Feasibility and/or Viability? – Business Maths

A feasibility study, may well provide the reasons not to proceed; It may enable the exploration of other new options to be thoroughly investigated. Above all it is concerned with providing qualitative and quantitative information that helps effective decision making.

Tiny Things Matter – A Toastmaster Area Director’s Diary

Toastmasters International Area 42 is located entirely within the beautiful county of Dorsetshire.  It is currently composed of four clubs: Hallmark Speakers – Bournemouth | Ferndown Speakers – Ferndown | Casterbridge Speakers – Dorchester and […]

Be Prepared to Exit – Strategies

At some point you are going to leave your business.  Will you sell it and live on a yacht somewhere sunny? Will you retire graceful and leave it to your […]

Not in My Back Yard – Public Relations #4

“The Examination Authority completed its inspection of the Navitus Bay Wind Farm 18k page application at 12 midnight on 11 March 2015.  The Examination Authority panel reports to the Secretary […]

Get the Message Across – promotional material

The lords prayer has around 100 words, the declaration of independence around 300 and a recent article on the pricing of cabbage boasted some 29k words.  WOW! Nowadays your potential clients are subject […]

Getting Paid – Business Finance

A few statistical facts: 25% of all business failures are a direct result of cash flow problems.  90% of business owners say they would pay their suppliers promptly if they […]

Make Meetings Matter – operational management

“Scientists say that coffee and donuts release chemicals into the brain that create the illusion that meetings are a productive way to get things done.” Randy Glasbergen Business life is dominated […]

Make Time for Passion – Management

You can’t make more time.  There are only 1440 minutes in every day.  Fact – no more, no less. It’s not what you’ve got … it’s what you do with […]

Keeping in Touch – email marketing

You need to identify what your target customer wants to hear to ensure that your messages have pulling power not pushing power. Your brand needs to come across not only […]

Competitor Intelligence – marketing

As Prime Minister John Major once quipped when asked why he didn’t sack the dissenters in his cabinet,  “Keep your friends close…and your enemies closer still.”  A quote attributed to 6th Century […]

Outsourcing the Way Forward

As a business owners, incorporated or not, in the early growth years we wear many hats, in addition to the technical one that brings the money in and pays the […]

Perfect Public Speaking

I love TED Talks!  I will often click on ‘surprise me’ on my TED Talks app and watch something I’ve not considered before. Few people willingly commit themselves to speaking […]

Zut Alors! – Business Contracts

The French translation of drat, damn and blast.  Don’t you think it has so much more passion than the English equivalent? French or its English translation is the polite version […]

Best Price – really?

There are businesses that have made a fortune piling high and selling cheap. When I first started working with New Look that was very much their strategy and may still […]

Reverse Gear – Public Relations #5

Before reading!  Please note that this is a staged and fictitious story (albeit based on some truths) for the purpose of an Advanced Toastmasters Public Relations Speech. Good evening ladies […]

You Had Me At Hello – WOM marketing

Word of mouth marketing for most businesses is the single most effective part of their marketing plan.  It’s why most of us go networking.  However, it takes time to affect […]

The Passion That Drives Us

Many (many) years ago when I was about 10 or so, my friends and I had a space ship.  We built it from scaffolding poles, planks of wood, space hoppers […]

The Toastmaster Challenge

I’m frightened to death, most of the time, about thinking out loud in public, so I cover the cracks as best as I can with foundation, powder and paint. I’m […]

Personal Challenges in Business

Exactly a month ago I was in Poland on a ski lift looking down at myriad black dots on the mountain side.  Some were zipping down skillfully negotiating the smaller […]