Business Building Articles

I'd like to share with you some thoughts on why competing on price is a bad business idea. You see, competing on price is usually a race to the bottom.… Read more: Why competing on price is a bad idea for your business!

Learning how to sell services more effectively is also a lesson in how to develop trusting relationships. This short video talks you through it: TRANSCRIPT To begin with, you need… Read more: How to sell services more effectively (and with less stress)

Did anyone ever tell you about Touch Points in marketing? You see, touch points can improve your marketing and your customer retention. But what is a touch point? Now, a… Read more: The importance of touch points in marketing

Sadly, only a small minority of small businesses for any kind of marketing to existing customers. But here's what many fail to understand: it's far easier to sell to existing… Read more: Here’s why you should spend more time marketing to existing customers

Here's a business story with a very important lesson for your marketing efforts. In the middle of 2021 I had a coffee with a guy who runs a technology business… Read more: Keep doing the stuff that works in your marketing

In this post I'm hoping to save the expense (and frustration) of making an expensive rookie marketing mistake. I want to tell you a story about a couple of friends… Read more: Don‘t make this expensive rookie marketing mistake

If you're a local business selling to local people then it's important that your website should be geared up to get found in local search. In other words; when someone… Read more: How to get found in local search – quick SEO tip for your website

If you're not doing any marketing in your social media then you're missing out on some serious marketing leverage. Because whether you like it or not, if you're in business,… Read more: Are you doing enough marketing in your social media?

Want to boost your confidence? Well, one way is to do something daring or scary that makes you uncomfortable. Not sure of where to start? Here's a short (true) story… Read more: Do something daring, it’ll help

Let's be honest, not all marketing channels are going to be right for you and your target audience that you're trying to reach. I'm seeing an awful lot of people… Read more: Don’t waste time on marketing channels that are never going to work

Consistent branding is key and here I want to share with you a quick tip on why it's important to make sure that your branding is the same throughout all… Read more: How consistent branding helps your marketing

To win in the search engines you need to do more than just SEO. Here's a simple idea to get your website performing better in search results. Well, you may… Read more: How to win in the search engines with a content sharing strategy

Okay, so how often should you send out marketing emails to your list? After all, email marketing is easy to do and very cost-effective. There's a whole load of factors… Read more: How frequently should you send out marketing emails to your list?

Working on your business means doing things that will help your business to grow or run more effectively. The thing is; you'll never grow your business if you don't spend… Read more: Working on your business – what it means and what to do

The importance of self-care cannot be understated. It's vital in general but when you're running a small business or self-employed it's more critical. After all; if you neglect your well-being… Read more: The importance of self care when you’re self-employed

There are a number of reasons why you should fire problem clients and you're going to learn them here. If you've been in business a while, you probably know that… Read more: Why you should fire problem clients (and how it’s done)!

We're occasionally asked about how many marketing channels you should actually have, especially if you're just starting out in Self-employment or business ownership. But what do we mean about marketing… Read more: Why it’s a good idea to have a small number of marketing channels

Want to know the best marketing tactic or strategy for your business? So I don't know how many times I've been asked when I've been doing talks and seminars and… Read more: What is the best marketing strategy or tactic?

Email newsletters are dead! OK, so it's not quite that bad but nobody signs up to email newsletters unless you give a very good reason. Here's a better way of… Read more: Email newsletters are a waste of space – here’s how to do it better

Getting stuff done is paramount when you're self-employed or running a small business. After all, if you're unable to deliver on your promises to customers (because you're not productive) then… Read more: Focus! It really is the key to getting stuff done

Taking time out to build your business can bring loads of benefits. In this video you'll learn a few techniques that you can use to get that time out and… Read more: Why taking time out to build your business is a good idea

These days it's far too easy to complain about rubbish customer service but what should you do when you get great customer service? You see, I believe that the quality… Read more: A fantastic example of great customer service

An easy way to improve your networking is to learn how to improve your elevator pitch. Let's face it, when you're self-employed you're usually excited about what you do and… Read more: How to improve your elevator pitch or elevator speech and improve your networking

Even if you're self-employed you should be looking to introduce automation in your business. Every business has common tasks that are repeated day in and day out. And these are… Read more: Why you should get into automation in your business

Blogging is incredibly good for your website and can help your site perform better than your competitors. The problem is that writing blog posts takes time and, if you're already… Read more: Blogging made easy – Get those blog posts written in less time

An accountability group can help you with ideas, encouragement and support and can really help to get you and your business moving forward. The idea is to find some people,… Read more: How an accountability group can help you and your business

Our mind and body regularly need time to recover and refresh from the working week. Your wellbeing depends on it. However, when you're self-employed (especially working from home), it can… Read more: The importance of taking a weekly day off

It's it's important to know how to choose business books because there is a load of 'not very useful' stuff that'll be a waste of your time. This short video… Read more: How to choose business books to make the most of learning

Your productivity isn't always about writing lists and putting things in your diary. Learning how to get more done is often a combined approach of different tools and techniques. A great way… Read more: How to get more done in your most productive time of day!

