Figures released last showed the worst retail growth in fifty years as consumers deserted shops again in the end of financial year sales.

The 1.6 per cent annual rise in spending is the worst result since 1961-62 – an era when there were no credit cards and shoppers used pounds, shillings and pence.

The Bureau of Statistics revealed sales for the normally strong month of June had fallen by 0.1 per cent, following an 0.6 per cent drop in May.

Here’s my take…

“Losers live in the past. Winners learn from the past and enjoy working on the present toward the future.”
Denis Waitley.

If I look back at the past, I only see the positive influences that are directing me to the future. A fall in the park as a seven year old, taught me to be strong and that everything heals. A teacher in fifth grade that had me in tears because she dared to give me a A- on an essay, only to have to change the mark to an A once I brought it to the Head Masters attention, taught me to stand up for what you believe in. My Year 8 crush who never even noticed that I existed, taught me that not everyone is on the same page. Crashing my boyfriends new car when I was 20 years old into the garage wall while trying to park it, taught me to not sweat the small stuff.

Success means different things to different people. I have said this before in my marketing blogs and I will say it again. To some, it means having a happy and healthy life. Others, it means how much money they make or how the world views their achievements. For me, it is something that I am completely unsure of.

This may surprise many who read my blogs, but I am a firm believer that women should support their men.

Coming from a European family, where the men rule the roost and women play the pivotal role of supporting their man, I am an advocate of women doing what it takes to support their families and in particular, the men in their lives.

Yesterday, I wrote a blog on how women can help their man be more successful. As promised, today I am publishing how men can help their women be more successful (in business).

If you are a man and lucky enough to have a woman that is determined, ambitious, talented and intelligent – as well as owning their own business or having a high flying career – then count your lucky stars. You are in the minority,

Many entrepreneurs believe that if you embrace failure on your path to success, you will succeed. In fact, most successful entrepreneurs have failed many times, but the difference between them and the rest of the world is that they don’t internalize failure – instead they embrace it.

We think we have it all – a good business, people who follow us and even some who say they are inspired by us, yet have we really got it all sorted?

Entrepreneurs are unique. They have drive that comes from an inner place that very few people understand. Instead of laying in front of the television every night, entrepreneurs usually pick up their ipads or a good book and learn about how other entrepreneur became successful. Coffee on the go is essential and sitting still for too long usually means that there is something going wrong – or at least entrepreneurs think this is the case.