Google understands
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I’ve blogged before about companies who understand about work environments.
Google understands the fact that you get the best out of employees if you give them a great environment to work in. Lets face it…. you spend a whole load of time at work, so a good employer knows this and wants to make you more productive by making the office a great place to be.
Check out the video here from the BBC showing Google’s new offices in Zurich. Looks amazing eh?!
It’s such a shame that the vast majority of companies have no idea about making the workplace somewhere people want to be, that helps them do better work and be more productive. I can think of a fair few examples straight away, from awful locations, drab interiors and no effort made to engage the people working there in a fun and intelligent manner.
So, a quick show of hands….does anyone have any good examples of somewhere they have worked or work now which is actually doing a good job of making their work environment work for them?
Technorati Tags: google, jonmoss, jonnymoss, workenvironment, theappleofmyi
Small businesses discovering Macs
Apple have a nice story about a small business switching overnight from PCs (shudder) to Macs (hooray!). On a serious note, they highlight some interesting points:
- Less hassle with viruses / spyware
- Love using the secure iChat
- Started using 37 Signals Basecamp software (something I use with clients)
- Saved thousands of $$$$ as they don’t have to use Microsoft’s Enterprise solutions
I have not met any businesses in the UK who are using Macs exclusively yet, but I do try let people know the benefits of switching. If you have ANY questions or queries, just shoot me an email - I will be very happy to guide you in your quest for a better IT solution!
Technorati Tags: 37signals, Apple, jonmoss, jonnymoss
Uncle Steve is Pretty Powerful
This is a great read giving Steve number one billing as THE most powerful person in business today. There is a little more meat on the bone here. He is so far removed from the normal business leaders of today because of one h u g e thing. Charisma. He has it in spades. He requires and gets absolute loyalty. He attracts the best people. He is OCD in terms of detail, design and getting it right. He gets devotion, not only from his staff, but people who have never met him. His loyal base of Apple fanboys and fangirls. Unheard of really.
A rock star businessman and a proper leader
Not only does he hob know with other industry leaders like Eric Schmidt, but also counts people like Bono, Al Gore and a myriad of other famous people as his friends. To me he is what the head of the company should be:
- Driven
- Charismatic
- Experienced
- Authentic
- Has humour
- Inspirational
- Commands respect
- Gives respect back
- Allows creativity and passion to flourish
Imagine having him as your boss? Frightening sometimes? Maybe. Awesome and exciting. Oh yes. The sad thing is, I’ve never experienced someone like him. So far from it, I would be writing a list of direct opposites if I was too describe the supposed leaders I have worked with. They often cause a malaise which starts the rot from within. Remember, companies are no better than their people, and those people need to feel valued, respected and trusted.
Technorati Tags: apple, stevejobs
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Marketing Planning
Some people think that marketing and business planning is for big companies only. If you are in that camp, and especially if you run a small business, can I advise you to:
- Get some nice fresh coffee beans
- Grind them
- Prime the coffee machine
- Brew the coffee
- Pour it with your choice of milk and sugar
- Take a DAMN big sniff!
Planning is vital for ALL businesses. Without planning, where do you think you are going? How are you going to get there? What are your aspirations and goals? I think it is vital to have a marketing plan, as your advertising and promotion budget COULD be one of your biggest costs and you need to make sure that you are getting maximum ROI and bang for your pound.
What can marketing planning do for you?
- Gives you a sense of purpose
- Allows you to plan what you are doing when
- Allows people to be bought into the marketing and your brand if you involve others in the process or at least, communicate your output
- Identify sales channels
- Plot spend and activity per month
- Identify customer segments and profile them to align your communication
- Plan your online assault!!
- Outline your business objectives
- Nail your brand values
These are just some of the areas to look at and personally, you should look at doing this at least twice a year and review what you have done. Look at what is working and what is not, and make sure you are not static - change if necessary!
Technorati Tags: calendar, marketing, planning
Fame at last - Jon Moss on the 37 signals blog!
37 Signals is a company who I really like. They produce superbly simple online applications to help you. I use Basecamp for project management and also Highrise for contact managment. I introduced a client to Highrise and they have found it to be very useful, and so I contacted 37 Signals and they have just featured me and the client, Ian Blowers Jewellers on their blog.
The 37 signals blog has over 3000 subscribers, so great publicity!
Technorati Tags: 37signals, ianblowersjewellers, jonmossphotography, theappleofmyi, theappleofmyi.com
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You do not need to use Microsoft’s Office! Honest!
I must admit that this has been on my mind for a while now, and the catalyst to blog about it was the availability of the new Microsoft Office for Mac 08 beta which is floating around on the web at the moment. (I may have a look at this, purely for research purposes of course) 
I am constantly amazed by people, especially those in a corporate environment, (especially PC users) that think that if you need to do a presentation, a spreadsheet or write a document, that there is only one choice. Microsoft. Doh.
Please, PLEASE wake up and smell the freshly brewed columbian (coffee) and understand that there are other, and possibly better options. Google docs is something that is gaining popularity.
It is of course, web-based, and had recently introduced the ability to handle Powerpoint files. You can share files very easily and even collaborate in real time. It offers a lot, but not all of the functionality of Office, and is a real pleasure to use. I love the way that your files are available online wherever you are in the world - very handy indeed.
