Keynote Speaker at Sydney Graduate School of Management
We are proud to announce that William de Ora will be the keynote speaker 
at the United Nations Day for Tolerance on Friday 16 November at the Sydney Graduate School of Management.
What a great honor for someone who showed up in Australia with $70 to their name, progressing to a true blue Aussie businessman with a profound success story.
William would be happy to speak at any other events. Please contact William to inquire.
Louise out early to show her support for RUOK? Day 2012. Come out and join us in this great campaign to alleviate suicide with one simple question.
Living The “Impossible” Dream Of An Invisible Entrepreneur
Are you currently running a successful business? More importantly, is your business a thriving, profitable enterprise that can run without you? In other words, are you an Invisible Entrepreneur?
Living an “impossible” dream
An Invisible Entrepreneur is a business owner who has worked “in” their business as well as “on” their business but has then gone on to achieve the ultimate goal of working themselves “out” of their business and is living an “impossible” dream. The impossible dream being, that the business continues to run without the business owner’s day-to-day involvement.
If you are someone who already runs a business or, perhaps, you are considering starting your own entrepreneurial enterprise, chances are, you think it would be pretty hard to have your business operate without you. However, it is absolutely possible to transform a small to medium-sized business into a lucrative organisation without being dependent on the owner for the day-to-day input. In short, it is possible to become an Invisible Entrepreneur regardless of what type or size of business you run.
“For many business owners, why this is an “impossible” dream is because their reality is driven by their limited thinking. And we’ve heard it all. Again and Again.
“But my business just needs me – I’m the only one with this sort of expertise.”
“You don’t understand – my business is different.”
“My customers just wouldn’t put up with it – they’ll go to my competitor.”
Stuck in the reality that nothing will change
And, while you continue to have this mindset, the reality is that nothing will change. You can think up any excuse you want to stop yourself from becoming an Invisible Entrepreneur. However, the reality is that you’ll then just stay on your custom-made treadmill. And guess what? When you stay on that treadmill, you don’t change direction. You pound relentlessly along the same path, and you don’t have a chance to embrace new ideas and new ways of thinking.
The Invisible Entrepreneur is a book that is focused on your transformation, your business’ transformation and allowing you to realise that you have options and you have choice. We want you to be truly free to pursue your life’s passion and purpose – whatever that may be for you.
Therefore if you are happy with your current situation and don’t want anything to change, then stop reading this book now. If you want to be tied to your business without the option to become invisible, that’s fine. We understand that you’re not ready. If you don’t want to add value to your business, no problem. Thanks for sticking with us this far.
A transformational journey
But if you’re ready for a transformational journey – for your business and yourself – we’re going to help you make it happen. Get ready though, things are about to get very exciting. You’ll be asking yourself some tough questions and we’ll be challenging some long-held beliefs.
We’re committed to this process because we’ve seen it work again and again. Helping other business owners on this journey is an exhilarating process for us. In consulting with business owners, we can always see the extent of their potential – even when they can’t. And we work with them until they recognise how great they can be.
Are you ready to become an Invisible Entrepreneur?
(Excerpt from The Invisible Entrepreneur by Louise Woodury and William de Ora)
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Source: quantumpublications.com.au
What have been the most powerful words you’ve heard (or spoken) that have transformed one of your significant relationships—even your own life?
This is our latest video depicting three powerful words that helped save our marriage, our business and even our very lives.
The Silver Back Gorilla And Queen Bee Approach To Entrepreneurship
The business world and employee interactions are amazing, yet complex phenomena. And, to paint a ‘real life’ picture: no two human personalities are alike. In fact, partners in business are oftentimes polar opposites, breeding conflict and dissention.
Can two highly energetic, creative, and pioneering professionals (even life partners) not only co-exist, but thrive in running a business venture?
The answer is an emphatic, “Yes!” Let us explain…
The Silverback Gorilla
The silverback male gorilla is a strong and powerful leader who typically has had to fight his way to the top. His name comes from the distinctive patch of silver hair on his back. He can be intimidating. He commands, puts up with no dissent, and demands to be the center of attention.
Without a doubt, silverbacks are strong, dominant leaders. They make all the decisions, mediate conflicts, determine the movements of the group, lead the others to feeding sites, and take responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of all. The silverback experiences fulfillment primarily through success and accomplishment.
But when the silverback is challenged, say by a younger male or an outsider, he will scream, beat his chest, break branches, bare his teeth, and then attack. When that happens, it is a terrifying sight. But this type of intimidation is how the silverback ultimately controls and conquers those around him.
Most ‘would-be’ adversaries back off without taking him on. No one has any doubt about who’s the boss. The silverback is a powerful force to be reckoned with. Unchecked, he can also be very destructive.
