It is virtually impossible to scale and grow a business without people so recruiting, managing, rewarding and exiting staff is a skill that you need to become better at if you are going to get the best return on the salary that you pay them.

Nearly every SME’s I meet doesn’t have a business forecast. Some have a cash flow forecast but that’s about it. At least those with a cash flow forecast will be able to track cash and that’s important.

If you are thinking of automating anything in your business that will impact the customer, consider these questions first.....

If you want to make a sale you have to make it easy for customers to do business with you. The more barriers and hoops you put in the way for your customers the less likely they are to buy from you. After all most of us want an easy life – so why do some companies just make it so hard to do business with?

Perception is reality in the mind of the beholder. You might think that you have a great business but if just a few of your customers, suppliers or employees don’t believe that you could be in real trouble! It takes years to build a reputation and minutes to destroy it.

Everyone knows this phrase – on it not in it, just as we all know we should ‘focus on the important’ bits first. But we don't. We love working in our business too much, or is it that we don’t know where to start?

It's 4 months to Christmas and that means year end too! Are you on target to hit your year-end sales target? Perhaps a better question is how have you performed against your target so far this year?

Starting a business. Beware there is usually an under-current that threatens to de-rail your plans. It’s loneliness . Here are my 9 top tips.

Whatever you may think, no-one will ever be as passionate about your business as you are - FACT? They can't be; it's not theirs!