Category Archives: Business planning

Are you in a hurry?

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Jon Stow

It is easy to spot when someone else is in a hurry. We notice the window cleaner misses a bit or leaves a smear, or a cleaner misses a cobweb or so, or the vegetables in the restaurant are not … Continue reading →

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Competition or attrition?

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Jon Stow

I am in a service business. I have all the modern advantages. I can help people all around the world because we have email and the internet. I do not have to meet my clients, although it is great if … Continue reading →

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Don’t think too hard

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Jon Stow

Sometimes when we are really busy, it is hard to plan our next move, because there is always something there to distract us. Even if we try to plan, racking our brains under constant work pressure is rarely productive. That … Continue reading →

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Freebie folly

Posted on August 17, 2016 by Jon Stow

I had an email from an accountancy firm asking if I would give free tax advice in half-hour sessions over the telephone. I thought the guy must mean free to the client, but his firm would be paying my business. … Continue reading →

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Wasting your free time?

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Jon Stow

We are never short of advice in our daily on-line lives. We are bombarded with newsletters, links to blogs and articles. Many of them tell us what we should be doing when we are not actually working. Should we be … Continue reading →

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Making a meal of it

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Jon Stow

And so to last Sunday’s lunch… Booked for 1:30 we had ordered within ten minutes. So far so good. From there we waited half an hour for our “starters”. Three fine. Mine not so good. An hour later our main … Continue reading →

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Asking for help

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Jon Stow

I was having a chat the other day with the chairman of our local Chamber of Trade. He said that many businesses are struggling around our way. I guess he would be in a good position to know, albeit his … Continue reading →

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Self-belief in business

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Jon Stow

It stands to reason that if we have our own business we need to believe in what we are doing. That means that we should believe sincerely in our product or service. If we are honest with ourselves we can … 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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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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