Strategy gives you business power

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Strategy Gives Your Business Power

Do you have a weekly, monthly and annual plan to grow your business? Do you know what actions you need to take today, to see positive changes in the future?

Identifying what makes your business special – and then how you are going to tell people about it, and then get them to use your product or service – is what marketing is all about. And while we can sometimes manage, almost by sheer will, determination and luck, having a plan to map your future is a far better way forward.

I will admit that by nature I’m not a planner. I used to depend on my instincts, passion and feelings to grow my business. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes… well, it really did not. I became a marketing strategist and consultant after seeing the power that came from having a plan and then following it. It’s scary when you start – I was personally allergic to having answers around cash-flow forecasting, profit, and spend. I just wanted to work hard at what I did and see success. For me it was simple, but it wasn’t working.

Learning how to plan out the financial and strategic parts of my own business eight years ago was the turning point for me. Since then, I’ve helped hundreds of other businesses around New Zealand take a look at their business and create a marketing plan that takes it towards better profit and growth.

We offer one-to-one marketing consultancy services at Identify. These are eligible for funding through NZTE. I love the positive changes we see in businesses we work with.

For businesses on a tight budget, we also offer STAND OUT – a marketing strategy public course, still funded by NZTE, but only a third of the price of our one-to-one consultancy.

I’d love to talk with you about how either of these options may suit you better. Creating an action-based plan can be a little scary at first, but it’s incredibly liberating once it’s done. You just need to get started!

Rachel Klaver, Managing Director of Identify

STAND OUT

Write your marketing plan in a day

www.standoutwithidentify.co.nz

Wentworth Sailors place 3rd in New Zealand

The close of summer brings with it the end of the sailing season for school sailing teams across the country. Wentworth College’s sailors are thrilled with how their season finished.

The 22 sailors in the Topaz team focussed on developing their skills whilst having fun. The long, warm days of summer saw students enjoy wildlife encounters with large rafts of sea birds, schools of fish and even a pod of inquisitive Orca – a thrilling (if slightly overwhelming) experience for the young sailors.

The 8 sailors in Wentworth’s elite 420 Sailing Team have also had a successful summer. Competition sailing is the name of the game for these experienced sailors and a successful series of regattas over summer saw them qualify for the ‘Gold Fleet’ in the National Secondary Schools’ Team Sailing Regatta held at Algies Bay at the end of April. After a dazzling start in the first round-robin event, Wentworth went on to claim the Bronze medal, which qualifies them to compete in the Inter-Dominion regatta against Pacific teams later in the year.

Principal Bruce Tong sees the school’s proximity to the Gulf Harbour Marina as a huge advantage for the sailors, and has a goal of being the top sailing school in the country.

“Being part of a nationally competitive team in their College years gives our students the opportunity to then go on to the very highest level in their chosen sport,” says Tong.

Entrance Scholarship Examinations – Wednesday, 29th June

Wentworth College has a small number of Entrance Scholarships available to students wishing to enrol in Years 7 to 9 in 2017. Awarded by way of a discount off the annual tuition fees, scholarships are based on a mix of academic, cultural and sporting excellence. Applicants sit three, one-hour examinations (English, Mathematics and General Knowledge) with this testing taking place on Wednesday, 29th June. Interested parents are invited to contact the school office to request an information pack. (enquiries@wentworth.school.nz)

BUS SERVICE THROUGH MILLWATER

09 424 3273

Cambridge International Examination System (CIE) Academic Excellence - 93% pass for UE Wide range of sports incl. rowing, sailing & golf Small Class Sizes - Teacher ratio 1:11

SOME PLACES STILL AVAILABLE