When I was the head of training for a large organisation 10 years ago, I was sitting at my desk in my office on a Saturday. I was designing and finishing the time management program I was going to deliver the following week as I knew I wasn’t going to have enough time to finish it during the coming week.

My good friend and expert Tracey Hughes was born in the UK and backpacked around Australia in her teens. At 18 years she took up an apprenticeship, and after proving to be a pretty good stylist she was asked if she would attend an event to show people how she cut.

Being in business for yourself can be isolating. Lonely. Anthropologist and expert on tribes, Robin Dunbar identified that successful tribes and groups operate in groups of 5, 15, 150 and with a greater village going to 1500.

We are in a golden age of solopreneurs: independent, innovative experts who are turning the traditional working model on its head. No longer content with working under layers of organisational management, workers around the globe are increasingly making the decision to take full control of their careers.

Public speaking is a golden ticket to creating awareness and generating leads. It’s where you can truly let your personality and expertise shine. It’s also great for gaining an insight into your audience’s problems and how you can help, which is crucial for refining your services.

Leading Female Experts and Personal Brand: Last week Time Magazine shared some of the world’ best known Personal Brands: the profiles of the world’s 100 Most Influential People. Jeff Bezos graces the cover and each person featured is a celebrity or political figure.

Do you ever feel as though you’re doing all the right things, but your business isn’t growing?

If so, you’re not alone. I recently worked with a client – an expert in her field – who couldn’t understand why her business was failing to grow.

Virginia is my Executive Assistant and is a baby boomer. She has had some incredible life and business experiences and can deadlift 90 kilos. She’s got heart, passion, skill, intelligence and energy.

Last Sunday night I was fortunate enough to attend Adele’s second sold-out concert in Brisbane. It was the city’s biggest-ever concert, with more than 60,000 adoring fans packed into Brisbane’s iconic sporting stadium, The Gabba. It’s no wonder.

You’ve probably heard of the Top Five Regrets of the Dying. It’s a stunning list that was put together by Australian palliative care nurse Bronnie Ware in her book of the same name. She undertook research of patients in hospitals to identify their regrets.

Remember the phone book? It wasn’t so long ago that when we needed a service or product, we’d pick up the phone book and search for a business that could help us.

Your networks provide you with your most powerful sales source: inbound referrals. About one half of my own business comes from inbound referrals and a recent survey by Marketing Research firm USM, identified that in B2B marketing, an incredible 91% of B2B purchasers use Word of Mouth (WOM) Marketing to make a purchasing decision.

What’s your story? One of the most effective tools for building your personal brand is storytelling. The emotional connection it creates with your clients and leads is a marketing powerhouse.

Want to know the fastest, most sure-fire way to raise your profile, build your database and make more sales? Then it’s time for you to brush up on your speaking and presenting skills!

I recently traveled to Queenstown, New Zealand where there is a winery called Amisfield. I’d heard about this winery and it lived up to its reputation. It has a beautiful restaurant with incredible food, overlooking the vineyard and sitting on a beautiful lush green lawn.

In case you missed it or can’t access the video, this is the transcript from the interview on ‘Mornings’ on Channel 9 this week. I hope you find it helpful, feel free to share with someone who needs it!

I recently worked with a group of sales people on building their Personal Brand as part of their position as thought leaders in their industry. We spent a considerable amount of time talking about testimonials and their value.

Most clients I see get quite frustrated that they don’t seem to be able to access it and wonder why all jobs aren’t advertised. The short answer is networks.