One Friday evening I went to dinner with a dentist from Australia who consulted with England’s rugby union team (helping them on their way to the 2003 World Cup), a major UK holidays firm and countless dentists worldwide. I wanted to interview him for my award-winning book, “Double Your Business”. As an independent dentist working…
When Andrew Withers, the managing director of Southern Fried Chicken, agreed to appear on The Undercover Boss, I bet he had no idea just how much he would discover about his own business. Watching the programme, it was clear that his own expectations and standards were light years away from those of the franchisees’ sites…
When you look online for a free marketing plan template, you’re likely to come across mostly big complicated things designed for corporates to spend months developing a £ multi-million strategy. That’s no good for you or me. Because you run your own business, you need something practical that will produce results. You want something that’s…
The phrase turnover is vanity, profit is sanity came to mind last week while writing the essential finance chapter of my new Double Your Business book. Stephen, the owner of a CCTV business asked for my help with getting more sales. When I visited them, they had a big office and a number of staff. …
I’m delighted to announce that work on Double Your Business is progressing well. But what can you expect from the book when it’s published? Here’s a description taken directly from the proposal agreed with my publisher, Financial Times Prentice Hall: An extraordinarily effective “how-to” manual for everybody who wants to enjoy a more successful business….
People often ask what kind of results are possible through coaching programmes working with The Double Your Business Coach. In this two and a half minute video, Paul Marsden, the managing director of Virtual Business Source Limited, explains how his sales have grown substantially in just 12 months. The business is a £1 Million turnover…
Mary Portas has been enlisted by the government to try and revitalize the high streets of the UK, according to a story on the BBC website today. Good headlines for the newspapers, but there is a limit to what a business coach can do, no matter how good they are. I thoroughly enjoy what the…
The question of how to motivate staff has vexed the owners of small businesses for years. There are three big approaches used by most: Treat your staff as friends and lean on that friendship to get things done Offer incentives to perform Use threats or punishments to induce a bit of fear (These last two…
Thanks to my coaching colleague in the USA, Steve Rovniak, for this article about what to focus on if you’re learning to sell. Perhaps you’ve just started up in business, or got a new salesperson on your team who needs to learn the ropes. Whatever it is, this article is a great reminder to keep…
I read a great post about overcoming procrastination at Ian Brodie’s blog last week. Procrastination, in case you feel the need to look it up, is the urge to do other stuff instead of the important things that’ll make you more successful. It got me thinking about one of the most common causes of procrastination…