Running a business is hard work with constant challenges which makes it exciting and rewarding. No matter how hard you try, there are always problems to solve and fires to put out. It takes strength, passion and determination to push on and create something great. Read More
Perception is the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted.
The right price will attract your target customers and ensure you are making a profit. This is one of the most challenging skills you have to learn on your startup or small business journey. Under-pricing prevents you from realising your true profit potential whereas over-pricing might cause you to lose customers. Value-based pricing looks at the price from the customer’s point of view. What would a satisfied customer be prepared to pay? Read More
Are you a small business owner struggling to keep on top of things? Distractions, unrealistic time management, poor task planning and procrastination can all leave you feeling unsuccessful and overwhelmed. There is no single answer or method though and, like many aspects of your business, it takes trial, error and constant review. It comes down to creating a simple system to collect and organise your tasks and a good serve of willpower. After all the work isn’t going to do itself. Read More
Habits go hand in hand with success. But, where good habits propel you forward, bad habits hold you. A habit is a routine that helps you simplify your life. Here are three bad habits that are easy to slip into and some suggestions for how to get over them. Read More
Life is busy. Tomorrow always brings more to do. When I ask people how things are going, the answer I generally get is that they are busy. This is really no surprise as everyone has to be doing something every minute of every day but what are we doing with our time? Read More
If you are running your own business, you could be juggling a diverse range of tasks at any time of the day involving customers, record keeping, suppliers, production and marketing. The ability to locate your files and data is essential for anyone who uses a computer. On a typical day, you can deal with many different files. You may refer to and edit old ones as well as create and store new ones. What are the rules for creating and storing up your files? How do you keep your files safe? Here are a few questions to ask yourself as well as some tips to assist with better file management. Read More
I think one key part of doing more with less is to be more strategic, to realize what the objectives you’re truly trying to accomplish are and then to drive with greater focus towards those objectives. – Risa Lavizzo-Mourey
Small business owners are constantly juggling many balls – marketing, book keeping, sales and administration to name a few. While doing this, they are also performing under pressure – having to attract new customers, scale with growth, tackle operational challenges etc. Juggling is made easier by organisation. How do you rate your organisational skills? How well are you using what you have available? Can you see LESS as an opportunity to be creative rather than an excuse to avoid a challenge? Read More
Do you spend all your time working in your business, not on your business? Is this because you are too busy to do anything about this? As a business grows, things get more complex and it becomes difficult to keep an eye on everything that is happening. Before you know it, mistakes can be made, things forgotten and you feel swamped. It seems easy if you work alone to not prioritise systems as you are not accountable to others. However, here are a few reasons why clarifying workflow systems are the foundations for building a business of any size: Read More
Before you go any further, ask yourself why? Why do you want to start this business? People start businesses for numerous reasons. Some want to be their own boss, others want to follow their passion, many expect to get rich. Some say it is too risky, you might go into debt and there is no such thing as a work/life balance. On the other hand, being in charge of your own business means each day can be full of new challenges and opportunities and you are the master of your destiny. Can you clarify why you want to take a leap and start your own business? Asking questions is an important part of building a successful business plan. Read More
Running a small business means juggling. Some skills and tasks can be outsource but this can be tricky on a tight budget. Thanks to technology, there are some great apps that can help to provide a secret support team to a small business manager so you can have numerous balls in the air and keep your cool! Here are a few of my favourites that support me in my daily operations. Read More
