Tonight we will no doubt have some Saturday Night Fever to celebrate the coming New Year. Never can I remember so much doom and gloom in the media about the next twelve months. There are two ways of looking at the New Year. Either we believe everything we read and give in to accept a…
Monthly Archives: December 2011
Why we need to be realistic about our business ambitions
“We pay a price for everything we get or take in this world; and although ambitions are well worth having, they are not to be cheaply won, but exact their dues of work and self-denial, anxiety and discouragement.” LUCY MAUD MONTGOMERY, Anne of Green Gables Or, as we might say, there is no such thing…
Why it is the season for bright ideas
Christmas is upon us. Unless our business is a 365-day-a-year sort of business we do need to take a break for a few days. It will do us good. If you do have a 365-day-a-year business I am sure you delegate to others so that you can grab time off later. One advantage for me…
Why we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover or a colleague or prospect either
First impressions First impressions are important. When meeting someone in business for the first time I am sure we all do our best to present ourselves well. That is simple commercial sense. Sometimes if we get a poorer impression of someone else when we meet them we do not pursue the relationship. If we instinctively…
Why managers and workers need to respect each other
Respect is our starting point Respect is one of the most important qualities we can have in business. We need to respect our clients. We need to have their respect by delivering quality service; the very best we can do and strive to be better than the rest in our field. We all know this….
How to annoy me on-line
Something we often forget is that we are all different, even on-line. There are tools that some people think are absolutely wonderful and think bring them success. Maybe they do! But a lot of those things others think are really annoying. I thought I would share some of those things that annoy me. Tweeting links…
Why we don’t need social media for business
Losing the plot? Well, we tend to forget that social media is (are) a means to an end. Or maybe it was just me. I can’t speak for you. Like lots of people I have embraced Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, signed up for newsletters and blogs of interesting people, and of course bought things from various…
Conversations make team work
As you may remember, I believe that there is a difference between hearing and listening. Listening is the bit where we actually take in what someone is saying rather than just appearing to be polite by giving them time. Listening involves thinking about what we are hearing. It involves being aware of our surroundings. At…
Your customers are not a process
Most of us here provide a personal service to our customers, whether that is as in my case providing help and support with my clients’ businesses and taxes, or for you perhaps web design or delivery of packages. In a small business every individual customer gets a service and we cater for their individual needs….
Smile!
Hospital soap If you have read this blog for a while you will know that I feel very much that lazy management can result in poorly run hospital wards, especially geriatric wards. Currently my wife and I are visiting a much better hospital ward. It is still for the elderly, but it is a…
Monthly Archives: December 2011
New beginnings and old habits
Tonight we will no doubt have some Saturday Night Fever to celebrate the coming New Year. Never can I remember so much doom and gloom in the media about the next twelve months. There are two ways of looking at the New Year. Either we believe everything we read and give in to accept a…
Why we need to be realistic about our business ambitions
“We pay a price for everything we get or take in this world; and although ambitions are well worth having, they are not to be cheaply won, but exact their dues of work and self-denial, anxiety and discouragement.” LUCY MAUD MONTGOMERY, Anne of Green Gables Or, as we might say, there is no such thing…
Why it is the season for bright ideas
Christmas is upon us. Unless our business is a 365-day-a-year sort of business we do need to take a break for a few days. It will do us good. If you do have a 365-day-a-year business I am sure you delegate to others so that you can grab time off later. One advantage for me…
Why we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover or a colleague or prospect either
First impressions First impressions are important. When meeting someone in business for the first time I am sure we all do our best to present ourselves well. That is simple commercial sense. Sometimes if we get a poorer impression of someone else when we meet them we do not pursue the relationship. If we instinctively…
Why managers and workers need to respect each other
Respect is our starting point Respect is one of the most important qualities we can have in business. We need to respect our clients. We need to have their respect by delivering quality service; the very best we can do and strive to be better than the rest in our field. We all know this….
