It is much easier these days to sell our services abroad. The main problem is that ‘abroad’ can have many different ways of doing business. For example, I had to…
Small Business | Mike Southon - Part 2
Gordon Brown once said his ambition was to be seen as ‘a safe pair of hands’. If I want to find safe hands, I look away from Westminster and concentrate…
In my experience, entrepreneurs tend to fall into two categories. Some are attracted by the opportunity of starting their own business but are later unable or unwilling to actually make…
Many people are now starting web-based businesses, which are completely virtual. They have no formal offices or even full-time staff. But there will always be a need for local services,…
It is a common entrepreneurial dream to create a special place. This could be a shop, a restaurant, an art gallery, where everyone can enjoy themselves and spend money, especially…
Paul Bridle has made a long study of leadership in effective organisations: what actually works and what doesn’t. Sadly for David Brent and other would-be office comedians, ‘a sense of…
Eric Edmeades is a self-made millionaire and CEO of a computer-based special effects company. But he started as a ‘cornerstone’ to an entrepreneur. They then fell out, prompting Eric to…
It is hard setting up a new business. It is even harder scaling it up. This inevitably requires the entrepreneur to hire people better than themselves. This requires both courage…
In our Beermat model, when you want to start a business, you go down to a pub, and ask “Where’s the pain?” The more intense the pain out there, then…
There are many characteristics that are common to most successful entrepreneurs, including vision, confidence, ambition and drive. But a common feature of all the ones I know and like is…