• Blog

• • Blogging off!
  • 01/04/2009
  • • Blogging off!
    • 01/04/2009

    • So here we are then - our last encounter! 

      I'm pleased to say that as we part company the wrist donut is doing well.  Over the last few months sales have been steadily increasing and I am quietly optimistic for the months to come.  

      I'd just like to thank you for sharing part of my journey with me and I wish you well for the future. 

      I am now officially blogging off! 

      All the Best!

      Maggie

       

• • More orders from Amazon
  • 27/03/2009
  • • More orders from Amazon
    • 27/03/2009

    • This week has flown by and the number of Amazon orders has definitely outstripped the orders from the website.  I can't help wondering what would happen if I had a few thousand pounds to spend on advertising!

      On one of my trips to the Post Office I was presented with a leaflet of the new postage rates which come into effect from the 6^th of April and it came as no surprise to discover that they will be increasing.  Still, I'm always so impressed that I can take a parcel to the Post Office at five o'clock in the afternoon and it's delivered to the customer, hundreds of miles away, the very next morning.  I think that's brilliant - and really helps me to maintain a high level of customer service.  It would be really frustrating to pull out all the stops to get the orders out as quickly as possible, only to have them take days to be delivered.  So thank you Royal Mail - your rate increase is fine by me!

• • Is there anybody there?
  • 27/03/2009
  • • Is there anybody there?
    • 27/03/2009

    • Well there's a thing.  Today I recorded my last video blog - I think it must be Maiden Aunt of Godzilla 5.  I would have thought that the last one would be the easiest, but I struggled just as much as I have with all the others!  Yup - painful to make and painful to watch! 

      It's really quite something that we are coming to the end of six months blogging and as I said in the video, I can see a definite improvement in the business' since we started last Autumn. 

      And hopefully the improvement will continue through the coming months, now that I'm using the "where do I want to be?" technique and putting together the strategy to get there. 

      One of my priorities is to gather more feedback and as the trials with some of my fellow members of RSI.Org are fast approaching three months, it will be good to get the final verdicts. 

      Speaking of the importance of feedback, because of the way the Live Business Challenge has been run, i.e. the winner will be revealed at the end, I have often wondered over the months how many people read my blogs. So I wonder if you would do me a favour please?  I'm not asking you to vote for me - simply to hit the link to the wrist donut website - wont take you a minute.  Then, with the magical powers of Google Analytics, I'll be able to see if there is anybody out there - or not - whichever the case may be! Thanks very much!

• • A plan for distractions!
  • 20/03/2009
  • • A plan for distractions!
    • 20/03/2009

    • Oh my goodness - I nearly forgot my blog!  I was so engrossed in working through the marketing workshop notes, trying to get to grips with what I need to be doing that I lost all track of time! 

      It's really funny, I've been breaking down the different functions of the business and asking some of the questions that the presenter raised last week: Where am I now? Where do I want to be? How am I going to get there?  And although he was just talking about marketing, I'm finding that the same questions apply to the other elements of the business - even the accounts.  Yup, I've now realised that as the number of orders has increased there's even elements of the accounting system which need updating.  I have to say that I'm coming to the conclusion that it's not so much a case of "Where am I now?" as "Where have I been?"!!!! 

      To help me along, I've been employing the good old SWOT Analyses as well, which have also highlighted some areas for improvement. But let's not be too negative - they've also highlighted some areas to be proud of as well!

      I'm putting together a priority list, built from the "need for action" items for each sector and this time, thanks to the advice given in the workshop notes, I'm including a timescale - and even a Gantt chart for the bigger projects.  So in future, whatever distractions come my way, I can't slip back into autopilot - Can I??!

• • Driving or autopilot?
  • 18/03/2009
  • • Driving or autopilot?
    • 18/03/2009

    • There is no doubt that my recent Seminar and workshop were well worth the effort and not just because of the new contacts I made and the things that I learnt!  There has been another, quite unexpected outcome from spending a couple of days focussing solely on my business.  It has made me take a step back and have a good look at exactly what I'm doing to take the business forward and it was a sorry surprise when I realised that currently I'm not doing very much.

      I have come to the shocking conclusion that over the last month or so my work-life balance has shifted to such an extent that I am now doing very little to actually drive the business forward and that I am in fact on autopilot - merely dealing with things as they arise, which is absolutely awful!

      Hopefully all is not lost.  In a recent documentary my hero, Sir Alan Sugar, admitted that there was a time when he took his eye off the ball - and that was for a much longer period than a few weeks, so perhaps I'm in with a chance!

      I'll keep you posted!

• • Out and about again
  • 13/03/2009
  • • Out and about again
    • 13/03/2009

    • I can't believe it's Friday again!  This week seems to have gone in a blur.  There has been a healthy supply of orders and Amazon seems to have taken the lead over the website in bringing them home.  It was good to discover that two of my Amazon customers have taken the trouble to supply feedback and especially good as they had both scored 5 out of 5 and made extremely complimentary comments.

      My place had been booked since January and I'd been looking forward to attending a Business Link event entitled "A straightforward Approach to Marketing."  It was held in Exeter yesterday and I am pleased to say that I wasn't disappointed.  It was probably the best Business Link event that I've attended and the title was certainly an accurate description of how we spent the day.

