Having Fun Growing Your Business In A Recession

I just love ludicrous titles like this.

Well we are growing. We are in a recession. So I thought I'd have some fun anyway.

And the commenter on my last post - you're right - if a bank says yes, I can always say no. So I'll get the proposal in.

Meanwhile, here's the fun:

The IT Crowd Goes To Holly Wood

Enter your Email





Preview Powered by FeedBlitz

This is a blog. A website that thrives on interaction from every visitor including you. Your comments are welcome.

Depending upon how you arrived at this site, at the end of each article, you will see either 'Posted by Ian Denny 23:00' followed by a 'Comment' link you can click. Or you will see comments already made and/or a link you can click with the text 'Post a comment'.

To add your comment, I recommend you choose the "Name/URL" option. You can then use your own name, an alias or a nickname. If you have your own web-site, you can add this too if you like so people seeing your comment can click to visit it - enter your address in the URL box. Or leave it blank.

If you found this useful, please help other people find it by hitting the "StumbleUpon" button here:

Dare I Approach A Bank?

After going through explosive growth once before, I have a dilemna. You see last time, we didn't realise it would explode. And it did.

Am I scarred by my past so much so, that I can't take an opportunity to grow?

You see the touch-paper is lit. We're about to fly into the sky. And if we decide to jump aboard, we're a little scared this time that someone has stowed gun-powder again.

This time though, it's a bigger rocket. The deals we are doing are bigger and badder than before.

But then again, we've already done some big deals. And they weren't bad. In fact, the retainer income and the ease was proportionally less effort than we anticipated.

We had some adjusting to do, but the second and third big client became easier than the first.

I have written a business plan. I have the financials for 3 years. I have discovered some potential government-backed routes.

Anyone who has read this blog before - firstly sorry for losing the continuity - but secondly what's your take?

The global recession is working in our favour. The quotes we have "live" right now, exceed our entire last year turnover.

My gut says find a way to do it. My mind is scarred by past experiences. But the quality of what we're doing is opening doors. We're very good at establishing growth.

But have we learned our lessons?

Should we consider a partner to guide the ship (even a remote control partner) while we go do what we're best at?

Myself, Steve and Angela are an unstoppable force when we get going. And the rest of the team is the best we've had (by far).

But when it comes to finance and borrowing to justify the momentum, I get nervous. I suspect we qualify for the new government-backed finance.

The plan fits the criteria exactly.

I got in an accountant who is accusing me of pessimism in it!

Or do we "merge" with someone else to plug the gaps?

Or are the banks really lending? In terms of the new guarantees, they are approving £1M a day for small businesses in the UK right now - and that's only over the last few weeks.

Or should we re-trench, slow it down and miss an opportunity that is ripe for a company that can outsource an internal IT function with ease (and reduce costs for organisations that need to)?

IF ANYONE IS STILL LISTENING, I'd love your views. While this is a muffled shout to the big place which is the internet, if anyone hears the first cry for opinion, please give your views now.

Cheers

Enter your Email





Preview Powered by FeedBlitz

This is a blog. A website that thrives on interaction from every visitor including you. Your comments are welcome.

Depending upon how you arrived at this site, at the end of each article, you will see either 'Posted by Ian Denny 23:00' followed by a 'Comment' link you can click. Or you will see comments already made and/or a link you can click with the text 'Post a comment'.

To add your comment, I recommend you choose the "Name/URL" option. You can then use your own name, an alias or a nickname. If you have your own web-site, you can add this too if you like so people seeing your comment can click to visit it - enter your address in the URL box. Or leave it blank.

If you found this useful, please help other people find it by hitting the "StumbleUpon" button here:

Business Recovery - 2 Years On From Failure...And Now Slap Bang In The Middle Of A Recession!

I'm not surprised I haven't produced a blog post for absolutely ages. Been a little busy!

It's close to 2 years (May 2006) since we went bust and started again.

But, I came up with 8 things you need to do (2 of which you may laugh at - see below) which I guarantee will lift the gloom - unless you're an irreversible pessimist that is!

But now the recession is official, I thought it was about time I reflected on the lessons I've learned, the state of mind I'm in, how optimistic or pessimistic I feel.

And for anyone who once picked up the odd strand from my little story (are there?), give you an update on the personal and business position.

After Going Bust In The Good Times, How Am I Faring In the Bad Times?

For those who don't know, our company went bust in 2006 and re-started. It seemed impossible to do, but we scraped ourselves off the floor and tried again.

