Date: August 2012 - Page 2

If we believe what we read, then the world is stuffed. Literally. More debt than the Great Depression and unemployment is at an all time high - what else could we possibly be doing to destroy our world.

Yet, there are people who don't look down the barrel of pessimism and they continue on a path of global dominance and financial reward.

In the US, people who continue to show the world how it is done:

1. Howard D Schultz, Founder and CEO of Starbucks. I have just finished reading the book on Starbucks and I am impressed. It's a great story and an even better marketing blueprint that many other companies have followed but failed to duplicate. He is the 2011 Fortune Magazine Businessperson of the Year and a billionaire to boot.

2. Jeffrey P Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon. Another great book to read is the story on Amazon and its continued global dominance. I use to buy from Book Depositary because I thought it was cheaper, but Amazon through its acquisition has gained my loyalty and a few gold stars. Another marketers dreamboat, Amazon's business model is as impressive as its Founder.

3. Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Facebook. Not only do I love the movie which did not portray Mark in the best light, but nevertheless gained incredible insight into the world of how a business like Facebook was founded and built. Since then, Facebook has listed on NASDAQ with questionable results but that still hasn't dampened my enthusiasm for Mark Zuckerberg as an entrepreneur with steely result. He may be a bit odd, but who isn't? Look at Bill Gates - is he normal? I don't think you can reach the upper echlon of business like this and be 100% normal. He is a fascinating character and it will be interesting to see how well Facebook does in the next few years. Nevertheless, Zuckerberg has made his money and will always be the Founder of Facebook.

In Australia, there are three amazing businesspeople that I would place in the top 30 businesspeople in the world:

1. Gina Reinhardt, Mining Magnate: This women is invincible. She is strong, determined, smart and well respected. It may seem like she came from nowhere but be assured she is no strinking voilet and while the world is fascinated by this magnate who holds the title of the richest woman in the world, she keeps her cards close to her chest. Like anyone, I am very interested in what makes this woman tick and am incredibly interested in where her media interests end up.

2. Jack Cowin, Hungry Jacks: An incredible gentleman and more respected than any other businessman I have met in Australia. He has a loyal following and plays the game privately and without fanfair. His advice is invaluable and he has an electric group of friends that I think highlights the diversity of his personality. Noone can dispute his business acumen and ability to find a good deal. On top of all of that, he is a family man. Absolutely my favourite businessman in Australia although he is Canadian.

3. Gail Kelly, CEO, Westpac Bank: This woman is dynamite. She embodies so many great things about a woman who is successful. Great family, incredibly smart, good communication skills and very strategic. On top of that, she has a great family. Need I say more.

For 2 minutes I had to check my facebook account to see if I had access to a client's administration from my log-in and up pops a post from Donna Hay. For those of you that sleep under a rock, Donna Hay is probably the most famous and incredible Australian Chef around.

Leo Burnett is a clever advertising agency. I am always impressed by their work. They have big budgets and can pay for talent, so when they bring out a new campaign, you know that it is worth looking at.

For instance, the McDonalds campaign for the Olympics, "We all make the games" shows British consumers how they can celebrate the Olympics at home. The campaign uses Team GB supporters in the press, digital and outdoor media focusing on people who make the games happen - those who sit at home and watch it.

It's fair to say that marketing strategies don't work by themselves. You can spend thousands of dollars having a marketing strategy written for your small business, but if it isn't implemented, it's not worth the paper it is written on.

I know hundreds of companies that have engaged a marketing consultant to write a marketing strategy and then are left miffed as to why it didn't work. Well, it doesn't work if you don't do anything with it! It's as simple as that.

There are thousands of marketing companies in Australia. They range from one-man bands, to small and mid tier agencies, right through to large multinationals.

For small businesses, it is very hard for many entrepreneurs or business managers to ascertain what is the best marketing solution for their business and what will help them get to the next level.

As a business owner and entrepreneur, it is paramount to understand our competitors and do the complete opposite to what they are doing.

It's no different to Justin Bieber, the Venture Capitalist, reportedly having earned $108 million over the past two years investing in tech startups like Spotify - becoming complacent because you think you have made it or everything is going swimmingly well, could be your biggest downfall.

How do you become someone's favourite restaurant?

The food needs to be delicioius. Mouth watering. Something that your customer thinks about without even being there and tasting it. They need to sit around chatting to their friends, and at the same time be dreaming that they are eating a meal at your restaurant.

Your restaurant needs to be convenient. Not necessarily around the corner, but in close enough proximity to not be a hassle to get to.

If you are anything like me, Sunday morning, I always go down to my local cafe at 7am with my dog to buy a coffee and a fresh croissant. It gets rid of two things; my need for a coffee in the morning and my dog needing to 'do her business'.

Then, I come home, shower, and turn on my computer. Mainly I write, but at least for an hour or so, I work.

Unlike most people, I rarely go into my emails. That to me is a Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 job. Instead I look at the Marketing Eye website and think of ways to market our business.

I am THE SUNDAY MARKETER.

There is a reason why this marketing blog has been neglected and it's not something that I particularly wanted to share.

And, to some extent, I won't.

However, today I received in the mail a book and it was a reminder that 'everything happens for a reason'.

I travelled around the world twice in six weeks for business and when you do such an exhaustive trip like that, twice, you immediately get a feeling that 'it had better be worth it'. Fortunately, it always is. Afterall, its a journey and when we embark on any journey with an open and honest mind, we move that step forward to realising whatever it is that we were meant to realise.

Both trips were different. Other than for the business aspect, they could not have been more different. The first trip was one of adventure, excitement, opportunity and putting in place things for the future that needed to be put in place.