Why Woolies Went?

Finally we have seen the nail in the coffin for Woolies (Woolworth's) the UK's favourite low end store. I remember as a child going to woolies to get my sweets, pick n mix, school stationary and even more recently buying my son's fancy dress items for his kids parties! How sad now that this British institution will be no longer.

So why did this happen?
In a nutshell, this happened because woolies never moved with the time. They had built a large network of shops selling small cheap items, however, competition from supermarkets who had scale to stock such items, and the power of internet shopping have been the killers of Woolies.

Tesco sells all the items most families need including food, Woolies didn't.
Tesco has car parking, Woolies didn't.
Tesco has a loyalty scheme, Woolies didn't
Tesco has a strong online presence, Woolies didn't.

The list goes on. Woolies really did not move with the time and resisted change. Ultimately, change is inevitable, rather than resist it, all of us must embrace change, whatever, the consquences may be.

If you are not living on the edge you are taking up too much room!

Credit Crunch Fish And Chips

I usually feel very full after eating proper fish chips. However, this week i went to a local fish and chip shop (a fancy one) and after leaving i still felt hungry. Quite interestingly it is usually busy, but due to the economic downturn even this shop was quite empty.

We ordered two meals, and noticed that when we received the chips, they came in one bowl to share for two. In addition the gherkins and pickled onions we ordered were not whole but cut into pieces. These little "tweaks" were very noticeable to me, and the reduced amount of chips had a great impact on my tummy grumbling later in the evening.

Yes, i know things may be tight for the owner, but my expectations of being full after the meal were not met. Surely, rather than cutting back on his bits and pieces, he should re-invent his menu (charge more, only a little) and then offer something that meets my tummy's expectations!!

I am still hungry...two days later!

5 Steps to Raise your Game!

Fed up with the credit crunch? Then do the following:

1. Define your true vision for yourself - Clarity is Power
2. Find the reasons supporting your vision - No reason? then your vision isn't truly one you want!
3. TAKE MASSIVE ACTION - don't procrastinate, take action NOW, not tomorrow! Never leave the sight of setting a goal, without taking positive action.
4. Then monitor your performance religiously, day by day, week by week, month by month to see how you are doing against your vision!
5.Change your approach if the feedback you are getting is not in line with your vision!

Then do it all over again. Whether you want to make your money, have more time, lose weight, run multiple marathons....follow this approach i can assure you IT WORKS!

The Shift of Power from West to East

The complete meltdown in the financial markets is a shift of power moving from the west to the east. The east has the money and the resources, whilst the west has got used to having them, and no longer has them. Economies in recession, deflation on the horizon, rapidly rising unemployment, and a plunging housing market, there really is no good news on the UK economy.

So what next?

As i have always said, this downturn will be good for some, and terrible for others. It will be good for those in cash and not overly exposed, but for those who have large financial exposure, in a deflationary environment when consumers are not spending this could mean bad news. Margins will squeeze, and the ones that survive will be those that manage their financial obligations. I think it is gonna get a lot uglier, have you a plan of action???

The Grim Reaper = The Bank Manager

Yesterday, i received a phone call from my bank manager. I had not heard from him in around 12 months.

In a friendly tone he said that due to the economy my overdraft borrowing rate would increase, which currently stands at 1.5% above the base rate. To my shock and horror he said it would increase to 5.95% above the base rate - A WHOPPING 4 TIMES MY CURRENT RATE!

And there i was, thinking banks would be passing on the drop in the Bank of England rates to me! How ridiculous....moral of the story, look after your own money, the banks won't and they will charge you for it too!

Boom! How to become rich in this recession?

It's a little known fact that more millionaires were made during The Great Depression than in any other time in U.S. history.

There is one golden nugget contained in this history lesson that can enable you to make a lot of money when the UK is in a recession (like right now) because a recession is exactly the same thing as a depression except it doesn't last as long and the economic damage is not as severe.

You should know that the Great Depression actually began a few years in advance of the 1929 stock market crash and lasted until World War II brought the US out of the Depression.

