Do you avoid negotiating?

Most people avoid negotiating because it makes them uncomfortable Negotiation, like selling, is an essential business skill but most small business owners try to avoid doing both. Why do we get uncomfortable in these situations? Some people just don’t like talking about money* but not all negotiations are about money so there’s more to it […]

You want to run your own business – but what does this really mean?

Don’t let your small business become your prison. Many people start a business because they want more freedom but then they imprison themselves by never earning quite enough and always putting clients’ needs before their own. Being self-employed doesn’t mean you have to work 24/7 and panic every time there’s a Bank Holiday that you […]

The stupid simple secret to making money

There is no secret to making money – stupid or otherwise. I can’t claim credit for any of this … its been said by many people many times but ignored by many more! The stupid simple secret to making money is: Solve a problem for a specific group of people who have money to pay […]

Don’t think about marketing yet.

You don’t need to think about marketing yet. You don’t need social media accounts yet. You don’t even need a business name or a domain name yet. Starting a business doesn’t start with marketing. It starts with money. Most businesses fail because they run out of money before they start making any. Even more get […]

Time and money

A client who was feeling overwhelmed just asked for help in deciding what to spend time on and what to let go. When we’d finished our session and he was feeling more in control I was reminded yet again that time and money are the two things that small business owners struggle with the most. […]