Posts
Why do so many startup businesses fail?
Why do so many startup businesses fail? Well, there’s a question! We all hear the stats on how many new startup businesses fail in the first year, and by all accounts it’s only getting worse. For years, the reasons given often skated around the real issues, and the help offered was often centred around old-fashioned […]
Balancing your company’s board of directors
Depending on your model, it’s really important to have a good balance of people and skills across your business: age, gender, ethnicity, personality, skills and intellect – to name but a few. Virtually every business person has a different view on the direction the business should take and how the business should be run. If […]
The most important rule in business – be true to yourself
No doubt you’ve read articles which give the top 10 tips/rules for startups and businesses to follow. Have you ever wondered why these important tips/rules differ from one article to the next? Surely the top 10 rules for businesses are the top 10 rules for businesses…? These articles differ in opinion because everyone writing them […]
How to write effective sales emails
If you don’t know how to, or worse, can’t be bothered to write effective sales emails then your business will struggle. There’s a frustrating trend nowadays whereby people can’t be bothered to give a decent reply to sales enquiries, don’t bother to answer the questions asked, and don’t use punctuation. This is nothing new, but […]
Make sure you understand your business accounts
The title of this quick post says it all. It’s really important to understand your business accounts, and be familiar with your responsibilities as a company director. You need to know your responsibilities towards your shareholders if you have any. You need to understand tax. If you don’t something may come and bite you hard […]
Giving company shares to employees
Be careful when you give company shares to employees, particularly when you have just launched your startup, and you’re brimming with confidence and excitement. I hear about this a lot, where someone creates a great startup and generously (often naively) gives shares away to a bunch of people to entice them to put in a […]
Passion and interest – the key to business success
I just want to write a quick note on how important I believe it is to start a business in a sector that you are passionate about. Don’t just jump on the latest band wagon or follow the latest trend. Go for something you love. It will pay off – literally. When deciding to start […]
Don’t add a “sign up to our newsletter” pop-up on your homepage
Don’t add a “sign up to our newsletter” pop-up on your homepage. It’s annoying and its unlikely users will sign up to a newsletter before they’ve actually viewed your site! Lately I’ve noticed lots of ecommerce sites are doing it. People search for a product they want to buy, then visit a few websites to […]