{"id":41541,"date":"2023-10-20T15:14:43","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:14:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/a-world-renowned-comedian-on-the-recipe-for-success-in-business-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:14:43","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:14:43","slug":"a-world-renowned-comedian-on-the-recipe-for-success-in-business-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/a-world-renowned-comedian-on-the-recipe-for-success-in-business-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"A world-renowned comedian on the recipe for success in business – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Glynn-Nicholas-at-the-Victorian-Small-Business-Festival-681x333\"<\/div>\n

Running a successful small business means having an innate belief in yourself, according to world-renowned director, stage producer and comedian Glynn Nicholas.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just one of the ways that being a comedian or performer is similar to being a business owner, says Nicholas, who gave the keynote address at the official opening of the Victoria Small Business Festival in Melbourne last week.<\/p>\n

Nicholas spent 10 years travelling the world as a busker before going on to star in the ABC\u2019s The Big Gig<\/em> and The Glynn Nicholas Show<\/em>. He now operates his own small business, creating and producing stage shows and musicals.<\/p>\n

Giving the audience insights into the competitive and \u201cfickle\u201d world of show business, Nicholas recalled the first instance where people watching one of his busking performances in Europe actually gave him some cash, and more importantly, a belief in himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think if you\u2019re running a small business, you have to believe in yourself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause if you don\u2019t have a big sense of self-confidence and a belief in what you\u2019re doing and who you are, there is no way you can persuade anyone else to either.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I think from a sense of belief in ourselves, all those other wonderful things stem, like enthusiasm, encouragement, creativity, passion, courage, love. All those things stem from a belief in yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Without that sense of belief, Nicholas says performers and business owners alike have no chance of being able to \u201cget over those massive hurdles that you\u2019re bound to face\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that all of you who are running small businesses have had times when you\u2019ve just had these almost insurmountable odds against you but it\u2019s a belief in yourself that has helped you get through it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Using a miming exercise that involved members of the audience jumping through an imaginary skipping rope on stage, Nicholas shared with the room the three ingredients he believes are essential for running a successful small business.<\/p>\n

1. Trust<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In order for the skipping rope mime to work, the two members of the audience who were asked up on stage had to trust Nicholas, and one another. That same trust is needed in all businesses, Nicholas said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think, no matter what your business is, if you don\u2019t have the trust of your fellow workers and trust of your suppliers and your clients, you\u2019re really going to struggle,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In order to build trust, Nicholas recommends focusing on the core behaviours of trustworthy people.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the behaviours of people who are trustworthy is that they are competent,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to be competent in your business \u2026 in order for people to trust you.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe second behaviour exhibited by trustworthy people is reliability; people who are trustworthy are reliable.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you say you\u2019re going to meet someone at two o\u2019clock, don\u2019t meet them a half-past-two. Don\u2019t be late. Because that\u2019s just stealing their time and nobody trusts a thief.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, Nicholas said trustworthy people are also honest in their business dealings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think honesty is really, really important,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure all of you have had dealings with businesses where you know that the boss really isn\u2019t trustworthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of being honest in business is admitting mistakes, Nicholas said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all \u2026 need to own up to our mistakes; whatever the mistake, just admit it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing vulnerable is one of the most wonderful human traits because people fell much more that they can connect with you.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd yet for some reason in business we try to paint this image of ourselves as being without flaws.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Human connection<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Nicholas\u2019s skipping rope mime also needed the participants to connect with each other.<\/p>\n

Finding a human connection is something children do naturally but adults find more difficult, Nicholas said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuman connection when running any business is so incredibly important and I would suggest, it is actually the human connection at your workplace that will determine how engaged your staff are with each other,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

3. Laughter<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Despite building a career on being able to make people laugh, Nicholas said in the early days of running his own business, he used to worry whenever he heard his employees laughing because he thought they were not being productive.<\/p>\n

But he said experience has taught him that \u201cpeople who have the ability to bring about laughter in the workplace are, generally speaking, more trusted and more liked by their colleagues\u201d.<\/p>\n

Drawing on the expertise of his friend and fellow The Big Gig<\/em> star, Anthony Ackroyd, who now runs laughter workshops for businesses, Nicholas said for every 1% increase in positive mood in a workplace, business owners can expect a 2% increase in revenue.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd nothing increases positive mood likes laughter,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all know that laughter makes us feel good but there\u2019s actually a science behind it all.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is it good for business? Because when we laugh, laughter changes our biochemistry, we feel enlivened.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt increase the flow of oxygen to your brain, it stimulates the neurotransmitters, which makes us feel good, and it makes us think more creatively.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt also lowers blood pressure, releases stress hormones and it will paint your house,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n

\n

This article was first published on SmartCompany.<\/em><\/p>\n

Follow StartupSmart on<\/em> Facebook,<\/em> Twitter, <\/em>LinkedIn <\/em>and <\/em>SoundCloud.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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