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A little sidetrack off our regular style of meeting, this presentation from SBNG Secretary Nicola Davies-Cooke was very well attended - so perhaps there's something to note here!

Sometimes the To Do list of a small business owner can cause us to forget that we are all human beings.   We get so caught up in daily tasks, or self judgement for not completing things .... we wear ourselves down.  We call it STRESS.

As a coach and trainer Nicola specifically deals with neurodiversity, and shared that one common theme for all human beings is the need to feel in control.   And when things are going "wrong" this can cause a disregulation in our nervous system, so here are some tips for easily changing how you are feeling:

• 10 second rule!  Under stress, the brain produces adrenaline & cortisol.  These hormones can dissipate in 6-10 seconds and this helps you arrest the "fight / flight" response.
• Breathe!  2 minutes of either Balloon Breathing (imagine your belly is a balloon - expand it, then let the air out through loose lips) or Box Breathing (breathe in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4) will calm the body and mind
• Exercise!  Even a small amount of exercise will change the chemicals being released.  Endorphins improve mind balance and make you feel good.
• Mindfulness!  Try the 5 senses exercise to discover things that you're not consciously noticing, eg. 5 things you can see; 4 things you can feel; 3 things you can hear; 2 things you can smell; 1 thing you can taste

Creating a Personal Stress Management Plan can help identify your personal stressors & symptoms; set goals for stress reduction; define strategies that work for you and provides an evaluation process so you can make easy adjustments as you go.

Another fabulous meeting at Ettalong yesterday and our Guest Speaker was Robyn Ratcliff.

With 25 years as a Business Trainer and Coach, Robyn works with business owners to grow their business, in particular in the digital and online space.  In this presentation we learned what a Sales and Marketing Funnel is and also the different stages of the Sales/Marketing Funnel.

Exploring how to automate this process through different tools and strategies, we discovered that the stages to be covered are:

• Awareness: Attracting leads through marketing efforts (e.g., social media, SEO, ads)
• Interest: Engaging leads by providing valuable content, offers, and information
• Decision: Offering targeted solutions that cater to the customer's needs.
• Action: Driving the conversion—how to optimize the checkout process.

Thank you Robyn for this fabulous morning which was very well attended.

Our thanks to the staff at Bobby's Cafe for looking after our breakfast requirements.

Back by popular demand, our homegrown marketing expert Sarah Cook took us on a fabulous journey into this powerful software, Canva.

Clearly that's just a very quick summary of a fascinating dive into Canva's capabilities - this well attended meeting was quite excited!

Thank you Sarah

Another well attended Networking Breakfast meeting at Tuggerah this morning, so nice to see some new faces too.

Everyone had a contribution to make as we explored some topics in round table discussion:

• What's been the best lesson you've learned in business to date?
• What do you consider to be the most important skill in your industry

A big thank you to all members and guests who joined us at Bobby's Cafe this morning.

It was fabulous to connect and network with so many incredible local businesses.

Keep spreading the word that SBNG is the best small business networking group on the Central Coast!!

Our Erina Host, Bill Murch, is a wizard himself for sure ... so bringing us his hints and tips on how to work more productively was a sure fire winner!

There was something for all skill levels as Bill deftly showed us around:

• Working with the Taskbar (all the settings / how to ...)
• Working with multi windows (moving / resizing / switching / and more ...)
• Working with files (oh boy ... the mind boggled)
• A few keyboard shortcuts relevant to Windows
• Personalising your desktop
• And even Virtual desktops

For this morning's meeting at Tuggerah, we welcomed SBNG's resident marketing guru, Sarah Cook, with another fabulous presentation, this time on Canva.

Some Key Takeaways:

• Creating a design from a template is easy - there's a multitude of editing tools that can swiftly make a design take a new look
• Set up your brand so that becomes the basis of new designs
• There's an AI tool for added functionality, but don't expect it to be perfect
• Give it a go!

Thank you Sarah for sharing your expertise with the group.

Another great presentation from Sarah Cook of Atlantix Studios this morning at Tuggerah - thank you Sarah 

To summarise :

1. You have approximately 7 seconds to make a good impression!  Potential clients are 35% more likely to engage a business that uses professional photography as opposed to stock imagery!
2. Your pro headshot represents both you AND your business - so makes sense that it be of the best possible quality
3. The photos you use on your marketing collateral represent you business just as much as your staff or the products and services you offer.  Low quality, amateurish photos reflect poorly on a business `
4. As well as having them take the logistical reins, using a professional photographer means you get their skills as well as lighting, equipment, editing and retouching It's a hassle-free solution that's worth the up-front cost.
5. Visual content plays such a big part in today's competitive landscape.  Professional photography is an invaluable asset for small businesses offering a range of benefits.

And there was so much more!  But the good news is that Sarah will be reviewing this presentation again later in the year - so if you missed out this time, you'll have an opportunity to catch her then

See you at our next meeting!

Paul Skene from Fintrans Pty Ltd gave an excellent presentation about Credit Scores and how to understand them followed up by a great round table discussion

If you want to meet like-minded business owners in your area check out our upcoming events: https://sbng.com.au/events

Another great meeting with the fantastic Bill Murch. The team had such a great time "Becoming a World Wizard". With the amount of audience participation we've had to rebook Bill for a part two in March.

Don't forget to download the free PDF for Word Tips & Tricks sent to your email

Hope to see all you guys again at the next meeting in Ettalong