Brendan Lewis

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Brendan Lewis

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View > Up starts: Wednesday, 27 August 2008 University students can be a creative lot... and we can learn a lot from them. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > Scalability: Traction from a slippery beast: Wednesday, 20 August 2008 People often selling a product or service find it hard work. So here is some really good strategic advice – accept you may have a non-scalable business. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > Want to be an entrepreneur on the side?: Wednesday, 13 August 2008 The tools are out there for you to set up another business. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > Tactical training: Wednesday, 6 August 2008 Defence Force commanders have a four-phase overlay for their planning, and your business may benefit from their approach. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > Commercialisation conundrums: Wednesday, 30 July 2008 Supply-push? Demand-pull? There’s got to be a smarter way. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > "So what?" A problem solving tip: Wednesday, 23 July 2008 There’s a chain of inference that a lot of businesses neglect to pick up. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > Who can you trust?: Wednesday, 16 July 2008 Trust is increasingly becoming a rare commodity, but in business is also becoming more necessary. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > How I stuffed up my keywords: Thursday, 10 July 2008 With IT systems, it pays not to be complacent. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > Password persnickity?: Wednesday, 2 July 2008 Are company policies of having passwords just an attempt by IT to deflect blame? BRENDAN LEWIS

View > Trouble-free IT management: Wednesday, 25 June 2008 So how should your IT be managed, and who should do it? Here’s some thought starters. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > Don't let IT people manage your IT: Wednesday, 18 June 2008 There are three key secrets to successfully managing your IT. Here they are. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > 7 secrets of great events: Tuesday, 10 June 2008 The business development professional must be a social animal... so much more is achieved at a good dinner meeting. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > Improve your processes: Wednesday, 4 June 2008 A helpful approach to tackle any task is to view it as a series of processes. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > Hot money: Wednesday, 28 May 2008 Raising money in a tough market is never simple, but here are five tried-and-tested scenarios that make it easier. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > Perks and pressure: Wednesday, 21 May 2008 Becoming the CEO of a public company means losing your company, privacy and social life. There’s some good points too. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > The value of failure: Wednesday, 14 May 2008 We all make mistakes, but it is only those that learn, and ‘own’ their failure, that make real improvements. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > Adviser advice: Wednesday, 7 May 2008 When you decide to float, choose an adviser who will stick by you for the long haul. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > The hard/soft sell: Wednesday, 30 April 2008 Here’s a handy concept to guide your marketing spend more effectively. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > Going public: The pain and the pleasure: Wednesday, 23 April 2008 Floating your company may be the dream for some, but several realities need to be seen in the daylight to be appreciated. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > The simple (work) life: Wednesday, 16 April 2008 Sometimes it can be the simplest technology that can make business better. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > A phone fix you can use now: Wednesday, 9 April 2008 I work out of multiple offices or on the move, but I've found a way around a phone problem that had been bugging me. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > How to be a 'no-favours' good guy: Wednesday, 2 April 2008 Although I don't like doing favours, I have found that sticking to three golden rules makes them bearable. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > The secret of Gen-Y staff retention: Wednesday, 26 March 2008 I borrowed from the army in my approach to staff training and it worked. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > Making sales sizzle: Wednesday, 19 March 2008 I used to sell people. It taught me about sales models that are easy, profitable and send repeat business. BRENDAN LEWIS

View > Growth triggers: Wednesday, 12 March 2008 BRENDAN LEWIS asked a few fast growth businesses how they did it. This is what they told him.

View > Facebook, schmacebook: Wednesday, 5 March 2008 Did you read recently about Facebook's popularity peaking (and therefore falling)? There's a couple of good reasons for this, as I found out...

View > I hate favours: Wednesday, 27 February 2008 Some favours are no-brainers... but some come with so many strings attached you can't help but get tripped up by them. Here's what I mean...

View > The opposite of camouflage: Wednesday, 20 February 2008 If camouflage makes you hard to see, then doing the reverse will make you more visible. Transferred to commercial terms, more visible means getting noticed.