With a repeat prescription for blood pressure tablets, a little coaching from a good friend in being able to mentally cope when everything around you has actually collapsed, and alot of moral support from too many people to mention and thank, we got going again.

After protracted negotiations on an insurmoutable level of personal guarantees on business debt, we managed to achieve what felt impossible and satisfy them all.

Before I could even take a sigh of relief, the personal debt (which was really business debt!) struck home too. And I managed to stave off bankruptcy by negotiating a 10 year repayment plan, and in most cases freeze the interest to make it achievable.

The actual numbers involved are scary and a little embarassing to detail. However, it was far more than a 6-figure sum.

And in between all this, we had to re-start a business.

And learn not to repeat the mistakes we made. And be able to sleep at night.

And also try and find the energy to be positive again. It took maybe a year to re-discover that entrepreneurial spark that made us want to go into business.

When we re-started, there were 5 of us.

Most of our clients stuck with us. And while touched by their loyalty, some of them we had to let go. Quite simply because we didn't think we could service them all having reduced our workforce by 75%.

So we fell on our sword and in many cases facilitated their move to alternative suppliers.

And that was a pleasant experience - we're still very friendly with former clients who have found good suppliers since. I have a coffee or beer occasionally now with several former clients, who I now think of as good mates.

Where Are We Now?

Well we're up to 16 staff. Our client base is still smaller in terms of numbers, but our retainer income is at the same levels it was in the former company.

Our cost-base is lower than it ever was (we have more part-time and junior staff than before).

And a good number of clients we honourably let go to others have begun to return - without us asking (and I won't ask those who haven't called because it aint good form to do so!).

How Are We Coping With The Recession?

Despite the history of this blog where at times I have obviously been a little unhinged, by nature, I'm positive. My glass is never half-full - it is overspilling.

But even the most fervent optimist can't help but be touched by the non-stop flow of negativity around them. And from time to time, I find myself beginning to buy into the gloom.

...before I quickly kick myself up the arse.

You see it is the optimists who will spark the turn-around. And if they buy into the gloom, then we're all doomed.

At some point, people will tire of the pessimism and tune into the optimists. A tipping point will be reached, and we will all start believing again.

Personally, I tune into the optimists. And there are many of them about.

Some of them have thrived through downturns and scoff at the doom-mongers who ignore the opportunity around them.

And much of the current malaise is caused by how we choose to perceive what's happening around us.

Could it be as simple as fashion? If the current vogue is doom, then we're instantly unfashionable if we don't buy into it.

Personally, our retainer revenues are up by 33% over the last 5 months. So how can I possibly buy into the new trend for talking things down?

Fair enough, if I was being pedantic, our growth slowed in December and early January. And that's when most of the media-gloom descended as the focus of their reports was the down-turn, Xmas spending reports, and the closures in the high-street retail sector.

But how much attention was given to the explosive growth of online sales? How did Amazon do? Why has the Woolworth's brand name been bought to re-launch as an online-only retailer?

To what extent was the trend away from the high street and towards online purchasing going to happen anyway?

I would agree that overall spending was down, but not nearly as much as the doom-mongers believe. It became a self-fulfilling prophecy as people cut-back - even though I suspect it was marginally.

How many online-only retailers went bust?

So, while my pedanticness could have associated our December/early January blip with some mysterious global problem, how true was it?

In reality, we always have a dip each year. And in years gone by, we never worred about it. In fact we expected it. So why was this year any different?

In reality it wasn't.

As I write, we noticed the same pattern as the previous year. People have started spending again with us. And it has followed the same pattern - the new year "hangover" ended around the middle of the month, and the usual level of enquiries/demand ensued.

BUT I very nearly - for about an hour - got sucked into this negative void.

What Lessons Have I Learned 2 Years After Going Bust And Re-Starting?

Well, the first thing to note is how I feel. I don't worry nearly as much as I used to. I don't fret about negatives any more.

Yes, we still have challenges, but when you have over-shot rock-bottom and had to dig yourself out of the grave, any challenges we now experience don't affect me nearly as much as they used to.

Okay, the challenges we have nowadays are minor.

But the one thing we have discovered that is more important than anything else, is....FUN.

The more fun you have, the better pretty much everything else becomes. What seemed impossible to achieve in a company that was floundering and eventually went bust, becomes achievable.

I knew back then that a key point behind our sucess was delivering a fast service. Achieving it though against a negative background felt like an arduous journey that would take years.

