vinh direct on  0410 636 138, Vinh@QuantumCompass.com.au, or go to: 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ArtShineDiscovery

Costing & Pricing for Art, Craft & Design Business

As Business Lifestyle coaches working along side artists, crafters and designers we’ve come to realise that understanding the true nature of costing and pricing a product is a real issue for most creative practices, and a very big concern for every artist, crafter  and designer.

So, if you’re not too sure about how to calculate the costs for your designs... don’t worry; you’re certainly not alone!

But understanding your costs, your margins, your pricing, and how to calculate them will mean the difference between success and subsistence for you. So it’s critical that you learn the process.

Why are costings so important? 

If you don’t know exactly what to include in the production costing you will be underselling your designs and therefore you’ll lose money... 

The key to success in your business is to understand the costing process properly and price your items appropriately. That way, you can feel good about what you do and what you create. Most importantly, you’ll know what it’s cost you to create your products.

With an accurate costing you’re better placed to price your creations too.

At ArtSHINE we work with our creative design clients to ensure understanding of the true costs, and we share a costing & pricing system that’s tailored to your business lifestyle.

Do any of these resonate or ring bells with you?

 * I have a product in mind but don’t know what the costs involved are.

 * I have a product already but I don’t know what the real costs of production are.

 * I have a product and it is overly expensive to make so I can’t sell for  the price I need.

Here’s some quick questions to consider:

 * Are you taking into account total costs, and not just material costs?

 * Do you know how to work out your own hourly rate?

 * What’s the average mark-up in a retail shop?

 * What’s the best wholesale to retail price point ratio?

 * What’s your real profit margin on the products you create?

At the end of the day, there’s no point in under valuing and under selling your products.

You want the products that you’ve created to make good profit. Profit isn’t a dirty word. And you certainly can’t survive as a designer without it... Plus you deserve to earn money and receive a proper payment for all your hard work.

Building a sustainable business lifestyle means that you can keep creating; thus doing what you really love and enjoy.

Would you like an invitation to attend the next Quantum Compass ‘Costing & Pricing’ workshop? - contact us now here: CostingAndPricing@QuantumCompass.com.au

Want to know more? It’s as simple as 1... 2... 3...

1: Like  ArtSHINE's Facebook page

2: Send an e-mail to this Quantum Compass address: CostingAndPricing@QuantumCompass.com.au and get more info about our workshops for creative professionals.

3: Contact Vinh for a no cost, no obligation coaching session: just call Vinh direct on 0410 636 138, Vinh@QuantumCompass.com.au, or go to: 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ArtShineDiscovery