Often when asked to come up with a goal people will think of what they’d like to do. That’s great, what they need to ask themselves is whether it’s realistic at the current stage of their business. There’s nothing wrong with aspirations at all. However, using goals to try and achieve them in the short-term [...]

We all like to think we have a valuable ability to do an amazing presentation to our clients, employees and others. Unfortunately from long and sometimes bitter experience I can attest to the fact that there are very few people who are great presenters from the day they start. I’ve actually sat through presentations where [...]

Confiding in your board, or your senior managers, about your worries or anxieties about a new market, a fellow director or even the business direction is often seen as a mark of weakness and will get pounced on just like a hungry T-Rex spying a tasty morsel. And yet, we’re only human, we need someone [...]

Egg sucking entrepreneur scores

I was talking to my brother Simon yesterday and we were discussing entrepreneurs and how it can be difficult to go to the next level in a business. We both agreed that the common trap entrepreneurs seem to fall into is making excuses for their business. After all it’s their baby. And it can be [...]

Book review of Duncan Bannatyne’s “Wake Up And Change Your Life”

Biofuel-powered transport company JPM Eco Logistics became famous when every Dragon from BBC’s Dragon’s Den wanted a share in it. Paul Merker (joint company owner) said they were pleased with the deal they picked, although if they’d thought more about it they would have negotiated with the Dragons rather than just accepting one of the [...]

“Can you sell a loss making business?” is a question I was asked recently. And of course the answer is yes! There could be many reasons why someone would want to buy that business, for example: It has patents that another company could use or develop to make profits with The company order book has [...]

My wife gave me a quote which I rather liked and have put next to my computer. I looked it up on the Internet and found what I believe is the original. And that is: “You’ve gotta’ dance like there’s nobody watching,Love like you’ll never be hurt.Sing like there’s nobody listening,And live like it’s heaven [...]

Of course you want to be a business that’s growing and one that’s making a positive difference to your employees, customers and suppliers. If you fit the bill you should sign up for the contest to find “Bank of Scotland Corporate Entrepreneur of the Year.” It’s got a certain ring to it hasn’t it? And [...]

It’s vital that executives realise that when they’re appointed they’re not also anointed with God-given powers to drag their firm into the economic stratosphere. Equally coaches needs to understand that each business is unique and not simply a cookie-cutter exercise in “helping” people see they need coaching. Sometimes some coaches suffer from the delusion that [...]

Richard Branson Talks Turkey At TED Get some inspiration and see Richard Branson being interviewed.  He gives us the reason Virgin Brides didn’t do well. And he says what’s it like to face what seems like certain death. Do you know how many companies this rebel billionaire has? They show a pile of them on [...]

One day, probably about 10, maybe even 15 years ago someone new arrived at the chip shop in Manchester that I go to. He’d bought the shop, lock, stock and smoking fryer. Under the old owner the chip shop opened sporadically, and not necessarily according to the time-table swinging from the front door. Under the old [...]

Felix Dennis categorizes how rich you are, going from the comfortable poor (£1 to £2 million) right up the super rich. Which one do you aspire to? Oh and by the way Dennis believes certain people wont get rich…