View > Zelig's website, Rubik's delivery: Wednesday, 13 February 2008 I rarely see websites that are dynamic and really customer-focused. But here's my vision of how this could work...

View > A strategy to die for: Wednesday, 6 February 2008 An average strategy (executed well) will beat a good strategy (executed badly) any day of the week. And here's the proof...

View > Set-up 101: Thursday, 31 January 2008 I'd thought I'd share my new-computer set-up routine – every lesson here has been learnt through pain.

View > Signage of the times: Wednesday, 23 January 2008 Innovation in business can come in small packages. In fact, one person’s tech-trash can literally turn into another’s tech-treasure.

View > It's just not on the cards: Wednesday, 9 January 2008 If I rip up your business card, don't panic. It is actually a positive sign. Read on to see why...

View > Here's a new year's present for a change: Wednesday, 19 December 2007 Who said anyone with an IT or computer bent doesn't know how to have fun. Here's a new year's gift that will add bang to your bash...

View > It’s the simple things that matter: Wednesday, 12 December 2007 Sometimes it is the simple tips that end up being the most useful. Here’s one for you to try.

View > Hold the phone: Wednesday, 5 December 2007 It’s not a good idea to recommend service providers – every one is a dud in someone’s eyes – but here’s a handy resource to winnow out the telcos.

View > When size matters: Wednesday, 28 November 2007 I bet you’ve come across the problem of broken web addresses in emails. It’s mostly due to the unwieldy length of some web addresses. There is a solution...

View > Horses for courses: Wednesday, 21 November 2007 There are so many different ways to be switched on, it got me thinking about what it means to be 'smart'.

View > A benchmark for ISPs: Wednesday, 14 November 2007 Website hosting providers are a mixed bag for quality of service. Here is a benchmark that may be handy for your own comparisons.

View > Email: Friend or foe (make it a friend): Wednesday, 7 November 2007 How did we ever survive without email? How can we survive with so much!? Here are some tips on managing your in-box...

View > Keeping an eye on the competition: Wednesday, 31 October 2007 Here are some surveillance tricks to suss out which companies share an office, whose business is successful or not and how to check up on your competitors.

View > Social notworking software: Wednesday, 24 October 2007 Social networking requires more than a gift of the e-gab and a cute picture folio – there's also a bit of IT nouse needed.

View > Still learning: Wednesday, 17 October 2007 I've finally realised what my product is – what a relief, and what an opportunity to map a firmer future.

View > Learning the hard way: Wednesday, 10 October 2007 If you learn from your mistakes, the Churchill Club’s meeting program has been one long learning experience.

View > A trap for beginners: Wednesday, 3 October 2007 Does it date me to say "What cheeses me off"? I had a try-on from a site the other day that cheesed me to tears.

View > Family guy: Wednesday, 19 September 2007 Who says technology can be antisocial? My family website means we can log on and catch up whenever we like.

View > Free, not necessarily easy: Wednesday, 12 September 2007 I switched a business to the free Open Office recently and it taught me the four rules of a successful changeover – which seem obvious now.

View > Blog it yourself: Wednesday, 5 September 2007 Your own blog can be a powerful communication and marketing tool, but how to set one up? Relax, it’s easy. Read on…

View > The simple e-things: Wednesday, 29 August 2007 Co-ordinating your busy life with the people and businesses that matter (even those that don't) has got a lot easier – with a simple, free, tool.

View > I've been blogled!: Tuesday, 28 August 2007 I started to get a few strange comments to my blogs, so decided to investigate. I was being used!

View > Different standards: Wednesday, 22 August 2007 There are some annoying little standard variations in this digital life. But we can all get along. Here's one solution...

View > A sales and marketing matrix, part 2: Wednesday, 15 August 2007 Mapping how I spend by time (and the Churchill Club’s money) gives me an immediate fix on where I can make savings and efficiencies.

View > A technologist’s view of sales and marketing management, part 1: Wednesday, 8 August 2007 After a long struggle, I now have real 'cut-through' in my sales and marketing processes. I'll tell you the secret...

