Category Archives: management

Communicating with your employees and colleagues

The team All successful small businesses need to have their owners, management and employees work as a team. That means quite a degree of commitment from everyone and that has to be based on mutual respect. When I was a … Continue reading

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Penny-pinching in small businesses can be very expensive

Do you try to do everything in your business or do you confine yourself to the sharp end – your expertise? Most of my work is to do with tax; that is advising people on it or writing about it. … Continue reading

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The decline and fall of a successful business

  Sun roofs Once upon a time there was an entrepreneur (except they weren’t called entrepreneurs in those days) who had a brilliant idea for a business model. He put it into action, offering a type of franchise and took … Continue reading

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If a tree falls on your business…

Are you on top of your business finances, managing your cash flow, your sales takings ratio to money going out? Are your orders coming in well? Are you attracting new business? Do your staff have any issues? Are they happy? … Continue reading

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Run too fast, fly too high

Many successful people in business are prepared to take risks, which is why they get ahead of the game. I admire some who have take calculated risks to be a huge success. I guess Richard Branson would be one example … Continue reading

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What the BBC can teach us about management and team work

The Head Man (Director General) at the BBC, George Entwhistle, resigned not because he made an error of judgement but because his management or his employees did not keep him informed about a major mistake they had made. He then … Continue reading

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Keeping your business safe – Part 2

Keeping your cover You are the boss. It is your business. But suppose you were not there for a week, or a month, or many months, or couldn’t work ever again. How would you manage? I believe in insurance and … Continue reading

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Keeping your business safe – Part 1

The high wire Most small businesses rely heavily on the boss. That’s you and I. We may have great managers upon whom we can rely when we are away, but sooner or later, we have to be available to make … Continue reading

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Enjoy yourself

Reflections Isn’t it great to be happy? We cannot be happy all the time. Life can be difficult. We have family pressures and worries. We have business pressures too. No one has ever run a business where everything went right. … Continue reading

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How not to run a business

  Patience is a virtue? This week I have witnessed some very poor business management, or more to the point, no management at all. As it was in a hospital I have also come to understand how the word “patient” … Continue reading

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