Join us as Flying Kite’s Charles Hsuan interviews growing small- to medium-sized business owners, and find out about their attitudes towards entrepreneurship – their vision and fears, highs and lows. In today’s episode of “How I built this?” we find out how Gideon Swart of Wild Cactus Café manages his time between growing his business, being a Crossfit coach, pastor, father of 2, and a husband. https://soundcloud.com/flying-kiteza/crossfit-coachpastor-father-of-2-husbandcoffee-truck-owner-how-gideon-swart-does-it-all We help business owners become better marketers. Schedule your appointment now. #GideonSwart #howibuiltthis #wildcactuscafe

On 19 February, I visited the SAfm Studios between 4:30 and 5 am to chat with Khanyi Magubane of Sound Awake. Charles Hsuan speaking at Nedbank’s retail and franchise seminar, March 2019 Listen as I discuss the importance of habits and routines, the cost of your passion, and being called a Banana – yellow outside, white inside – by my own father. Take the “stress” out of growing your business. Get Your 30-min FREE discovery call today. #howibuiltthis #Mygetupandgo #podcast #SAFMSoundAwakeInterview

If you ask people in marketing ” How do you persuade people to change?” You most likely get an answer that sounds like this- Change making and persuasion are only about getting people’s attention by creating awareness around a subject or option and then presenting people with rational arguments that will convince them to make choices we find desirable. Yet, both science and what we see in the world around us prove otherwise. Research in the fields of psychology and behavioural sciences demonstrates that people make irrational decisions all the time . We are not driven only by reason and logic. Emotions play a huge part in how we react, what we decide, and whether we choose to change. Persuasion is the capability to change a belief or behaviour. We persuade by appealing to reason or understanding. It’s more than presenting the information and expecting people to make an objective judgement or rational choice. Information that resonates deeply connect with people’s feelings. Don’t just persuade people to act. Move them to act. At Flying Kite, we help you design and implement effective strategies so you can spread your powerful ideas.

Are you a little behind or a little ahead? If you live in Gauteng and grab an Americano every workday morning for about R20, ever thought how much it would cost you in 5 years? Over 5 years, if you’re paying your daily fix with ongoing credit card debt, at R4800 a year (R20 per cup,5 cups a week with 20.1% Interest rate), it’ll cost you R13’004.45, and you might never find the means to repay the debt. On the other hand, if that same R4800 went into a fixed deposit that paid about 7,85% a year , you’d end up with R7098.17 in the bank. The lesson here is interest compounds. It’s because banks prefer to charge more than they pay out. And it’s mostly because we’re very aware of the short-term gain and happily ignore the long term loss. At Flying Kite, we help you design and implement effective strategies so you can spread your powerful ideas. #CompoundInterest

One of the memorable moments for me was when I attended the Global Leadership Summit in 2018 . One of the speakers Dr Nthabiseng Legoete of Quali-health spoke about “Focus on why you started”. Remember and focus on why you started your business, As a society, we don’t often discuss our failures, about the mistakes we have made along the way. If we don’t do it we lose the focus on why we are there. Challenges do not mean your dream is not working. Challenges are stepping stones and learnings to lead you to a better place, a place that you envisioned when you started. Here is some advice when you lose focus. 1. Be a little flexible on how you get to the goal Changing your HOW doesn’t mean you change the WHAT or the WHY. Team up with those who share your WHY. Be determined and unwavering in WHAT you want to achieve but not inflexible on HOW you want to get there. 2. We will face defeat, challenges and resistance-Don’t be surprised Challenges are part of your purpose-filled journey. They should not derail you. Forgive yourself for making mistakes. There will always be critics and some will not like you. There will be a lot of noise. Be willing to make the tough decisions to move the business forward. Expect pain and self-doubt but don’t be paralyzed by it. 3. Your faith will keep it going Ask yourself: Are you doing what you set out to achieve? If the answer is YES, then keep going and ignore the noise! At Flying Kite, we help you design and implement effective strategies so you can spread your powerful ideas. #Businessconsulting #Startwithwhy

