General

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” (Colin Powell, United States Secretary of State) Of course you plan for your business to grow. But in an environment of constant change, it can be hard to know where to place…

“There’s life and death in every email.” (Bill Gates) Over the past 25 years, email has become synonymous with office life: a recent study found that the average worker sends between 9,000 and 15,000 emails a year. All of this is happening despite email being fundamentally flawed in multiple ways…

“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” (Henry Ford) Without revenue targets, businesses are unable to measure their performance against past years, reward employees, or accurately forecast and plan. Targets set by leaders for individuals or teams can shape morale and expectations for employees and…

“Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.” (Stephen R. Covey, author of ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’) Good business leaders recognise that regular employee performance reviews play a vital role in improving transparency, identifying talent, and enhancing performance – yet often this…

“Many companies have forgotten they sell to actual people. Humans care about the entire experience, not just marketing, sales, or service.” (Dharmesh Shah, CTO and co-founder, HubSpot) Brand awareness is at the heart of building a successful business. If your target customers, and the public at large don’t know who…

“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.” (Benjamin Franklin) When a company is struggling with cashflow, or simply looking to improve profitability, the directors will often consider making grand sweeping changes like retrenching staff, slashing the marketing budget or even selling off resources. While this…

“Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” (Jeff Bezos) You have a great product or service that fills a need. You are doing your marketing. Your accountant has helped you streamline your cashflow and provided you with your financial forecasts. You are…