Blog
The voice of NW4
We try to share topics we think may interest you or even benefit you.
We’d like to think we succeed some of the time.
4 pricing mistakes to avoid
In our work we have found that the reviewing of pricing methods and strategies provide the quickest improvement to the profitability of a business. Many businesses are unknowingly giving away profit. Price can be adjusted immediately and the effect flows straight...
Cashflow is king. How to keep a better grip on small business finances
There’s been an 8% increase in the amount of money owed to London based SMEs due to late payment of invoices. It’s nothing new. SMEs have always had issues collecting outstanding sums of money from their clients. But that’s a big increase! And, when set against...
A changing environment
Changes in lifestyles, the economy, globalization and developments in technology are affecting the way businesses and their customers interact. Within the last few years there have been dramatic changes in the areas of • Communication – Personal Media • Customers –...
10 tips to get the most from social media in your business
What is Social Media? In simple terms, social media describes the tools people are using to share text, video, images and information online and the networks they are using to connect with each other. It’s the evolution of the internet from a broadcast medium to a...
Any merit in a personal balance sheet?
If family is more important than business, then how come so few business owners have a personal balance sheet? Is it because they feel that they intrinsically know the value of their personal assets and liabilities? Or could it be that they’re fearful of what it may...
10 step process to maximising the value of a business on exit
The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) has delayed the exit plans of the baby-boomer business owners but their need to exit has not gone away. The value of the average business has been limited for a few key reasons. Most businesses have been structured and operated with...
10 steps to improve your sales
Profile your customers.Most business can tell you how many products they sold and what the products do. Very few of them actually know who their customers are. Segment your customers.This is a difficult process in most businesses because the information has not been...
Are you too busy to plan for success?
Our experience tells us that highly successful businesses are adequate in all three of the following areas, but excel in at least one, depending on their chosen strategic focus in delivering outstanding customer value. Product excellence – strategies that deliver the...
Are debtors costing you?
There’s a saying that: “profit is opinion but cash is fact”. This in part alludes to the notion that profit can be calculated in many different ways with many different interpretations. It also asserts that cash is more tangible and cash flow is the lifeblood of a...
Exit routes and cashing in: what to think about when selling your business
There are as many as 80-90,000 businesses on sale in the UK at any one time. That’s a lot of competition for vendors wanting to get the right price, and for buyers looking to acquire the perfect business. It also raises many questions. What’s your business worth? What...
Why the skill shortage?
So many business people we talk to complain that it’s really hard to find good staff, which is supported by a recent survey which said that recruiters are struggling to fill posts, (with a knock-on effect on salaries). The UK economy is forecast to grow, but this...
Applying the “art of action” to your business
By Simon Fawkes, Director – Business to Markets Ltd Most organisations suffer from too much planning that does not achieve the desired results. Increase the size of the organisation, the number of management layers and departments, and the problem only gets...
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