Business Ideas For Smes And Start Ups

Bundoran, a seaside town in Donegal has threatened to reinvent itself over the last number of years. Whilst it has become something of a mecca for surfers, it will need more entrepreneurial spirit from the likes of Laura Hardaker, owner of the beautiful cafe and bakery, the Hardy Baker. In Episode 19 Laura talks about the importance of passion, attention to detail and the provision of quality products if you want to succeed.

The second episode includes more insights and anecdotes from Damian Hughes, author of 5 Steps To A Winning Mindset, where he goes deeper into values in action, behaviours and reconfirms the importance of culture at the heart of any team - either in sport or business. This has been one of the most fascinating conversations I've had during the short time I have been doing the Shift Control podcast - mirroring my feelings about the 5 Steps to A Winning Mindset. Damian has an ability to break down the complex into manageable and easy-to-understand chunks. I hope you enjoy listening to this podcast as much as I did recording it. Cheers Damian

There are many obvious crossovers between and business and sport when it comes to high performance - mental toughness, controlling emotions and communication, to name but three. In Part 1 of a 2-part podcast I discuss with Damian Hughes, the core of his latest book: "5 Steps to a Winning Mindset" SIMPLICITY, THINKING, EMOTIONS, PRACTICAL and STORIES all make up the STEPS acronym and Damian shares some insights into all 5 over the 2 episodes. Author of 10 books and currently working on his 11th, Damian is a Professor of Behavioural Psychology, coach and mentor in both sport and business - check him out at www.liquidthinker.com and enjoy the show

It has never been harder for brands, organisations and businesses to stand out for the right reasons. Right now, everyone is short on time and overwhelmed with interruption and so to connect with any audience, your message needs to be succinct and easily understood. Park Howell, the driving force behind The Business of Story believes that a strong narrative can have an incredible impact on a business.Park Howell, Brand Story telling for business Technology and data may give us global reach and market intelligence but it is the ancient craft of storytelling, which truly helps make the connection between a brand and its audience. In Episode 17 of the Shift Control Podcast I discuss with Park the Hollywood origins of The Business of Story and how big business is waking up to the possibility of tried and tested storytelling techniques. Over the last number of years, on his Business of Story Podcast, Park has interviewed some of the very best content creators, advertising creatives, authors, professors, maker

Do you see your brand as investment or an expense? Developing a logo or brand identity is a skill. And skill costs. At the gig platform, Fiverr, a logo can be crafted fro as little as $5...let the rant begin... Music intro from www.bensound.com

Delighted to be presenting this episode of the shift control podcast - in discussion with Carlo Pignataro author of the brilliant Sell With Style. Sell with Style: The Ultimate Guide to Luxury Selling is easily one of the best books on sales, branding and value delivery on the market. Carlo gives some great insights into personal branding, offering value and the idea of "perceived value" and shares some of his experience working for some of the biggest brands in the luxury market. It was a genuine honour for me to have this discussion with Carlo - and my first online / Skype podcast - so please forgive my first night nerves. Enjoy.

ccording to a recently published Neilson Sports report our appetite for fitness health and wellbeing will see the gym sector become the shining star of the post Brexit Economy. Someone who is well prepared to take advantage of that market opportunity is CEO and founder of Belfast-based BLK BOX Fitness, Greg Bradley. For Greg and his team, the business isn’t just about the gym industry in the UK and Ireland – the company has already established a solid reputation throughout the UK and Ireland in many of the major sports, including GAA, rugby and soccer and have already plans further afield with upcoming projects in UAE and mainland Europe. This podcast has been a long time coming – I have known Greg for a few years now and have closely watched his progress in the industry. Much of the brand’s development has come from his ability to create and retain meaningful relationships with a wide range of people – influencers, decision makers both here in Ireland and as far as Australia. Driven and hardworking, his

Al and Astra McNIcholl are the co-founders of The Itty Bitty Book Company - this podcast is a conversation with Astra, where she explains what motivated both her and her husband to leave their previous jobs and set up their new company. She talks about the importance of positivity and how a positive mindset can have an incredibly powerful impact on people and in particular young children. For more information on Astra and the business, check out their website: www.ittybittybookco.com

1-in-5 2017 Episode 1, EQ and IQ by Shift Control

In this episode, I speak to Siobhan Doherty, CEO of the only organisation in the North

How important is sales training to your business? how important is training of any kind to your business? If you take it seriously you will get the rewards and if you don't then you will most likely get what you deserve.

In an attempt to overcome bouts of deep depression, Luke Tyburski sees out on a journey to create The Ultimate Triathlon...25km, cycling the equivalent of the length of Ireland twice and running 12 marathons in 6 days....an incredible story on the eve of the screening of the Documentary of The Ultimate Triathlon in Belfast on 27th September 2016

This 1-in-5 is all about keeping customers and the importance of not neglecting over acquisition. if you are lucky 80% of your next years sales target is already written - question is, do your customers feel that important? www.shift-control.co.uk @shiftcontrol66

Luke Tyburski is an extreme athlete who has just finished making a documentary on The Ultimate Triathlon, a 2,000km swim, cycle, run race from Morocco to Monaco. I know, mental. He's coming to Belfast on 27th September 2016 and Conor Devine tells us a little bit more about the event

1-in-5 is a series of bitesized podcasts greed to 1 big idea in 5 minutes or less...this one is all about strategic planning and a model created by a marketing guru from Dublin called PR Smith

1-in-5 is a series of bitesized podcasts greed to 1 big idea in 5 minutes or less...this one is all about what we can learn from Starbucks. I Know. Starbucks!

Following on from the first episode with Frank Liddy, the feedback was really positive, which prompted a second conversation on mindfulness and its application to your personal life and business.

A business growth strategy needs to take into account your existing customers and the world as they see it - you never sell to your physical self, so it is impossible to fully understand the world of the customer unless you take the time out to do just that.

Emailing out 20 proposals a week, might make you think you've been productive but unless you are getting in front of the buyer and other decision makers, you are only clogging up the sales pipeline....

The importance of knowing who you are and why people need to engage with you - the customer value proposition is the reason people engage with you. Do you know yours?