If you are using Macs, like I do, there are a couple of other options, and these, like Google docs, are free, which is always a bonus. NeoOffice is now quite well known and has certainly improved in speed over the past couple of years but is not particularly fast, even on a strong machine. There is also the Open Office, an alternative to NeoOffice, which I have not tried but heard good things about, and now SunMicrosystems are ploughing money in so they can use it under the name of StarOffice.
Again, if on a Mac, the new iWork suite of apps, Keynote, Numbers and Pages provide some excellent, if slightly different alternatives. I will NEVER use Powerpoint again, that’s for sure, Keynote is so much better, producing some superb presentations which actually look interesting, slick and highly impactful. They are a world away from the shocking presentations that people show day in and day out in the corporate world.
Google Docs, OpenOffice, NeoOffice and iWork are certainly the better know options about, but by no means the only ones. Zoho has some very well regarded online apps and a huge choice of them too - just look at them all! I have not dabbled with any of these, so would like to hear any views on them….
I guess the conclusion of all this, is
- that you people, have a choice
- there are alternatives out there
- there is money to be saved
- and yes, Microsoft are slowly, very slowly losing some revenue.
Companies should really start to see the benefits of using web apps and stop paying exorbitant license fees for software, which is often hugely overblown for most users needs. Some more advanced companies are starting to see this ….. but not many. Perhaps you can stop the rot, start the ball rolling and rescue them from the license tyranny.
Technorati Tags: google, googledocs, neooffice, openoffice, sun, zoho
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Need your thoughts on web site design please!
Morning all!
I was really hoping that you guys and gals could help me! As most of you know, my work has radically changed for the better over the past few months. From the Borg to running two small businesses!
I am currently putting the final touches to the Brand identities for the businesses and will be able to show you all very soon, maybe even this week! What is critical is getting the web site design right. I really like this guy’s site. Screenie below. I would love some thoughts about what you think….
Personally, I like the clean simple look, excellent navigation, not too much flash unnecessary stuff and will not date too much. Anyway, please do leave some comments! (To clarify, this would be the sort of design for the Marketing Consultancy site, not for the photography).
You can click on the screengrab below for a nice big version!
Technorati Tags: design, theappleofmyi, theappleofmyi.com, websitedesign
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Inspired, excited and feeling great
Major change
As some of you know, I have had a major change in my life over the past few months. After 11 years (count them!) with Smith & Nephew working first as a sales person and then in Marketing for the last 9 years, it was time to move on.
So, what were my reasons to be moving on? I’m not going to say too much about the negative reasons, but needless to say they were there, and they were not very nice. However, the positive reasons were:
- I wanted to be doing something that inspired me!
- I wanted to be working with people who inspire me and who I trust and respect
- I wanted to get a better work / life balance
- I wanted to be able to use my passion and expertise for web-marketing, web-design, branding and social media to help others and pass on my knowledge
- I wanted to be able to be creative and have some fun as well as work hard
- Also, there is the photography, which I love, and I wanted to do some more of that, and earn some money!
I think you will agree, some very good reasons! After at least 2 seconds, I knew exactly what I was going to be doing ……
Two New Businesses
The first, and main business is a Marketing Consultancy called theappleofmyi. Having spoken to many people and done a fair bit of research, I know that there are a huge number of small to medium (and large businesses - I’ve just come from one!) that put politely, do not really know what they should be doing on the web. Put bluntly, they really have not a clue and they are going to be left for dead in the coming months and years. There is also branding, and other facets of marketing.
What I will be focussing on is online but also offline marketing to include:
- Branding
- Emarketing
- Online communication strategy
- Direct marketing
- Social Media
- Web design and functionality
- Internal systems / customer communication and retention
There is huge scope for helping people, and if you need some help, or know of someone who is looking for help, please tell them to get in touch with me! (I am going to be starting an affiliate programme soon, so if you refer some business to me, then you also benefit - I think that is only fair!).
You can reach me on 0113 815 5678 (local call) or on the mobile - 07841 285 185 or send me a note from the contact me form.
The second business is photography - jon moss photography. I have been seriously into photography for over 3 years now and love it! I really enjoy capturing moments in time, even more so if it can make people smile! So, I am offering a wedding photography service and pretty much anything else. I am focussing on great customer service, capturing all the little important details and ensuring that the delivered work is creative, fu and accurate. You can see some work I have done for weddings here, and some motorsport shots here. Again, if you would like any photography doing, just drop me a line or use the contact form here!
It has amazed me how much happier I feel in the space of a few weeks, how much more energy and confidence I have and even more importantly, not feeling stressed, unhappy and anxious. I’m starting to do things that I’m good at, working with great people and sharing my expertise on topics that I am passionate about. I am also hugely enthused to have found clients already - yes, I am VERY excited!
So, the future is looking pretty good. I know that it is very early days, but if it carries on like this, I am going to be a very happy chap!
Technorati Tags: branding, consultancy, design, marketing, photography, jonmossphotography, socialmedia, theappleofmyi
A new start
It was a B I G day for me today. I finished working at Smith & Nephew Healthcare after 11 years. I thought I needed to blog this fairly momentous moment in my life today, but I am not going to add anything else today…
What I will do instead is post this picture which is how I feel right now!
Technorati Tags: happy
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Marketing - get the polish out
How very very true, especially at the moment
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BBC News- You may like to read this...
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