View > The wiki way: Wednesday, 1 August 2007 Need a user manual to help turn your company into a machine? Why not set up a wiki, to give several people ownership of the manual and ensure it remains up to date?

View > See, I really was scared!: Wednesday, 25 July 2007 How good, when my brother finally had some interesting news, that he could show me all about it in our webcam video-conference.

View > A Web 2.0, by any other name…: Wednesday, 18 July 2007 It seems that the perception of what Web 2.0 is, and can do, varies. It may depend on what you expect it to achieve.

View > The company way: Wednesday, 11 July 2007 I’ve always known they do things differently in big companies, but just why has just struck me: it’s a matter of whether the people or the systems hold sway.

View > Hard bargain: Wednesday, 4 July 2007 I turned to the net’s user forums as a last resort to solve a frustrating computer problem. Next time I’ll go there first.

View > Brief is the word: Wednesday, 27 June 2007 Before having a lawyer draft a document, a little homework means you’ll get just what you want – and a smaller bill.

View > Get the message?: Wednesday, 20 June 2007 Having different email addresses automatically sorts incoming messages and saves me having to wade through clutter I don't want to read at the time.

View > ‘The internet thingy’s not working’: Wednesday, 13 June 2007 How would I know what’s wrong with your computer? Let’s go through the list of usual suspects and find out…

View > It’s cool, and it’s free: Wednesday, 6 June 2007 Now you can check what’s going on in your server, or any other computer on the network, using neat, new, free software.

View > Tinkering, categorically, is allowed: Wednesday, 30 May 2007 Sure, I've used off-the-shelf accounting software, but none of them comes with a gun held to your head about which line items you've got to stick to.

View > Last will and testament.exe: Wednesday, 23 May 2007 My wife and I are at the lawyers, going through our will and I realise how my IT training helps me frame problems. It's the IF THEN ELSE approach.

View > Open sauce: Wednesday, 16 May 2007 Using open source software is a bit like cooking for yourself: difficult at first, but with practice it can take you to some interesting areas.

View > Painful lessons: Wednesday, 9 May 2007 I’m grateful for many of my bad customers. They’ve taught me so much.

View > $1.4 billion industry statement: Wednesday, 2 May 2007 One $1.4 billion industry statement later, and I'm still hungry. Why? It all has to do with the execution.

View > Tweak this!: Wednesday, 18 April 2007 I wouldn’t have minded paying $750 to have my server tweaked if I’d been given a few more details about what that meant. What I've learnt from bad suppliers.

View > Problem-solving pathways: Wednesday, 11 April 2007 The other week I went to hear a speaker talk on leadership in times of crisis...

View > Real time metering, now that’s smart: Tuesday, 10 April 2007 Smart meters slated for discussion at the COAG summit are technology that should have been rolled out 25 years ago. New meters that give real-time readings are smarter.

View > I feel like I know you: Wednesday, 4 April 2007 The internet makes it easy to find out about people before you meet them for the first time. It can help you tailor messages to sales prospects.

View > bml-smartco-blog-070328: Wednesday, 28 March 2007 How to keep track of computer files? I’ve worked out a simple naming system that tells me the date, version author and content.

View > Who goes there?: Wednesday, 21 March 2007 At last I've found a way of keeping all my passwords secure and in order.

View > Tools to support creativity: Wednesday, 14 March 2007 Creativity can be haphazard; there are tools you can use to organise your creative thoughts.

View > Get your name right: Wednesday, 7 March 2007 Don't muck around with email: domain names are cheap and are a MUST for credibility.

View > The bug stops here: Wednesday, 28 February 2007 Do every internet user a favour and get antivirus sofware. It's free!

View > What price a domain name?: Wednesday, 21 February 2007 The wholesale price for a domain name is $22.55 for two years. The retail price is another matter.

View > Getting though to people, it’s a snap: Wednesday, 14 February 2007 I love my little digital camera. It has been just the thing for getting through to people and having them respond.

View > Why FreeCRM makes me happy: Wednesday, 7 February 2007 It doesn't take much to make me happy — just give me free CRM software.

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