September | 2019

How Organisation Charts Predict Your Business’ Future

Sep 24 2019

Wouldn’t it be nice to start your business and know exactly where you are going to be in 2, 5, or even 10 years’ time?

Well, obviously if you are starting up a business, you will have read my articles on what you need to look out for – including the need to prepare your business plan, which is a way of mapping out your future. You may even have completed my online training on How To Start Your Business. Your vision-definition especially will be part of the planning process, and it envisions for you what your business should look like if you succeed in following your strategies.

“But”, you say, “Even my vision is what I hope my business would be like, I wish I could see what it will be like.”

Well, full disclosure, I do not have a crystal ball, but I do have a method where you can “see” with some clarity, what your business will look like, and it’s not about envisioning anything, it’s about creating your business structure now, in mind for the future.

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Why Business Planning Will Change Your Life!

Sep 17 2019

If you are a small business owner, I can guess how you spend your days.

They will be spent in your business. You start the day with goals and priorities, perhaps having organised yourself the night before. During the day, you work on the “daily” things first, like mail and enquiries, then you set out on one of your priorities or a project to improve your business.

But at some time during the day, you look up and realise that somewhere you have got off track. Perhaps someone on your staff asked you for help in doing something, or you saw an email that introduced a great idea to start in your business so you went down that rabbit hole. Or maybe you were even caught in one of your tasks that seemed to go on and on! By the end of the day, you end it like you’ve ended the majority of your days – tired, realising you’ve worked hard again, but really, no closer to achieving your goals.

How do you break this cycle? How do you change your life so that you work gradually and assuredly down a path that will get you to your ultimate goal?

And read on to see how you can download your FREE business planning checklist!

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7 Financial Measures To Help You Manage Better

Sep 10 2019

If your small business is in the growth phase, that means you have survived your startup phase and are on your way, so well done!

The growth phase of a business is characterised by a rapid increase in sales. Customers have become aware of your business and know how your product or service meets their needs. So, they buy more and more, and more of them come to you, at least to try you out further.

However, I have to rain on your parade slightly to tell you that the growth phase of a business can be stressful times.

This is because the characteristics of the growth phase poses a number of challenges.

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Your Unconventional Guide to Hiring Staff for Your Small Business Startup

Sep 03 2019

Unless you are starting a micro-work-from-home business, you are likely to be hiring staff when you start your small business.

It is tempting to follow the conventional route and figure out what skills you need to have in your business to support you, and then advertise for those skills, and hopefully find someone who can do the work. Then, as your business grows, you do it again.

However, as a first-time employer, and in a new business, this can have some risks attached.

Firstly, if you hire someone now, will they still be required in a few years’ time once the business has grown? Or will the skills required have grown as well? Then, how confident are you that the skills the candidate shows suits the purpose, especially as the position is new and you have nothing to compare it against? Perhaps they show the right qualifications and experience on their resume, but how do you judge character, will they “fit” in with your style? Will the candidate show responsibility in the tasks you want them to be responsible for?

Many startup small business owners take the plunge, gradually learn from experience, and get better at it. But that is a long and painful journey on the road to finding the right people.

So what if you turned the model on its head and instead of relying on conventional business practice, relying on what you do know – your vision and your reading of people’s attitudes?

I have an unconventional way to look at hiring staff for your small business startup.

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Increase your sales through a highly focused marketing plan!

SMART Marketing: In this book, the owners of a small business are led through the SMART Marketing 7 Step Process to produce a marketing plan targeted at their most desirable customers. Any business can use these principles and in 4 to 6 weeks implement a plan to get them through the door! Find out how...

The SMART Marketing Workbook: Companion to “SMART Marketing”, this workbook sets out the SMART Marketing process in 7 workshops for you and your staff to complete questionnaires and templates that at the end, form the marketing plan you need to sell your REAL product to your REAL customer! View now...

Archive - September 2019

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How Organisation Charts Predict Your Business’ Future

Why Business Planning Will Change Your Life!

7 Financial Measures To Help You Manage Better

Your Unconventional Guide to Hiring Staff for Your Small Business Startup