Date: March 2013

One of my good friends is incredibly talented. She has worked for some of Australia's most successful fashion houses as a designer and a few years back decided that she wanted to start her own brand.

I am a big advocate for women that have a go. Her label and namesake Sophie Moran Inc is worn by celebrities, models and people throughout the world that fall in love with her simple designs, great fabric and the wearability of her product. The brand is fun, sexy and can be worn anywhere. It's also a great gift for your nearest and dearest.

Like many great designers, she started her business from her kitchen table and it is now seen in more than 70 stores around the world. Her marketing is simple. Facebook. She cannot make enough product to cater for the demand from the stores that stock her products and her friends. Facebook showcases her latest designs and who is wearing it with what.

All the models are friends who just so happen to be either famous (and fabulous) or incredibly good looking. You won't see any anorexia girls on this page. Just healthy, sporty stylish women that genuinely love the Sophie Moran brand.

This is one of her latest designs. Check out her Facebook page and let me know what you think! As an Australian fashion designer, she rocks - big time!

When was the last time you watched an entire TV program without looking at your phone?

Can't remember? Don't worry, you're not alone. Deloitte’s multigenerational State of the Media Democracy survey polled more than 2000 consumers and found that more than 80 per cent of American consumers are multi-tasking while watching TV. This includes texting, streaming video, social networking and web browsing. And yes, live-tweeting a TV show or movie counts as well.

On top of that, 26 per cent of consumers own a laptop, smartphone and tablet, making them digital omnivores. Tablet ownership alone has jumped by 177 per cent in the past year.

What makes me #happy? The sun shining. My dog giving me a cuddle. Spending time with my family. Children. Winning. Getting sales. Building my company. Walking in the park. Reading a book. Being in love. 

The United Nations was onto something when they declared March 20, as the first International Day of Happiness. Aimed at encouraging countries to "better capture the importance of the pursuit of happiness and well-being in development with a view to guiding their public policies", #happyday has certainly struck a chord.

Our in-house social media expert tweeted feverishly in both Australia and US on consecutive days about #happyday with great results. People from around the globe retweeted, shared and commented. People simply want to be happy.

I asked a few people in our office what makes them happy. 

The past few years has seen us as marketeers witness the tip of a technological iceberg. 

In a world where the word ‘Facebook’ is now as internationally recognised as the ‘Coca-Cola’ and ‘OK’ of yesteryear, we can conclude that social media and with it, social media campaigns, are the order of the day.  Businesses won’t maximise business without an effective social media presence - it is essential to play in today’s extremely competitive business environment and create long-lasting communications to build brand image and trust.

The lose comment "I just got lucky I guess" is a load of horse radish. Seriously, if I hear one more person say that again I will scream!

While luck may play a role, and serendipity certainly cannot be ignored, very few business people have succeeded without having a good product or service, knowing how to market it and working incredibly hard with the right team in place.

Listening to veteran public speaker Shep Hyken at the recent EO Miami University, reminded me that more than ever, hard work, understanding the customer and their needs is part of the parcel of building and sustaining a company that is profitable, industry leading and competitive.

"Be better than average," Shep spruiks.

Sitting in the Los Angeles airport after being in Miami Beach for an entrepreneur’s conference, I pick up The Mail on Sunday only to discover a story written about women who meet each other through work.

It’s been five days of the best Miami has to offer coupled by discussing entrepreneurial topics, life and success (or in some cases, lack of) with some very versatile, uninhibited entrepreneurs who all seem content to share stories and experiences while enriching each other’s lives through old-fashion mateship.

Pinterest is going ahead leaps and bounds in the business space. Not only has it achieved to provide one of the easiest platforms to understand and their instructions for setting up a business on Pinterest are so easy - even I can do it - but they also have cleverly launched a free analytics tool that will allow you to track engagement. 

I really don't want to mislead you, but there are some truths about social media that you need to be aware of.

Social media is powerful - undeniably so. It has the strength and depth to make or break a brand. It can cleverly make a company or person appear more successful than they really are. It can make you famous, rich and powerful.

Out of the wood work, names that were not known just five years ago, are now ranked in the top brands online in the world. 

But is this 'social media' thing all that its cranked up to be?

Forget what you have always been told about how people get ahead in the workforce. No, you don't need to sleep with your boss or your clients for that matter. No, you don't have to be "Mr Nice Guy" 24/7, and you certainly don't need to play office politics. 

There are ways to improve your chances of landing that dream job - and it's not as hard as you think.

1.  Engagement:

Being an engaged employee means that you know a thing or two about the business. You have definitely learnt the art of listening to those at the top of the pyramid and those who are just starting in the mail room. You read every memo from management and you participate at every level in the organization without complaining that "there are too many internal memos" or that "the social club puts on crap events". You listen, learn and comprehend the value of engaging people around you and having them remember who you are.

2.  Competitive:

Contrary to popular psyche testing on how to be the best employee in the office, a little bit of competition is healthy. If you are looking to spearhead your career and take that top job or a dream job in the Executive team, then you need to have a competitive spirit to be the best. That doesn't mean stomping on the person beside you to "win" nor does it mean that you need to spruik your successes from the rooftop. What it does mean is that you need to set benchmarks for yourself and your team, and ensure that you are reaching it and you have the drive and competitiveness inside that won't stop until you reach the goal you have put in front of you. Some people fear competition and some misuse it. The trick is to compete with yourself and the benchmarks that have been set before you.

Have you seen an increasingly large amount of those quirky, square-shaped, two-dimensional graphic images floating around recently? QR codes probably started popping up noticeably in 2012 and have since been a prominent marketing tool used by tech-savvy whizzes and consumers alike. 

QR code, an abbreviation from ‘Quick Response Code’, is the trademarked matrix barcode that originated from the automotive industry in Japan. The code is made up of numerous black dots that are subsequently arranged in a square grid on a white background. The information encoded within this matrix may be made up of four standardised kinds (“modes”) of data- numeric, alphanumeric, byte/binary, Kanji- or through various supported extensions, virtually any type of data.