Redback Solutions Launchs New Website

For most of 2008, we were so busy at Redback Solutions helping our clients to improve their websites and build their eMarketing strategies that we never had time upgrade our own site.

Well I'm happy to say that in the weeks before Christmas and in early January while our clients were have a well deserved rest, we took some time to reflect and work on our own site and eMarketing.

A couple of weeks ago we launched our new site – www.rb.com.au

Please give us feed back, we'd love to know what you think….. good or bad.

Conquering fears

My friend Brian Haupt, whom I met through Business Swap in Brisbane, found out about losing his sight at the age of 26. Since then he has overcome many challenges and his next one is climbing Mount Kilimanjora, the tallest mountain in Africa. He was featured in an article in the South East Advertiser, and sent me the following letter that I'd like to share with you.

Hi Matt,

As mentioned, Yes, I am doing something as crazy as climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, leaving 9th, March this year.  The tallest mountain in Africa.

This is a fundraiser for the Queensland Eye Institute.  The money raised will be contributing into Macular Degeneration Research.  This disease effects the elder generation (You may know of someone who could be a sufferer?).

Why am I doing something as crazy as this?  Several reasons.  I was notified via an email outlining the expedition/fundraiser, inviting vision impaired persons to apply.  Naturally I put my hand up. I haven't actually been on a camping trip like this before.  The thought of walking 15-20 kilometres a day uphill is a little daunting.  However, I believe I can do it!  The walk is more about determination then climbing the mountain.  I will be meeting other vision impaired persons from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

All totaled there will be 11 vision impaired people and 11 sighted guides.

Five of the vision impaired persons will be from around Brisbane, and one from NZ.  The other five will be South African.  Each with our own sight hindrances'.

For more details on the expedition and participants, please click on the link below and check out the website.

www.highsightexpedition.org.au

I will be doing a great deal of walking.  In the six weeks leading Up to the departure we will be preparing with altitude training at Executive Excellence, in Albion.  I will be hooked up to a breathing machine which will decrease the amount of oxygen gradually whilst walking on a treadmill or peddling an exercise bike.

We will be leaving AUSTRALIA on the 9th March.  Landing in Johannesburg, making our way to the Drakensberg Mountains for a further two days of altitude training.  The next day will be the ascent of Mt Kilimanjaro.  This will be four days up.  Keeping in mind, the day we reach the peak.  We will start walking from 12 midnight, to watch (?!) the sunrise.  The temperature being approximately 10-15 degrees below zero.

I like to say BC (Bloody Cold) turning around to start the descent.  The next afternoon we are back at the motel.  After this we will make our way to Zanzibar for two days of RNR.  Then back home.

Parts of the trip will be filmed for memories and marketing purposes for those companies and businesses who sponsor or donate over $1,000..  Plus it is a World Record attempt for the largest number of blind climbers to scale Mt Kilimanjaro at the one time.

Raising as much money as possible, excess funds raised will be going toward MD Research.  The monies raised will cover travel, equipment, supplies, accommodation and porters.  This explains why we're looking for sponsors to help with the purchase of equipment (hiking boots, clothing, backpacks, airfares).

.  As this is for a registered charity, all donations in excess $2.00 are fully tax deductable.

Foundation Website; www.pbf.org.au

Yours sincerely,

Brian Haupt http://www.brianjh.blogspot.com

Eight Keys to Financial Security

I came across this article from Knight Kiplinger and thought it was very relevant for the first post of the new year. Most of the time our new years resolutions are to do with health or finances, so why not start with finances.
Key 1: Invest in yourselfYour own earning power — rooted in your education and job skills — is the most valuable asset you'll ever own, and it can't be wiped out in a market crash. Keep your earning power growing through continuous education, training and personal development. If you work in a field prone to periodic layoffs or falling earnings, think about a career change, especially if there's something else you've always dreamed of doing.
Key 2: Protect yourself and your loved onesBefore you acquire any financial assets, make sure you have enough insurance against life's big risks — serious illness, disability and early death. Most people, young families in particular, are woefully underinsured, especially for disability. When an emergency arises, you and your family will never regret having “wasted” all those annual premiums on insurance you “don't need.” (See The Basics of Insurance to learn more.)
Key 3: Borrow sparinglyUse credit only to purchase things of lasting value: a home, education, maybe a car. Pay cash for everything else such as clothing, travel, entertainment and furniture. Even better, take advantage of the credit card company's free 30-day loan by charging responsibly and paying off the bill in full every month. Do you know anyone who got into big financial trouble because they didn't borrow enough money? I don't.
Key 4: Pay yourself firstIf you feel you never have any money “left over” for investing after you pay all your bills, try reversing the bill-paying process. Make the first check you write each month a deposit to your mutual fund, money market or brokerage account. Then pay all your regular monthly bills, finishing up with the credit card bill. If you're having trouble paying that last bill, trim your discretionary spending — but keep paying yourself first.
Key 5: Don't go for the home runIn investing, as in baseball, those who swing for the fences do hit the occasional home run. But they strike out a lot too, and their lifetime batting average — average annual total return — suffers accordingly. So shy away from highly volatile stocks, Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), buying on margin and commodity trading. Don't try to time markets, because no one does it consistently well. Use dollar-cost averaging to invest regularly in markets good, bad and lackluster. Have the patience to wait out the occasional (and inevitable) bear markets.
Key 6: Diversify, diversify, diversifyWhen tech stocks were flying high in the late '90s, safer investments like bonds, CDs and less-volatile blue-chip stocks were derided as sissy stuff. Diversification was considered boring. But successful investors have always known that any one class of assets — stocks, real estate, bonds, cash — will have its day in the doghouse and its day in the sun. That's why you've got to own all of them, in a mix that's right for your age, income, family responsibilities and tolerance for risk.
Key 7: Live simply today for a more comfortable tomorrowDeferred gratification is no fun, but it's the only way I know to fund your long-term goals — college for your kids or grandkids, that vacation home you've always wanted, early retirement, a generous bequest to your alma mater. Take a close look at your current lifestyle, and if you see a lot of spending that is dispensable, consider it found money for the bigger dreams in your life (see The Invisible Rich).
Key 8: Give generously to create a better worldYour own financial security depends far more than you may think on the financial, physical and spiritual health of others in your community, our nation, our world. When you share your good fortune by donating your money, time and talent to charity, you help create a stronger economy and a healthier, safer world.
So give generously to education, your church, social-service agencies, the arts, medical research — whatever you value most. It feels wonderful, it's the ultimate in enlightened self-interest and it's the right thing to do (see Philanthropy Made Easy).

