Glen Kiddel is the Co-founder of VitaMan Skincare, a men’s grooming company, now operating in one of the fastest growing industries out there.

Most business partnerships rarely last longer than a few years. Why do you think your partnership with Clare has been so successful and what advice would you give to others?

My partnership with Clare was like destiny, we have an amazing connection where there is an unspoken link between us. Each of us would do whatever it takes to support the other through our business journey together. The amount of mutual trust and respect we have for each other is incredible, as is our growing admiration for each other. Maybe there is a spiritual connection. I have met thousands of great people over the last 30 years and I cannot think of anyone whom I would rather have as a business partner. The huge appreciation we have for each other just continues to evolve as we share the same dream - we do it as much for each other as we do for ourselves.

I think another contributing factor in our success is that we each brought a different set of skills and experiences to the partnership. My background was in health, fitness and natural medicine, while Clare was involved with make-up and beauty therapy training. Clare had a much stronger background in fundamental business operations while I was able to offer stronger sales and creative skills.

Finding someone as special as Clare was a gift. It’s hard to advise someone how to find the right business partner, you might just meet someone one day and find that there is an instant connection between you, as happened with us, or you might meet someone within your circle of friends. I truly believe that the right partner will come along at the right time and choose you.

Deciding to work together is a massive undertaking. Spending more than eight hours a day together, year after year, in the same room is more time than most married couples spend together! I know that our partnership has worked so well because we have supported each other on a personal level, which is crucial to maintaining stability in the business.
Knowing that your partner will cover for you when you have a family crisis or need time out, and that you will reciprocate when it’s their turn, makes the partnership stronger. [[Clare went above and beyond the normal call of duty when I lost my father to cancer]], and again when my mum had a sudden stroke. This support was huge, and I cannot express my gratitude strongly enough for what Clare did for me during those difficult times.

My advice when deciding upon a business partner is to discuss how you will deal with unexpected events and how you will support each other. You should also agree that disagreeing will be a part of growing and not let it interfere with your relationship. You must also feel completely comfortable spending long hours with that person.

At the end of the day, go with your ‘gut intuition’ when deciding whom you want to partner with, and make sure that you both understand that you will both have to do the hard work. If one begins to slack off, it can create animosity and a feeling of it not being a true partnership anymore. It’s crucial that you are able to talk through concerns and offer each other constructive criticism in the best interests of your business.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s success tip. Check back again next time for more great advice from the experts.

Until then,

Allan Poole

Put your best foot forward every time! One of the reasons that many people fear taking the podium is because they are afraid of being the focal point of everyone’s attention and they don’t want to make a fool of themselves. There are several things you can do to “fool-proof” your speaking event so that you present well every single time!

1. Take the time to prepare well for your presentation. Preparation enhances your confidence and it’s also an opportunity to refine any weak areas in your presentation.

2. Begin and end your presentation on time. Arriving late to your presentation is simply unprofessional; not to mention that it won’t win you any points with your crowd. Also speaking over time shows your audience that you don’t value their time.

3. Know your audience. The only way you can really relate your audience is if you know who they are. Profile your audience. Are they male or female? What income bracket are they in? Why would they attend your presentation?

4. Dress appropriately for your audience. Not all speaking engagements require a business suit! There are many places where business casual attire has become the norm. Before your audience even hears your message, they are already sizing you up and this is impacting whether or not they are hearing what you have to say!

5. Have a backup plan for visual aids used in your presentation. You’ve selected to use visual aids because you thought they would be helpful in getting your message across. What happens when laptops fail or the room cannot accommodate presentation equipment? Create a plan on how you would handle a situation like that.

6. Tone down information overload. Yes, you can overload your audience with too much information and if you’re not careful, you’ll lose them. They’ll mentally check out. As a speaker, you’ll want to present enough information that hooks them into getting more information from you!

7. Don’t use inappropriate humor. Humor can be a tricky thing working for you or against you. You will really have to know your audience in order to use jokes or humor appropriately.

8. Vary your speech tones. The monotonous speaker will lose their audience within the first 15 minutes. It’s okay to be animated during your presentation and in fact, doing so will transmit flair and passion that keeps people engaged in your message.

9. Relate your topic back to your audience. Basically, stop talking about yourself! Your audience might want to hear a testimony or two, but mostly, they’ll want to hear about them and how your presentation can help them!

10. Solidify your message. Support your ideas with data and evidence and build a solid case for your viewpoints. You can use statistics, testimonies, demonstrations, pictures and more!

Your presentation can be fool proof if you take the time to minimize mistakes. By going through these key points, you can assure yourself that you are well prepared for any challenge that might come your way and you will experience the success you’ve always dreamed of!