Category Archives: marketing

Small businesses making the difference

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Jon Stow

Is your business just like the one down the road? If it is that might be why you are struggling to keep afloat. In the good times you might get away with surviving. In the harder times we are in … Continue reading →

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Referral networks and joint ventures need teamwork

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Jon Stow

Over the last ten years I have belonged to several breakfast groups and even run one. I have also belonged to networks meeting at other times of the day. Some of these groups produced great relationships and also business. One … Continue reading →

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Learning from experience – the choices we make

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Jon Stow

It is only natural to wonder about “what ifs?” which are the choices we might have made in our lives but didn’t. Mostly we will form a view when it is too late to change. That is because as time … Continue reading →

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Planning a small business failure

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Jon Stow

I don’t always like to be right, but when a bookshop opened in our village, I really couldn’t see how it would stay in business for very long. It has lasted only about six months and has now closed. It … Continue reading →

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Taking our business lives seriously

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Jon Stow

Playing at business You may think the title states the obvious, but some people don’t use their heads. They take short cuts in their work, such as the carpenter who does a quick botch job, or they take long holidays … Continue reading →

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You can lead a consultant to market…

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Jon Stow

Confession Here is a confession: I am a consultant. I am consulted about tax issues and I am consulted about business problems. Luckily my potential clients know where to find me. Luckily? Well, maybe not. I have to market to … Continue reading →

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Can small businesses live off referrals?

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Jon Stow

In my work I talk to many small business owners, and on a daily basis. Some in professional services are doing pretty well without making any effort to market. This is because they provide their clients with reliable, dependable support, … Continue reading →

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Is knowledge power?

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Jon Stow

I have seen the expression “knowledge is power” a number of times in blog posts recently. Jim Connolly is correct in saying that knowledge is only effective when you take action. I believe knowledge is currency. It involves action, but … Continue reading →

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King Canute and the future of business on the High Street

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Jon Stow

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

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Jon Stow

  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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