“There’s life and death in every email.” (Bill Gates) Over the past 25 years, email has become synonymous with office life: a recent study found that the average worker sends between 9,000 and 15,000 emails a year. All of this is happening despite email being fundamentally flawed in multiple ways Read more
“If you can laugh together, you can work together” (Robert Orben) There’s no requirement or obligation for companies to host a year-end party for employees, clients or suppliers. This is true even if there’s a company tradition of an end-of-year bash, or where there may be expectations of a year-end Read more
“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” (Henry Ford) Without revenue targets, businesses are unable to measure their performance against past years, reward employees, or accurately forecast and plan. Targets set by leaders for individuals or teams can shape morale and expectations for employees and Read more
“In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield.” (Warren Buffett) Every business should conduct an extensive review of its business operations at least once a year. Doing a review allows you to track your company’s progress towards achieving its goals, to evaluate current strategies, practices Read more
“Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.” (Stephen R. Covey, author of ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’) Good business leaders recognise that regular employee performance reviews play a vital role in improving transparency, identifying talent, and enhancing performance – yet often this Read more
“Many companies have forgotten they sell to actual people. Humans care about the entire experience, not just marketing, sales, or service.” (Dharmesh Shah, CTO and co-founder, HubSpot) Brand awareness is at the heart of building a successful business. If your target customers, and the public at large don’t know who Read more
“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.” (Benjamin Franklin) When a company is struggling with cashflow, or simply looking to improve profitability, the directors will often consider making grand sweeping changes like retrenching staff, slashing the marketing budget or even selling off resources. While this Read more
“Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” (Jeff Bezos) You have a great product or service that fills a need. You are doing your marketing. Your accountant has helped you streamline your cashflow and provided you with your financial forecasts. You are Read more
“There are no shortcuts when it comes to getting out of debt.” (Dave Ramsey, finance journalist and author) Most businesses have debt of some kind or another. Whether you need help to buy stock, maintain equipment or even fund a property, it’s likely that at some stage in your business’ Read more
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it. If you think about that you will do things differently.” (Warren Buffett) During tough economic times it can be tempting to illegally cut corners, hire staff at lower salaries, or avoid paying taxes you know you Read more