Just last week, we decided to change our average IT support incident fix time from 2 hours to 1 hour. We'd examined for just a few days the methods which would make this possible (a simple logistical reorganisation).

So we announced it on the Friday in a team meeting and introduced it on the Monday.

On the Monday, we achieved a 51 minute fix average. On tuesday, it hit 21 minute as we all realised that is was not only achievable, but acutally very easy.

If I turn the clock back to the end of the previous company, things had gotten so bad back then, that we couldn't figure out how to make a cup of tea without an extended consultative process that was pretty much doomed from the outset.

Now, we can dream something up, examine how it can be achieved, implement it, and celebrate our sucesses - sometimes within hours.

Towards the end of the last company we had an average of around 100 outstanding support calls at various stages of completion. Today, we had 5. And those 5 were outstanding only because clients have asked us to delay the work until they were ready.

The key to implementing things at the speed we now do is essential - the right people.

With the right people, you can achieve anything.

The atmosphere in our office is fantastic. It's fun. I love going into work every day. There are genuine smiles.

And in an industry where you answer the phone knowing something has gone wrong, that's an amazing achievement.

One Small Confession

I broke one of the rules I had on re-starting. Particularly over the last 4 months. I've been fortunate to meet (ahead of schedule), the right kind of people for our company.

And because I knew they were exactly the kind of people we needed, we took them on - perhaps a couple of months ahead of schedule.

But I remember the advice of someone I admire who says that the right kind of people can do pretty much everything.

And that advice has been vindicated with the performance of the new folks. They have actually supplemented the positive atmosphere we have. And accelerated our development (and inspired me too!).

To round off this meandering blog-post, I'll finish off with a bit of advice for these troubled times:

1) Seek the company of optimists

2) When you meet them, supplement their optimism with your own

3) Reply to any negative viewpoints you hear with an optimistic alternative viewpoint

4) Question what the media portrays and read between the lines - good news is not in fashion, so when you hear it tune iN.

5) When you hear bad news, tune out - it will only slow you down in your journey towards good stuff

6) Analyse facts - and when they are negative, imagine you are a PR person who is tasked with adding a little spin - perception can become truth. And negativity can become lies if you give it the chance

7) Whenever you see snowfall, rejoice. There's nothing better than chucking snowballs around your street. Snow is beautiful. And when it slows your car journey, instead of moaning, look at the brightness around you, and admmire the sheer majesty as it floats to the ground around you.

8) Support Everton FC. They are eternal optimists who are seeing results despite the seemingly insurmountable odds, lack of investment, and amazing over-performance despite the odds!

Thank you for listening (Mum).

Enter your Email





Preview Powered by FeedBlitz

This is a blog. A website that thrives on interaction from every visitor including you. Your comments are welcome.

Depending upon how you arrived at this site, at the end of each article, you will see either 'Posted by Ian Denny 23:00' followed by a 'Comment' link you can click. Or you will see comments already made and/or a link you can click with the text 'Post a comment'.

To add your comment, I recommend you choose the "Name/URL" option. You can then use your own name, an alias or a nickname. If you have your own web-site, you can add this too if you like so people seeing your comment can click to visit it - enter your address in the URL box. Or leave it blank.

If you found this useful, please help other people find it by hitting the "StumbleUpon" button here:

Grilled Frogs on Toast Anyone?

His book is wonderful for disorganized people like me. Trouble is, for a few weeks, I’ve had some giant frogs that I couldn’t face eating. And because I didn’t want to eat the frogs, I ignored my to do list. So I wasn’t getting all the little frogs eaten either.

read more | digg story

Turning Enquiries Into Sales

I was recently asked a question by a friend. He had a client who was awash with enquiries, but was struggling to convert them into sales.

And I had the answer. From bitter experience! A few years ago, I'd had the same problem.

And it's a really easy one. But first, this tip works best in business-to-business sales. It's really simple, but the answer is not always obvious.

It's all about conversion rates. The rate of enquiries you receive for example when you send a mailing. The conversion of those enquiries into appointments to meet the client. And the conversion of those meetings into sales.

Treat it like a relay race. To cross the line and clinch the sale, you have to keep hold of the baton. But it is so very easy to drop it.

The first baton change is often where it is dropped. You see too many people attempt to close the sale too far from the finishing line. The objective of the first baton change is to pass it to the next person without dropping it.

And that means making an appointment to see the prospective client.

