Dear reader,
I’d like your help please.
I’m putting together some articles and tutorials that will be posted in the new year and to make sure they are as useful as possible I’d like to gather up a list of the problems faced by businesses. I’m also interested in the problems that those wanting to start a business face too.
Any type of business problem is of interest be it a problem faced by a small business, a problem with family businesses, a problem with a business partner, a performance problem, a funding or cashflow problem or a problem faced by rural businesses. I’d even be interested in hearing about problems you’ve solved and how you solved them.
You can tell me about your problem by leaving a comment below, or contacting me.
Thanks.
This blog is about business opportunities and ideas that I spot, think of or hear about and think are useful and interesting. It is intended to provide ideas and inspriation for you to help you find the right business idea for you to then grow it into a successful business.
The main problem I have as a small business in start-up phase is that because I also have a full time job, it means I can not arrange loads of meetings to try pitch my product to the multiples to try and get it on their shelves. Are there any ways to get a foothold to getting products onto the shelves of B&Q, Homebase, ASDA, Tesco etc
if there are any buyers out there…;-)
There’s a simple solution to that one Julian. Quit your job and commit to your business. Of course making that decision is not easy and involves taking a calculated risk, which is after all what being an entrepreneur is all about.
Is it worth getting a business partner for your first business? How do you get your ideal business partner?
In the Business Coaching Blog I am starting to focus on turnaround and trading in a recession.
Perhaps I am gloomy but I don’t like the way things are looking and there are now millions of small businesses throughout the world that have never traded through a recession.
When I look back to my days as a Financial Director of a manufacturing business back in 1991 it was a shocking experience. I have never seen profitability fall away so quickly from a business.
We were hit by a triple whammy all at the same time:
1 - volumes dipped sharply, partly through the underlying market and partly from our customers reducing their stocks to generate some cash.
2 - a price war started and prices fell by 10% or more in a matter of months. Since price is the number 1 driver of profitability, the effect on the bottom line was devastating.
3 - costs shot up while productivity fell through the floor. As our production volumes dipped, our hourly paid employees started to slow down so that they didn’t run out of work.
While we managed to get back on track, it was one heck of a learning curve.
I definitely believe that things are going to get rocky and people will struggle to know how to cope.
Unfortunately I tend to agree with you Paul, it does look like we’re going to experience a slow down.
I am looking forward to reading your articles on this topic. May I suggest a problem I have been having trouble with,
What exactly is a business?
Understand there are all kinds of business, but what makes a business a business?
Thousands of people would like to be gainfully employed, preferably self-employed, but have no ambition to create a multi-million dollar business: their ambition is to generate just enough income to satisfy their needs. These people may (or may not) have years of work experience and multiple skills, but are in the process of winding-down from their former careers, possibly even unable or unwilling to generate the energy they once displayed. They could just be fed up with constantly fighting the utilities, quangos, councils and whoever else tries to bulldoze, bully and cheat them. There seems to be a gap in the market here, which could address the needs of such people.