My Weblog

Adopting an ethical lifestyle, campaigning for social justice...and still looking fabulous!

Only 2 days to go before The Changing Room's inspiring fairer-fashion shows, Thrift Shop, Design Market, workshops and eco-friendly Fairtrade Tea Room open their doors to You; to help you take control of your wardrobe and style.

On Saturday (at Blick Studios, 51 Malone Rd) the fashion shows are at 12noon, 2pm, 4pm & 6pm; showcasing local, ethical, vintage, recycled & upcycled fashion. Boutique owner Lizzie Agnew will be showcasing her first collection of dresses, Zoe Boomer will be previewing her Autumn/Winter 2009 collection before Dublin Fashion Week, new Belfast based ethical label ARK (Acts of Random Kindness) will launch their ideas and fresh talent Chus will introduce her eco-label Miko Saguillo. Other featured designers includeAtelier, Una Rodden & Catherine B, Dublin company Perk-Up! Vintage, Threads, Curious Tales, East Belfast Mission and luxury eco-label Libertorre will present their Amaiyah range.

There will be fantastic workshops running all day; you can choose from stitching and hemming, green styling, urban gardens, windowsill herbs, delicious leftovers, recycling & energy efficiency in the home - just email to reserve your place. The Changing Room Hub is packed with up-to-date information while creator Lucy Housman will upcycle outdated garments with a live art installation.

Our vintage Tea Room is complete with comfy sofas and good books or you can browse the eco-friendly clothes and accessories on offer over good coffee and delicious local food. The Design Market is on Sunday 1pm-6pm at Una Rodden's boutique, 50 Upper Arthur Street.

You can find out all about it on our website www.thechangingroomni.com or just drop me an email. The Changing Room is a not-for-profit project funded by UnLtd* and Belfast City Council. Profits from The Changing Room Thrift shop go to Labour Behind the Label and Tearfund.

Sales & Intelligence -a strange mix? Not according to Lorraine Rooney from Prestige

Looking for a new way to improve your selling techniques that will make you different from the rest?

Emotional Intelligence gives us the ability to achieve the sales we want

• Its a skill that just needs to be tapped into
• Its easy to understand
  
• Its within all of us 
  
• Its about EQ not IQ
  
• It takes selling to another level

Everyone is in SALES! 

• As a Manager you sell your employees on ideas
• As a Business Owner you sell your Company
• As a Sales person you sell yourself a to get the business dealn

 

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Attend our short Seminar for a taster session on EQ and learn how to:

• Develop and use key competancies of Emotional Intelligence to be successful in sales
• Read others
• Build fantastic prospect rapport
• Use Communication that Connects

Venue:  Blick Studios, Belfast
Date:    13th March
Time:    10.30am - 12pm - 10am registration
Cost:     £35 + vat per delegate. Payment due at time of booking

Facebook Friday

Are you an absolute beginner?  Do you need to know the basics?  Do you use Facebook?  Do you need to know more?

Join us for a very short and very casual workshop on Facebook on Friday 13 March, 6-7pm.  Read more here.

We intend to run two workshops simultaneously, one for beginners and one for existing (business/professional) users.  Bring your laptop, if you wish.

Cost: FREE

To book your place, contact Philip Wilson on 078 ... or [email protected].

Trainers: Dawn Baird and Philip Wilson.

Find the best businesses in Northern Ireland with Lookaly

Hey, Lee Munroe here with a guest post introducing a new website of mine Lookaly.

What is Lookaly?

Lookaly is an online business directory that lets you rate and review businesses. The objective is to allow you to find the best businesses and services in your area based on ‘the wisdom of crowds’ i.e. feedback from others.

What’s in it for businesses?

Businesses can add themselves for free. Yes, free! If you own a business or are associated with a business, by adding yours you will get a:

• Free directory listing
• Free web page
• Free link to your website

What makes Lookaly so special?

Lookaly is all about helping to promote the best businesses and services in your area. By allowing anyone to signup and review, you can make informed decisions about what restaurant serves good steak or what cinema has comfortable seats.

You can also follow and share reviews with family and friends. Lookaly has a social networking platform so you can setup your own profile and follow your friends, keeping you up-to-date with their latest reviews.

Background

Lookaly was developed by James Gallagher and myself (Lee Munroe). There are a lot of business directories out there but we found them really awkward or depressing to use. Trying to find a list of good recommendations for sandwich bars or coffee shops in Belfast, for example, didn’t seem to be possible. So we made it possible.

Most people now look up businesses online these days but because other directories charge upwards of £120/yr to get listed, there are tens of thousands of businesses missing out. So by offering a free listing service, we’re allowing every business from self employed tradesmen to global Hotel franchises to get listed and found online.

What now?

Check out Lookaly and start reviewing.

For the month of February we’re putting an iPod up for grabs. For a chance to win the iPod, all you need to do is review a business and you’ll be entered into the draw.

Any feedback you want to provide please do.

Blick springs into ACTION!

