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Qualifications??? Me... None!

Sure if you are an accountant you will need some qualifications or in a regulated industry. However when it comes to running your own business there are no qualifications needed.

Just because someone is a professor doesn't mean they know everything about the subject matter. Sound crazy right? well it isn't.

I get a number of student either starting their masters or PHD asking me how to do things. Why, because you can learn from the books as much as you like but at some point you need to know how things are done in the real world.

Not that their is anything wrong with getting an education and degree. I am just saying it isn't going to guarantee success in the real world. And to be honest, if two people applied for a job with me in data science or any industry I am in, if one had a degree and the other didn't. I would be paying more attention to the applicant that didn't have the degree and pushing them to see why they believe I should hire them.

There is no degree in passion, there is no substitute for commitment. If someone has the drive to learn and believes their application should stand up to anyone who has a degree in that industry deserves my attention.

I have never been knocked back for a job because of qualifications and don't believe anyone should be. I have friends that have their doctorates or PHD and they will be the first to admit they don't know everything about their chosen industry however some are willing to learn more from the industry they are in while some simply want to move onto something else.

So, qualifications. Not needed to be successful in business, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. And if someone does, tell me the industry they are in and I can guarantee you I can tell you who is more successful than them without qualifications.

I like http://smallbusinessbigmarketing.com/ too

Hi Lisa,

A great post and a great idea! I would enjoy catching up over a coffee and taking time to discuss possible synergies. Tuesday of next week would suit me and I am happy to meet wherever suits you.

In addition to my SSME profile you can find me on www.wardourcapital.com or LinkedIn.

Cheers,

Neil.

I verbally celebrate it with the team :)!!

In my old workplace we used to have a small and a big gong and we used to gong every little win!

Also writing down the little milestones helps too :)!

30 seconds to one minute can be a good length, it depends on where you're placing it. Generally if you're commissioning video it's a good idea to get several different lengths cut (this is relatively easy for an editor to do, and shouldn't increase the budget too much - particularly if you know what you want to include in the shorter versions).

These three elements are most important:

1. Clearly showing what the product is with high quality imagery and what it does (what problem does it solve?)
2. Clearly demonstrating why it is unique or better than other products (without referencing other brands by name)
3. Making it obvious and easy how someone can find out more/buy that product (eg a clickable URL for a YouTube video, as well as including the URL in the video details, and enabling comments so people can ask for more info there)

It's also desirable to:

• Have a good voice over.  I would personally recommend "ABC voices" - trying to sound overly cool or overly cute or folksy/"Aussie" can misfire. A pleasant, warm, professional, articulate voiceover that people associate with the kind of voice that gives them reliable and impartical information (such as the news on ABC) is ideal.
• Use graphics/animation if it's hard to show what the product does - eg think of five razorblades closely shaving facial hair - that's easiest to illustrate by animation
• Include text/subtitles so if someone has the volume down (or is hard of hearing, or has English as a second langauge) you can maximise your communication

Final observation: when placing product video for adverts, eg on YouTube, ensure they are skippable when that's an option available to you. If someone has no interest in your product, there is nothing to be gained by making them sit through a long advert. For example, I sometimes see adverts for industrial machinery which I cannot imagine ever having a need to buy!