The Queen Bee
But what about the queen bee? Isn’t she also in charge? Definitely! She is in charge of the beehive and represents the main purpose of the ordinary bees’ existence. She guides all actions that make up their busy lives.
A beehive is run by a single queen, aided by hundreds of drones and tens of thousands of worker bees. There is a remarkable level of social organization in operation.
Every day, bees manage thousands of arrivals and departures in a single hive, without a dispatcher. We humans need complex, computerized flight control systems to manage heavy flight traffic. And we don’t have nearly the same success rate.
Consider also the bees’ precise hive building skills. There is still no explanation for how a colony of bees can construct honeycombs so impeccably, so perfectly, all without special tools. And in the dark! It is truly remarkable to consider.
So, although the queen bee is certainly a leader and is the center of attention, she operates in a very different way than the silverback gorilla. She is less aggressive and her primary concern is to maintain an orderly hive that functions well.
The Silverback And Queen Bee In Business
In the context of the natural world, the silverback and the queen bee are both born leaders in their respective territories and roles. It’s hard to imagine how the rest of the community would survive without them. Both have very positive traits, and also potentially destructive traits.
Now translate this analogy from nature into the business world, specifically in the context of two life partners working together. The immediate question is “Will there be enough room for a silverback and a queen bee to manage one business?” Because of their formidable individual strengths, it would be easy to conclude that such a partnership would be a recipe for disaster.
If you stick with the stereotypical silverback and the queen bee, then it’s surely not going to work. After all, the business silverback is protective. But does the queen bee he works with need or even want his protection? The queen bee, in turn, is highly organized, but would the silverback be able to work—or would he want to work—in such a rigid environment?
In short, the queen bee leaves the silverback no room to dream whereas the silverback leaves the queen bee no place to shine.
For added spice, sprinkle in some common irony: although the queen bee has the strength, she may never resort to the power struggle required to displace the silverback. So he could continue to dominate and dictate the future of the business, shutting the queen bee out of what she does best.
More questions: If they’re in business together, as well as being life partners, who will lead? Who’s in charge? When it comes to the final say, are they equal? After all, great life partnerships are about unconditional acceptance and love, but business is about competition!
In our business, there was never any question as to whether William was the silverback in our camp. And although he still is today, let me assure you that there has been a maturing of this silverback over the years.
And thankfully so! Because I (Louise) can honestly say I never stepped fully into my power until the more mature silverback appeared. Perhaps I matured and decided to work with him as opposed to feeling like I was working for him.
Whatever the case, I was more than happy to tag William as the silverback, and continually shrug off my queen bee identity. I was concerned that if I asserted my role I might be tagged as being a diva, matron, warden, control freak, or prize bitch.
I could easily have sat back and watched while my silverback ran himself into the ground trying to conquer the universe, simply for the sake of winning. Yes, I could have said “It’s his business. He knows what’s best, so good luck to him.” That would have been the easy and tempting route. But it would have been just an excuse for not being prepared to step up and operate as an equal partner.
Did I know what I should have been doing? Absolutely. When did it become clear? From day one of our relationship! That’s right. I knew with absolute certainty from the outset of our working relationship that I should be taking charge of the business management while William went out and did what he does best, which is to expand our ‘territory’ and hunt for new sales opportunities.
William & Louise
Source: quantumpublications.com.au
A question we’ve recently asked is: who has turbo-charged 2012? And, if the past twelve weeks are any indication of the year ahead, then the message is loud and clear: 2012 is the year for change.
It’s also a year of opportunity and doing things differently. And, there’s no doubt that now is the time to operate in a new and inspiring way in our businesses.
Connecting with your market
First of all, we really want to acknowledge how many of our clients are taking bold steps and upping the ante in their businesses. A real inspiration is Matt Coates, of Life Outside. Matt has really gone all out and is committed to connecting with his market in a new way.
During some of their early meetings, William said to Matt that he must prepare himself to become a star. If he was serious about taking his business to the next level, then he needed to value who they are, and begin to share their story with their clients.
In typical closet-entrepreneurial style, Matt kept postponing the inevitable – keeping himself busy being busy. Late last year, a decision needed to be made. Either William was to give up on the idea (nice idea but not really a consideration) or Matt was to step up and give it a go. As you’d expect, this was a classic case of two Silverback Gorilla’s, each standing their ground.
Thankfully, the team at Life Outside landed a very exciting project. This gave Matt the opportunity to rethink, and reinvent the way he wanted to project manage this job. As well as using this as a stepping-stone for future business.