Description

It’s the most practical, dynamic, and profitable business, sales and marketing program you’ll ever invest in, and here’s why …

It's not just finding out 'what' you need to do… you will leave this program knowing 'how' to do what you need to do to get ahead. And not only that… you will have done most of it in the program. Invest 6 sessions with the team, developing and adapting some of the three hundred and twenty eight business building strategies, to use specifically in YOUR business, to boost YOUR profits and free up YOUR time ... right now …

Business Success…

You'll get straight talk about why so many businesses end up running their owners. More importantly, you'll find out how to get working smarter, so that you WORK LESS while taking home more money.

Marketing for Real Results…

You'll get the edge over your competitors and come up with superb ideas in each of the '5 Ways', to promote your unique business profitably every time … Not just theory, it’s hands on, hard hitting, point blank CASH generators.

Learn the Most Powerful Business Strategies and Apply them in Your Business Today …

You and your coach will be identifying the best strategies for your business growth today. You’ll benefit from the wealth of experience of in excess of 1,000 Business Coaches from around the world.

Apply The Skills You Learn To Any Business …

I believe in the principle, give a person a fish, they will eat for a day, teach a person to fish, they will eat for a lifetime. My objective is to teach you to fish so you can apply the strategies in your current business plus any business you may own in the future. You’ll be given all the tools so you can see real results as you go along.

Network With Other Business Owners … 

You’ll be joining other proactive business owners and will help grow each other’s business. Not only that, chances are you’ll pick up a referral or two …

Invest In Your Future Now…

Some people tell you to invest in property… some say shares. They'll even argue about whose ten to fifteen percent return is better… When you invest in your knowledge, your business and its marketing, you will achieve hundreds of percent return on your investment.

Make the wisest investment ever. You owe it to your business, your team, your family and most importantly yourself, to be one of the few who ever goes for success.

Congratulations on having read this far… Only those who are serious about growing their business will read on. So what is this all about and how often will we meet?

There are 7 Power Packed sessions for only one investment of £2,495 (+VAT) or… £499.00 (+VAT) per month for 5 months. We will meet fortnightly on Monday's. The sessions start at 6:00pm sharp and go through to 9:00pm.

Here’s what you’ll get in these 7 practical sessions:

• Session 1 - Setting Your Future …
If you don’t know where you’re going how are you going to get there? During this session you will set your goals, your company’s vision and mission statement and you’ll learn how to build a great business from the foundations up. 

• Session 2 - Generating Cashflow … 
You will learn all about the principles of Leverage and Cashflow Marketing. You’ll focus in on the fastest ways to increase your marketing results now … 

• Session 3 - Streetwise Marketing …
You will extract your uniqueness – that which sets you apart from your competitors – and learn how to use it to get more of the customers you want. You will also learn about developing customer loyalty so that these customers keep coming back, time after time. 

• Session 4 - Sales Made Simple …
You’ll learn all about the different types of salespeople and the difference between old selling and new. You will get to understand the question funnel, performance standards, phone power and how to handle objections. 

• Session 5 - Team Building and Leadership …
This session is all about building the dream team you’ve always wanted. Learn how to become a great leader to inspire them each and every day. Learn how to recruit great people and lead them to a business that works with-out you even needing to be there. 

• Session 6 - Systems and The 6 Steps To Massive Results …
Learn about the only ways to leverage your business. Learn how to create systems that run your business to produce massive results. Learn how to work ON your business not IN it.

• Session 7 - Leverage – The Board Game … 
This is where you get to have some fun and put into practice everything you’ve learned about business during the Program. And you’ll get to bring a friend along. But here’s the good news; this bonus session is totally free of charge.

I look forward to hearing from you soon,




Paul Fieldhouse
Entrepreneur & Business Coach


P.S. Almost forgot … Every business that joins the program not only gets to bring two people for the price of one (this makes sure the two of you can work together to get great results), but I work an hour up front and an hour at the end of the Coaching Course to make sure you get off on the right track from day 1 and then stay focused after we complete the training programs … These two sessions alone are usually enough for most people to get value for money on the entire course …

P.P.S. There’s only room for 6 more participants in this program. Phone now to secure your place, only 4 places remaining as at 31st January!

To Find this event on FACEBOOK

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=52585340145&ref=nf

or Contact Paul on 078410103158

Art Swop (Blick Event -Feb '09)

If you are an artist who would like to get your hands on someone else's original work or you are an art aficionado with more art than you know what to do with - then BLICK ARTSWOP is just the ticket.

ARTSWOP THE IDEA: you bring along a piece of work you are happy to part with and take home someone elses. Participants are asked to drop off their artwork before the event and on the nght will be given time to browse what's on offer. 

All guests will be treated to drinks and the laid back beats of sofakid. 

To participate £10 / £7 BLICK members / £5 artist guest

Creative Tools To Empower You & Your Clients (The Creativity Hub)

Are you in a coaching/mentoring role where you are meant to help people who are stuck? Do you find they are sometimes reluctant to talk about an issue? They want your help, but can’t put it into words?

