Business reality shows are big business. Previously I blogged about the fantastic BBC series “The Troubleshooter” with Sir John Harvey-Jones. More recently we’ve had Sir Alan Sugar’s “The Apprentice.”

Around the same time we got a dose of Brummy with a double glazing firm run with an iron fist in an iron glove by the Armstrongs.

And of course we have a wide variety of kitchen-related business shows. Of which Gordon Ramsey’s “Kitchen Nightmare” is far and away the best. Although to be fair I have really enjoyed the current series of “Restaurant” where couples are given a restaurant to run — and may the best “man” win. I hadn’t watched the first few episodes so I had to cram them in by watching them on Virgin replay. 

Obviously Duncan Bannatyne is in there with Dragon’s Den and his companion Dragon Peter Jones with the terrible Tycoon show.

We’ve had Mary Portas showing exactly how small fashion boutiques can be nurtured, and sometimes dragged, into the 21st century.

And we also have the slightly quirky “Hotel Inspector” where it seems as though all failing hoteliers have the same opinion of the advice they’re given. Again the interesting thing most recently was that the “Inspector” helped to improve one hotel only to go back and discover the owners didn’t want to do it anymore! And really there was no surprise there.

We’ve had kids reality business shows and we’ve also had mid morning business shows – like “Mind Your Own Business.”

So far most of these series have been quite interesting to watch and useful to pick up wrinkles or different approaches to common marketing and business problems.

However, the main thing that keeps coming through all these programs is that the business owners can’t see beyond where they are. They may be making significant losses but they haven’t done anything different to help themselves.

After all doing the same thing gets the same results.

Because the businesses are so desperate to get money coming into the tills they forget the one thing they need to look after.

Yes! The customer. They don’t put themselves in their customers shoes. Or if they do they don’t think it matters…

The morale to take from all these shows?

See everything you do from a customers point of view. Either ask them yourself or ask someone else to. However, you do it find out. Then address the issues raised and let them all know.

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