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I was recently invited by Sage to Chicago to speak at their annual Sage Summit. The business focussed event, held over 3-4 days, is an opportunity to network, learn and grow. It featured some amazing keynote speakers and loads of smaller breakout sessions and interesting seminars.<\/p>\n
As you can see by the photos on this page I was lucky enough to meet some of these amazing people and learn some useful business lessons from them. Here are my highlights:<\/p>\n
Determination![\"Jeremy](\"https:\/\/www.blueeyedsun.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/SageSummit2016JeremyCorner.jpg\")
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On my Virgin Atlantic flight there I wondered what it would be like to meet Richard Branson<\/a> and decided to do everything I could to make it happen. Incredibly, the very next morning I was shaking his hand. I then set myself the challenge of meeting the rest of the celebrity speakers that week. It wasn\u2019t easy. I was just determined and had a good energy for making it happen. I believed that I could do it. I even managed to blag backstage access to The Killers gig that week. Determination and self belief are so important to achieving your goals.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t be needy<\/b><\/p>\n At the same time as being determined it\u2019s important not to be desperate. Although I believed that I could achieve my goals, I was also prepared to fail. I just didn\u2019t focus on the failure. I focused on what I wanted but not to the point where it consumed me. In a cab ride in Chicago, the adventurer and philanthropist Justin Packshaw<\/a> shared similar advice he once received from an experienced entrepreneur, \u201cNeedy ain\u2019t sexy.\u201d It sums this up nicely I think.<\/p>\n Your Team<\/b><\/p>\n Richard Branson, whose Virgin group comprises more than 400 companies, could never have grown without delegating. As he says, \u201cFind someone better than you to run your business.\u201d<\/p>\n Star of\u00a0 Shark Tank<\/a> (America\u2019s Dragon\u2019s Den<\/a>) Robert Herjavec<\/a> agrees \u201cIf you\u2019re going to do everything in your business, you\u2019re always going to stay small. The only way to grow is with a great team.\u201d<\/p>\n Do what you love<\/b><\/p>\n Fellow TV Personality and entrepreneur Daymond John<\/a> explains how to achieve this: \u201cMake a list of things you love doing and things you don\u2019t. Then, outsource everything you don\u2019t love doing and it will change your life.\u201d<\/p>\n One Word<\/b><\/p>\n I caught up with business youtuber Evan Carmichael<\/a> who has a book coming out called: Your One Word<\/a>. The book is about finding the core word that has meaning for you and truly inspires your business and team. Evan\u2019s word is \u2018Believe\u2019 and his team is so into ‘believing in entrepreneurs’ that one of them even has the word ‘Believe’ as a tattoo on her arm. Having a focus for what you are about and what you want to achieve with your business is so powerful.<\/p>\n Power of Focus<\/b><\/p>\n Hearing actress Gwyneth Paltrow<\/a> talk about KPI\u2019s (key performance indicators) and sales funnel strategies was an eye opener. I find it inspiring that anyone can shift career, take on new challenges and start up a business. As the founder of successful online retailer Goop<\/a>, Gwyneth\u2019s key take away was to remember to focus, \u201cWhere you look is where you go. Keep your eye on the prize and believe in yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n Understanding Customers<\/b><\/p>\n Another actress, Zooey Deschanel<\/a>, also made the shift to business even though she didn\u2019t see herself as particularly business minded. She partnered with experienced people and created HelloGiggles<\/a>, a positive online community focussed on empowering millennial women. For Zooey, she felt instinctively that \u201cIf I like it someone else will like it.\u201d She then shaped her brand around her audience which helped it to grow. It\u2019s so important to put yourself in the shoes of your customers to understand your business and grow.<\/p>\n Solicit Feedback<\/b><\/p>\n I was invited to lunch with Donald Brydon<\/a> the Chairman of Sage<\/a> and a handful of Sage customers. He was very interested in what customers thought about Sage, good and bad. It really doesn\u2019t matter whether you have a small business of a large FTSE 100 plc to run, soliciting feedback from your customers is essential. If the Chairman can make time to do it, so can we.