In today’s world of trying to achieve more with less, engagement scores and managing team performance it can be hard to think creatively under pressure.

It’s easy to underestimate the work involved in running a business. Cash flow and stock management can all cause sleepless nights, not to mention the need to justify your pricing to customers who are shopping around for the best quote.

I was recently working with a client who was an expert in her field of women’s leadership. She was frustrated that she’d been spending a lot of time on social media, particularly LinkedIn and Facebook, yet her social media strategy wasn’t working.

There is no doubt about it, the strategic use of LinkedIn offers small businesses and entrepreneurs an abundance of benefits. It enables you to engage with and influence your peers, clients and potential customers.

I recently worked with an organisation that was concerned about the LinkedIn profiles of its staff. “All the profiles have been written professionally; we think they’re nice and polished,” the Marketing Manager said. “We even had professional photos taken.

With more than 400 million people registered, it’s easy to get lost in the beast called LinkedIn and put it in the too-hard basket. What many clients I work with don’t realise is that LinkedIn first and foremost is a search engine, so it acts like Google.

With more than 365 million users, LinkedIn is a great opportunity to grow your business in front of a highly targeted audience. It was originally created for executives only but has grown to connect professionals at all levels – even graduates, who are the fastest-growing LinkedIn demographic.

By now, you may be aware that LinkedIn offers you to be a member of a group. In fact, you can be a member of up to 50 groups. There are millions of different groups available.

When Tom Peters wrote his article, “The Brand Called You”, in Fast Company magazine in 1997, I was a second-year university student studying marketing in Lismore, northern NSW.

Did you know 2 LinkedIn accounts are created every second? In 2015, LinkedIn grew by over a mind-blowing 50 million members. LinkedIn still has a long way to go before it runs out of steam and money and competitors catch up.

The old ways of selling have changed. It used to be about calling. It used to be about samples and then trying to get meetings with people. Now it’s quite different. Now it’s about leveraging people’s social networks.

In 1988, an Australian woman called Leisa Campbell took the world by storm. She was an Australian body builder from Victoria. She won Miss Australia, Miss World and Miss Universe. Leisa travelled the world, competing and living in Europe and the US.

Kylie and I were recently at an event where there was a buzz around LinkedIn’s new feature called the Social Selling Index (SSI).

Last month, I found myself looking for a new car. It was late on a Friday and I was rushing around, trying to find the best deal. I’d done all my online research and ended up at a particular dealer.

This week I was interviewed on Channel 9’s ‘Mornings’ with David Campbell and Sonia Kruger. If you’re busy at work you possibly missed it, but it could be helpful if you’re trying to make a move!

Are you struggling to compete with bigger players? Hard to stand out from the crowd? Difficult to compete with your competitors pricing? I’ve worked with hundreds of clients to help them create personally branded businesses.

One of the complaints I hear from career practitioners is how reactive to client demands the work is and that it’s difficult to proactively sell career services. Repeat client cycles can last a year or two, they’re on a tight budget and charging a premium can feel like a pipedream.

Allison, a law graduate called me because she needed help to increase her persuasion in interviews. This was her last of 11 interviews that year and the pressure was on. She wasn’t sleeping, feeling anxious and emotional at times.