Your Prices Are Probably Too Low
Most businesses set their prices in a hurry. Somebody asks for a quote. You glance at what a competitor charges, choose a number that feels polite, and shave a little off because you would like the work. Three years later, that number is still there, like a fridge magnet nobody remembers buying. The trouble is […]
Good Systems Give People Room to Think
The phrase “business systems” can sound rather joyless. It suggests procedure manuals, mandatory fields and somebody from head office explaining why the new process is much easier while taking forty minutes to demonstrate it. But a good system should not make work feel heavier. It should make work feel lighter. Think about the businesses you […]
Do More of What You’re Good At
Most businesses begin by saying yes. Yes, we can do that. Yes, we can help. Yes, we can make a version for you by Friday. This is often how a business learns. You try different things, discover what clients value and work out what you are good at. The trouble is that some businesses never […]
Small Improvements Build Strong Businesses
Business improvement is often presented as something dramatic. A new strategy. A transformation program. A software system demonstrated by somebody who appears never to have met a customer. Occasionally, a business does need a major change. But most strong businesses are built through hundreds of small improvements made consistently over time. An invoice goes out […]
Good Numbers Give You More Freedom
People sometimes imagine that financial reporting is about control. It conjures up pictures of accountants guarding budgets, asking why somebody bought lunch, and producing complicated spreadsheets designed to stop everyone from doing anything interesting. Good reporting should achieve almost the opposite. It should give you the confidence to act. When you know which services make […]
How to Stop Costs Chewing Up Extra Sales
There is a particularly annoying stage in the growth of a business when sales go up, everyone gets busier, and somehow there is no extra money. You look at the sales report and feel quite pleased. Then you look at the bank account and wonder whether somebody has been quietly stealing from you. Usually, nobody […]
Busy Is Not the Same as Profitable
There is a dangerous moment in a growing business when everyone is flat out and the owner starts feeling successful. The phones are ringing. The calendar is full. New people are being employed. Clients are chasing delivery dates and nobody has time to tidy the kitchen. It certainly feels like growth. Then the monthly accounts […]
Profit Doesn’t Pay the Bills
One of the stranger things about running a business is that you can be profitable and still run out of money. This sounds like an accounting trick. It isn’t. It is usually just timing. You win a great new client, employ someone to do the work, buy some equipment and perhaps pay a freelancer. The […]
Why We Put Up with Annoying Problems That Have Simple Solutions
Every business has them: the printer that only works if you restart it twice, the spreadsheet that must be manually corrected each week, or the customer enquiry that gets forwarded through three people before reaching the person who can answer it. The solution may be simple, yet the problem continues for months—or even years. Why? […]
Too Many KPIs Just Make Soup
Key performance indicators are meant to create clarity. They tell people what matters, where to focus and whether the business is making progress. But many businesses keep adding KPIs until clarity disappears altogether. One measure becomes five. Five become fifteen. Before long, managers are looking at dashboards filled with revenue, margin, utilisation, conversion rates, customer […]