During the years before 1929, as greater and greater amounts of credit was extended to individuals and businesses the economy was tipping over the edge from available cash to excessive amounts of credit debt. When the amount of extended credit reached a critical mass, and businesses failed to pay the credit bills, the companies crashed (the 1929 stock market crash.) Because employees lost their jobs they could not pay their credit debts and the housing market and banking industries crashed.

The many business enterprises that changed hands during the depression by people with liquid cash are too numerous to mention, but due to the war effort, those with liquid cash who bought land, homes, companies, or invested in the shares of the companies that produced products that were in demand by the government for the war effort made millions. The industries included such products as:

1. Steel, iron, copper, and aluminum
   
2. Communications equipment and replacement parts
3. Tanks, boats, aircraft, vehicles and parts for these
   
4. Ammunition and weapons
   
5. Boots, clothing, belts, helmets, caps, backpacks, hats, blankets, tents and cots (and the textiles to make them)
   
6. Storage and shipping containers
   
7. Shipping, truck and railway transportation
   
8. Petroleum products and fuels and stock in iol wells (the Texas oil boom was a biggie!)

A handful of the better known companies that were bought during that period were: Ericsson,Reynolds Metals, John Deere, Douglas Aircraft and even the Goudy Gum Company

So what should you do now?

Now, like then presents an opportunity. I personally feel in the next 6-12 months there will be plenty of opportunities for those that have a liquid asset base (i.e. cash). Those with cash and an appetite for risk will find some rich pickings. Sectors to look at include:

1. Property - UK and abroad, still falling but it will bottom out soon...start looking for some bargains!
2. Retail - trouble on the high street now, but look for the labels that are re-positioning themselves in the market place. Many such shares are really at record lows.
3. Banking - a tough one to call, but potentially huge, be careful to assess the capital/loan ratios before you invest
4. Healthcare - people still get ill and need their teeth done. So healthcare still remains a firm favourite of mine...whether you run a healthcare business or invest in healthcare shares.
5. Any businesses that are either catering to the CHEAP end of the spectrum or at the BEST end of the spectrum. Focusing on such extremes will do well. It is the middle ground that is hurting, so best to focus on CHEAP or BEST! For example i recently attended an art exhibition where 90% of the art sold in just 48 hours...and it was not cheap! Fine wines look another interesting prospect, they have dropped a lot recently and could yield big potentials...i will be looking in to this one further!

Just a few ideas.....just start looking and taking some action!

Arun Needs Your Help!

"Today, we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today."

US President Elect Barack Obama�

Arun Needs Your Help!

We need your help to make this Christmas extra special for disadvantaged kids in London this year, in this year of the Credit Crunch.

To help us achieve our goal, all you need to do is donate a new gift to our "Give a Little Love! 2008" extravanganza to help put a smile on a disadvantaged child’s face this Christmas.

For those that do help, apart from a great feeling of contribution, I can promise you a FREE place at my new "Work Less, Make More - 2009" Seminar in the first half of 2009 worth £395+VAT.

So you have NOTHING TO LOSE AND EVERYTHING TO GAIN, so if you want to help please click here to learn more and get involved. Please take a few moments to read this site in full in order to help our cause.

I look forward to you joining us in making this a very special event.

Many thanks and have a fantastic week ahead!

Arun

P.S. Click Here to learn more and get involved

P.P.S Check out Arun’s blog at http://www.arunmehra.blogspot.com to keep up to date with our progress on "Give a Little Love! 2008"’

Ten Things you should be using Google for!

Apart from the wonderful search engine capabilities it provides, there are literally tonnes of great things behind that simple search engine interface. This last month I have been looking behind the Google Search Bar to see what is available, and you would be amazed to see what is there and what is FREE. If you have some sense of geekness ( i do, i have a degree in Electronic Engineering) then this blog will give you a great idea what is available and how to use it to your benefit:

