OK so I don’t mind admitting that my attempts at marketing “Confessions of an interim manager” were almost nil.

I learnt a lot from writing the book AND the resulting events.

I am pleased to say that I will NOT be following the same “plan” with my second book

“The only management book you will ever need”

That’s why, I have arranged for my friend Molly Rider to join me on a FREE webinar to show me where I went wrong.

Writing a book is a big thing right?

It absolutely is.

BUT If you combine it with another big thing – you have a recipe for disaster. I mean everyone knows the phrase “one thing at a time” don’t they?

I will share with you what I did wrong and Molly will tell us all what to do right.

If you are an author, a wannabe author, or if you work in the self publishing industry, you will want to be part of the free event.

Click here to sign up

(PS – Spaces are limited to be sure to not miss out)

Hello there WOW members. As your virtual training department, we are keen to make sure we can help you achieve your goals and dreams. As the wow tagline says – building your empire together…

When your leadership appointed us as your virtual training department, it was with a clear directive that what we offered had to be relevant, useful and high quality.

So to get our relationship off to a sweet start in 2012, we have designed a short survey. All it takes is a few clicks to let us know where you and your business are right now and where you are heading.

The survey is ENTIRELY confidential but if you drop your email in at the end, we will send you a free welcome training course (or 2…)

Any comments or problems, please leave a comment below.

(Oh and get ready for a series of webinars featuring the best of the WOW experts and team).

Just sign up at www.freewebinar.co.uk

Procrastination: Facing a Thief Head-On

First read this blog post from our friends at the WOW network alliance. Then scroll down to the bottom and register.

Let’s face it life is difficult.

where ever you turn there is always some deadline or other – usually overdue.

With all that is placed upon us it is any wonder that we actually finish anything at all!

Then add on the dreaded habit of procrastination then you are really in trouble.

According to various estimates, procrastination has risen five-fold to affect from about 5 percent of the population in the 1970’s to about 15 percent to 20 percent of people today. Now at least 95 percent of people say they procrastinate occasionally. If this is one merry-go-round that is causing strife in your life then read on to learn how you may be able to move beyond procrastination into a life where achieving your goals becomes stress-free.

Yes, it takes a bit of time and effort but isn’t anything worth having worth working for?

Probably the biggest key to stopping procrastination is awareness.

When we become aware, we are not only able to focus on our goals but also, understand the difference between where we are now and where we want to be. This is the reason why awareness is crucial in overcoming procrastination.  Once we are aware (unless you decide to ignore the issue altogether) you automatically place yourself in the best position possible to create change due to use of ‘focused attention’.  Completing the tasks brought before you without interruption places you well on your way to creating change within your life. Delaying the inevitable can negatively affect all aspects of your life but by becoming ‘aware’ of the issue we are shining a light that will help in combating procrastination.

Another great way to help you move beyond procrastination is action. Yes, action. Sometimes we can get so caught up in the details that we fail to put any motion behind our thoughts or desires. We may even have the desire but look toward perfection as the ultimate goal rather than the goal itself.

Being perfect all the time can keep you from actually starting/finishing tasks or meeting the deadlines that can mean the difference between success and failure. Sometimes we just have to let the craziness go and just get it done. This can be easier said than done, so if this is still an issue for you, then maybe consider seeking out help.

It is easy become distracted especially when it is a task or deadline we are feeling anxious about. One of the best ways to overcome this is to look beyond our feelings and simply ask for help. If you find that procrastination has become an overpowering force in your life then you would be wise to search for an ally or mental health professional near you.

Get help from a close friend as an accountability partner can be a tremendous help. Make sure this person is a trusted associate since you may run into some very sensitive areas during your growth. Be sure you have places yourself in the best position for success and that the person you’ve chosen is positive and has your best interest at heart.

Remember, there is always room for improvement in one’s life. The best way you can help yourself is with an honest assessment of where you are compared to where you want to be.

This can be a challenge for some and so let’s say for some reason you really don’t know where you stand. Then might I suggest you take a moment to attend our upcoming webinar ‘Procrastination: Facing a Thief Head-On’ with WOW’s very own, Kimyon Zari, theDiamondCoach.com.

Within this no pressure webinar you will be able to clearly identify currently held values and beliefs that may be holding you back plus key steps to help you stop procrastinating NOW. Kimyon speaks candidly about This is simply a great way to grow into the success you are meant to have.

Through awareness, action and assistance you too can move beyond all that is holding you back, especially if it is called ‘procrastination’.

Details – Tuesday 17th January 2012
8am Pacific Time
11am Eastern
4pm UK/GMT
5pm Europe
10:30PM Indian Standard time

Sign up at www.freewebinar.co.uk

If you are a virtual worker, freelancer or small business owner, you probably use networking to market your business.

But let me ask you a question – Who teaches you how to network? I mean where do you learn networking skills?

From the gurus?

Usually – But they are selling their own brand of networking – so it’s like learning how to swim – BUT ONLY LEARNING ONE STROKE… Pretty restricting…

Now, we can unveil, the “Networking university” – A self contained password protected training/learning site where you can learn ONLINE, AT YOUR OWN PACE – ALL the skills you need to get more business.

The site has already been loaded up with over 4 hours of training, webinar replays and more JUST to help you get more business.

If you are a complete newbie, there is material for you. – If you are a more established business – going to events and wondering when the sales will come – there is material for you also.