Too often this goes wrong. And there are numerous reasons:

1) The person making the appointment is not skilled enough

2) Being overly-polite. Gently asking someone to meet can drop the baton. They will have numerous reasons NOT to meet you, even though they enquired!

3) Too many steps. For example, emailing the customer to ask them when they are free. This then needs them to think. And respond.

In our line of work, it is almost impossible to provide a quote for IT support, which reflects what the customer wants, without meeting them first.

So the first thing you need to consider are the reasons why you need to meet the prospect to take the enquiry forward. In our case, we need to look at their IT set-up. But think of your own reasons.

The second challenge is politeness and salesmanship. If an administrative assistant is tasked with making the appointment, they may fail simply because they lack the sales skills.

Remember, you are NOT selling your product or service at this point. Your objective is to make an appointment. So you have to sell the appointment.

If you don't have the staff with the skills, consider creating an email template which does the job for you. A message that will always deliver a consistent message and give reasons for the appointment.

And it needn't be long. Nor complicated.

In fact it needs to be polite, but assertive. And the most important element is that of suggesting the data and time of the appointment rather than asking when they are free.

This cuts out email or telephone tennis. It also does alot to cut out the most common objection - "I'm too busy". People say that because they feel busy, when their diary may be relatively empty.

So by suggesting a date/time, in a high percentage of cases, people will accept it if they are free.

We've found that around 60-80% will accept the first date offered. Those who don't, aren't saying no, they tend instead to either suggest an alternative, or state they are not free.

I'd suggest this format for either the telephone or as an email template:

Subject: Meeting following your enquiry

John,

Firstly thanks for your enquiry. To help us give you an accurate quote for our widgets, I have taken the liberty of booking you in to meet my colleague, Sue Smith, on Friday 29th August at 10AM.

During the meeting, Sue will run through a series of questions which will help us arrive at a proposal which perfectly meets your requirements.

If I don't hear, I'll assume you're free, and Sue will see you next week.

Many thanks etc

This simple approach works wonders. It is light and polite. And cuts out much of the telephone and email tennis which is generated by being too polite - i.e. asking when they are free.

It maximises the chance of a smooth baton change and passes it to your last-leg salesperson.

Your chances of converting enquiries to sales are therefore increased dramatically.

Enter your Email





Preview Powered by FeedBlitz

This is a blog. A website that thrives on interaction from every visitor including you. Your comments are welcome.

Depending upon how you arrived at this site, at the end of each article, you will see either 'Posted by Ian Denny 23:00' followed by a 'Comment' link you can click. Or you will see comments already made and/or a link you can click with the text 'Post a comment'.

To add your comment, I recommend you choose the "Name/URL" option. You can then use your own name, an alias or a nickname. If you have your own web-site, you can add this too if you like so people seeing your comment can click to visit it - enter your address in the URL box. Or leave it blank.

If you found this useful, please help other people find it by hitting the "StumbleUpon" button here:

Ever Felt As Though Being In Business Was Meant To Be Better Than This?

Ever seen the original Superman films? He loses his powers. But a shard of crystal from his homeland still had a dull spark. And that brought his powers back to life. Just in time to save the day.

After failing miserably, I certainly felt drained of any power at all. In fact, I still don't believe I found the strength to try again.

I mean all of my dreams in tatters. Overly mortgaged. Far more unhealthy. Lacking in energy.

Why on earth should I even bother trying again.

So why do I feel different? A small spark was still alive within me. Just.

That entrepreneurial seizure that gives you the zeal to break away from employment wasn't just a false alarm. It was real.

But something happened in between. Your first business plan and projections were fantastic.

And then all of a sudden, other stuff happened which got in the way of your goal.

Let me guess if my list was any different to yours:

1) Money

2) People

3) Meetings - what do they achieve?

4) Clients not sharing your enthusiasm and beating down your door to buy

5) The stuff you're not as good at as you thought you were

6) Organising yourself - before you were, now with a million other things to do, you're not

7) Focus - it starts laser sharp, but suddenly you need glasses to keep on track

8) Stuff changes - the market, the product/service you thought you had, the people and clients around you, in fact you too - you change as the reality of what's happening takes a grip

I could go on. But that doesn't help.

You see I failed. And started again. And all the stuff on that list was reversed to be positive. You see I had the benefit of hindsight.

And why am I saying this? Very simply because you can either avoid the mistakes I made, or if you have or are about to fail, consider trying again.

I realise many people would rather run away following a failure.