1. Google Search Engine - We all use it, and the number 1 site in the world for searching for key words or images.
2. Google Adwords - We have all used these, and where Google makes its real money.
3. Google Mail - A great email facility with literally tonnes of storage for emails, if I didn't have a server, i would probably use this for email.
4. Google Checkout - Yes they do payment processing now - for just 1.5% per transaction and you can even get it free if you use adwords.The cheapest payment processing on the market, and damn easy to use.
5. Google Maps - Absolutely brilliant for searching for locations around the world, planning trips...dare i go on. I use it to plan my holidays all the time.
6. Google Picasa Web Albums - A fantastic on line photo gallery of your best and worst shots, which you can share if you like!
7. Google Docs - Online spreadhsheets, word processors...so many great tools which are absolutely free and accessible anywhere.
8. Google Books - Free books available to read online or print out - Want to read a classic or a new novel, Google has signed up many authors here. Want to read the all time business classic "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill - then click http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=c86H36mgiM4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=napoleon+hill&ei=SkQYSaHGCo3gswPC4vQG#PPP1,M1 it is here!
9. Google Groups - Want to create your own business group so you can express and share ideas? Then again with Google you can start your own discussion group....how brilliant is that?
10. Blogger - This is what this is, all via Google. So if you want to express yourself online then this is the thing to use and set up and share your blog around the world.

These are just a few items. In addition to this i use youtube, online calendars, news...the list goes on. If you have not looked behind the search engine facade then perhaps now you should, it could make you and save you a lot of money.

Cadbury's Advertising....Great advert, same old chocolate!

This evening during the first commercial break of the X-factor (i have no choice but to watch it in my house) Cadbury's had two adverts that must have lasted at least 2 minutes, advertising their Cadbury's Dairy Milk Bar. One was an advert with a new Gorilla advert playing the drums whilst the other were some cars on a airport runway driving to a Bon Jovi song. You can see the adverts at: http://www.aglassandahalffullproductions.com.

Whilst they are very amusing adverts, the fundamental question i have to ask myself was, did it make me want to go out and buy more Cadbury's Dairy Milk? Honest answer no. If i wanted Cadbury's dairy milk i know about it already as do the millions of people who have bought it previously. There was no impetus making me want to go and buy some more. This advert failed to address my "What's in it for me?" question. There was no incentive, no offer, just the same boring chocolate they have been selling for donkeys years, packaged in an innovative advert.

Surely they could have spent the millions they spent in those 2 minutes of advertising on promoting a once in a life time offer, or developing some unique limited edition chocolate that has some unique features. Sadly they were lazy, thinking that by spending lots of money on adverts that will get their sales up...i very much doubt it.

General advertising is for the lazy, targeted advertising focused on a specific group who have been offered an incentive to buy is a completely different story! Before you commit to advertising your business, have a think and ask yourself this question "would you or your family buy from the advert you are about to put on TV or in the newspaper?". Enough said.

LIVE LIKE IT IS YOUR LAST DAY!

The Bank of England have announced a slashing in interest rates to 3%. This means:

1. The economy is in dire straits hence the need to try and stimulate consumer demand. A bold move by the MPC, but in my opinion one that was needed. I hope the banks will pass the interest savings on loans to customers which will help small businesses in these tough times.

2. Possibly rates will move lower, perhaps towards zero %, as they have done in Japan to encourage people to go and spend....we are not that bad yet, but you never know?

2. I don't think it will change the medium term out look, house prices are unlikely to rocket as a result of this, there will be further bad news on housing over the next 12 months, as people feel poorer as their house values drop further.

So what should you do in all this gloom?

My opinion is to not fret. Don't let the negative media sentiment get you down. Now, right now, there are millions of opportunities. Whilst the media gets everyone to live their lives in fear, make sure you choose not to.

This economic downturn represents a MASSIVE opportunity to do something BIG and SPECIAL. Others will tell you not to, but if you have an idea, and have thought it through well enough, now maybe the time to TAKE THE ACTION REQUIRED! Let me know if I CAN HELP!

GO FOR IT! Live as it is your last day!

Tribal Politics - Marketing Lessons from Obama

Tribal Politics - Marketing Lessons from Obama

We all had a feeling he would do it, but only until the counts started coming in were we convinced of the significance of this world event. Obama did it, and now the real hard work begins. Getting into the Oval office was all about marketing, the next stage for Obama will be about delivery. If he fails to deliver, all his critics will say "i told you he was inexperienced for the job", but if he does deliver on his manifesto promise we will see a very different world after his term in office.