<\/p>\n Social Conversation<\/b><\/p>\n Actor and tech investor with over 150 companies in his portfolio, Ashton Kutcher<\/a>, is a social media whizz and arguably has generated a lot of his business success through his use of Twitter and other social platforms. Social media is not a broadcast platform he says, \u201cIt\u2019s a conversation with a feedback loop.\u201d You must engage with your followers. Just as you must engage with your customers.<\/p>\n What\u2019s your Story?<\/b><\/p>\n I\u2019m fascinated by how companies create the emotions attached to logos, how customers perceive brands and how brands endure over time. Understanding what your focus is and communicating that well are key to success. I was lucky enough to spend some time with branding expert Sasha Strauss<\/a> from Innovation Protocol<\/a> who reminded me how important it is for the brand message to work at every level throughout your company. For example, did you know that every employee at Disneyland is called a cast member? From the toilet cleaners through to the performers they are all cast members focussed on creating an amazing show for their customers.<\/p>\n Saving Time and Money<\/b><\/p>\n Taking time to of my busy schedule to attend an event which isn’t directly connected to my card business doesn\u2019t seem that sensible, but opportunities are everywhere to generate more business or to cut costs. I always pick up useful titbits of information at Sage Summit. On the export panel I sat on, my friend Gemma Price<\/a> from SuperFood Market<\/a> mentioned how she saved thousands renegotiating her courier costs. That single piece of advice has now been actioned and will save our business in excess of \u00a35,000 this year alone.<\/p>\n Not just about the money<\/b><\/p>\n Global public benefit company Kickstarter<\/a> has generated over $5 billion for start ups and created over 300,000 jobs through it\u2019s crowd funding model that helps a range of creative projects get off the ground. It\u2019s co-founder Yancey Strickler<\/a> reminded us at Sage Summit that supporting someone\u2019s idea and investing in their passion, even without receiving equity in return, is a hugely valuable way of contributing to the world.<\/p>\n The Value of PR<\/b><\/p>\n One of the reasons I\u2019ve been able to maintain such good levels of PR and marketing over the years is that those in the media know that I am quick to respond and happy to help. Because of this I got the opportunity to be interviewed on Bloomberg Radio<\/a> in Chicago which was broadcast throughout America. I shared the success of our greeting card business and even generated a sales lead from an American business wanting to send cards to their customers. It\u2019s important to make PR a regular activity in your business. Click here to listen to my interview.<\/a><\/p>\n Network Power<\/b><\/p>\n Last year I made friends with Huffington Post blogger, Sandy Abrams<\/a>, and Social Media Expert, Rebecca Coleman<\/a>. We kept in touch online and supported one another\u2019s talks, blog posts and social media activity at Sage Summit. If you want to have good reach on social media you need to build a network of supportive friends. I think it\u2019s essential in business too.<\/p>\n Picture It\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n It\u2019s so easy to dismiss selfies as narcissistic and self indulgent. I changed strategy this year with the aim of increasing my personal brand and awareness of my businesses. Images are a very powerful way of doing this. When you tag people in the images it shows up in their feed so they can then easily remember you and share you with their networks. Search engines all index them. Images with celebs have a similar power and high level of engagement so grab selfies whenever the opportunities arise.<\/p>\n One of the reasons I leapt at the chance to attend my second Sage Summit is the insatiable appetite I have for learning and growing. Being around inspiring people who are all focussed on improving their businesses and their lives is incredibly energising. It\u2019s definitely worth setting aside time in your calendar each year to sharpen your saw rather than keeping on hacking away with the same blunt instrument and wondering why it\u2019s not working.<\/p>\n Jeremy is speaking on \u2018Ten things to do in business before using social media\u2019 at the Autumn Fair eCommerce Theatre on Sunday 4th September.<\/p>\n Read my daily diary from the Chicago Sage Summit on the Sage UK blog<\/a><\/p>\n
![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.blueeyedsun.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/ChicagoSageSUmmit2016.jpg\")
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