Have you ever thought about the activity and decisions that takes place in your business, or in your life for that matter? Let’s get a handle on things to explain more about what I mean.
Active and inactive - It’s either one or the other and not much in between, of course at the either […]

Business can be fickle, some succed, others fail, some just plod along making just enough to struggle on even though the market might be very buoyant.
In the end many will say business is just about money. Yes and no… I like to think I get more than just money out of what I do. […]

Over time I come up with a list of business success pointers and change it, the order does not matter much I think all the points are usually of equal importance.
Then I think about it some more, weigh that up against things I see and arguments I have in my head about how things are […]

Describing business in terms of its stages, infancy, adolescence, maturity and so on is a great way to sum up the situation, but there are impacts and of course differences in each.
So in the development of the franchise from the start up infancy stage, through to maturity there are some different challenges to face that […]

In a previous article I mentioned business being like a roller coaster with its ups and downs… This time lets look at some of the causes of this “uppsy downsy” situation.
1. I feel flat - This can be from a build up of things not going too well, everything else can be okay but the […]

An often overlooked area of business is the art scene.
Diverse in its offerings, Art is often seen as the realm of the rich (in mind and $$). And can offer the purchaser more than just a decorative device, it can also boost their stakes in the up and up of social climbing as well as […]

The road we travel in business is a rough one at times, then it gets smooth and before we know it it turns to a dusty track with giant potholes.
I’m talking about the everyday challenges we face, be it in getting enough customers, having enough profit, ensuring staff are happy and the $$ are still […]

The ACCC (Australian Credit and Consumer Commission) in Australia has released a document to assist franchisees in buying a franchise. The doc outlines a bunch of details about how to find a scam franchise (rare) a glossary of terms… (had to I guess) and a range of things to look out for (good logical stuff).
Problem […]

Of course you want to sell to people… that makes sense (until they invent a robot that can spend cash…)
BUT, what sort of people? Rich ones? Poor ones? Ones that work? Ones that play? Ones that have too much time on their hands? Ones that make decisions on BIG buying opportunities for a BIG […]

Years ago I put together a guideline to assist my clients in fully understanding what’s involved in a fully blown business, and for those working in one area to better understand the other areas around them. The result was a PDF file like this one.
It proved to be a useful device and I share it […]

An article by Kirsten Le Mesurier in the Age on innovation struck a chord.
The premise of CEO’s and senior exec’s saying innovation must happen… rarely works, it’s often a directive that can be buried in red tape and politics. Too many times the ideas are wanted but the process becomes a durge and in no […]

In a previous post I mentioned trademarking as a development tool and I discussed “See something - Do something” It’s a nice simple model for business but it can be taken further than a business context, here’s how and perhaps why…
In the branding stakes there is a lot of mention these days about “Brand You” […]

Buying a franchise can be a great way to get into business, (if you have not heard that line before you have not been looking into franchises for long.) and if it’s a ‘turnkey’ operation you are probably getting an even better opportunity, one that has all the bells and whistles on start up and […]

When buying any business (or any asset for that matter) it’s advisable to do your homework. Logical? YES! Practical… Not always. In the case of a franchise they (the franchisor) often has the power of numbers, “X number of franchisees can’t be wrong”, (yes some can be ‘wrong’, but they may not want to admit […]

Anything else to do with your business MUST therefore be about supporting the profit.
Before people go all money crazy though and start saying “business is all about taking and here’s another example.” I say if you are not making a profit you run a charity, and as this article is about business it’s therefore about […]

So often people delve into advertising their business, without much thought to the process. This not only a huge waste or precious $$, but it leaves your business vulnerable to cashflow problems. Taking the time to research exactly who your most profitable customer is, will ensure you receive a higher return on your advertising investment. […]

Earlier in 2007 I did a post on Trademarks not what you think… It gave some starting points and some background to an idea that is really all about values and beliefs but does so in a more street smart way.
I thought it was time to pull out a few more and explore how they […]

In the world of franchising there are many chances to connect with the Franchisees and the Franchisors, meetings, conferences, and the initial training. As the leader of the franchise (or franchise division) or as the franchisee, search for more ways to connect with each other. Then pass on that ‘connection’ attitude or skill to your […]

You start the business and then… Well apart from working hard to make it sustainable…
A few things first, let’s make a list. Why did you get into business? Is it turning out how you wanted? Is there a profit? Is it providing a better life for you? If not when will it do that?
Note how […]

In franchising there are fees of all kinds, franchisees are contracted to pay. Marketing and Management fees are often the main ones.
The fees are used for a multitude of things and are vital for the main company’s day to day operation. The money is therefore a fee paid for the provision of some service, the […]

No matter what sort of business you are in, it’s only as good as the next crisis is. Has that got you thinking? I hope so. You see many business people chip away at the coal face to get ahead, but do not stop to think about how to handle major challenges that might arise. […]

Most (if not all) Franchises have a franchise fee, (it’s a monthly fee usually) designed to keep the head office “humming”. It’s generally separate from a marketing fee, but that might be on the same invoice you get per month. So what do you get for paying that? I guess the Franchisor will have an […]

In an age of competitive business activity its nice to know there are benefits to the end user from this competition and in the communications industry in Australia there are now about 40 different telco companies operating. This brings prices down for the end user and also means the companies have to find new ways […]

In the article I have linked to, Tom Peters has a good heads upon investing , investors and the gender difference, once again he’s on the ball showing all and sundry that differences count!
Tom’s investment blog post
Of course there are differences, and the scope that this article alone provides is enormous, if you were selling […]

If you are hiring employees, the usual take on things is to try and match the person you want via assessing their skills an abilities as well as attitude and qualifications.
So you place an advert and put in the role and some Co details, then wait for the cover letters and resumes to arrive. In […]

In flipping about the net I came across this link. http://www.bcg.com/
Simply put the publications section has some great resources for businesses of all sorts, check it out, there’s plenty for everyone…
Very professionally put together, usually when I come across resources like this you end up having to pay or need to be a client with […]