Have you noticed that while you are busy helping others, your own stuff lies ignored in the background? You wish you had someone to help you sort out a challenge, but think - “I should be able to do it myself”?

Do you find initial sessions with new people awkward?

Do you want to bring more play and laughter into your sessions, to help your clients relax and open up?

Learn how you can create a non-threatening atmosphere, and quickly break the ice with people of all ages and background.

Workshop Overview

This one-day workshop is presented by Rory O’Connor inventor of Rory’s Story Cubes™ and the Inner Vision Deck™. In this one day workshop you will gain the experience you need to confidently use these simple, playful yet powerful tools. You will be able to reach a level of insight and trust with your clients, not normally experienced through ordinary dialogue.

By learning how to use these two creative tools in your sessions you will empower your clients to help themselves more effectively. By teaching your own clients how to use Rory’s Story Cubes and the Inner Vision Deck, you will discover that your clients will be more willing to do ‘homework’, knowing that they have the tools to help themselves.

As a result of the workshop and using these tools, you will find that...

• Your sessions become easier on you, as your client does more of the work;
• Your clients will have more buy-in to the solutions they discover for themselves;
• Your listening skills will improve, as you no longer have to listen & solve

at the same time;

• Your level of self-awareness will increase with each use of the tools;
• Your client relationships will move to a deeper level as your clients become more willing to reveal themselves;Target Audience

  This workshop is geared towards therapists, counsellors, psychologists, personal development trainers, teachers, mentors & coaches. It is for anyone whose role is to help others solve problems, remove blocks and find solutions through greater self-awareness.

  Content

  The one-day workshop is designed as a hands-on experience to ensure you walk away with the confidence and knowledge to use these tools expertly with your own clients.

  The workshop will cover the following:

  • Creative Problem Solving and the Socratic Method
  • A simple way to identify and frame challenges to address
  • Translating challenges into effective Questions
  • Creative Problem Solving with The Inner Vision Deck
  • Facilitating others with The Inner Vision Deck
  • Storys as a doorway to greater self-awareness
  • Problem Solving with Rory’s Story Cubes
  • Facilitating others with Rory’s Story Cubes
  • Using Rory’s Story Cubes in a Group (optional
  • Questions & Answers

    About the Presenter - Rory O’Connor Rory, along with his partner Anita Murphy, formed The Creativity Hub, a Belfast based company delivering unique tools and training that help individuals, their teams and organisations become more creative. Rory works with individual entrepreneurs  non-profits, right through to Fortune 50 companies. Rory’s Story Cubes and Inner Vision Deck are just two of the easy to use tools that Rory has invented to help people think more creatively about their business and life. All of Rory’s products and inspirational work is implemented in a way that encourages individuals to optimise their own creative ability. He has a wide range of experience, covering conflict resolution, energy psychology, change management and innovation.
    Date & Time:	Wednesday, 25 February 2009, 09:30 AM — 05:00 PM
    Location:	Blick Shared Studios (Belfast) 51 Malone Road Map  Belfast BT9 6RY Northern Ireland http://www.blickstudios.org
    Places Available:	13 out of 15
    Registration Deadline:	Wednesday, 25 February 2009, 12:00 AM

     
   

1.000.000.000

According to comScore it is! This week they announced that there are now more than 1 billion (1.000.000.000) internet users online. Well, maybe not online right now, at the same time, and certainly not all visiting our website, but still. 

“Surpassing one billion global users is a significant landmark in the history of the Internet,” said Magid Abraham, President and Chief Executive Officer, comScore, Inc. “It is a monument to the increasingly unified global community in which we live and reminds us that the world truly is becoming more flat. The second billion will be online before we know it, and the third billion will arrive even faster than that, until we have a truly global network of interconnected people and ideas that transcend borders and cultural boundaries.”

Hmm, you better check those servers you have installed to see if they can handle the traffic coming our way in the future. Being 'Digg' proof is sooo 2007.
Being 'One Billion' proof is where you want to be baby!!!

Assertiveness & Workplace Confidence

Sensei Learning and Performance is holding a two-day professional development workshop - Assertiveness & Workplace Confidence - at QUB, Belfast on 18-19 February 09. 

The realities of modern work life - flat structures, tough workloads and the need to exert influence across traditional boundaries - ensure that assertiveness skills are not an optional extra.  Aggression is unacceptable; passivity is ineffective. In this workshop you will learn an powerful set of techniques and how to use them in specific workplace scenarios, such as when negotiating or influencing.  also covered are the relationships between assertiveness and more general work-related issues, like the conflict created when giving criticism and receiving feedback.  To find out more, click here.

To find out about other events, check the Current Events Schedule. 

If you'd like to be kept informed about new blog posts and events, you may want to follow us on Twitter.  Alternatively, you can simply subscribe to the blog.  All comments are welcome.

We look forward to meeting you at some of our events.  We also attend BEN, WOTM and B4B events, so look out for us there.

by Dawn Baird, Partner, Sensei Learning and Performance

it all starts again in '09