Speak to any business coach or senior manager, and they will tell you that one of the secrets of success is having a clear picture of your objectives and a detailed business plan which shows how you will get there. I’m sure any reader who is in business will agree. …

Brexit And Me I was asked by someone the other day why I hadn’t shared any views about Brexit on social media, where I am normally pretty active. The reason, I told him, is because I realised early on that there was no point. I’ve watched, from the sidelines, as…

The Lost Art Of Following Up Over the years I’ve listened to hundreds of pitches for business, both personally and for my company. It’s actually quite rare that I’ve said: “No, I won’t ever do business with you!” The no usually takes the form of: “I can’t actually afford it…

As far as I know, all of my friends are law abiding citizens. They wouldn’t dream of going into a shop and “lifting” so much as a bag of sweets. But many of them think nothing of downloading music and films illegally, buying ripped and copied DVD’s from the market…

Everywhere I look these days, I see an obsession with “Cheap.” …

I’m talking here about the tech giants — Google, Paypal, Microsoft and others of their ilk. Their help and support are generally pitiful, not just for their many “free” clients, but equally for their paying clients. And in each of those examples, I fall into the latter camp. Here’s what…

Ad blockers are all the rage. As is complaining about those “pesky” adverts that follow you around once you’ve searched for something and Google thinks it knows “just what you need.” But consider this: What if the alternative to seeing adverts on websites was having to pay to subscribe to…

Tom was a brilliant barman, loved by customers and good at getting them to spend, so he was promoted to Bar Manager. Sally was the best salesperson the estate agency ever had, so she was made Sales Manager. Brian was the best technician in the garage, so they made him…

The island I live on is a hotbed for business start-ups. Many people come here to start a new life, and plenty of those arrive with a business idea or a plan to start something new. …