With that in mind, having a CV that stands out isnt such as bad thing, from a content and design perspective.

Which brings me to Loft Resume’s – a service where anyone with a CV and internet connection can get a text only CV turned into something much more interesting.

Starting from $99, I think it’s money well spent.  What’s your view?

Polaposts turn regular photos into mailable Polaroid prints by fitting them into a white bordered sleeve. A built-in seal keeps your print from slipping out and a writable backside makes for easy message scribbling. Just snip your photos to fit, slip ‘em inside then send them on their way. Great idea!

Wonder who has a polaroid camera in my world?

The topic deserves further exploration, therefore I hope you enjoy the next few blog posts as I explore the issue of productivity and hope we can both learn something and pick up some tips along the way.

According to BRW Magazine, Australia is in a ‘productivity backwater’ with many larger organisations including Qantas and Toyota struggling to cope with low productivity. For a small business, productivity problems can very quickly bring a business grinding to a halt.

So what exactly does ‘productivity’ mean? Put simply, it’s the act of getting more done in less time, or at less cost. It’s not about working longer hours, it’s about getting as much as you can out of every hour you do work. If you are self employed or are a one person business, your productivity has a direct impact on your wage and this can be a great motivating factor.

For businesses with employees who are paid a regular wage, productivity can be a major issue as staff that are paid potentially to ‘just be there’, no matter how much work they get through and without the right coaching, employees can often lack the motivation to be highly productive.

Increasing productivity, both for yourself and your employees is the holy grail of running a business but with some understanding of how the process works and a few suggestions, you could find yourself on the path to a more productive business.

Next post in this series - How does Australia compare to the rest of the world on productivity?

To be effective, you need to tweet regularly and consistently however, there are a few dos and don’ts, which may help if you’re struggling to come up with the perfect tweet.

Do:

• Try to make your tweets interesting. If you are not a natural comedian don’t panic, it is still possible to create interesting tweets that will make people laugh.
• Put links into your tweet to give it context – providing commentary can give a fresh angle to a news story or piece of information that your followers may have already seen five times that morning.
• Make it personal. You are trying to build relationships with your followers (or perspective customers) – this means that they need to feel they are getting to know you to a ‘certain degree’ through your tweets.

Don’t:

• Write repetitive tweets – keep each one unique
• Just post links with no commentary
• Try too hard to be funny or be so cryptic that your followers have no idea what you are talking about
• Be boring. Try to find a new angle or fresh perspective in your tweets.

Using twitter to its maximum advantage does take a bit of work and careful thought. I’m still figuring it all out myself but using twitter effectively can be a huge boost to your business, so it is well worth taking the time to write good tweets.

The good news is that a new service has recently been launched that may just be the answer to this very common dilemma.

ImageBrief is a crowdsourced marketplace connecting professional photographers to image buyers in publishing, advertising and design.  It’s really easy to use and now has a permanent place in my bookmark list.

Where do you source your stock images from?

I don’t know what it is about thank you cards, but for some reason they seem to induce a temporary creativity gap in even the most eloquent of writers.

If you are one of those people who panic when faced with a blank card, relax! Writing thank you cards, like many other things, is a learned skill and once you get to grips with the formula, you’ll be churning them out with ease in no time.

There are a few things that make a really great thank you card:

1. The greeting. Steer clear of anything too informal or cute, it’s best to stick with ‘dear’ if you are sending it to a professional associate.
2. After the greeting, go straight into the thank you. What are you thanking them for? Keep it fairly succinct for example, “thank you for taking the time to meet with me last week…”
3. How did it help you? Think about what benefit you received directly, whether you received a gift, a service or a chat or email. For example: “your advice on marketing strategy was invaluable and I’ve already started implementing some of your suggestions to great effect…”
4. A stated desire to keep in touch – for example: “it would be great to get together again, and let me know if there’s ever anything I can do for you.” It is probably a good idea to try to avoid being pushy – after all, your aim is to show your appreciation, not give them your sales pitch!

Once you get into the habit of writing thank you cards, you will probably find they don’t take up a lot of your time and the rewards can be well worth it.

Spreading a bit of positivity around your business associates can be rewarding too and can enhance your business reputation immensely. Why not give it a try and see what happens?

The Lexon Buro Desk Set includes a USH hub, a magnifying glass with LED light and a battery powered calendar with alarm clock to name a few.

Designed by Adrian & Jeremy Wright it comes in green (as shown) and a grey-purple colour.  This is a stationery item to create a lasting impression!