How to annoy me on-line
Something we often forget is that we are all different, even on-line. There are tools that some people think are absolutely wonderful and think bring them success. Maybe they do! But a lot of those things others think are really annoying. I thought I would share some of those things that annoy me. Tweeting links…
Why we don’t need social media for business
Losing the plot? Well, we tend to forget that social media is (are) a means to an end. Or maybe it was just me. I can’t speak for you. Like lots of people I have embraced Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, signed up for newsletters and blogs of interesting people, and of course bought things from various…
Conversations make team work
As you may remember, I believe that there is a difference between hearing and listening. Listening is the bit where we actually take in what someone is saying rather than just appearing to be polite by giving them time. Listening involves thinking about what we are hearing. It involves being aware of our surroundings. At…
Your customers are not a process
Most of us here provide a personal service to our customers, whether that is as in my case providing help and support with my clients’ businesses and taxes, or for you perhaps web design or delivery of packages. In a small business every individual customer gets a service and we cater for their individual needs….
Smile!
Hospital soap If you have read this blog for a while you will know that I feel very much that lazy management can result in poorly run hospital wards, especially geriatric wards. Currently my wife and I are visiting a much better hospital ward. It is still for the elderly, but it is a…
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Jon Stow Consulting Tax Blog
- Business tax and snake oil schemes
- Income tax issues with ownership of rental properties
- Capital tax issues with ownership of rental properties
- Urgent – Important changes to tax treatment of Furnished Holiday Lettings losses
- A brief tax guide to buying and selling family and owner-managed companies
- Furnished Holiday Lettings – the latest news
- Business tax – what business owners should expect of their accountant
- Jon Stow’s Ezine Articles
- Why Customer Service is Important Even to Those Who Are Not Customers Yet
- Why Quality is Important - Lessons From BMW
- Why We Need to Take an Outside View in Business
- Avoid False Economies in Business - Seeing Value Over Cost
- Why a Business Plan is Not Just For the Bank
- Why We Need Need to Respect the Feelings of Our Prospects and Clients
- Responsibility and Leading From the Front
- Networking - The Folly of Hunting Rather Than Farming
- Networking is a Long Game
- How to Avoid Giving Free Advice
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BBC News - Rolf Harris unveils Walker Gallery retrospective http://t.co/lIMarkqf
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Bees inaccessible under doorstep but apparently pose no threat. May well swarm and move off anyway apparently.
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Oracle v. Google jury stumbling over tech terminology, illness http://t.co/00SkLqww
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Bee-keeper lady has gone to get help to lift our front doorstep to get at colony. I would help her but don't have the requisite white suit.
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- Jon Stow Consulting Tax Blog
- Business tax and snake oil schemes
- Income tax issues with ownership of rental properties
- Capital tax issues with ownership of rental properties
- Urgent – Important changes to tax treatment of Furnished Holiday Lettings losses
- A brief tax guide to buying and selling family and owner-managed companies
- Furnished Holiday Lettings – the latest news
- Business tax – what business owners should expect of their accountant
- Jon Stow’s Ezine Articles
- Why Customer Service is Important Even to Those Who Are Not Customers Yet
- Why Quality is Important - Lessons From BMW
- Why We Need to Take an Outside View in Business
- Avoid False Economies in Business - Seeing Value Over Cost
- Why a Business Plan is Not Just For the Bank
- Why We Need Need to Respect the Feelings of Our Prospects and Clients
- Responsibility and Leading From the Front
- Networking - The Folly of Hunting Rather Than Farming
- Networking is a Long Game
- How to Avoid Giving Free Advice
-
-
BBC News - Rolf Harris unveils Walker Gallery retrospective http://t.co/lIMarkqf
-
Bees inaccessible under doorstep but apparently pose no threat. May well swarm and move off anyway apparently.
-
Oracle v. Google jury stumbling over tech terminology, illness http://t.co/00SkLqww
-
Bee-keeper lady has gone to get help to lift our front doorstep to get at colony. I would help her but don't have the requisite white suit.