So how did he do it?

Appointed as the Senator for Illinois in 2004, there is no doubting his meteoric rise to President-elect of the USA. As Seth Godin (www.sethgodin.com) points out in his book Tribes, Obama created and cultivated a tribe to follow and believe him. Based on previous Democratic failures, Obama realised early on that the traditional Democratic voter would not be sufficient to get him elected. So he set out to create a new tribe, a new following, that included weary veterans, the centre vote, black voters and others. A risky approach, one that would be time consuming and very expensive. However, with momentum behind him, after defeating Hilary supporters in the Primary's many thought that John McCain's move of getting Sarah Palin in would shift Hilary voters his way. This did not happen.

Barak and The Long Tail

In fact, Barak's momentum with his tribe got stronger and stronger, they contributed more and more via the Internet - $10 here, $5 here....but all of these small contributions enabled him to fund raise the most in history for a Presidential race. He connected with his tribe, these small niches in the US which the Internet enabled him to connect to, provided him with his fund raising war chest, and ultimately were the people who voted for him on election day. Through the well known concept of the Long Tail (visit www.chrisanderson.com to learn more), via the medium of the Internet he managed to connect with individual voters who in turn have put him in office.

Obama, created a tribe of people who believed, followed and now respect him. A marketing genius. His business was politics, now you can do the same in yours!

Disney...The home of endless queues

Yes, i am back from a whirlwind trip of France in the October freeze. I was on holiday but i learnt many key facts (i cannot switch off) whilst away.

1. Going to Europe today is very expensive. With the pound at an almost all time low against the euro, spending £'s in France does not get you very far. In fact, it appears that very soon the £ will have the same value as the Euro, not much fun if you are earning in £'s and spending in euro's. At around 1.2 Euro's to the pound it is not a good idea to go to Europe from a financial point of view. In addition, this means that supplies for your business may become more expensive if they are being imported from Europe, which many dental supplies do indeed.

2. We had to go to Eurodisney for the day, and it was not much fun. Queues upon queues, even my 4 year old son got fed up queuing. However, you have to credit Disney for the wonderful business idea. The concept is great, but ever so commercial. 10 euros for a cold hot dog in France - has the world gone mad? But what we can learn from this business, create something special, people will come again and again, despite the surly staff, the long queues, cold expensive hot dogs....i am sure my children will ensure we go back again!

3.Paris - my favourite city in the world. No it is not a cliche but oh so true. Rude Parisiens, people on street corners puffing the cigarettes, but the charm of the Seine and the beautiful buildings make up for these issues. However, one big moan is the customer service for people with children. London is years ahead and much more child friendly. In a space of 4 days in Paris, we walked out of two establishments as they looked at us in disgust with a pushchair with a baby and an ever so active 4 year old! They could do with a good dose of UK or American customer service. Have they heard of tripadvisor yet (www.tripadvisor.co.uk)?? where i can basically tell the whole world how great or poor their restaurant is? one of my favourite websites!

Marmalade Monday ...The Cereal Entrepreneur Begins

Yes I am back with a vengeance after a break in France, and despite not seeing a Purple Cow in The French Countryside, i have decided to create my own - those who have read the book will know what i mean!

A complete rename of the blog name, much more in line with my thoughts and writing. I will also be aiming to write a daily blog for you to digest at breakfast, wherever i maybe in the world. But let me off if i do need a break from writing.

Now why the name "The Cereal Entrepreneur"?

Apart from the play on words, for those that do know me, and those that will get to know me, my nature is entrepreneurial, new ideas, new concepts, new businesses...dare i go on. I thrive on being an entrepreneur, if it has not been done before, i will give it a go, certainly from a business perspective...i may sometimes fail, but certainly won't give up.

Each morning for your breakfast, i will aim to deliver to you a provoking thought or story or anecdote from my view of business, entrepreneurship and in fact life. Sometimes you may like it, other times you may not, but i will always aim to give my best and of course i will always welcome your feedback - positive or negative.

My aim is simple. To create the most read UK based small business blog in the UK. So if you like it please help me do it!

Thanks

Arun