OMG it's Christmas already! How did that happen? It seems like only a few weeks ago I was stressing about my July tax return and recording my ice bucket challenge at the snow (I think that must have worked as I don't see the videos anymore).

If you are blogging to establish yourself as a leader in your industry and haven't yet used LinkedIn to blog you are missing out on a huge opportunity to grow your reach and personal brand.

Dr Cameron is passionate about eradicating migraines from peoples lives. If you have ever suffered one you will appreciate his lifelong dedication to studying how we humans work and why we get these debilitating headaches in the first place. If you have ever had a migraine yourself or know someone who has, read on. If not, consider yourself lucky!

I have been reading Steve Job's biography (on a Kindle strangely enough) and see in his story what I see in a lot of entrepreneurs I work with - a huge love for what they do. They care. A lot.

We all know how vital client referrals are to business. They are the best sales opportunity you can possibly get with a 50-70%* close rate - try getting that from Google AdWords or Facebook. But how do you get more of them? 

Are you are a business traveler like me? If you are then you probably end up going to amazing countries but with only limited time to look around. So if you were in Dubai for a night what would you do? 

Just over 21 days ago I started testing out the Lenovo YOGA 2 compared to my trusty Apple MacBook Air. In that blog I mentioned that Lenovo had contacted me and asked me to be an ambassador, they don't pay me but provide me a free laptop to test and flew me to London for the global launch of their new range. 

What's the best way to launch a new product and get e-ttraction?  Is it a huge mainstream media burst to get awareness, creating a funny video you hope will go viral to generate interest or running a once in a life competition to stimulate desire? In my view none of those works as well as influencer marketing.

Do you ever feel that when you want something really really badly, the more you try to make it happen, the more it moves further away as you push? You might be in your own business trying to grow, pushing your clients for more, selling hard but the more you push the less they want to buy? Or you might be in a job you don't like and want a new one that better suits your values. 

Thanks for being a great friend and supporter of me and my business Social Star. As we approach our first birthday (we sent out our invitation last week, so if you missed it connect with us here ), I sat down and looked back at my journey over the past year.

How much do you love your computer?

As Founder and Personal Brand Consultant  at Social Star which specialises in crafting peoples online brands, my computer IS my business. I am pretty much always on my computer. It's where I wrote my book, blogs, look at pictures of my kids and work with my clients.  Even when asleep it is next to me whilst I dream of writing biographies and building websites - sad but true! Those of you who are digital professionals will understand...

I have been making french toast for my boys for the last few years and it always jumps off the plate with no complaints on a Sunday morning. It's easy and quick to make and believe it or not is quite healthy. 

LinkedIn has 300 million members, 6 million in Australia and is the biggest and best social media channel for business. Not convinced? Did you know that 65% of companies acquired B2B leads through LinkedIn or that it drives more traffic to B2B blogs and sites than Twitter, Facebook and Google plus combined! Still need more? 

I came across Roger's work at the same time as I discovered John Demartini. John was the master of values. Both are experts in human behaviour, but Roger's clear system of personality assessment won me over. 

here is a debate amongst entrepreneurs and business people whether a University education is relevant in today's super-fast moving information economy. So I pose a question - Do you support traditional University Degrees as the best start to a career or entrepreneurial courses and work experience?

If you were heading across the world to impress 1,800 of your peers would you pack lycra? That's just what I considered before packing my favourite superman outfit and heading off to Social Media Marketing World in San Diego in March 2014. 

Business in Bali, why would you bother!  Why would you want to work? I know Bali is Australia's favourite holiday destination but let's examine why it could make a great business destination too.

Social Media banners are a vital ingredient in your creating your Powerful Personal Brand.  It's the best real estate you can get on social media to instantly communicate your business and values in one second; as they say a picture tells a thousand words.