There is a lot being said about the doom and gloom of January. People are lamenting the gaping emptiness without Christmas celebrations, the pressure to give up alcohol or indeed anything else you enjoy and the sheer darkness of the mornings. But I’m a big fan of January! I love how uncluttered it is. Family … Continue reading January is a great month!
Category: Business growth
It’s all too tempting to think that the biggest opportunity for improving your business is to get more customers. It might be the right decision – but not necessarily. So how do you know? Take the example of a general car repair garage which has seen a steady decline in sales. A typical, instinctive response … Continue reading How to identify your biggest business improvement opportunities
It’s all too tempting to think that the biggest opportunity for improving your business is to get more customers. It might be the right decision – but not necessarily. So how do you know? Let’s take an example. Your business is a general car repair garage which has seen a steady decline in sales. A … Continue reading Why marketing might not be the right answer
There are traditionally two reasons why you would want to write a business plan: The first, to satisfy potential investors or future business partners that you have a well thought out proposition The second, to create a roadmap to achieve that success. While the first reason is externally focused, I think that the second reason, … Continue reading 7 Ways To Make Your Business Plan Work
It’s a question I have often been asked in the context of working with teams to improve their business development processes. 10 years ago I would have said that you can probably train most people in the skills to sell, however, that doesn’t mean they will use them. Negative perceptions of sales, an unwillingness to … Continue reading Can Anyone Be Trained To Sell?
Twice in the last week I have been served by people wearing earphones. Maddening! In both cases they were from small businesses rather than High Street names. One was the ice cream van man. That was particularly disappointing as the first ice cream of the season from a roaming van is still a mildly exciting … Continue reading OK to wear headphones while serving customers? I think not!
What would you change, if you could, in your business? I hear the same themes voiced by the owners of growing SMEs – and not just in certain sectors. Broadly they sound like this: How do we get our staff to feel the same about the business as we do? How can we get people … Continue reading 5 Ways To Change Your Business
We may not normally think of vital signs when reviewing and planning our business but what if we did? What would we notice and would it be useful? Here are a few for each of the key business areas. Do any of these ring true for you? Finance Margins are so tight that any unexpected cost … Continue reading Know your vital signs
I have recently gone back to the business I started 11 years ago when I left the corporate world. It has been a perfect opportunity to take stock, to focus and to make sure I'm doing what clients most value and what I most enjoy. Since 2005 I’ve been privy to the pains, frustrations, aspirations … Continue reading Business lessons from an 11 year old.
This has got to be one of the most commonplace challenges for small businesses. Their favourite and best clients use them because they trust them – the person behind the business. However, in order to grow – or to even take a short holiday – they need to be able to say, ‘It won’t necessarily … Continue reading How to scale up when your business is just you!