Opportunity for Change
The question you need to ask is: When life presents you with an opportunity, do you step up or step aside? Thankfully, in Matt’s case, this was his opportunity to come out, and really shine.
To give you an idea of what the Life Outside team have achieved, take a look at the video clip above featuring Matt Coates.
There is no doubt that we are very proud of Matt and the Life Outside team. They’ve done an amazing job for their client and need to be very proud of their work.
The moral of this story is why put your energy into kicking and screaming about change when it is inevitable. If you want your business to thrive in 2012, and inspire you 24/7, then choose to do something in a different way. Be willing to challenge the status quo. If something isn’t working – then change it.
No matter what type of business you’re in we want you to win handsomely. You are all business rock stars and this is your year to shine.
Take Action
- This week, get yourself in front of a camera and record something – if this is your first time it’s not about some expensive film shoot – use your iphone, or your home video camera
- The purpose of this is for you to get comfortable with promoting you, your business, your team and why people would love to do business with you
As always, if you know you need to do something different and you are willing to create an exciting plan of action for 2012, then call us today.
And, enjoy the Life Outside video.
William & Louise
Source: quantumpublications.com.au
Annette Gillanders, regional director of Business Network International (BNI) - in the Australia Northern Territory (NT), praises inspirational keynote speaker, William de Ora.
William de Ora is the co-author of three books:
The Invisible Partnership: A Blueprint For Successfully Combining Marriage & Business, The Invisible Branson: The Definitive Guide To Becoming A Business Rock Star and The Invisible Entrepreneur: How To Grow Your Business By Taking 3 Months Off!
His presentation at BNI was based on his own life experiences with wife and business partner, Louise Woodbury.
William says self-actualisation is a vital starting point for all leadership influence. Business is a reflection of the owner and carries their uniqueness, like the one-of-a-kind feature of a fingerprint.
An entrepreneur’s success has nothing to do with money, time, logic or even external circumstances.
Instead, it has everything to do with an entrepreneur’s level of self-worth and belief. Success powerfully emanates from a person’s character.
Gillanders of BNI states:
“William de Ora had a very simple, but clear message for our members: No matter what industry you’re in—construction, manufacturing or providing a service, or what size your business is—you can thrive and excel.”
This is why William de Ora is passionate at BNI about unleashing entrepreneurs from their day-to-day existence and allowing them to see that if they have the desire and right foundations. Then they can set up their business to succeed.
Source: quantumpublications.com.au
Wayne Rivers, president of The Family Business Institute talks to Louise Woodbury and William de Ora, authors of The Invisible Partnership: How To Work With Your Spouse Without Getting Divorced, about whether a husband and wife can work powerfully with one another in business. What are the pros and cons of such a partnership?
The short answer, according to Rivers, is yes they can. However, they must be aware of the challenges before entering into such an agreement. Being married is hard enough with a 50 percent divorce rate. Running a business poses an even greater strain on couples.
What’s the secret for married couples to enter into business wisely? Rivers challenges them to give much forethought and to operate more formerly than they may be used to in their marriage. Also, using resources such as The Invisible Partnership can be invaluable in preparing them for the pressures they will face.
Lastly, Rivers talks of how couples need to draw a line to know where they can get out of business with each other. For example, if one of their children call in sick from school who will pick them up and take them home? These types of decisions must be thought ahead on.
Louise and William have coached multiple couples into being successful business partners. To learn more about how they can help, visit http://quantumpublications.com.au
Marketing your business with Anthea Leonard—recently featured on Master Chef. Anthea is the managing director of Sweet Art in Sydney. Anthea is truly a business rock star.
Whether it’s cake decorating, styling for flowers or parties, or giving anything a creative edge, Anthea is constantly creating her unique business brand.
In the marketplace today, you need to create yourself as a brand. She asks these clarifying questions, “What is your point of difference? How special are you? How is your rapport with clients?” The tricky question for small business owners, according to Anthea, “How good are you at balancing their (clients or customers) requirement with what you want to deliver?”
Fortunately, the answers are found in a book written by Louise Woodbury and William de Ora, The Invsible Branson.
What is unique about this book? It teaches how to create ourselves as a brand through principles derived from Sir Richard Branson and time-tested wisdom from Louise and William’s personal and business experiences.
After a weekend’s reading of The Invisible Branson, you’ll have all the answers when it comes to ‘creating magic’ for your personal branding.
Source: quantumpublications.com.au
RU OK? A movement started by the late Gavin Larkin has spread like wildfire across NSW in Australia. This video depicts how simply asking a coworker (even your boss) how they are doing can make a profound difference.
Louise Woodbury and William de Ora, authors who have written several books and have a wealth of business and relationship wisdom. Both are keynote speakers based out of Sydney, Australia.
