Redbox Biz Blog

Here are 7 of our favourite books, in no particular order. We have lots more but these are great to read, easy and more importantly, full of good stuff.

1. The E-Myth Mastery by Michael E. Gerber
Tells you why you should NOT be slaving over your business. If you’ve been working like a dog and not seeing the results, this is the book for you. The secret is in the systems.

2. Get Clients Now by C.J. Hayden
Very useful for service professionals such as coaches and a quick read. I like its 30-day programme which you can follow to find the success that eludes you. It’s a practical, hands-on, no-fuss approach to getting clients. She guides you through what you need to do for a service business.

3. Business The Richard Branson Way by Des Dearlove
A concise and fast read on what makes Branson tick. He culls together information on Branson and unearths what he feels are the 10 secrets which make Branson such a success in the UK and the rest of the world. I suppose after this read, you could read Branson’s own biography and see if it all fits together.

4. The Success Principles by Jack Canfield
A book you can dip into or dive into. Full of anecdotes, stories and insights on principles which determine if you’d succeed or fail. He tells it engagingly and humorously. Divided into easy to read chapters (with some practical hands on work in some chapters), you’ll never be too overwhelmed. A good bedside book for a dose of feel-good anytime you need it.

5. Business As Unusual by Anita Roddick
Suffice to say, we are big fans of Anita Roddick and her business, The Body Shop. In this book, she talks about what she holds dear and why she started the business, how it has grown and the challenges she faced along the way - from getting bank loans to fighting stalkers who are out to smear her name. (Read our review of her book at http://www.redboxstudio.com/blog/?p=77)

6. Big Bucks by Ken Blanchard & Sheldon Bowles
Prosperity is a mindset and you can start making big bucks if you have the right frame of mind. In this easy to read parable, Ken and Sheldon introduces us to Len who meets 3 successful entrepreneurs who each teach him what he needs to know about making money.

7. The Little Prince by Antoine St Exupery
Not a business book but a book written for the child in each of us. We read and read again this book because each time, new nuggets of wisdom are found in its pages. A classic of profound insights for any adult who wants to see the world as the child sees it - fresh, vibrant, new and exciting.

If you haven’t noticed, successful folks read, read and read some more. If you want another list of great books, here is a link to Jack Canfield’s own list of books. Scroll all the way to the bottom of that page and click on the Daily Reading List (but beware*, it opens up in Adobe Reader as it is a PDF file!)

*Very Important Tip: If you offer PDF files on your website, do indicate this so that your visitors won’t be surprised or annoyed when the PDF file suddenly ‘opens’. You can see how this has been done over at one client’s website at www.BorneoExpatWriter.com (we indicate file formats as well as file sizes and give full instructions for downloading the file.) Do not assume everyone knows how to download files. Even if I didn’t know how to do it, would I embarrass myself by admitting it? Of course not, I’ll just leave the website!

We just came home after four glorious and relaxing days in Langkawi. Once in a while, one must take a break especially if one is an entrepreneur and work is but an extension of life!

Seriously though, we deserved this trip because we were really working back to back for the past two months - imagine working on web development projects simultaneously! Everything just came about in one go so like it or not, we had to finish them all.

But once we did that, we did breathe a bit easy. Of course, living in Penang does have its stressful moments. The traffic jams, for instance. I was just talking to a client over dinner last night and he had just come home for a business trip from the UK, and yes, the first thing he commented (or rather grumbled about) was the sickening traffic problems on the island of Penang. He felt that things have changed so much that he no longer felt Penang charming.

Anyway, we escaped to Langkawi for a few days to take it easy. Langkawi’s pace is good for a holiday - you can drive and not see a car for miles. Maybe a couple of grazing buffaloes might turn around and stare at you. Unlike Penang, you don’t get honked. It’s blissful driving on Langkawi!

While we still considered it a holiday, it was also a time to connect with our friends on that island. Like one of our friends said, there is something magical about Langkawi. Once you get ‘charmed’ by Mahsuri and the island’s beautiful craggy mountains, wide expanses of sea and paddy fields, there’s no looking back. And it was true. We felt like this was a homecoming - a home away from our Penang home.

I think Langkawi works for us because:

• it is so easy to move around on the island. I can just rent a car and I can go exploring happily.

• it is so easy to eat well on the island - you will be amazed at the quality restaurants and the range of cuisines available.

