Posted on April 26, 2010 by Nick
Off to Leicester last week for my annual pilgrimage to DeMontfort University, where the business studies courses include a ritual called Fox’s Lair – a thinly disguised version of TV favourite dragon’s Den. Teams of students put together a business idea, draw up a plan and present it to the Dragons – no, I mean [...]
Filed under: finance, marketing, people skills, presentation, sales | Tagged: business, business advice, business skills, demontfort university, DMU, Dragon's Den, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, finance, Fox's Lair, invention, leicester, market research, marketing, run a business, running a business, small business, start a business, start your own business, students, teamwork | Leave a Comment »
Posted on February 15, 2010 by Nick
I’ve just read this interesting piece from the New York Times, and I’d like you to read it before you carry on here. It’s an interview with George Cloutier, renowned in the US as “The Turnaround Ace”. I think some of what he says is true, and other points are so far off the mark [...]
Filed under: finance, people skills, sales | Tagged: business, business advice, business skills, economy, employee relations, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, fear, finance, george cloutier, invoicing, marketing, motivation, payment, run a business, running a business, sales, small business, staff relations, start a business, start your own business | Leave a Comment »
Posted on January 11, 2010 by Nick
I was going to try really hard not to write about the snow, but what the heck. I wrote about it in February last year when we were surprised (again); and since I had two days of cabin fever last week and we’re due another dousing, I reckon it’s time to think about it again. [...]
Filed under: current affairs, finance, service | Tagged: council, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, finance, money, new business, public sector, run a business, snow, start a business, weather | 2 Comments »
Posted on November 16, 2009 by Nick
Last week, we hit panic stations. We’re turning down work because we’re just too busy. Which is all good news. But what for businesses that are facing up to the harsher realities of the recession? Apparently the government has put lots of measures in place to help businesses get by. Several local Business Link organisations [...]
Filed under: current affairs, finance | Tagged: business, business funding, business link, downturn, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, finance, funding, Gordon Brown, government, recession, run a business, start a business | Leave a Comment »
Posted on November 9, 2009 by Nick
I got an interesting piece of mail last week. My bankers, NatWest, have invited me to apply for the NatWest “Black” card. Ooh, lucky me! If you’ve never brushed shoulders with the Monaco set, or spent your summers at The Hamptons (as indeed, I certainly haven’t), you probably won’t have been exposed to the mythical [...]
Filed under: finance, marketing | Tagged: black card, business, credit, credit card, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, exclusive offers, exclusivity, finance, marketing, natwest black, personal finance, run a business, start a business | Leave a Comment »
Posted on October 7, 2009 by Nick
I once conducted an interview with a chap from the Better Payment Practice Group. They’re a lobbying group who represent the small business community; and their raison d’etre is to help small businesses improve their cashflow by getting paid on time. Much of their work – and the bit which gets the most media attention [...]
Filed under: current affairs, finance, technology | Tagged: accounting, accounts, better payment practice group, BPPG, business, cashflow, chasing payment, debt, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, Excel, finance, invoice, invoices, invoicing, payment, run a business | 1 Comment »
Posted on April 23, 2009 by Nick
I’ve been wondering what to say about Budget 2009. Truth is, this will go down as one of the strangest budgets in history. It’s one in which Mr Darling split the economy into neatly separated areas, which apparently don’t ever meet or interact. Darling is rightly concerned (worried? petrified?) about the state of the macro-economy. [...]
Filed under: current affairs, finance | Tagged: budget, budget 2009, business, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, finance, run a business, start a business, tax | Leave a Comment »
Posted on April 9, 2009 by Nick
All things considered, it’s been a pretty good first quarter to the year. Business isn’t exploding and I’m not hiring more staff, but equally we haven’t been hit by the recession. Work is still coming in, we’ve trimmed back costs where necessary, and no clients have left us. However, June is coming. Let me explain. [...]
Filed under: finance, marketing, sales | Tagged: business, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, procurement, run a business, sales, start a business | 1 Comment »
Posted on February 16, 2009 by Nick
One of the things you get used to when you start your own business is living on fresh air. It’s an acquired taste, but if there’s one thing I hear all the time when I speak to new entrepreneurs, it’s their shock at how fast money can disappear. Unless you’re very rich, or very clever, [...]
Filed under: current affairs, finance | Tagged: business, business advice, business finance, cashflow, company, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, finance, money, personal finance, revenue, running a business, small business, small companies, start a business, start your own business, starting a business, startup | 1 Comment »
Posted on December 12, 2008 by Nick
There’s something wrong in the air for the car industry. As I write, in the US, the House of Representatives in the US has just approved a £9bn bailout for the States’ beleaguered car industry (particularly Chrysler and GM- Ford has said it will not be using the bailout money). Sweden has just announced a [...]
Filed under: current affairs, finance, sales | Tagged: agility, business, change, change management, Chrysler, downturn, entrepreneur, finance, Ford, GM, motor industry, recession, runnin your business, start a business | 1 Comment »