When you focus on value it can improve your whole product offering and make your marketing so much easier and successful. Find out how here:

learn why it's vital to have your own website (even if you're a tiny business) and pick up some key pointers on how to get your own website.

Fewer than 10% of self-employed people are consistent with their marketing and, because of it, very few get good results. Find out more here.

In this video you'll discover some of the things that you don't need to spend money on and why/how it can help your business.

Taking time out to build your business can bring loads of benefits. This thinking space can help you develop ideas and where you're going.

Chelsea Baldwin (entrepreneur and copywriter) shares her Top Business Growth Tips in this blog post and podcast episode.

Constant learning is key if you want to be successful. This post (with video) explains the idea of putting knowledge into ACTION:

One of the keys to building a sustainable business is to 'never stop marketing'. It's a common thing for people to stop doing the marketing when things get busy but… Read more: Why you should never stop marketing!

When you're self-employed your ability to get stuff done is a key skill. This quick tip will help you work on the stuff that's most important.

Life as a self-employed recruitment specialist can be tough. Caroline Hunt shares tips on how she's successfully made it through 10 years.

Want to improve your productivity? Well, ditch time-management and get into good routines. This post (with video) gives you some pointers.

It's not difficult to be better at networking. In this post you'll learn a few simple tweaks to help you improve your connections and results

Ever thought about the reason why we do it? After all, when you're self-employed you'll often work longer hours for less money than if you had a job. And that's… Read more: The reason why we do it

For some reason, only a small number of small businesses get the fact that blogging is good for marketing. But it really is the best way to get your website… Read more: Here’s why blogging is good for marketing

Want to discover how to beat perfectionism? Check out this simple 'good enough' approach to overcome perfectionism and really get stuff done.

You should definitely use Youtube in your marketing because it's the unsung hero of social media marketing. Find out why in this post & video

And this episode of the Smashing podcast Libby Langley shares self-employment tips and what you can do to make your life and business better.

It's almost a given that you should keep in touch with customers and contacts in business. However, many small businesses are really bad at this. In fact, only a minority… Read more: Why you should keep in touch with customers and contacts

3 simple ideas to help you and your business flow! Check out these simple, but powerful, ideas that can help you get more customers and get more done.

You don't have to be into every marketing channel to reach customers. Read this post (& video) on how to make marketing work by doing less.

In this blog post and podcast episode we interview Clare McCabe of Purple Star Design where Clare shares her top tips for being in business for nearly 20 years and becoming a successful self-employed graphic designer.

It can be very stressful to take a holiday when you're self-employed. Largely because the business is your thing and, effectively, you are you business. On top of that, it's… Read more: How to take a holiday when you’re self-employed

This simple bit of marketing advice has helped me and loads of my clients seriously increase marketing results. In fact, when we got to grips with this in my web… Read more: The best bit of marketing advice EVER!

When you're self-employed it's important to focus and get stuff done. So here's a simple idea that will enable you to get more done.

Marketing segmentation is vital if you want to reach the right audience with the right message using the right channels. Find out more here:

RANT ALERT + Biz Lessons!!! Small business owners need to sort themselves out! Over the last month or so, I've moved house which means we needed domestic cleaners/end of tenancy… Read more: Small business owners need to sort themselves out…

How Business Speaking Can Help You to Promote Your Business - some idea on how to leverage a grossly underused marketing tool.

How to Manage your Inbox - email overload can have a serious impact on your productivity. Here's an idea for exerting a bit more control on your inbox.

OK, so this is part 5 in my series of articles on 'How to assess a business opportunity'. This time we're looking at (cue uplifting music and training montage...) Motivation… Read more: How to assess a business opportunity Part 5: Motivation

Since beginning this series on 'how to assess a business opportunity' I've realised that writing just 4 or 5 articles was simply not going to be enough. In fact I… Read more: How to assess a business opportunity, part 4 – Experience

Passion alone doesn't sell. People buy when they see benefits. So, here's how you can turn your passion into sales and marketing skills

The third part of this series is a very important part of 'how to assess a business opportunity' and it's all to do with money. You see, despite what many… Read more: How to assess a business opportunity, part 3 – Money

The second part of this series on 'How to assess a business opportunity' is about: Interest Now it's nothing to do with the pitiful amount that your bank will give… Read more: How to assess a business opportunity part 2: Interest

In this series of 5 articles I'll be sharing some thoughts on how to assess a business opportunity. If you could do with some spare time income read on.

A few ideas to help if you struggle in the busy vs productive trap of having loads to do and needing to have a strategy to deal with it all.

If you want to find customers then you can improve your customer service by getting into the problem-solving mindset. This article gives you some ideas.

Maybe you shouldn't be self-employed, it's harder than many people think.

Competence Is Not Enough To Convince Someone To Buy From You - Here's why saying that you're 'professional' will never win you any customers.

