Are new services the answer to your growth ambitions? In every engagement I have with consulting or agency CEOs, we always hit the question of “Should we start to offer xyz service?” when we talk strategy or growth. It could be to break through a plateau, to grow faster, or in response to an opportunity. […]
Execution
Great processes aren’t a substitute for great people
“Turn it into a process”. Most SMEs I come across with are either doing this, or claiming that they are doing it, such is the shame of not having all their key processes in place! For SMEs, I enjoyed Sam Carpenter’s Work the System. Along with The E-myth, it creates a compelling case for proceduralising […]
Relationships are in the “and”
I’ve always had a mantra about what good consulting is. It’s what I strive for, and what I say ad nauseam when I teach consulting skills. Great consulting is when we come up with a better answer than either one of us would have come up with alone. That means although I may have a […]
The recession doesn’t own your response
Official confirmation of recession, tax raises and spending cuts. Doom and gloom 24×7 on the news. Here’s my take on what it means for us as SME business owners. Context This is not the first recession, and it won’t be the last. Sometimes they’ve hurt a little, sometimes a lot, sometimes not at all. Depends […]
Getting ready for Next Year
New year round the corner, recession in the works, and a burgeoning need for our businesses to step up and meet environmental and social goals as they meet their commercial ones. Who said running a business was easy? Here’s what I’d look at: *FIRST*Make sure your business-as-usual is working well. You will not be able […]