Have you ever met someone and thought “I just don’t trust them” or “I just didn’t take to them”? Did that encourage you to buy a product or service from them? Probably not. Now, put yourself in the position of a potential customer of your business. What do you think people will think about you when they first meet you … Read More
Have you ever wondered what all those headings and figures mean when your accountant returns your Balance Sheet and afraid to ask? Or maybe someone asks you about your gearing and you think they are talking about your car? Perhaps you are looking at buying a business and you’ve been given their last 3 years of accounts and have no … Read More
Some years back, through Business Information Point I was lucky enough to be offered a funded opportunity to join a group of advisors, accountants, solicitors and land agents, to attend a three day masterclass on family succession planning in Lucerne. Although the experience was extremely full-on and stimulating, I personally felt that three days only explored the tip of the … Read More
When you are making any sort of plan, it’s a good idea to know exactly where you are starting from and where you want to get to. If you are being thorough, you’ll also want to understand your capabilities, research the environment you’ll be working in and gather relevant data and information. Once you’ve done that you’ll be in a … Read More
It’s no surprise that small businesses don’t generally have much money to invest in their marketing. In fact the average annual marketing budget for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is only £24,000. Coming up with cost-effective ways to promote your business that provide a good return on investment is key especially when budgets are so tight. While it’s still possible … Read More
Over my years as business advisor I have met countless people who want help with their business. While challenging at times, it’s often a very rewarding experience seeing somebody start or move forward with their business as a result of our conversations. As you can probably imagine the types of issues raised vary from person to person and business to … Read More
The decision to hire your first employee is a big one for any small businesses. It marks a turning point from being a solo entrepreneur to having to manage someone else. Your responsibility increases as they are now relying on you for their living but it also means that you can free up some time to concentrate on other aspects … Read More
I have heard at many workshops and networking events of the opportunities there are for small businesses to use videos of themselves to promote their personality, knowledge, unique selling points and their working environment in a far more creative and colourful way than one dimensional words or images. There has been a notable shift over the past few years from … Read More
It’s a fairly typical scenario. You’ve developed your business idea, refined your marketing message, acquired a great domain name and your website is nearly ready to go. All you need now are some great pictures to support your carefully crafted words. Simple, let’s grab a few pictures from Google images. As long as there’s no copyright symbol you’ll be fine, … Read More
Aside from a lot of eating and drinking, coming to the end of the year is a good time for reflection but also to look forward to the possibilities for the New Year ahead. Most of us make resolutions with the best intentions of seeing them through but don’t always stick with them throughout the year. The influx of gym … Read More