Stick Tickets – featured on Technation and Lifehacker

Technation – Interview with Matt Freedman of Sticky Tickets

Life Hacker – Sticky Tickets Organises your Next Event – Sell Tickets Online

Hunter technology company expands its web

OAS buys Redback

One of the region’s leading IT companies is expanding into web development and e-marketing.

OAS Technology Group has today announced it will purchase Newcastle based Redback Solutions.

OAS managing director Tony Price said the move into web development and e-marketing is part of the company’s plan to remain a leader in technology integration. In mid 2005, OAS expanded its operations to include a cabling, and communications company to complement its systems integration group.

“The purchase of Redback is another way we can help our customers to use technology in an integrated way to drive business success,” Mr Price said.

Mr Price said it would be business as usual for both companies. OAS staff member Graham Hill has been appointed business development manager for Redback Solutions in Newcastle. Redback will continue to operate from its offices in both Newcastle and Sydney.

Redback Solutions current owner and managing director Matt Freedman, who is now based in the Sydney office, will stay on to continue to build business and act as a web development and e-marketing consultant.

Mr Freedman said he will devote more time developing his online event marketing and ticketing business, Sticky Tickets. The young, Newcastle born and raised, entrepreneur established Redback Solutions in 1999 at the age of 25. The company opened a Sydney office in 2005. It has clients across the Hunter, Sydney and in other Australian states.

“Redback Solutions has worked closely with OAS on projects for a number of years, so I know the company, staff and clients are in good hands.” Mr Freedman said.
 
OAS Technology Group was established in 1982. The group now employs more than 30 staff and is located in new corporate premises in Broadmeadow. Redback Solutions employs 10 people.

Your Brand is Not Your Logo

When a lot of people think about brand, the only thing they think about is their logo. Even if they get past that they often extend this only to corporate colours and other style based items, but your brand is so much more.

I like to think that your brand is the personality of your business, which in turn leads to the way people perceive your business.

If you were to use the metaphor of an individual, your brand is

• how you look – your physical attributes like gender, height, weight, perceived attractiveness etc)
• how you dress – your clothes, shoes, accessories
• what you say – the words you use – content and grammar
• the way you say it – tone, body language etc
• how you act – what you do

If the individual brand is consistent and it fits with what someone likes then they will like you as a person. You build rapport and trust. If you an not consistent, ie you look and act differently each day then people will never know whether they like you or not, and are unlikely to trust you.

In a business brand is all these things and encompass

• how you look – logo, corporate image, signage, promotional material, advertising etc
• how you and your staff act, dress, speak
• how the phones are answered
• what you websites says
• how people experience your products and services
• every touchpoint with you business

If your brand is consistent and fits with what you market likes, then people will feel trust and will like your business. If you brand is inconsistent then people won't trust you and will be unlikely to do business with you.

For more on brand, visit Seth Godins Blog.

Nice Icebreaker

I was just thinking about a session I gave on eMarketing last night for people starting businesses. I find that people just sit and listen at the start, however as they warm to you they feel more comfortable asking questions until towards the end of the session it become an open discussion more than a presentation.

A great icebreaking idea that I got from Yvonne Adelle is to make everyone wear name tags that have their nickname on it instead of their real name.

In a large group you can get people to nominate what there current or highschool nickname was, or in a smaller group you get brainstorm and then have a vote on what you are going to call each person. This gets the group working together and also jumps starts their creativity before the workshop starts.

3 things that could make you more profit

As markets possibly tighten, it a good time to refocus on basics and what contributes to our bottom line. One of the first things we often do is cut costs, but once you weed out unnecessary expenses, there is  a limit where you can't cut costs any further without impacting what you offer and what makes your business special. The next thing to look at is sales, and to keep in mind that the end goal is profit determine entirely by number of sales and margin on each sale.

So

No. Leads x % Conversion x % Profit = Financial Success

So ask yourself these questions

1. How can you generate more leads?
2. How can you improve the rate at which I convert these leads into sales?
3. How can you increase the margin on your products and services so you make more money for each sale?

Increasing any of these areas will add to your bottom line, but increase all three will have a cumulative effect.

For example

Just say you have 100 leads per month and convert 20% of them and make on average $1,000 of profit on each sale. The profit for the month would be $20,000.

If you improve each area by 10% then you will have 110 leads per month and convert 22% of them and make on average $1,100 of profit on each sale. The profit for the month would be $26,620.

So a 10% improve in each of the 3 areas would give a 33% in profit.

Sticky Tickets now has a page on Facebook

Sticky Tickets now has it's own page on Facebook. Check it out at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sydney-Australia/Sticky-Tickets/41442315619, and become a fan to keep up to date on what's going on at Sticky Tickets and become friends with other fans.