Tag Archives: reputation

Admitting our mistakes

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Jon Stow

We all make mistakes in our businesses. Usually they are not serious, and should normally mean an apology to our customers or clients. Recently I forgot a client had given me a document and I asked for it again. When … Continue reading →

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Telling your clients they are wasting their money

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Jon Stow

A lot of my work with clients is helping them get out of a mess. Usually that is because they have made mistakes in dealing with their taxes or have “forgotten” to declare certain income or gains. Sometimes there is … Continue reading →

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Religion, politics and small business

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Jon Stow

Back in the Dark Ages when I studied for my amateur radio license we learned that we must not discuss politics and religion with our fellow hams. That was actually a condition of our licenses, but it is easy to understand … Continue reading →

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You are judged by your appearance

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Jon Stow

About a month ago, one of my clients asked for a special consultation. She wanted to discuss how her plans for the future and change of lifestyle would affect her tax position. I knew that she would also need some … Continue reading →

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Burying the bad news

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Jon Stow

Google is being required by the European Court to allow individuals to request that certain personal information about them will; not be found in a search. This does not mean that if you already know the web address where such … Continue reading →

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Difficult people we do not work with

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Jon Stow

We know how to deal with customers who are making our lives less fulfilling. What about the non-customers who are unkind to us? Many of us market our businesses on-line. That does leave us open to abuse. I do accept … Continue reading →

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“You do not have a problem”

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Jon Stow

Someone called to ask my advice because he was worried about a perceived problem to do with tax. This gave rise to a dilemma all professional services business owners have to deal with now and again. The caller thought he … Continue reading →

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Do not lie to your prospects

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Jon Stow

Being straight with your clients is essential as we all know. Being honest as to whether we can help new enquirers is also vital. When we start in business there is a temptation to try to grab every customer who … Continue reading →

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Just trying to keep my customers satisfied

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Jon Stow

Paul Simon wrote a song with the title of this post. You and I know that if our customers are not satisfied they will take their business elsewhere, so it is important that we keep them happy. Do our employees, … Continue reading →

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Over-reaching in your business

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Jon Stow

Over-stretching One of the easiest mistakes to make in a small business, and especially in start-ups, is to take on every new prospective customer or client who walks in the door. The other day a small group of us (actually … Continue reading →

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