Too many people start a new activity, read a blog, have a conversation without considering a really important question: will it add to your revenue? If not, think again! After all it is a business you’re running, right? And yes, I do realise you may be running a not–for–profit or a social enterprise. Guess what? It still has to make ...

If the government says “we need more exports” and you can help with exports, tell people. Tell the media. Tell the government. They might just herald you as a hero! If you have a product that helps when there’s an oil spill, be sure to be interviewed by the press when there’s an oil tanker that has just run aground. ...

Feel you can’t afford a website? Do you know somebody who could create one for you if you give them something in return? Barter, trade, bootstrap. When you start your business define exactly what you need. Contact your friends and business associates and ask for help. They may not be able to help you directly, but it’s common they know ...

In the old days budgets were annual or quarterly. These days you’re better off with monthly or weekly targets. Just imagine that you check your progress every week. If after one week you realise you’re not on target for the month, you still have 3 weeks to catch up before the month is over. If you check monthly… well, you ...

When you consider a new venture have you followed the “7-step method to perfect business bliss”? If not, beware! You need to make sure your business is closely aligned with your passion. I see way too many business owners who after 5-6 years sell their business (or close it), saying “finally, got rid of it!”. To that I say: “What ...

When you’re planning and starting a business of any kind, it’s really important to think of the “end game”. Unless you want to buy yourself a job (and in some professions that’s the most common choice), you need to see how you can offload your business in 3, 5 or 10 years and why anybody would buy it. So, what’s ...

In the early stages it’s easy to chase any rainbow. Don’t. You’ll end up very tired, frustrated and … broke. (Notice how you never get to the pot of gold as you move towards the rainbow?) Stay true to your vision. Stick to the path, even when the going gets a bit tough. Sometimes you might just have to say ...

You cannot hope to run a successful business if you don’t know what needs doing to reach a certain level of sales. What if trading conditions change or prices are forced down? What will be the impact on your business? Build a model in a spreadsheet, even a really basic one, and refer to it often, especially when you need ...

Wow, this is truly radical. When you can email, why in the world would you send it in the post? The answer is simple: because almost none of your prospects get anything personal in the mail anymore. It’s a simple, easy and affordable way for you to stand out. Is it harder to do than a good old email campaign? ...

Make a To–Do list! Yes, I’m serious. The business owner’s worst enemy is interruption. You have to stay focused. You get a phone call, or come up with a new idea. That’s great! But you need to stay on the track you were on before the interruption. Simply add the new task that just got created to your to–do list. ...