My Blogs and Articles
I have been writing buisness articles for many years. These were initially intended for internal company publications and training. They evolved into thought leadership for our clients are now one of the main ways that I communicate business ideas to a wide audience.
You will see many of my view-points and biases here in these articles. Many of these are the result of years of observations ad countless conversations with people afflicted by these issues.
Please fee free to read through to various topics and let me know what you think.
If there is a subject or issue that you need help or advice with, please get in contact and I will provide any help that I can directly.
Feel free to suggest any articles or subject matter that you would like to see.
Business Landmines
Every business has hidden landmines that represent common problems and neglected issues that can sit just below the surface and can explode in to a critical issue at any point.
The more complex the relationships and issues within the business, there are typically more landmines.
The longer that those landmines remain, the more they dictate the direction of the business which is forced to work around them. These work-arounds become habits, then procedures and become entrenched.
Every year businesses of all sizes are damaged by their hidden landmines.
The 4 Stages of Learning
Learning To Drive and Learning To Learn
It can often be frustrating that while so many elements of our daily lives have become instantly available, a skill can still take a while to master. Our attention spans and patience have been trained to expect almost instant pay-offs. This is still not the case with learning and in particular mastering new subjects.
The Top 6 Landmines For Business
Most businesses that go under do so for more or less exactly the same set of reasons.
Woolworths, Leman Brothers, Allders, Comet, Blockbuster, Oddbins, Threshers, Julian Graves, Acquascutum and tens of thousands of other businesses of varying sizes have gone under in the last few years, for more or less the same standard set of reasons.
The Real Reasons That Businesses Fail
Over half of new businesses fail within their first 2 years mostly because they are unprepared for the reality of running a business. Many of the additional skills needed to run the business effectively will be brand new to the business owner.
The problems that lie at the cause of most business failures fall within these common situations.
Business Failure Rates
Rates of failure among UK businesses are frighteningly high and remain relatively consistent in all but the most extreme economic conditions.
It seems obvious that businesses should expect to tough conditions in a recession and even to go under.
Why Do Companies Fail When The Economy is Healthy?
Is Profit The Wrong Figure To Guide Your Business?
Believe it or not, but the level of profit that a company makes, can be very misleading as an indicator of how successful or stable a business actually is at any given moment.
Businesses that focus on profit figures to run their business can overlook more immediate indicators of the business's health.
Here's why.
Accountant or Business Partner?
Most people are happy to live with the limitations of their accountant as the alternative is to get involved in a process that is time consuming, complicated and could land you with fines and a visit from the tax man if it is not done properly.
Are business owners doing themselves justice by just being happy if their accountant meets the minimum standards for tax compliance?
Being EVERY Boss in Your Business
When you make the decision to start your own business, you embark on one of the steepest learning curves that you can imagine.
You may go from fulfilling 1 role for an employer to having to cover every management role, including some that are that are outside of your skill-set and comfort zone.
Solutions To Cashflow Problems
Cash is the life-blood of any business. While the cash flows, the business continues to function. Profits become secondary to cash flow in the pecking order of business survival. An unprofitable business can still run.
A business without cash to pay its way is dead in the water and can quickly be buried.
What Kind of Business Are You Growing?
Whatever your business and your hopes for it, you must manage the business in a way that is designed to achieve your purpose.
This often means taking a look at the business and being objective.
What is the goal for the business and have you chosen the right model to achieve it?
Is the business being purposely managed towards these goals?
Attitude Makes a Huge Difference
Too many businesses are backwards facing, looking back in to the past. Of course you can learn from your previous mistakes or successes; however this will not necessarily prepare you for dealing with issues such as cash flow and pipeline sales.
Looking back robs the business of the ability to control future outcomes and engineer success.
What Does Pocket FD Mean For Business?
The term ‘Pocket FD’ is spoken out loud by a select few accountants and the business owners that benefit from valuable and rare service.
The select few businesses referred to in this case are not the huge multinational companies that seem to get the best services offered to them, but rather small and medium sized businesses, like yours.
The Only Way Is Ethics
Morality in business in often overlooked and all too often ignored in favour of practices that cause harm to one party. Sometimes that harm extends far beyond the original parties involved.
If you find yourself involved with a potential client, supplier or partner who is not focussed on producing a result that is beneficial for everyone, then take my advice and walk away.
The Pains Of Artists And Designers
Much of the man-made beauty that we see in our day-to-day lives is the result of the passion, vision and creativity of extremely talented artists and designers.
We thrill at the creative use of materials, technical skill and imagination that combine to produce works of breathtaking visual and sensory impact.
We gain so much from their efforts, yet very few artists find the rewards and recognition that they need to make it possible to produce the volume of work that they are truly capable of
Business Survival In 2013
6,000 British businesses went bust in 2009 - according to official figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS)
All of these businesses had an accountant and many other professionals looking after them. This highlights the disparity between what these highly trained experts offer to do for businesses against what their clients need them to deliver in order to keep them from financial disaster.
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