• it is so easy to fit any type of budget - you can live in luxury (ala The Datai or Four Seasons) or you can go the backpackers’ way.

• it is so easy to find local food - Kuah town, Pantai Cenang, Pantai Tengah are full of quaint little places and warung(s) for have chinese stirfry, hawker food or nasi campur.

• it is so easy to be with nature - just take a scenic drive to Burau Bay and you will see the gorgeous expanse of bluest seas, cloudless skies and amazing kampung lifestyles.
• it is easy to go nuts over chocolates and liquor - a can of beer is cheaper than a can of soft drink!

And you’d also meet some of the friendliest locals and expats too. Because everyone is either a tourist or expat or working in the hotel or travel industry, everyone is open to chatting or giving you directions. Everyone is a friend.

So short of sounding like a Tourism Malaysia ambassador, yes, Langkawi IS a good holiday destination. Plus it’s easy for us in Penang - just a ferry or flight away.

So if you’ve been busy, going at breakneck speed and your boss is hinting that you should finish up your leave before the year ends, try a few days on the island and let Mahsuri weave her magic over you.

P/S: By the way, lots of people have emailed us asking us enviously that it’s so cool to own one’s own business and be able to take off for a holiday whenever we feel like it. Well, being one’s own boss does have its perks BUT we face a lot of stress too. It’s not always fantastic - it’s not great to sleep at 3 am because some project needs to be completed before our client turns livid. Most times though we enjoy the freedom and flexibility.

So here’s a great article - very timely too for those of you who asked us how to start being an entrepreneur. Here’s what you need to know before you make that momentous decision to become self-employed.

Read it at http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/startup/a/beselfemployed.htm

Are you thinking of blogging? While blogging may have started off with journal entries for family and friends to keep track of one’s lives and personal thoughts, it has now become quite common to hear about corporate bigwigs joining the world of blogging.

If you plan to start blogging, here are 9 simple secrets to ensure you are on the right blogging track.

1.    Start with something you know about
Always begin with something you are passionate and enthusiastic about. You cannot write if you are forcing yourself to. You must write about a topic you care strongly about. Investigate your strengths and recall compliments you have received. What do friends or colleagues praise you most about? What do you often find yourself talking to others about? What is your area of expertise? If you can zoom in on one specific area which you enjoy, you will find that blogging on that topic becomes easy.

2.    Blog regularly
Blogs are different from websites because people expect blogs to be updated more regularly than websites. If you start a blog, ensure you update your blog (or ‘post a blog entry’ in blogspeak) regularly. Of course, what is regular is up to each blogger. Once you have set a  schedule for blogging, stick to it. Your readers will expect it. But if you worry you cannot blog regularly, try my time-saver tip – set aside a day to focus on drafting 4 or 5 blog entries. Save them for days when you’re pressed for time or have writer’s block and cannot think of anything to blog about.

3.    Show your personality
Don’t be afraid to show your personality when you blog. In fact, a blog is the best place to show the best of yourself – share as much as you can about how you feel and why you say the things you do. Don’t be afraid to use humour or honesty. Your readers will love you for being frank. Having said that, do set some personal rules as a blogger. My personal mantra is that I don’t cuss or have four-letter words in my business blog.

4.    Encourage feedback
Your blog exists because you want to start ‘conversations’ with your readers. You have an opinion to share. Some bloggers disable the Comments section on their blogs to prevent unwanted comments or criticism. My advice is this: allow your readers to provide you feedback but moderate these comments – as a blogger, you have a right to remove comments which are rude. If you worry about being spammed, get readers to register first before they can comment or get comments sent to you for approval prior to being posted on your blog.

5.    Use photos to illuminate
Photographs always capture attention and convey emotions so use them on your blog. Photographs also help break the monotony of chunks of text. These days, photographs can be captured easily using mobile phones and digital cameras. Remember to re-size them before you upload these photos. I usually re-size photos to 400 pixels wide by 300 pixels tall. If you don’t care much for taking photos, you can get free digital photographs from sites such as www.freefoto.com or www.yotofoto.com

6.    Share links generously
The fun part about blogging is that you get to point your readers to other interesting websites and blogs on the Internet. You get to show what nifty websites you’ve discovered and what super cool tools and software you’ve unearthed. So link freely. The mistake most people make is that they don’t want to link out because they want to prevent their readers from going elsewhere. First of all, this won’t work because readers will leave. Don’t worry about them leaving; focus on writing engaging content! With engaging content, you will be sure your readers will bookmark your blog and return again and again!

