The secret weapons to success could be right at your fingertips Part 1

My desk is a veritable treasure trove of weaponry… weapons of success that is. Having spent much of my working life at a desk in front of a computer I decided a few years ago that what I had with me at my desk was going to be vital in assisting me towards achieving my definition of success.

Weapon 1. The What Rocked Journal



I’ve always been envious at the amazing diaries my Mum has been able to keep over years. Envious, yet seemingly unable to replicate this feat! Until this year that is… instead of attempting to match my Mum’s feat I simply start a “what rocked” journal on the 1st of January, 2007. One small entry per day of something that was awesome (aka that rocked) about my day.



On the days I’ve shown above I’ve listed completely unrelated things for each day, like having John Anderson (legendary Contiki founder) agree to write the foreword to my book Retired at 27, having a great dinner with friends and a promo launch of a new business.

By focussing on the good in each day the aim is to attract more of that great stuff into my life rather than focussing on the dull or down side of each day.

"Life is not so much a matter of 'finding' ourselves as it is a matter of making ourselves." Alan Loy McGinnis

More weapons to come in following blogs.

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By Kirsty Dunphey with 1 comment

5 Simple Tips To Get You Public Speaking Immediately

So you wanna speak eh? You’re just starting out and don’t know how to get your foot in the door? Well the following 5 tips will get you out there and in the public eye immediately. While these jobs may not pay the big bucks – if you’ve got a killer presentation, getting out there like this will ensure you get noticed and get more bookings which can lead wherever you like.

1. Rotary

The Low Down: There are probably about a dozen Rotary, Lions, Probus or other similar service clubs within 15 minutes driving time of you meeting each week worldwide. Most of these clubs are crying out for interesting speakers at each and every meeting. You’ll typically get about 15 – 20 minutes with about 5 minutes for question time at the end.

The How’s and Where’s: Got to your local Rotary website, start here: www.rotary.org and search from there.

The Thing to Remember: I’ve always found I have to slow down my speaking at service clubs due to a percentage of the members not being… shall we say Gen Y like myself. This is a great learning experience and has actually dramatically improved my speaking.

The Bonus: Hook up with a Rotary club to speak while travelling and you’ll instantly be able to say to future clients that you’ve recently arrived back from speaking in… Brazil (or wherever you’ve travelled). Glamour plus!

2. Schools

The Low Down: I have found in my many speaking experiences that kids are painfully honest. While this can be bone shatteringly brutal at times, if you can wow a room full of high school age kids you can speak almost anywhere.

The How’s and Where’s: Write to your local schools, include a profile and tell them why you should be allowed in to corrupt, er, shape young minds.

The Thing to Remember: Get kids to remember you by setting up a myspace page that they can log into and join as your “friend”.

The Bonus: If you really crack a kid audience, they’ll go home and tell their parents and voila – more work!

3. 5 x 5

The Low Down: If you have 25 friends you can do this. Ok, that scared a lot of you, if you have 5 patient friends you can do this. Set up a regular time each week for 5 weeks and give a 20 minute presentation to 5 of your friends. Then sit down with them for 20 minutes (yes a whole 20 minutes afterwards) and drill them for feedback. Each week a different presentation, and different (hopefully improved) feedback.

The How’s and Where’s: Bring coffee and doughnuts and be well prepared - don’t waste your friend’s time.

The Thing to Remember: Pick friends who won’t just tell you that the sun shines out of your… microphone. You want honesty. Get the friend who tells someone when their bum looks big in the mirror!

The Bonus: With only one week to prepare a new speech you’re under the pump – use this to your advantage and don’t cancel for any reason even if there’s only one person in the room!

4. Be Industrious

The Low Down: If your industry has a convention, local, national, whatever, start volunteering to play a part in it. Introduce one of the keynote speakers, provide an update on a new technology or do as I did and offer to do a keynote at a convention of over 1,000 real estate agents before you’ve ever done a big speaking job. (You never know they just might say yes!)

The How’s and Where’s: Your local industry group is the best place to start, as is attending a conference first (so you can get your bearings).

The Thing to Remember: Your peers will be one of the more terrifying audiences you will ever speak in front of. Rock this crowd and you’ll be a legend, fall on your face and you’ll never live it down.

The Bonus: Speaking is a great way to become known as an expert in your field. Being an expert naturally leads to more business.


5. Shmaltz, Lives and Videotape

The Low Down: Before you attempt any of tips 1 – 4 videotape yourself giving an entire presentation.

The How’s and Where’s: Even many digital still cameras these days have a video function so you’ll be able to borrow a camera.

The Thing to Remember: Regardless of the fact that there’s no audience do NOT stop for anything. Pretend you’re on stage and kick through it, regardless of how badly you miff your opening line.

The Bonus: In 5 years time when you’re an old hand at this you’ll have some hilarious videos to watch with a cocktail in hand!

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By Kirsty Dunphey with No comments

Are you a Virgin or a Rolls Royce?

Just a quick blog here, but I woke up this morning with the unquenchable urge to tell you about one tiny part of a book I just read. HEMP – Highly Effective Marketing Plan by Peter Knight.

The section of the book asked people formulating marketing plans to consider which companies they were aiming to emulate in their marketing plans.

It’s a simple question – but brilliant I think.

Obviously a company aiming to be more like Toyota is going to be a very different company to one with a Body Shop state of mind. A company with a Jetstar, Easy Jet or South West feel will be quite different to an Emirates-esque one.

The message isn’t about copying these companies, just about recognising the good points in their culture, style, promotions, public perception and saying “that’s the type of company we are or would like to be”.

The case study provided in the book states:

“Redcup (the case study company) is Virgin Atlantic, Diesel, Mini Cooper S, Planet Organic. That’s because Redcup is young, bold, fun, iconoclastic and revolutionary.”

So in the words of the recently revived Spice Girls “Who do you think you are”?

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By Kirsty Dunphey with No comments

Get ‘Em While They’re Young

I love McDonalds, I have ever since I was a youngster. I fondly remember the birthday parties with ice cream cakes, the road trips we took with fries as fuel for the family and I vividly remember the day I was finally a “grown up” in my family – the momentous day I progressed from eating cheese burgers to quarter pounders.

These are happy childhood memories, understandably associated with a company that actively targets children in it’s marketing, layout, menu and facilities .

What’s interesting to note however is that I’ve never grown out of my childish love of McDonalds. I don’t go there as often as I used to, but I’ll always have a happy place in my heart for them.

Not for the quarter pounders. Not for the ice cream cakes. Not for the fries. For the actions of one person on one afternoon.

On “the afternoon” I was about 12 years old and I plucked up all my courage and went up to the owner of my local McDonalds. I explained that I was a ten pin bowler (no giggling please) and that I thought McDonalds would be the best company in the world to sponsor my uniforms. A few details and a hand shake later and I walked out of McDonalds a sponsored athlete.

McDonalds in my local area went on to provide me with uniforms (red and yellow parachute suit, skirt and tops – don’t laugh I designed them!) for the next couple of years.

The moral of the story? Everyone should love McDonalds. Of course not! My own husband doesn’t even eat there!

The moral of the story is that businesses have the ability to create a lasting impression with children that could repay them in loyalty throughout their lives. I know I’ve bought enough quarter pounders over my adult life to pay for those uniforms many many times over!

The Beechworth baker Tom O’Toole does this by having school kids into his bakeries to make their own loaf of bread, McDonalds did it by saying yes to sponsoring an unknown plucky 12 year old (who by the way never achieved much in the sport). How could your business tap into this market of future customers?

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By Kirsty Dunphey with No comments