My friend has a chronic dry skin problem all her life. She tried every moisturiser available (Even my favorite Bee Natural didn’t work). No matter what the doctor prescribed or what she applied to her skin her hands remained dry and premature wrinkle persisted. Hindsight 20/20, that neither my friend nor her doctor got to the crux of the problem. He didn’t know what was causing or contributing to the condition. He didn’t know that my friend hardly drank water—only wine and coffee. 5 cups a day. He didn’t know that she had a poor diet (She loves KFC), not a fan of fresh fruit and vegetables and healthy fats. He tried to fix the problem by treating the symptoms, instead of the cause. We all do this at some point in our lives and perhaps in our business too. We don’t get to the root of the problem and end up fixing potholes. We waste resources, time and energy on actions that don’t help us to create forward motion or get to where we want to go. We might think that there’s no harm in trying something that might not work while forgetting to account for the “opportunity cost”, that isn’t just wasted time or money—it’s wasted focus and momentum. Getting to the crux of the problem, whether that’s with your personal goals or your business challenges, is harder than finding a quick-fix solution to treat the cause. But it’s worth the effort. At Flying Kite, we help you design and implement effective strategies so you can spread your powerful ideas. #ProblemSolving

The last time I flew a kite I was in primary school, but the memory has never left me. You start off with the kite on the ground, then you pull on the string and run as fast as you can and watch the kite fly high into the sky. Even as I child I knew the string had to be adjusted according to weather and according to how busy the flying area was with other kites being flown nearby. There are similarities between business strategy and kite flying. Kite flying takes time to learn and after considerable practice, you become much better at it. It’s the same in business, and I’ve never met a successful business owner that stopped learning or evolving. Consider these similarities: A Positive Attitude Kite flying is not a walk in the park. Just like your business, it involves a combination of talent and skills to take the kite high up in the sky. The heavy burden of flying the kite could prove to be frustrating and emotionally draining for any amateur trying it for the first time. In the same way, a new entrepreneur just entering the market may have a mountain of challenges in front of him or her. Overcoming them and establishing a company takes a lot of effort and you need a positive attitude to keep going, and to see problems as challenges. “Wind factor” (Sales and marketing strategy) The wind is a required condition for a kite fly to soar into the sky. If the weather is windy, it’s much easier to get the kite to takeoff. Your business works in the same way – consider the wind as the right market conditions. Your products and services will sell and generate profits only if there is a demand for the product in the market. Your business is headed for losses if it tries to fly its kite in a vacuum environment, and you do not take customer needs and market conditions into consideration. System and process The right kite material, when matched with proper wind conditions, can take to kite to greater heights. In strong winds, a paper kite could simply tear off and a stronger material would be needed to survive. However, if the wind is gentle, a paper kite will do just fine. Similarly, your business needs the right systems and processes in place to deal with the demands of your customers. Positive Client Experience The entrepreneur is known as the person who takes the risk of starting the business. If the entrepreneur is careless or apathetic, the business will reflect this, and if the entrepreneur is customer-centric the business will be customer-centric. If the entrepreneur does not live up to customer expectations, the life expectancy of the business will be very short. In the same way, if the kite-runner who has good control over the kite, will see his or her kite soar high into the sky. There is an endless number of similarities between kite flying and business – so, what’s your kite story? Making sales should not be a mystery…. Book your 30-min strategy call today. #BusinessStrategy #Entrepreneurship

Hirsch’s Centurion recently held their business networking morning with guest speaker Charles Hsuan who touched on “The four habits to build a healthy business.” Charles is in the marketing field and knows what it takes to run a successful business. Inspired business owners “Building your business on habits that are healthy but also relevant is a necessity for the times we are currently living in. We need to use every medium we can to not only target our audience but constantly see if our strategies are aligned with what is required from us as business owners” Charles explained “It was such a pleasure to interact with Charles. One can see the passion he has to elevate the clients he deals with.” Robertha Henney- Public Relations Officer at Hirsch’s This article was originally published by Margaret Hirsch #CharlesHsuan #NetworkingatHirschs

We all know the feeling of finding a great shirt that fits your body type, we feel comfy, we feel confident and most importantly, we wear it over and over again. In business, this is known as repeat customers and it’s the best case scenario. On the flip side, we take on clients or projects that are a bad uncomfortable fit. We do work that doesn’t motivate us or customers that don’t value us. It’s difficult to pay attention to the reasons why things aren’t working out when you’re waist-deep in the situation. But it’s important to try. We improve on how we work best by paying attention to the cases that didn’t turn out as we hoped. Every unconscious compromise is a consequence of a failure to consciously set boundaries. It’s up to us to discern, then create an environment that allows us to do our best work. So do it today by giving yourself permission to set a high bar. Save your best work and energy for the clients and projects where you can make the most impact. Who or what is the best fit for you, and why? At Flying Kite, we help you design and implement effective strategies so you can spread your powerful ideas. #CharlesHsuan #howtoimprovecustomerexperience