7.    Use proper grammar and use a spellchecker
I can’t stress enough the importance of using proper language when blogging, whatever language you may be using. You don’t have to be a linguistic expert but you must remember that your blog postings should be clear and easy to understand without spelling or grammatical errors. Don’t mar your good reputation with unsightly errors! Strive to write clearly and weed out jargon or industry-specific words. Your purpose is to communicate.

8.    Ensure readability
When you blog, keep in mind that you need to ensure that your readers will be able to read these blog posts easily. Follow newspaper conventions: keep one idea to one paragraph and keep paragraphs short and to the point. Don’t torture your readers by using white text on a dark or black background. It’s better to have black text on a white or light background because this helps your readers read with ease. Maximum readability equals better communication.

9.    Be personal
Blogs allow you to be personal even if you’re writing a business blog. The easiest way to be personal is to use ‘you’ and ‘I’ liberally throughout your blog posts. This keeps the tone casual, friendly and easygoing. You definitely don’t want to blog in the third person because that would defeat the purpose of blogging. Imagine you are having a conversation with your best friend. Use this mental image when you are blogging and you’ll never be short of ideas or words!

Amazing things have occurred but I considered yesterday as one of the most amazing yet interesting moments of our lives.

We were privileged to shake hands and have a conversation with Her Royal Highness, The Tengku Puan Pahang, Tunku Hajjah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah binti Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj or better known as Tunku Azizah.

Yes, the Tunku Azizah, the Johor princess who married the Crown Prince of Pahang. Not only is she well-known as a princess, she is also more well-known in her capacity as the founder of the Tunku Azizah Fertility Foundation (TAFF) which she set up in 2005. Tunku Azizah is also the author of a book titled “Air Tangan Tengku Puan Pahang”. The proceeds from this book of hers are channeled back to the foundation which sponsors couples for infertility treatments.

And all this happened because of a chance meeting during a dinner with some friends. One thing led to another and we were asked to help iCare Fertility Centre located within Island Hospital develop their website. iCare is exclusively one of only two infertility centres in Northern Peninsular Malaysia to be on the TAFF panel.

Little did we know that the website as well as the iCare Fertility Centre was going to be launched by Tunku Azizah! As the web design firm for the iCare Island Fertility website, we were truly proud of our ‘baby’ when Tunku Azizah launched it amidst much camera-clicking and media attention (TV3, RTM and all major newspapers covered the event).

Tunku Azizah looked very much the regal princess that she is. Of course her personal story of how she set up TAFF in 2005 is a story of personal triumph and a story of true Malaysia Boleh spirit. After 16 failures, six miscarriages and countless fertility treatments worldwide, it was almost a fairy tale ending that she was finally blessed with six children after successful treatments in the hands of a 100% Malaysian doctor, Prof. Dato’ Dr. PC Wong who hails from Parit Buntar. (He now sits on the TAFF panel.)

Hence, Tunku Azizah and her Tunku Azizah Fertility Foundation (and the good work that it is doing) is heaven-sent for many childless Malaysian couples. She is fueled by personal knowledge of the anxiety and frustration and as she noted wittily during her speech, “When the going gets tough, TAFF gets going!”

Since its inception a year ago, TAFF has been successful in helping couples get pregnant. The proof of that? Tunku Azizah said that she is blessed with nine TAFF ‘grandchildren’ from all over the country.

During her speech, she also mentioned with great pride and a wide grin that TAFF is looking forward to welcome six more pregnancies soon with a total of eight more babies (which means one pregnancy is expecting triplets!).

She said that TAFF now fully funds selected infertile couples instead of the original two-third sponsorship. The launch also included the celebration of another TAFF success story – baby girl Clarissa Wong who was born on 27 August, at 10.06am, weighing a healthy 3.9 kg.

TAFF success story…Tunku Azizah with baby Clarissa Wong
and the proud parents.

Note:
If you would like to apply for the TAFF sponsorship for infertility treatments, get the application form by writing to:

Tunku Azizah Fertility Foundation,
Istana Abdul Aziz, Bandar Indera Mahkota,
25200 Kuantan, Pahang

Phone: 09 573 3241 – Amy or email taff2004@streamyx.com