But this is exactly the right time to re-start. Just when you have the experience and knowledge of what NOT to do, and more importantly, what TO DO.

And if you're struggling, and not yet reached failure, get in touch like others have done.

I don't charge because this is a personal blog and I have a business to run. Nor do I get anything out of it. Except the satisfaction that I've helped people turn things around, or at least given them some support through the rough times.

If I can help you find that spark of life that brings back your powers, get in touch.

Enter your Email





Preview Powered by FeedBlitz

This is a blog. A website that thrives on interaction from every visitor including you. Your comments are welcome.

Depending upon how you arrived at this site, at the end of each article, you will see either 'Posted by Ian Denny 23:00' followed by a 'Comment' link you can click. Or you will see comments already made and/or a link you can click with the text 'Post a comment'.

To add your comment, I recommend you choose the "Name/URL" option. You can then use your own name, an alias or a nickname. If you have your own web-site, you can add this too if you like so people seeing your comment can click to visit it - enter your address in the URL box. Or leave it blank.

If you found this useful, please help other people find it by hitting the "StumbleUpon" button here:

Credit Crunch Myth Confirmed

I can appreciate complete jealousy when I give you my credit crunch anecdotes. As someone who has formerly failed and is now prospering, many people who are struggling are likely to detest my stance.

I am now getting completely ticked off by it to be frank. I am officially hearing more face-to-face accounts of people experiencing growth and therefore scepticism about the reality of the crunch.

Yes, some businesses are suffering. Yes, food prices are higher. Yes, oil is spiralling out of control.

But has anyone spotted the blindingly obvious in all of this hype and counter-hype?

Consumption is increasing. And the only reason for the hype is the blips in the property markets, but more importantly the main reason for the pessimism.

There has been a global shift of power. Is China and the East slowing? No. The indirect effect is an economic shift and adjustment.

It just so happens that liberal lending policy in the former financial capital of planet earth has caused a ripple effect.

We are now associating too many unrelated issues as being the same malaise.

In reality, property and property-related endeavours are feeling a dead-cat-bounce effect. And the ripples of inflation from commodities like oil, grain, food prices are completely unrelated.

Are production levels world-wide higher than ever? Yes.

Have they really slowed? No.

We are experiencing a dual-speed global economy where a shifting pattern of global financial influence and muscle is being mistaken for a slowdown.

It's a bit like ADSL. Your download speed is not the same as your upload speed.

Both me and my colleague Steve meet our clients to review their IT. Both of us ask each client (small businesses) how the crunch is affecting them.

We've seen people affected negatively. But equally, we've seen too many people waiting for the slowdown, but not experiencing it happening.

Has anyone else experienced the chitter-chatter of credit-crunch sceptics? People who are seeing volumes of business remain similar or even increased? And wondering where the problem really lies?

Personally, we're growing again. The main thing which has stopped me until recently is the credit-crunch myth.

In the last 3 weeks, we've taken on 3 staff. We've also just appointed 2 more.

And for a company that employed 8 staff beforehand, moving to 13 within less than month is a huge growth spurt.

Fuelled by realism by the way rather than false optimism. That's more than a 50% increase in staffing levels (and office space) in an incredibly short period of time.

Tell me I'm talking out of my backside please! Or check out out our revived company to see how we're doing - http://www.multisolutions.co.uk/.

5 Minute Later Update

Over the last few years, the local bird population has been noticably increasing - blackbirds, sparrows (hundreds or thousands), starlings etc.

Tonight, a few minbutes after hitting publish, I saw a bird of prey (a sparrow hawk) swoop into our garden and capture a sparrow.

Sad? Yes, for the sparrow. No for the local balance. Bird of prey are on the increase too as a result.

Abundance is everywhere is you look hard enough - for me, that was the first time I had ever seen the local rumours of of increased bird population for myself.

Enter your Email





Preview Powered by FeedBlitz

This is a blog. A website that thrives on interaction from every visitor including you. Your comments are welcome.

Depending upon how you arrived at this site, at the end of each article, you will see either 'Posted by Ian Denny 23:00' followed by a 'Comment' link you can click. Or you will see comments already made and/or a link you can click with the text 'Post a comment'.

To add your comment, I recommend you choose the "Name/URL" option. You can then use your own name, an alias or a nickname. If you have your own web-site, you can add this too if you like so people seeing your comment can click to visit it - enter your address in the URL box. Or leave it blank.

