The timeless wisdom of Philip Fisher.
Warren Buffet is renowned as perhaps the greatest investor of our time. To be noted as a mentor, as was Philip Fisher, is indeed being stuck on a pedestal. Fisher published quite a bit, his seminal work being 'Common stocks and uncommon profits' first published in...
How to sell a risky proposition
Almost every piece of advice about selling, including a lot on this site, contains in one way or another, the notion that in order to be successful, you have to solve a problem for the buyer. In other words, scratch the itch and the itch will go away. We all...
What is your defining word?
What is the one word, perhaps two, that best defines and communicates the promise your product delivers. This is not an easy thing to define, but when you do, it is a powerful 'moat' around your brand that insulates you from competitive pressure. However, like any...
The ‘corner piece’ method of strategy development.
My daughter and wife do jigsaw puzzles together. The dining room table is often covered with a 5,000 piece puzzle in varying stages of completion. I simply do not have the patience, but the process they use to piece together the puzzle is instructive. First, they make...
To get people to change their minds, use a little TLC
Getting people to change their minds is tough. Just look at the divisions in the US over the last months in the lead up to the presidential (have you ever seen anything less presidential?) election. Most set out to change somebody's mind by telling them they are...
A template for productive meetings.
There is a lot of useful, standard advice about how to ensure meetings are productive. Have an agenda, a time limit, ensure only those who can contribute to the discussion attend, ensure there is agreement about what next, ensure everyone has the opportunity to speak,...
Are we in a ‘Stockdale moment’.
The brutal reality of our current situation is that we are in a crisis of many shapes. Significant parts of our economy have tanked as a partial consequence of the global Corona bug, our biggest trading partner is exercising their power in ways we should have,...
Focus: three ways to get it.
Focus across the activities of a business is essential. It means everyone is on the same page, and there are only the key performance drivers that are there, all else has been, or is being eliminated until the value is greater than the cost. This sense of...
8 ways to address the second most common problem of SME’s
Over 25 years of consulting, the second most common problem I see being faced by SME's, after managing their cash, is to attract and retain talented people. Many managers do not put enough time, thought and energy into their personnel roster, as they do not...
Is cash always king?
Cash when it is working for you, is king. However, cash sitting idle in a bank account fritters itself away, slowly, and over time. Inflation, small purchases, fees, all eat away at the cash like mice in a wheat silo. A bit at a time. Cash does not...