We will be unveiling a series of webinars and interactive sessions into 2012 but for now, membership is LOCKED at £9.95 per month – approx $17USD. (This will be rising to £35 – approx $47USD as our plans are firmed up in 2012).

So, my advice is to get locked in NOW – get online – get your head down – while the rest of the world is in christmas party mode – and GET READY for the 2012 you really want .

Here is the link

http://www.networkinguniversity.biz

PS If you are a network owner, business club leader or similar – talk to us about how we could be your training department…

We are overjoyed to tell you about a NEW site we are almost ready to launch JUST for business owners who go to networking events.

The networking university will be open for business in just a few days.

The university features ALL our networking training to help all business owners save time, save money and make money on their networking.

Why a networking university?
While almost every business owner uses networking to market and grow their business there are dozens and dozens of different networking groups.

It’s a complicated world for the newcomer.

So – we put all our material together to help you make sense of it all…

The university includes training, webinar replays and more. In fact – there is over 4 hours and counting of quality training waiting to help you build your business. All available at a date and time to suit you.

But first, we want you to help us please.

Jump over to www.networkinguniversity.biz and answer three simple questions. In return, we promise to give you the head start on every one else with exclusive news about the launch date.

Firstly, the internet is not just a bolt on to live anymore, it IS life. Fast, always on connections are like water, electric and heating. It’s pretty hard to life without them.

Secondly, unfortunately, swearing and bad language are also part of life. Part fuelled by out of control footballers, part by “gritty” programs on TV.

However, just because swearing is part of life, I don’t need to condone it, I just stay away from it.

Anyways, we were recently playing “Pro cycling manager” at home. Yes, it’s like “football manager” games but… cycling.

One of my sons favourite cyclists is the German Jens Voigt. We were googling around looking for Jens Voigt related sites. We found the Jens Voigt soundboard which made my son laugh out loud. (Go on try it…)

BUT the site contains swearing.

Dilemma – Do I show my sons? Do they miss out on something to show their mates. Does showing it somehow condone swearing online but remain holier than thou…

Solution – Tell him to make sure the sound is turned down and “don’t let your mum see”

Reasons given were twofold

“There are lots of cool games on there” and
“All my friends are on there”

I am not sure he knows EXACTLY what he is going to do on there. Facebook doesn’t have the monopoly on cool games online and I would prefer to wait till he is more than 11 before he spills out his entire personal details online for everyone to see forever. (You see “terms of service” don’t really mean much when “all your mates are on”)

His impending presence led me to think about facebook because having your Dad as a facebook friend isn’t going to be seen as very cool. In fact, having your Dad anywhere near you when you are 11 isn’t very cool.

So I will be trying to make a tactical withdrawal from facebook over the medium term.

Anyways, as far as the young chap is concerned, I have the following plan of action.

• He doesn’t actually use his real name – Only a combination of his first and middle names.
• His photo is bogus
• I personally set his privacy settings (which are likely to be high)
• (Probably breaching facebook terms of service) NO personally identifiable information will be available on his profile.
• I know his password
• His account will be closed (by me) for any breaches of the above.

Not sure if I have missed anything but if anyone has any experience of siblings on facebook, I would appreciate a comment.

Maybe this is overkill – but his learning curve at the moment should be taking the right PE kit to school on the right day, making sure his geography homework is done and has he told his mum that he needs some raw materials for food studies rather than Mafia wars and farm whatsits.

As you may have seen, in a stunning announcement, Sharp End Training have been appointed Virtual Training Department to the US based wownetworkalliance with our Chief Executive, Jonathan Senior being appointed Virtual Training Director.

We look forward to working with our country leaders and wownetworkalliance Joint Venture Partners to create training and educational material to benefit WOW members and DRIVE their businesses forward.

WOW Members – You will be getting a special WOW survey in your inbox shortly so we can TAILOR MAKE our training offerings for maximum benefits to YOU.

Everybody else – Share in our good fortune as you can register to get FREE access to our basic business networking skills online training.

If you are new to business and the networking scene in general, this online multimedia training will get you started on the right foot.

• Instant FREE access
• Starts with the basics – NO JARGON
• Become more confident
• Get more business and
• Waste less time

BUT YOU ONLY HAVE UNTIL FRIDAY 18th November 2011 – when this offer will expire and we get down to being a training department again.

I mean, come on, it’s a match made on heaven isn’t it?, a 40 something British guy working with American professional women.

Anyways – by way of background, this is my personal blog – so it’s the most appropriate place to put a.. personal letter.

You can also find over 200 indexed blog posts on www.sharp-end-training.co.uk and find what I have been doing gathering an international team together at www.sharp-end-training.info/about

I look forward to working with De and Bea (they gotta be a double act – I will nickname them D and B…) and the remaining joint venture partners to develop and deliver training and educational material to help YOU.

One of the first things I will be doing to sending you a link to a comprehensive survey to find out more about you and your business. (I have never been to the US – but I will. So I need to understand a bit more about you all). Don’t worry though, thanks to the wonders of TV and the internet, I am exposed to american culture daily…

Anyways, if you want to speak and have a natter, chew the fat, whatever you want to call it, leave a comment below and I will add you on skype and we can fix up a time.

For general information, UK time (currently using GMT) is 5 hours AHEAD of eastern time and this means I talk to you guys afternoon for me, morning for you..