If you found this useful, please help other people find it by hitting the "StumbleUpon" button here:

Another "Credit Crunch Is A Myth" Article With A Difference

I realise many people are struggling with the credit crunch. I can see it locally as the ripple effect affects law firms, trades people, property developers, estate agents etc.

But in every down-turn there is opportunity for the brave. Those who dig in can prosper.

I've not posted for a while because I feel slightly guilty.

Things are going exceedingly well for us right now. Just over a year ago, we were liquidated and re-started. And if you dig backwards, you'll see the ups and downs we had.

But if we can come back from such adversity and with such strength, then a credit crunch feels like a minor blip.

Anyway, today we've taken the office next door to us. We're about to start the search for our third member of staff having taken two more on in the last fortnight.

The lessons of the past of unbridled growth are not though a distant memory. A dose of sobre consideration has underpinned each decision.

Opportunities present themself if you know where to look.

Don't get drawn into the doom-mongering and darkness.

Instead, switch on your flashlight and go find the opportunity the bleak-minded won't be able to see.

Enter your Email





Preview Powered by FeedBlitz

This is a blog. A website that thrives on interaction from every visitor including you. Your comments are welcome.

Depending upon how you arrived at this site, at the end of each article, you will see either 'Posted by Ian Denny 23:00' followed by a 'Comment' link you can click. Or you will see comments already made and/or a link you can click with the text 'Post a comment'.

To add your comment, I recommend you choose the "Name/URL" option. You can then use your own name, an alias or a nickname. If you have your own web-site, you can add this too if you like so people seeing your comment can click to visit it - enter your address in the URL box. Or leave it blank.

If you found this useful, please help other people find it by hitting the "StumbleUpon" button here:

Still Alive? Yes

Haven't posted for ages. Lots of good stuff happening. Which means I'm focused on clients rather than blogs.

But if you're visiting because things are tough, believe me, the credit crunch is not real.

It's a false state of mind. We're absolutely thriving. And growing. And so can you be too.

Belive in yourself.

Enter your Email




Preview Powered by FeedBlitz

This is a blog. A website that thrives on interaction from every visitor including you. Your comments are welcome.

Depending upon how you arrived at this site, at the end of each article, you will see either 'Posted by Ian Denny 23:00' followed by a 'Comment' link you can click. Or you will see comments already made and/or a link you can click with the text 'Post a comment'.

To add your comment, I recommend you choose the "Name/URL" option. You can then use your own name, an alias or a nickname. If you have your own web-site, you can add this too if you like so people seeing your comment can click to visit it - enter your address in the URL box. Or leave it blank.

If you found this useful, please help other people find it by hitting the "StumbleUpon" button here:

Deliberately Displease People For Better Results

For someone who reads alot, I'm a complete idiot when it comes to putting it into action at times.

I've read, and re-read business books. And I really do get the concept of grouping your clients into distinct niches.

But even then, we try to please everyone within that niche.

The big problem I believe is stereo-typing. I work in business-to-business. That means I may perhaps talk to accountants differently to lawyers in a marketing message.

But it's easy to forget that people take off their suit or overalls when they go home. And by and large, they are all people.

My point?

Think of people as people. If you try to please every accountant with what you say, you won't.

They are people too. With individual character traits. Some are cheery. Some are grumpy. Some are sarcastic. Some are straight-laced.

And because people are different, if you try and please everyone with your marketing message and how you package your product or service, you may just fail.

Why aim for indifference with 100% of your audience? Would it be better to have 50% of people loving what you do and the other half hating you?

I've had some amazing criticism for our new web-site. I've even had people bitterly complaining. Even casual visitors who are not even a client.

Why? Because we do some things that people think are "unprofessional". Like being videoed getting pelted with custard pies because we didn't get 100% perfection on a customer satisfaction survey.

I personally can't see what's wrong with a bit of fun. Or self-deprecation. Or being truthful about who we are as people.

Let's face it, the people who don't like it, I probably wouldn't get on with in a private or professional capacity.

I spent too many years building a business on a foundation of trying to be all things to all people.

It failed.

One way to stand out is to be yourself. That way you'll attract clients you like. Repel clients you won't get on with.

Take music. Throw a representative sample of the population in the room.

Play them the current number 1. Play them some classical. Some jazz. Some heavy metal. Punk.

And ask each of them to tick "Love", "Hate", or "Take it or leave it" for each sample you play.

What sort of a spread of answers will you get? Some accountants will love punk. Some students will love jazz.

