How unremarkable actions executed with remarkable consistency will deliver remarkable results… It’s sometimes tempting to think that you can save time and cut corners in your business. This is done with good intentions in the belief that you’ll have time to “start doing thing properly” later when the business grows. Or perhaps when things improve …
According to an online survey of more than 1,000 businesses, almost three-quarters said they expect their revenues to reduce by more than 50% as a result of COVID-19 disruption. A further one in five expect a reduction of more than 20%. [1] Wow – those numbers are pretty scary. And I guess, if you clicked …
This is a blog that we posted a few years ago during some blizzards. At the time, many businesses felt worried about the disruption caused and this story proved helpful. Quite clearly, this is significantly more concerning than seasonal blizzards. But it might just help to highlight how we need to think differently and inspire …
‘Business as usual’ just isn’t good enough – we have to think differently… Read More »
Thanks for accessing this free guide. In uncertain times it can be all too easy to panic and start to do less and allow your business to contract… You may be focussed on what you can’t do rather than seeking out those things that you can do… Following some or all of these ideas efficiently …
12 ways to double your business in the next 12 months for free… Read More »
Like all skills, the better you get, the better to want to be. You may achieve a level at which you are happy to plateau. But even then you will need to practice to maintain your performance. Think of it like developing a sporting skill or perhaps a performing skill or a creative skill like …
How to get a realistic feel for what return you get from your social media marketing activity is hard. Many make mistakes because they consider the number of views, shares or likes as the measure of success. In actual fact return on investment can only be measured in cash terms. So ultimately, to assess success …
There are some who dismiss the idea of networking as a pointless jolly. And others who find the whole experience so excruciatingly awkward that they will find any way possible to avoid it. If you fall into either of these camps, then read on and see if we can inspire you to be a better …
Getting to grips with the figures in your business is essential. And this is true whether the economy is in boom time or gloom time. If your eyes glaze over at the mention debtors and creditors. If you panic thinking about net profit or cash. Then it’s more important than ever to face up to …
A tale from Johnny’s childhood on the farm and what you can learn from ploughing a field… Inspired by driving through the Shropshire countryside at various times of the year (not so much in January to be fair!) and seeing the tractors busy in the fields and at the risk of sounding like an ‘olde tale from a …
Was it a symphony or an ear-jarring cacophony? Well, I hope that went well and you’re all rested and recharged and ready to pick up where you left off last decade… I thought it would be helpful to let you know, before we take this fully public, about a key new programme that’s launching this …
As a business owner, your two most precious resources are time and money. In this blog, I am going to give you an insight into how to generate more money AND free up your time… Do you feel frustrated at the rollercoaster of being so busy that you don’t have time to market yourself, only …
Thank you for taking the time to read this short bulletin. One of the amazing things about the world of small business is the dynamic pace at which it moves. It’s like a speeding train. To help you make sure you stay on top of your business and stay on track to realise your dreams, …
The mistake so many companies make is to fail to put themselves in the shoes of their potential customers. They are so focussed on telling people why they are better than the competition or why their product or service is so good. Until you look at your campaigns from where your prospects are standing, you …
As your company searches for new ways to boost productivity and increase sales, it’s important to be aware how your plans can be thwarted. By now, if you’re following our advice, and begun to take notice of our rallying call to action, your business should be growing nicely… But if you’re not, I thought it …
It’s a corny, familiar question used to describe people’s natural disposition. How you view your surroundings. Your attitude to the challenges and opportunities facing your business. And how you communicate these views to others. These all have a huge effect on how you’re viewed and can also influence how things work out. People often ask …
Learn from the market traders… We were chatting in the office earlier about visiting a local show and how much we alI love watching the sales guys who are selling the vegetable and fruit slicers or those pitching the almost industrial spec food blenders. It isn’t particularly that we have an interest in food prep. …
If you don’t value what you do then your prospects won’t either! Do you ever undervalue what your business does? This is probably because it’s familiar, you believe it’s simple or easy. The reality, more often, is that you’ve acquired the right skills, knowledge and expertise to make it seem simple or easy. This leads to either …
If you want more money from your business, let’s take a look at your operational efficiency – have we lost you already? Stick with us – typically this is an area that provides more opportunity for profit growth than pretty much any new marketing campaign can ever hope to achieve… Especially in a small company …
We did this little exercise with a client some time back. We looked at the 10 initiatives the business had started in the last six months and did a bit of investigative work to find out who had provided the genesis of the idea behind each initiative. The CEO, who was a very entrepreneurial chap, …
How do you get staff to contribute growth ideas? Read More »
One of the questions we frequently get asked is ‘how can I most effectively grow my sales?’ If this is a question that you struggle with, then why not take a few minutes to to consider these 9 steps to help you develop your marketing plan… Many business owners that we have talked to recently …
How to get ahead, hit the ground running in 2020 and take a leaf out of Google’s marketing plan! It’s one of my favourite weekends of the year – sad I know – but, if you’re anything like me, you’ll really love the luxury of that extra hour as the clocks go back. This year …
How are you going to use your extra hour this weekend? Read More »
Tom was 34 when he finally realised that his job working as a production manager at Deadend Ltd wasn’t taking him anywhere. He’d worked his fingers to the bone and seen little of the reward. That said, he’d acquired a great set of skills and knew he was an expert in his field. That was …
Meet Tom – he’s a “Typical Owner Manager” (You probably know him already!) Read More »
Discover the DNA of profitability for your business Are you like most business owners – do you believe you need to take dramatic steps to improve the profitability of your business? You may believe, for example, that if you want to double your profits, you need to double your sales or halve your costs; you may …
With all the political uncertainty around at the moment, it is more important than ever to have a positive attitude towards your business. Remember, if you fail, your business fails! It was a wise person who said, “whether you think you can or think you can not, you are probably right…” With this in mind we’ve …
Be careful what you read and be careful who you listen to! Read More »
Whatever your sport (in fact, even if you aren’t a sports fan, you’ll appreciate the analogy), have you ever stoped to imagine how futile the whole thing would be if, say, a rugby match had no way of scoring points, or nobody timed a marathon and there was no finish line… Sports people and teams …