I recently delivered a talk at Nedbank’s retail and franchise seminar entitled “ 4 Habits To Build Your Business.” A number of attendees’ approached me thereafter to ask if I could provide any guidance on how to deliver persuasive presentations, and I am happy to now share some of my best pointers on the topic. Here are some insights that I shared with a group of business owners during the meeting: If you are uncertain of how to structure your message, try this simple but effective format Inform the audience of the status quo; Explain what has changed, and what the reasons for the change were. Explain how things might look in the future, whilst expanding on the most likely scenarios. Finally, inform them what they can do about it. You can refine this framework with your own insights, or with what’s relevant to your own industry or scenario. I suggest you add your own stories and examples to make it come alive. This simple structure is the core of all thought-leadership presentations and will serve you well. What makes this routine effective is that it encourages the presenter to speak with an Audience-Interest adaptation. You become the mentor; the audience becomes the mentee. It’s simple and easy to remember, and you can apply it in a broad range of persuasion scenarios. At Flying Kite, we help you design and implement effective strategies so you can spread your powerful ideas. #CharlesHsuan #FranchiseWorkshops #KeynoteSpeaking

Here’s a question, how many times do you calmly leave a restaurant after a bad service, vowing never to return, without letting the owner know what you think? How often have you stopped buying from a brand you once loved without telling them why? How valuable would your feedback be, if only these businesses were in the habit of asking for it? It’s hard to ask questions that will give you purposeful feedback. We might be scared about the response we get and this holds us back because suggestions inevitably become more work for us. The trick to making purposeful feedback actionable is to ask a specific question at the right time. You certainly don’t need everyone’s opinion about everything to improve your service, product or business. But it’s important to ask the crowd who matter questions about the things you are willing to change. At Flying Kite, we help you design and implement effective strategies so you can spread your powerful ideas. #CharlesHsuan #howtoimprovecustomerexperience

As a business consultant and keynote speaker, I travel frequently throughout the country and get to experience different levels of customer service. I started to notice that some moments create more of an impact than others. So, what makes them memorable and how can they be applied to your business and your personal life? One of the moments that were most memorable to me was a stay at the Fancourt Hotel in George the night before my keynote for Nedbank’s annual Franchise and Retail Seminar . This is how they created a memorable moment: Imagine when you arrive at reception, a staff member greeted you by name and told you they were expecting you. The porter asks if he could take you to your room and give you a tour and a short history of the hotel. When you arrive in your room the aircon has already been switched on and the lights were lit. There was a complimentary bubbly being chilled on ice. All these touchpoints made me feel extremely cared for and important, they made me feel welcome and they are there to serve me. Memorable moments have nothing to do with the beautiful buildings, gorgeous views nor the delicious food. Psychologists will tell you that the human brain disproportionally retains experiences that are new and emotional and in the above example, I believe I experienced both. You may expect that this type of service in a well known resort should be a given, but how many times have you visited a premium place but not experienced premium service? Here is another great service industry example: The Magic Castle is a 3-star hotel that continuously outranks 5-star hotels in LA, on Trip Advisor. How do they do it? Next to the swimming pool, they have installed a “popsicle hotline” for you to call. In a matter of moments, after receiving a call on the hotline, a formally dressed employee, wearing white gloves, will deliver a bucket of popsicles to you. The children are happy and so are the parents! How to create your own memorable moment : Memorable moments stand out from every day “business-as-usual” and help customers experience your service in a different way. Creating memorable moments doesn’t always need to cost a lot of money. Instead, you will need to invest time and engagement. When you know what your purpose is you create more moments of engagement with what you do. When your employees are exposed to real customers who benefit from your service it creates a meaningful moment of connection for them. In the book The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact the authors discussed four elements that create defining moments. A defining moment must include at least one of these elements, it does not have to include all four. These four elements are: Elevation: They rise above the everyday. Insight: They rewire the way we understand the world or ourselves. Pride: They are moments that find us at our best—in terms of achievement or courage. Connection: They are social and we will share them with others. Now think about your business: How do you currently create memorable moments of elevation, insight, pride or connection with employees and customers? Where do you see opportunities to create more moments? If your team were to focus on one moment to leverage in the next week, what would it be? At Flying Kite, we help you design and implement effective strategies so you can spread your powerful ideas. #CharlesHsuan #howtoimprovecustomerexperience