Author Archives: Jon Stow

If you build it, will they come?

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Jon Stow

I have mentioned before that my local village has largely become a collection of cafes and fast-food outlets. Within a couple of hundred yards we have two Indian takeaways, a Chinese takeaway, two pizza places and three cafes. One of … Continue reading →

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Infectious cheerfulness at work

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Jon Stow

I think you would agree that we should always enjoy our work, whether we have our own business or we work for someone else. Otherwise, we really should find something else to do. If we have a good time at … Continue reading →

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It’s worth the pain

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Jon Stow

My aim for each client is to give them a valuable service, and I charge a fee to match that service; one that reflects that value and rewards me well for their use of my brain-power. As I normally charge … Continue reading →

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Blinding your clients with science

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Jon Stow

The other day I had a call from a lady who is running a small business. She wanted to hire me to explain the letters she received from her accountants, and translate the conversations she had with them. Clearly they … Continue reading →

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Scamming small businesses and individuals

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Jon Stow

On two successive working days, I have experienced attempts to obtain bank details via cold calls. The first call purported to relate to a renewal of insurance for an appliance. We did have such insurance but I thought it was … Continue reading →

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Insults, self-respect and selling by value

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Jon Stow

I had an email enquiry from someone who was concerned about possible tax liabilities should he sell a property he used to live in, but had let to tenants recently. There was one particular point he had got completely wrong. … Continue reading →

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Turning down work – really?

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Jon Stow

One of the mistakes many start-up businesses make is taking every project or job, no matter what. I made it myself.  It is very tempting to accept anything which comes along, but the new business owner needs to consider: Is … Continue reading →

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If you can’t say something nice…

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Jon Stow

There are a few people you come across in the flesh or in social media are like Marmite. You either love them or you can’t stand them. There is really nothing in between. Yet if you really don’t like someone, … Continue reading →

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“Thank you for your time”

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Jon Stow

That is something the TV news presenter says quite often to someone they have just interviewed. I think that phrase is a clue that they have not learned much from the interviewee; perhaps nothing at all which will help the … Continue reading →

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Bully clients

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Jon Stow

Most of us hate bullies. One day I might write about my school days if I can bear to think about it. At school we were largely trapped and felt there was little we could do about bullying. In business … Continue reading →

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