business
512 posts
Helpful Conversations
Over the past few weeks, my inbox has filled with emails from organisations I’d forgotten I’d ever had contact with. I must have signed up to an email list or bought something from them many years ago, but it’s so far back, I can’t remember why. We’re all still trying to work out how to…
Empathy Creates Value
A restaurant host has one job to do—meet and greet diners and show them to their table. It sounds easy enough, but the difference between a good host and a great host is underrated because where people are seated directly impacts their experience. Seating arrangements can influence how long diners s
Powering The Future
The leaders of this business must plan for the future without depending on it, by it’s getting closest to the people they want to serve.
Perfect Timing
An ideal audience isn’t just one that’s available—it’s one that’s receptive. When we say something is just as important as how we say it.
Needs And Wants
If we are to do our best work, we must also be intentional about the kind of business and life we want to build. We often default to prioritising our needs while neglecting our wants.
Exactly Who Do You Serve?
It’s easier to build the right business for the right people when you know who those people are.
The One And Only
Competing is a zero-sum game. We succeed when we make peace with the fact that we don’t need to compete when we know who we are.
Your Brand Is What You Consistently Do
What you consistently do—every time, without fail, differentiates your business.
The Value Shift
Sally studied Film and TV at college. She wants to be a director one day. But that’s a distant goal. In the meantime, she’s decided to put the skills she learned in college to work. Sally built a website and started working for friends of friends on their promotional business videos. Sally is buildi
Who Do You Want To Be To Whom?
The key question for all of us, no matter what business we’re in, is who do we want to be to whom? When we lose sight of who we’re in business to serve, and why we lose more than our competitive advantage. We lose the heart and soul of our business.
How Obstacles Create Value
The better we understand the obstacle, the better we get at solving the problem. And the better we can describe the obstacle, the better we become at selling the solution.
More Vs. Enough
Our culture has taught us that we should multiply our effort to maximise our reward. But a sustainable business—one that is both viable and brings us joy, doesn’t always necessitate exponential growth.
Marketing Advice
We’re on our way to buy that forgotten pint of milk late one weekday evening when we spot a brand new restaurant. So, we stop to take a look at the menu in the window. Inside the place is deserted, apart from two smiling waitresses, stationed behind the double glass doors and one anxious owner…
A Word About Product Market Fit
Successful businesses do great work for good customers.
Bolder, Braver, Better Marketing
Is your marketing mindset limiting your ability to connect with and serve your customers better?
Build A Trust Engine
In the golden age of the advertising businesses of all sizes relied on ads to promote and sell their products. Giant corporations reached us via TV and whole page newspaper ads. Small businesses got our attention by placing small ads in the local newspaper. In the past advertising allowed average pr
Easy Does It
Our expectations about the quality of products have increased exponentially with our ability to perfect the things we produce. When quality improves our tolerance for mistakes plummets. Interestingly, the same isn’t true for human interactions. Even though digital technology has enabled degrees of e
How Much Information Is Enough?
When do we know it’s safe to cross the road? How much information do we need about how far away that truck is and how fast it’s going to decide whether to step off the pavement? How much information does your customer need before deciding she trusts you? As people who sell things or ideas,…
The Assumptions Checklist
Our decisions are rarely based on objective information. And even when we do have ‘good data’, it’s coloured by why, who and how it’s collected. Often our decisions are based on assumptions. We accept something as true, without proof. We make many of these assumptions with a scarcity mindset. We kil
When Did One Day Become Never?
The first time I met Simon he was juggling four dirty plates while greeting customers and directing his team. Over time, I came to know Simon as a friend and also as one of the most gifted people I knew. Simon’s bosses loved how he ran their cafe as if it were his own. They…