Me? I'd rather have a third of the market, and every single one of them was an avid fan. I couldn't care less about the people who hate us.

Lately, we've recruited some clients we get on with like a house on fire. They read the web-site in detail. And rejoiced in our self-deprecation, tackiness, and occasional silliness.

Does it mean we do a bad job? To the contrary, we do a better job. But doing a better job isn't good enough if you dilute yourself by trying to appeal to everyone.

Enter your Email





Preview Powered by FeedBlitz

This is a blog. A website that thrives on interaction from every visitor including you. Your comments are welcome.

Depending upon how you arrived at this site, at the end of each article, you will see either 'Posted by Ian Denny 23:00' followed by a 'Comment' link you can click. Or you will see comments already made and/or a link you can click with the text 'Post a comment'.

To add your comment, I recommend you choose the "Name/URL" option. You can then use your own name, an alias or a nickname. If you have your own web-site, you can add this too if you like so people seeing your comment can click to visit it - enter your address in the URL box. Or leave it blank.

If you found this useful, please help other people find it by hitting the "StumbleUpon" button here:

This Blogging Lark Is Hard - How Do You Cope When Other Stuff Gets In The Way?

I have to be completely honest. I am struggling to find the time to post stuff to this blog.

NOT, I hasten to add, because I don't want to. I've seen too many blogs fizzle out and disappear, and fretted for their absence.

Now I am in danger of being a hypocrite. I have a website and blog for our rejuvenated business and all of a sudden, it's started delivering business. In bucket-loads.

And I can only hypothesise as to why. It's not just the blog by the way.

Like many things in life, I think I can detect a 1 + 1 = 3 effect.

At the core of it all I suspect is the decision we made to learn from past mistakes.

And one of those was not understanding what clients really want.

You see I suspected (I have no research budget, just experience and gut-feel) that small businesses want their IT problems fixed fast.

And in my own mind I had an invisible line. Below the line, people don't recommend you. Above it, they do.

I guessed that the line was how fast you fix things when they went wrong.

So I completely forgot everything else and put all of my chips on that particular bet.

And at first, it didn't work.

It was quiet. Nothing happened. Then, it started to happen - and by happen, I mean "free" sales. These are sales initiated by clients telling people about you.

And not just telling, saying good things too. So that the new clients are almost pre-sold when you meet them.

And that's what I always wanted. And I got it. But I also got something else too which I didn't quite expect.

People finding the web-site, enquiring and wanting to buy too WITHOUT that recommendation. Friday just gone, we got 2 enquiries the same day.

Each of them saying they wanted to switch to a company that could fix things as fast as we could.

They had been let down and "googled" us. Time will tell whether these convert into clients.

My point?

Blogging at times feels like a chore. But it's one of those deceptive practices - sometimes you think nobody is listening, but they are - quietly watching from the sidelines, or even arriving at the party, seeing everyone is having fun, and joining in straight away.

Enter your Email





Preview Powered by FeedBlitz

This is a blog. A website that thrives on interaction from every visitor including you. Your comments are welcome.

Depending upon how you arrived at this site, at the end of each article, you will see either 'Posted by Ian Denny 23:00' followed by a 'Comment' link you can click. Or you will see comments already made and/or a link you can click with the text 'Post a comment'.

To add your comment, I recommend you choose the "Name/URL" option. You can then use your own name, an alias or a nickname. If you have your own web-site, you can add this too if you like so people seeing your comment can click to visit it - enter your address in the URL box. Or leave it blank.

If you found this useful, please help other people find it by hitting the "StumbleUpon" button here:

New, Aspiring, Failed Or Successful Businesses - Share Your Business Story -

Share Your Story

Whether you still have a day job and dream of striking out on your own. Or you have a business but are struggling. Or maybe you're doing okay or would describe yourself as successful.

Be anonymous. Be yourself. Create an alias. Most importantly share your story in the comments section. Or email me using the address (top right).

I'll answer my own questions to give you an idea. So you can either answer these questions or choose your own. Or if you just couldn't be bothered, just write a small comment instead.

I will publish each of your submissions as separate posts. And where the author supplies a link to their site, I'll include that too. Here we go, my story...

Why did you start in business?

Like many people, I thought I could do it far better than my boss. I was 29, and my first daughter had just passed away after a 21 day struggle to make it after her birth. Life felt too short to keep wondering, so I gave it a whirl.

What is the biggest barrier for a new business to hurdle?

Adjusting. Just because I was okay at marketing, it didn't mean I was any good at managing cash, administration, and eventually managing people.