      Far from simply listening to a marketing professional explaining the elements of successful marketing, this seminar was very different. This was a workshop called "Developing a Market Led Approach" and it was a whole day of thought and analysis.  Yes we did work through the elements of marketing but then, through very clever questioning, we had to relate each one to our own situation, which really got you thinking about ways of improving what you are doing.  A simple format - but oh so powerful!

      Thank you Business Link and Dave Moody (the presenter) for providing me with an understanding of the thought processes and decisions that I need to make so that my marketing is successful.  Brilliant!

       

• • Out and about
  • 11/03/2009
  • • Out and about
    • 11/03/2009

    • Even though I was significantly more than a few fathoms out of my depth, I was glad that I went to the South West Innovation Forum on Friday.  Apart from anything else, it was good to get out of the office and have an entire day concentrating solely on my business, which has been a pretty difficult thing to do lately, given the events of the past few weeks.

      The presentations were very high powered and when I tried my hand at a bit of networking during the coffee break, I was very pleased to discover that I wasn't the only one who felt it was all way over my head!

      But although the presentations were pretty much a waste of time for me, it was worth sitting through them because during the day I managed to meet some very interesting people.  One or two even offered advice for my product testing - result!  I also discovered Enterprise Europe, which was brilliant because, after waiting for nearly a year to get an answer from Business Link, my question on European internet selling has at last been answered.  Thank you so much Enterprise Europe for your speedy response!

      My day in South Devon was followed by a weekend in East Devon - at my friend's daughter's wedding, which was absolutely wonderful.  And I only lost one feather out of my sputnik!

       

• • Testing times?
  • 06/03/2009
  • • Testing times?
    • 06/03/2009

    • At the risk of sounding like the weather man, it would seem that the sprinkling of the white stuff on Wednesday morning was just a trial run - the real stuff (about 10 centimetres) arrived on Wednesday night!  Fortunately, this time the sun came out and so by mid morning you could see patches of tarmac on the lane so I was able to get to the Post Office with the orders. 

      It's a good job it isn't like it today.  I've got an early start.  I'm off to South Devon to attend the South West Innovation Forum in the hope that I can find out how to get some tests carried out on the wrist donut.

      As well as the South West Regional Development Agency, there are going to be lots of other organisations that should be able to advise me how to go about scientifically proving the benefits of the wrist donut. 

      Although the feedback from customers is fantastic, I would also love to have a clinical trial to show that, because it supports the actual wrist joint in a neutral position, the wrist donut significantly reduces flexion and stress in the wrist when using a mouse/keyboard.  Increasing comfort and reducing the risk of injury.

      Sorry if that sounded like a pitch, but I've psyched myself up for this and, as much as I hate networking, I'm determined to give it my best shot today to see if I can find the help that I so dearly need. 

      Wish me luck - and bye for now!

• • Work-life balance
  • 04/03/2009
  • • Work-life balance
    • 04/03/2009

    • It was an early start this morning.  Several orders had arrived whilst I was collecting Grandma from the hospital yesterday afternoon.  Yes, she's made a miraculous recovery and is now back at home.

      So this morning, at the computer, I saw the dawn break and watched it get light.  At first I thought it was getting foggy, but as it got lighter I could see that is was actually snowing - oh no - not again!

      It's a good job it's stopped now - I've got a very busy day today.  Apart from getting the orders out, I have a very important appointment this afternoon with my best friend, Lynne.  Her daughter's getting married on Saturday and so we're off to collect the appropriate Mother of the Bride headgear - and what looks like a sputnik for me!

      I think it's what they call work-life balance and there seems to have been a lot of it around here lately.  Really it's just juggling your time. Hmm - with words like balance and juggling I suppose you have to be careful that it doesn't turn into a circus!  We don't want any clowns - especially ones with funny hats!

• • RSI Awareness Day - part 2
  • 27/02/2009
  • • RSI Awareness Day - part 2
    • 27/02/2009

    • As you probably gathered from my previous blog, I was very pleased to find the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy's web site the other day.

      As well as statistics, to mark RSI Awareness Day they have also published Tips on how to avoid Repetitive Strain Injuries, which was a really exciting find, especially the first, second, sixth and last points in relation to wrist donut!

      Here are the tips that they give to Office Workers:
       - A change can be as good as a rest - vary your tasks, stand up to take a phone call, move around every 20 minutes or so
       - Move your neck, arms and shoulders periodically while seated at your desk
       - Sit facing straight ahead, feet flat on the floor (or on a sturdy footrest) and with legs uncrossed
       - Make sure your eyes are level with the top of your VDU screen
       - Adjust the backrest of your chair so that you can lean back against it comfortably. Make sure your lower back is supported
       - Place your mouse within easy reach and support your forearms on the desk. Keep your wrists in a relaxed, neutral position. Drive the mouse from your shoulder, not your wrist
       - Don't wedge your phone between your ear and your shoulder. Use a lightweight headset if necessary
       - Use a copyholder if you work from documents
       - Consider investing in ergonomic equipment but check its suitability with a physiotherapist first. Correcting your posture and changing general work practices can be very beneficial.

      The most important thing you can do to prevent work relevant musculoskeletal disorders is to maintain a good level of physical fitness. Aim to take 30 minutes of exercise outside work at least five days out of seven.

      THE CHARTERED SOCIETY OF PHYSIOTHERAPY
      www.csp.org.uk

      It's so good to know that wrist donut fits with their advice, as well as the HSE's!

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