So, Why This Business? Why Are You Starting It? And Why Now? In June, I published this blog post, which started out asking the question, Why are you in the business you're in? Then it went on to list everything that needs to be done. It's a pretty daunting list. I'm pleased to say life has moved on since then, and I'm thrilled to be working with www.theax.ai ... The Art Of Bowing Out Gracefully Conceived on your kitchen table, down the pub or following redundancy, your business became your baby ... How Consultants Can Productise Their Services And Stop Selling Hours Learn how consultants can productise their services to escape hourly billing and scale reliably ... Discovering Happiness: What It Means to be Self Employed Discover the key to happiness as a self-employed entrepreneur. Enhance your well-being and fulfilment with my expert insights ... Common Networking Fears: How To Give Back There are many common networking fears but there is one that stands out above all others. Not knowing how to give back ... Navigating the Waters of Setting Up Your Consultancy Setting up your consultancy can be an exhilarating yet daunting task. Discover key strategies to transition smoothly and thrive as an entrepreneur ... Referral Marketing: Gain Mastery By Copying Others Discover the power of referral marketing with our personal story. See how a simple gesture from a child can teach us valuable lessons ... Understanding False Kindness: The Lasting Legacy of Jack Welch This blog explores 'false kindness' as defined by Jack Welch, focusing on the necessity of tough decisions for personal and organisational growth ... Should You Have A Wide And Diverse Network? People who meet me in Northampton and Milton Keynes are always saying that I seem to know everyone out networking ... Networking Skills: The Benefits Of Focus In Your Networking It's a fundamental networking skill to know whether you should appeal to a wide range of clients, or focus in ... 5 Challenges Consultants Face Setting Up Their Own Business I recall a fellow attendee at my first sales training course, when I was preparing for my own transition from employee to consultant. She confided in me that before her first sales meeting, she threw up in the car park ... How Trigger Words And Images Can Get You More Referrals It's lovely to see that Helen is using the techniques I taught her and, most importantly, is getting great results ... 6 Steps To Getting New Business When You're On Holiday Years ago, we were on holiday in Italy. Every day, when I sat by the pool, I'd see a man deeply engrossed in his laptop ... Navigating the Types of Consultancy: Find Your Perfect Fit Discover the right fit for your skills and goals as you transition from the corporate world to a thriving consulting career Learning With My Clients I had a lovely email when I first published this blog post from one of my clients, new to running his own business ... Delegation: Some Common Mistakes Once again this week, that crucial management skill rears its ugly head in several conversations I’ve had ... Collaboration: Working With The Enemy I was watching Drew Pritchard of Salvage Hunters on television the other evening and got thinking about collaboration ... What Happens When Someone Treads On Your Corns? Straight from my mother's mouth, it's about what happens when someone doesn't honour your values ... Let's Look At Things Through The Round Window Grew up in Britain in the 60s, 70s and 80s? The words ''through the round window'' will take you back to your childhood ... Networking Skills: Rejection Sucks, Ok? Anyone in sales knows that rejection is part of the process. Not everyone you approach is going to buy from you ... Is Business Development Relevant For Independent Consultants? The term 'business development' holds substantial importance. It comprises a myriad of activities and strategies that drive growth and change within a company. Yet, what does it truly mean? Promote Your Business With Stories And Anecdotes Stories and anecdotes have a retention rate of 65-70% whereas facts and statistics alone only reach 5-10% ... Networking Skills: Have It All, Change And Constancy I'm sure you've noticed that nearly all business writing is about change and doing things differently ... How Diversity in Multinational Teams Adds Value to Decision-Making So how does this diversity contribute tangible added value to an organisation’s decision-making process? Business Networking: Is It Really A Waste Of Time? I had an early lesson in time management when I was a student nurse in the RAF that I suspect lots of us had with our first jobs ... New Consultants: Turning Your Vision Into Reality As a consultant leaving employment and setting up on your own, you will have a vision of how you can make a difference ... Starting Your Consultancy: A Very Common Mistake Brand new consultants are often told not to define a target market. Just get out there and sell, sell, sell ... Consultancy Skills: Are You A Victim Of Your Own Success? ''I've got a great new contract so I'm going to be off the scene for at least 6 months.'' I often hear this, so here's a warning ... Building Your Business Relationships Using Collaboration One of the phrases I use with clients is how to build their business by using collaboration rather than competition ... Some Great Tips On Giving Giving is the heart of the Christmas message and all over TV and social media with ideas on how to help the needy ... What Can A Relay Race Teach Us About Referral Marketing? Referral marketing is about getting others to pass your message on to your ideal clients. A metaphor I often use for this is to liken it to passing the baton in a relay race ... |