The hours are longer than you first anticipate. And the learning curve steep. You have to learn to multi-task or outsource.

If I could turn the clock back, I would probably have considered systems far more. Considering the customer journey through the business is essential. Each step from initial enquiry, quotation, meeting, invoicing etc should be quick, efficient and take less time if you plan it well.

Why do you think you failed?

Overall, it was principally caused by unbridled growth. Both myself and the people involved were too busy reacting to the huge pats on the back as word-of-mouth spread and clients flocked to our door.

Then, when the cracks started to appear as the service deteriorated, the growth slowed. But the overheads were now fixed.

A deeper understanding of the underlying trends in your business is essential. Make sure cash management and a keen eye on your fixed costs underpins your decisions. If necessary, politely turn down work rather than push the boat out and take it on.

How happy are you personally as a small business owner?

Quite frankly? I am now, but I wasn't for the last 2-3 years before our failure and re-launch. A business can become all-consuming. It is really hard to keep a personal and family life when all you can think about is work.

When things aren't going well, you re-double your efforts. Eventually, there is nothing left in the tank and you can't squeeze anything more out of yourself.

I would still recommend going into business. Thankfully, going bust was the best thing to happen to the old business. The opportunity to re-start and apply all the experience we gained was a joy once we mentally emerged from the fog.

During the dark days, I'd often find myself thinking "if only we'd not done that" or "if only we had done it a different way at the start".

Don't get me wrong, the failed business was not all doom and gloom. There were some incredible highs. And I have to keep reminding myself about those too!

What single piece of advice would you give to someone struggling?

This isn't a throw-away line, but focus on the positives. It is amazingly easy to focus far too much of your energy on what's going wrong.

More focus on the good things - and there will be far more than you think - can potentially save you.

Especially in bad times, there are opportunities. Those who hold their nerve may soon have an influx of customers as competitors fail. Take a look at Small Business Credit Crunch Survival Kit for a fresher, more rosier perspective.

And finally, you may think going bust is the end. I'm living proof that it isn't. It is possible to bounce back. Some of the most successful people on the planet have a failure or two behind them.

If you're killing yourself by keeping going, sometimes it's better to throw in the towel and start again. A fresh start can re-energise you and give you the chance to benefit from the experience you undoubtedly now have.

And, if it is sales you need, you will be doing yourself a dis-service NOT visiting the site of Drayton Bird. With a failure or two behind him, he rose to become one of our planet's leading authorities on direct marketing.

I don't make a penny for clicks or anything. I read his books, had the honour of meeting him, and can vouch for how his expertise can help you create sales. I've said it once before, but it's his fault we grew so spectacularly.

His books though don't directly teach good business sense! So he's blameless for our original demise!

How do you define success in business?

Personally, doing a good job. I don't want to go to work for an "okay" company. A company that constantly lets people down and fails to fulfil its promises.

I want to deliver the best. I want to hear how pleased our customers are. That may sound cheesey, but I don't care. It's how I feel.

You see being happy with what you do starts to feed into your personal life too. I've had too many years of stress. And right now, the stress is insignificant.

At last we're doing a good job for our clients. The word-of-mouth has started again. Just last week we got 3 excellent referrals. The source? Happy clients.

Happy clients do more for marketing your business than any marketing will ever do. Especially in a relatively small but vocal community like ours.

So, What's Your Story?

Are you a struggling business? Failing? A former failure who has bounced back? Just happy because your business is doing okay? Or are you a resounding success?

Perhaps you are still working in a day-job but haven't quite plucked the courage to strike out on your own.

Regardless, email me your story, give me a quick or long version in the comments below. I'd love to hear it.

Just remember - tell me if you're okay with me cutting and pasting it into a post and whether you want me to link to your site/blog if you have one.

Enter your Email





Preview Powered by FeedBlitz

This is a blog. A website that thrives on interaction from every visitor including you. Your comments are welcome.

Depending upon how you arrived at this site, at the end of each article, you will see either 'Posted by Ian Denny 23:00' followed by a 'Comment' link you can click. Or you will see comments already made and/or a link you can click with the text 'Post a comment'.

To add your comment, I recommend you choose the "Name/URL" option. You can then use your own name, an alias or a nickname. If you have your own web-site, you can add this too if you like so people seeing your comment can click to visit it - enter your address in the URL box. Or leave it blank.

If you found this useful, please help other people find it by hitting the "StumbleUpon" button here: