Well it has finally happened. The Business Growth Club is up and running and already has great content on it. If you are looking for some business development ideas or advice then I humbly suggest that this is the place to go. There are a number of seminars available, including:

The 20 Fundamentals of Business Development
How To Be Your Own Business Guru
Copywriting Fundamentals
Value Chain Analysis
The Success Web
How to Stop Wasting £000s on Marketing That Doesn’t Work
Costing and Pricing Your Products and Services

You can try it out for free by using a coupon which you will find on the club home page. So go and have a look and let me know what you think.

Did you get everything done in 2008 that you meant to? No? Me neither. Perhaps we just expected too much or perhaps we just didn’t focus on what we really wanted. Probably a bit of both! In today’s world it is easy to get distracted.

For instance I meant to write on this blog more frequently than I have done. I expected to have my new website up and running - it is close but not there yet. The reason being is I have been busy creating content for it. Business training content, delivered in a new and exciting format.

I have also been attending training courses myself and assisting on some others.

One that you really need to know about is Play To Win with Clinton Swaine. I was helping behind the scenes at his last UK event in September last year. His company is not meant to be coming to the UK for another 3 years, but he was persuaded to bring over some of his presentations early. Quite frankly I was blown away.

I have been helping businesses and delivering business training for quite some time now. His methods takes expreiental learning to a different level. This is what one delegate had to say about it:

“I love attending programs that are thought-provoking and that push, stretch and challenge me. I certainly got all this and more at Play To Win! This program opened the floodgates for me to get to the next level in my life, my marriage and my business. I got to see where I’ve been playing a small game in my business and how I could step up and play a much bigger game. I’m finding myself acting quicker and more decisively. I finally found the switch to turn off my internal criticism. And, I suddenly saw where I was undervaluing my time and talents… so I’m in the process of hiring an apprentice! Play To Win is cutting edge – it’s creative, inventive and provides a host of transferable skills in the form of game after game. This program is on a par with giants such as Excellerated Business School’s Money & You and Business School for Entrepreneurs, and T. Harv Eker’s Millionaire Mind Intensive – all of which I’m a graduate. I highly recommend Play To Win and will be going back for more. ” - Mari Smith, San Diego

And the good news is he is coming back again! It really is a no brainer. If you are in any sort of business or plan to be then you should go. It will transform how you think about your business and how you act in your business. Go with colleagues or just go by yourself. You will meet and network with a large group of like minded people. And best of all, if you click on the link below the tickets are free!

I just asked a simple question: “What is the message that you want me to get?” Often the presenter was unable to tell me. The parallel with business is quite astonishing. How many businesses are just unclear on the message that they want their customers to get. And yet without that clear understanding they will waste thousands of pounds on marketing that has no chance of being successful.

Now I am not saying that your business is unfocussed, but it makes you think doesn’t it.

Once the presenters were absolutely clear in their own minds the message that they wanted to get across their presentations just got better and better. Perhaps there is a lesson in that for all of us if we would just take the time to think about it now.

It gives me great pleasure to let you know that the course is now live. It is a seven week programme that you will get sent to your in-box. Most important of all is it is currently free as I originally planned. But there is a catch; isn’t there always?

What I would like you to do is give me some feedback as you go through it. What is good, what is bad and what is just downright confusing. Is there anything missing that you think should have been covered? Have I spent too long in one area or not enough time? Or did you just think the whole thing is great!

Although it is a free course at the moment I am not committing to leave it free. I have put a lot of great content into it and it basically walks you through how to grow and develop your business. The seven parts are:

Part 1- What Does Your Business Actually Do?

Business is simple and yet most people seem to want to make it complicated. Find out the basic business model that every business has to operate from and determine what it is for your business.

Part 2 - The Five Phases Of Business Development

Every business moves through five phases. Each phase has a significant impact on the business structure. Not knowing what the phases are or there effects can have your business going round in circles rather than growing.

Part 3 - Why Every Business Needs Seven Departments

There is a basic structure to every business consisting of seven parts. If one of these parts is missing that could be a problem for you.

Part 4 - Changing Roles as Your Business Grows

As a business grows the role of the owner changes. Find out what the roles are and see if you are playing your part.

Part 5 - You Can’t Improve It If You Can’t See It

To develop your business you need a map. Find out what kind of map and how to draw one for yourself.

Part 6 - Creating a Joined-Up business

With everything else in place it is time to ensure that your business can flow. Learn the secret to ensuring you have a consistent and trouble free business.

Part 7 - Planning Your Future Growth

Finally, with everything in place you can begin to think about how to develop your business. Learn what you have to do and why you have to do it.

Over the seven parts you will be introduced to the 20 Business Fundamentals that I believe every business must comply with if it is to be successful. To get your copy go to http://www.businessperformancecoaching.co.uk/spc/spmc-sign.html

To Your Success Right Now

Eric Sutherland

The Business Performance Coach

It will come with a new seven week training course on business fundamentals. I have put together some top material and it should be available within the next couple of weeks. This is a no fluff no pitching and no selling course. Over a seven week period it will introduce you to the 20 business fundamentals that I think are vital to any business.

It has taken me over five weeks to put this course together and if you follow through on the included exercises it will make a significant difference to the way you think about your business. Oh and by the way, it is going to be free; well at least for the moment. You see I want the maximum number of people to review it and let me know about any parts they want to see more of or any parts that they find confusing. What is obvious to me is not always obvious to anyone else. I will post another blog once it is ready.

Eric Sutherland