Author Archives: Jon Stow

More haste, less speed, less money?

It is a cliché to say that people are always in a rush these days, but unfortunately it is true. In business, generally, it does not pay to be in a rush. We may make poor decisions without considering all … Continue reading

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The ignorant blunderbuss approach to sales and marketing

Knowing our abilities and our limits My business is helping people with their tax issues, and finding help to support their businesses. I know a lot about how to do that, and that is down to hard work, training and … Continue reading

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Dealing with time-wasters and tyre-kickers

Many of us who offer professional services get enquiries from people who do not really want to buy. The problem has been the subject of a debate among several of my colleagues and friends, and we have different ways of … Continue reading

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Tailoring your offering to suit the client

Package deals In many businesses, including my general area, it is customary to quote package prices. For example, there might be a price for a tax return, and then a price for self-employed accounts and a tax return, one for … Continue reading

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Purchasing mistakes for small businesses

My salad days, when I was green in judgement Remember when you started your business, whether it was a few months ago of a few years? You wanted to buy computers, tools and gadgets. You needed to buy in services. … Continue reading

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Short-term business follies

Sometimes I meet people who do not so much have a business plan as be after just making a fast buck. They try to follow every trend, or start implementing a strategy they just thought up in the middle of … Continue reading

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Small business: doing, not being

One of the advantages of having my own business is, I have always thought, that I am doing something I enjoy and having responsibility for my own working life. In fact, having responsibility for all of my life. In employment, … Continue reading

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Poor customer service on the carpet

The long wait We have an apartment for sale. We don’t live in it. It was my Mother-in-Law’s home but sad-to-say she is no longer with us. The flat is empty of furniture and redecorated, but the carpets need cleaning. … Continue reading

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Some things for the long weekend

Have you tried Zemanta when blogging or managing your on-line content? It helps find your own related content and images as well as articles and blog posts from other people which will add value to your writing. It will also … Continue reading

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Adapt, change or your business will die

I have had my own business for nearly eleven years. It hardly seem possible. However, it is not the same business I started. In the beginning I hardly used email to correspond with clients. It wasn’t that I was an … Continue reading

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