The Argus | Business

Sussex Innovation Centre's unexpected rap song

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:30:00 +0000

How saying something unexpected, simple and concrete can make your message memorable.

Knowing your unwritten business plan

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:24:06 +0000

The power of chaos and intuition in making ideas happen.

Business Jargon - The Next Instalment

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:48:45 +0100

I wrote recently about the business jargon I use regularly, and explained a few of my favourite terms. You guys seemed to like it, and I’ve been noticing a few more terms I use regularly, so here are some more.

Business Jargon Definitions - Part 1

Sun, 01 May 2011 02:09:55 +0100

One of the charming commentators on my blog here in the Argus said that I was jargon ridden. I looked over some of my blog posts and couldn’t see any, so I thought I’d put some in here to keep him happy. So here are some of the juicy words I’ve noticed myself using recently, with what they mean in plain English for real people who happen to run businesses.

Are You A Sponge?

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 06:15:43 +0100

Many of the business owners I advise are sponges - and I encourage you all to mop up less. What I find myself and other owners of small businesses doing is mopping up after everyone else.

Addiction to our own magnificence.

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:54:27 +0100

When starting a business, we are usually good at the technical side of what we do. But, in order to service, we have to suddenly get good at many other things like finance and marketing. Why not outsource? Or, if not, why not listen to experienced professionals with an open mind? We don't have to know everything in order to achieve mastery over our own domain.

Why Passion Is Not Enough

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 04:20:09 +0100

Many of the small businesses I mentor started off as a passion for something. Passion is important, but it’s not enough. To get everyone to buy your goods or services, you need marketing skills. And if you want to sell wonderful products, you need to be able to sell enough to pay other people to help you, and to pay yourself too.

In Depth, Targeted Networking For Business

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 01:43:09 +0000

I often recommend that my business support clients build their networks to build a strong set of relationships with potential customers and referrers. Sometimes this can be done simply by joining a networking group and getting involved so people know who you are.

Scaling up your business

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:03:36 +0000

One of my lovely clients is ready to scale up his business. Until now, he’s been the only full-time person in his company.

The 10 Minute Team Meeting

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 00:23:46 +0000

I like to share some of my bag of tips and tricks which I use to advise my clients, so here’s one which I suggest regularly.

Doing a Pomodoro

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:22:57 +0000

I’ve noticed something about the way that I work. If I can concentrate on what I’m doing, I can get a whole day’s worth of work done in about an hour. But if I’m not focussed, my productivity drops dramatically, and my day disappears. So I’ve been trying a new time management technique - the pomodoro technique.

Why The Apprentice gives business a bad name

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 02:15:50 +0000

I recently had to run away from the television because my good lady wife was watching The Apprentice. "Might as well write a blog and eat chocolate instead", I thought. Why do I hate The Apprentice so much?

Key success factors

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 22:27:17 +0000

This article is based on a talk I gave to some budding entrepreneurs at Sussex University’s recent Enterprise Thursday meeting. I called it Key Success Factors in Business but really it’s called Some Things I’ve Noticed Which Really Work. The students liked it, so I figured you might as well.

The Myths About Maternity Pay

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:53:54 +0000

I was recently asked to comment on the changes to maternity pay for the Politics Show on BBC1. The changes come from the EU Parliament, and require employers to pay staff who go on maternity leave full pay for 20 weeks, instead of 90% of full pay for 6 weeks.