I decided to write this piece in response to something I saw last week at church. My friend, Paul, has a PhD and is a lecturer and researcher in medieval… Read more: How to work out your skills and help your career

Want to make your work life easier? Then watch this video of a quick delegation skills lesson inspired by a 15 year old.

A few months ago I went to a seminar on Lean Startups which was aimed at tech firms looking for some startup ideas etc. While there the speaker threw out… Read more: Make what you can sell, don’t sell what you can make

We all have habits. These are the things we do very regularly without even thinking about them, such as getting up and putting the kettle on before you do anything… Read more: Getting started with new work habits

A "To Do List" is a tool to get stuff done by listing tasks. Here's a simple idea that will help to leverage your list and get more done.

For some time I've had a few ideas for web publishing business but haven't had the time or technical expertise to make them come to life. So, after listening to… Read more: How to partner up for increased chances of success and profit

You Are 100% responsible For Your Success or Failure. When you're self-employed you need to take responsibility for what happens. Here's a few helpful tips.

Help your productivity by working out your most effective time of day and then doing the important stuff at that time. Here's how it's done.

If you're self-employed and are looking for help and support you need to know what to do with staffers, those who work for someone else.

How about some important business startup lessons from a good friend of mine who recently started her own coaching business? Hi, my name’s Claire Gallear and I’m a qualified Personal… Read more: Some important business startup lessons

At a recent networking event my friend, Emma, confessed that she's love to write more stuff for her website but just doesn't seem to have the time to sit and… Read more: A time-effective way of creating products

On Tuesday I went to a meeting organised by a friend of mine, Julia Canham, who is a business coach. At that meeting I reaffirmed some of the things I've… Read more: How to focus on what you want and not what you don’t

I recently went to a networking event and the guest speaker was a woman named Anna Mason who is a specialist in health and productivity. She was speaking on a… Read more: Five Top Tips to improve your health and productivity

I know I didn't write this so thanks to Glenn Fisher for letting me share this excellent lesson in customer service: The train manager apologises for the coach being cold… Read more: A real-life lesson in customer service

Want to improve your concentration with no real extra work? Well, read on. According to a recent study more than 60% of the UK population is between 1% and 5%… Read more: Improve your concentration with this simple idea

One Sunday, a few years back, I made a promise, it went like this: On my honour I promise that I will do my best, to do my duty to… Read more: Keep your word and improve your reputation

In this post, I’m going to do something which I don’t typically write about in my blog and it's all about why you shouldn't be self-employed. It’s come about because… Read more: 4 reasons why you shouldn’t be self-employed

This very useful post was submitted by a good friend of mine: Jacqui Dean. Take a break.... Last week in my own blog I wrote about overwhelm and one of… Read more: Why taking regular breaks is good for your productivity…

The more I think about what I'm doing to develop my fledgling business, the more I begin to realise that collaborative projects are increasingly worth pursuing. I've written about business… Read more: Business Collaboration is worth the risk

Most of us have things in our lives that we'd like to change. But without a commitment to make change happen and then determined effort to make it happen, you're going nowhere… Read more: You have to make change happen, not just hope for it

Did you know that going on holiday can be good for your business. Here's a quick case on how to take advantage of the down-time.

This great real-life lesson on "How to focus on your customers" was contributed by my good friend Paul Kaerger: "My father-in-law had an issue with his van recently and it… Read more: How to focus on your customers and not your internal problems

One of the common misconceptions about people in business is that they earn loads of money and work only a handful of hours. And, that is true for some. However,… Read more: Work more hours and earn less money

Many folks have heard about having a positive attitude but is that all there is to being successful?  The old addage 'Believe it and achieve it' seems to have been… Read more: Believe it and achieve it – well, not quite!

Many people today are looking for ideas on starting a business. With redundancy looming for many the allure of self-employment is growing. But what if that's you and you're stuck… Read more: Looking for ideas on starting a business?

The busiest week for some time and a possible lesson in the battle of 'Busy vs Productive' Possibly the biggest challenge when you're self-employed is know the difference between busy… Read more: Busy vs Productive – using time wisely can be hard work

While listening to a business speaker recently he mentioned that it's vital to monitor who you hang around with when you're trying to build a business.  And this got me… Read more: Who you hang around with can mean a lot to your success

In our very busy world it can be very challenging to find thinking time. However, it can improve your productivity and chances of success by giving you the space to… Read more: Thinking time will help a lot, I promise

One of the frustrating things about knowing so much about time management is that I become acutely aware of when I'm not being terribly efficient or effective. Even worse is that when… Read more: Please take your time management medicine now doctor

Ever wondered what should be on a business card? Well, let me share some insights into how you can get a better response from your business cards: The thing is,… Read more: What should be on a business card?

Working out why your customers buy from you can really improve your marketing and save a whole load of wasted time and money.  Here's a quick case study on how… Read more: Why your customers buy – it’s often not about the product

Your Elevator Speech - How to use your 60 seconds at a networking event to get noticed above your competition

Everyone is in sales, whether you realise it or not. Thoughts on why we never stop selling by Karl Craig-West. author, trainer and speaker.