A Handshake is not enough – you need terms and conditions
As a debt collector with a good few years’ experience commercial working at the coal face in business to business, Insolvency and Invoice Finance before moving fully into credit management and debt recovery and dispute resolutions: the one constant is the need for good compliant and up to date terms and conditions. I cannot say it any clearer than […]
What Works at 5 Franchisees Won’t Work at 15
Many franchise businesses grow successfully in their early stages through energy, proximity and strong founder involvement. At five franchisees, this works. Communication is direct, decisions are quick, and support is highly personal. The network feels connected because the founder is close to everything that is happening. The challenge begins as the network expands. What once […]
Mastering Your Business Compass: Why Every SME Needs a Data-Driven Direction
Navigating Your Business Journey with Confidence Imagine steering a ship without a compass. You might make progress, but you’ll often find yourself drifting, reacting to every wave rather than setting a clear course. This analogy holds true for many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who, despite their passion and hard work, often rely on intuition […]
“We were never planning to sell. That was the problem.”
Mark and his business partner had built a solid manufacturing business in the West Midlands over fifteen years. Sixty staff. Healthy margins. No plans to exit. Then his co-shareholder’s marriage fell apart. It had nothing to do with Mark. Until it did. When his co-shareholder filed for divorce, their stake in the business immediately became a matrimonial […]
Sometimes the fastest way forward is two steps back
One thing I see far too often in small businesses is this: the moment pressure rises, the owner speeds up. They work longer. They take on more. They chase more leads, more ideas, more tasks, more noise. They tell themselves they just need to push a bit harder and keep going. I understand it, because when you […]
Cold Calling or Cleaning the Fridge? Why Most SMEs Avoid Prospecting (and Why They Shouldn’t)
Many business owners would rather clean out the office fridge than make another cold call. It sits on the to-do list… then quietly slips to tomorrow. Yet the reality is hard to ignore. When proactive lead generation stops, growth often slows soon after. Pipelines thin out. Sales start to feel harder than they should. Telemarketing […]
