Category Archives: Business planning

King Canute and the future of business on the High Street

The Danish King King Canute, or Knut or Knud is best remembered for commanding the tide to stop coming in, either because he believed he was so powerful that the sea would obey, or because he wished to demonstrate to … Continue reading

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Innovation, sacrifice and the job trap

  Employee blues I was in the tax business a long time as an employee, and in the corporate world we were also in the “business advisory” sector. As someone who has run businesses for some time, I realise how … Continue reading

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Common sense pricing

  Value pricing Now we all know (I hope) that when we offer a knowledge based service we bill for value. So if you deliver a huge cost saving to a manufacturing business by helping it re-source its raw materials … Continue reading

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New Year business predictions – why we should treat them with caution

  Clairvoyants Has your in-box suffered an influx of New Year predictions? Mine has. Some of the subjects are predictable of course: How will the economy fare? What trends will we see in the property market? Where will technology go? … Continue reading

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Advice, logic, principles and beliefs

Yes, business is tough at the moment, so it is hard to believe that some owners are making more obstacles for themselves rather than trying to make running their business more profitable and less stressful. Somehow people get ideas in … Continue reading

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Small business is a life of hard knocks: discuss!

I wrote a little while ago about the tough economy  and what might we do in the face of it.  We can all write the best advice we can and we can try to take advice in a positive way. … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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