Category Archives: Uncategorized

More imagination in customer service

Posted on January 16, 2010 by Jon Stow

Having been frustrated with the lack of interest in new business exhibited by local event venues and hotels, I have to be fair and mention that one of them telephoned back after a week to say that they could meet my proposal for the amount per head for each of my breakfast group, but they would need to charge an extra amount (actually quite a lot) for our use of a room at their establishment. Quite why they thought this would be satisfactory when clearly I was looking for a particular budget, which they disregarded in adding the room cost, I just don’t know. Continue reading →

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Disrespect – what you do not want from your colleagues and network

Posted on July 4, 2009 by Jon Stow

My last blog in this thread contained the word “respect” in the title. I did not plan to follow it up with one about disrespect (incidentally a word which can only be a noun, and not a verb, in my … Continue reading →

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Taking responsibility

Posted on June 4, 2009 by Jon Stow

I wrote back in January about owning our mistakes and there seems to be considerable avoidance of blame in our culture. We know where the buck stops if we are running a business, and it is on our desks and no one else’s.

Amongst business people we often hear the lament that modern politicians have no experience in business, many having started straight from university into political research work for some other politician Continue reading →

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Business, red tape, regulation, the Nanny State and the Land of the Free

Posted on April 29, 2009 by Jon Stow

As most of we small business owners already know, in UK from 1st April 2009 all workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks paid holiday, which is 28 days for a worker on a five day week. This is very likely to be what breaks the camel’s back, though it is hardly a straw, but an additional heavy burden. Continue reading →

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Being lucky!

Posted on March 24, 2009 by Jon Stow

I am pretty dependent on the technology working to keep my business running smoothly. I use many on-line services, paid-for and otherwise. For those who are computer-literate and can be flexible there should be a viable business (even if only providing a subsidiary income) using their talents or exploiting their knowledge in a hobby to go in a different direction. If you have experience in a market as a buyer, you can probably be a seller. Continue reading →

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Jam tomorrow?

Posted on February 28, 2009 by Jon Stow

Do not plan for work you do not have beyond knowing that you could do it, and never stop marketing to make space for work you do not have yet; in fact, never stop marketing. When you get more clients who have signed on the dotted line, then you can resource the work. Continue reading →

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Business card spammers

Posted on February 25, 2009 by Jon Stow

Because you have obtained my business card, I do not expect to receive a sales or marketing email from you. If I have just met you, and especially if I have not even had a chance to have a conversation with you. Continue reading →

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Dispatches from the front – age discrimination

Posted on February 15, 2009 by Jon Stow

Some of you may have seen a Channel 4 Dispatches episode this week about age discrimination, mainly not in the workplace (which is covered by Government legislation) but discrimination preventing more mature workers from being taken on in the first place. Continue reading →

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Realism, job seeking and cats

Posted on February 11, 2009 by Jon Stow

I heard a feature on BBC Radio Five Live this morning which related to the newly unemployed. The discussion was not taken a great deal forward by Ms. Hall suggesting that Job Seeker’s allowance of £60.50 per week was enough for basic living whilst one is looking for work. Living on another planet?

I have been along the path. I found myself unemployed with no warning whatever. It takes a while to realise that the ideal job is hard to come by when you do not already have one. There comes a point quite soon where you have to have some earnings coming in even if you had some savings, and believe me they evaporate quite quickly with a mortgage, council tax, utilities and food to pay for. Continue reading →

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Bankers, untimely schadenfreude, and how to avoid their fate

Posted on February 11, 2009 by Jon Stow

I felt a little sorry for the ex-banking chiefs being quizzed by the Treasury Select Committee yesterday. The reason I feel a small amount of sympathy is that they are akin to drivers who have been careless in the maintenance of their vehicles.

Anyway, we should all look at what we are doing in our own businesses; what works and what doesn’t, and what we should change now because it is going to stop working very soon and need to be replaced. Continue reading →

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