On many occasions, when I mention the word “strategy” with business owners, for some reason, it gets brushed aside as something that lives in the corporate world and isn’t really relevant in small business land. I am always curious to explore this widely held belief and often probe a little further by asking what strategy […]
Business Partner With No Strings Attached
A common theme I come across more often these days is how business owners looking to expand realise they need to find ways to take things to the next level and on many occasions feel the need to bring on a business partner to grow and scale. On the face of it, this can be […]
When Was Your Last Business Health Check Up?
Whilst there are many different options these days, most people I know still tend to make an appointment with their local GP as their first point of call to discuss any health concerns they may have. We often take this fact or norm for granted, but it got me thinking about a recent conversation I […]
How to Think More Strategically About Your Pricing
It is on the rare occasion that I end up only briefly touching on the pricing question when working with clients. This is not to say that pricing is always a topic of heated contention, but I would argue that most, if not all businesses, are constantly reviewing their respective pricing strategy to remain both […]
Managing Feedback: Truth vs Perception
A wise man once told me that there are three sides to every argument: 1) Your side; 2) The other’s side; and 3) The truth – which usually lies somewhere in between. It may be a rather simple concept to understand and makes perfect sense, but it has a much deeper relevance when considering how […]
The Great Profit Divide
As I have spent most of my working life in the business and finance world, the word “profit” has never elicited any kind of emotional or value-based response for me personally. There are so many different definitions, but in my mind and in broad terms, it simply represents a factual illustration of how any business […]
Crossing Boundaries: A Managerial Conundrum
Every now and then, especially when I work with clients on the topic of team engagement, one of the first questions I am asked is around how to manage the personal and professional boundaries between management and staff. From a theoretical perspective, the opportunity to take an objective stance and answer the question with brute […]
From Specialist To Generalist: The Journey Of A Small Business Owner
In most cases, small business owners start their journey from being an employee that has spent considerable time in formal and on the job training in order to master specific technical skills before plucking up the courage to head off to the exciting prospect of “living the dream” and becoming their own boss. While it […]
Origins Of The Business Coach
As someone who has spent a considerable amount of time around small businesses and who also genuinely enjoys connecting with new and interesting people, networking in both a formal or now virtual setting is something I have always found to be a great way to be inspired by the extraordinary ideas that people come up […]
Learning To Let Go
As a humble observer, I believe there is often a silent acknowledgement among many that the notion of “surrendering” or “giving up” is often associated with failure or lack of character. This may be a very simplistic or almost child-like diagnosis of a multi-layered psychological conditioning process, but it certainly reverberates through our storytelling narrative […]