Without a sale, no other department in the business need exist, so it’s no surprise that capability and expertise in selling should be placed front and centre in any business growth strategy. However, if the owner/entrepreneur is a natural sales person themselves, ironically that natural ability and heroic sales flair can actually become an inhibitor

Read More

Thank you to Club Member Derek Hill who shared this short video with me yesterday. It’s a powerful demonstration of how a movement starts, builds and then gains momentum. As you watch it ask yourself these questions; What is your movement/mission or purpose that you are building momentum for? Is it your overall company mission? Your

Read More

“When the cat’s away the mice will play” (meaning when the cats not around to watch, the mice will get up to all sorts of mischief.) So what are your people doing when they’re not being watched? Do they do the same things they would if you were physically there?  It’s the ultimate culture test.

Read More

Guy Rigby is the Head of Entrepreneurs at Smith & Williamson, and we were lucky enough for him to attend one of our Club dinners.  Guy shared some amazing nuggets of wisdom about his own experience and entrepreneurial journey, along with those he’s helped. Below are some of the highlights… GR: Demand is what makes

Read More

“The honest answer is after we reach £1M I haven’t a clue what I’m meant to be doing!” That was the comment, fresh out of the mouth of one of our Business Accelerator Club members during our initial coaching call.  I was quizzing her on the size of her vision and testing the level of

Read More

The first decision I made at the turn of the year, which I announced to the Company Shortcuts team at our first strategy meeting – is that from now on we are closing the business from 4pm on the 23rd December until the first working day of the New Year. You can imagine – that announcement

Read More

is the name of the book I’m currently devouring… And it comes highly recommended. Suddenly so much of advice I’ve previously been given makes sense!  I’m only at the beginning of the book and already have pages of ideas and ‘grey time’ thoughts scrawled down for myself, and although I have many insights to share I’m

Read More

… and no I’m not talking equity  rather your role?   I heard a great nugget recently from Anthony Fletcher, the CEO of fast-growing business Graze. “If you plan to grow your business by 30% you have to find someone to do 30% of your own job” The inability to consistently prune your own role (and then everyone else’s) is

Read More

At Company Shortcuts we exist to ‘grow the nation by improving sales performance’ and the growth rates of our client base which averages 140% increase in Net Profit one year after engagement, tell us that we are well on our way to achieving our mission. Yet according to the Scale-up report published in November 2014, commissioned by UK

Read More

Earlier today I was standing in front of 200 young people (Year 11’s) sharing my story from school through to the career I have today, via www.speakers4schools.org, with the intention to hopefully inspire them. I always incorporate the following as one of my opening lines in my talk;“Today, I particularly want to appeal to the students amongst you,

Read More

If like me you have watched Dragon’s Den you will be familiar with the phrase “this is a lifestyle business and therefore not an investable proposition”. So what is it that you can do to move your business from a lifestyle to a business that is attractive to investors and other buyers? Making this move

Read More