Author archives: charlie

I’m writing you this content from my office… No, not my home office – but my “real” office at Insight Associates HQ. After so long away, it feels strange to be in this empty building. Occasionally Simon, our Client Services Director, is here too, and other team members – socially distanced of course. It made […]

The business owner probably couldn’t believe his luck. He had built a small company that developed radar reflection technology which helped yachts detect people lost at sea. Now he was ready to retire. And who should express interest in buying his company – but telecoms giant Marconi? At first glance, the interest seems strange… Marconi […]

When you buy a house, you run numerous checks to ensure your investment is worthwhile. Your mortgage lender will carry out a survey to confirm that the house is worth what you’re paying for it. And you’ll commission at least one survey to assess the condition of the property and uncover any hidden problems. Very […]

I’ve never been particularly interested in travel. But now, after being cooped up for so many months thanks to COVID, I’ve started to feel differently. We have friends from Perth who were due to visit us last Easter, in order to surprise my wife for a ‘special’ birthday. Obviously, they had to cancel – so […]

How would you feel about getting your business through 2021… …If you had an additional £50,000 or £100,000 sitting in your bank account? Not to spend, necessarily… But there for you, in case the economy takes a turn for the worse… Or you have sudden cashflow issues… Or alternatively, if the pandemic throws up some […]

The word on everyone’s mouth right now? “Resilience.” Whether you’ve sailed or struggled through the last few months, you are doubtless thinking about how to strengthen your company… …So you can withstand any future shocks (some of which are already clearly coming, like mass unemployment). No one wants to have to scramble to survive a […]

One of the secrets to explosive growth? Stay focused on the handful of things you do best. Take Basecamp, the popular project management tool. Over the years, the founders accumulated a portfolio of popular apps and services, including a CRM tool called Highrise and Backpack, which helped people stay organised. They even attracted an investment […]

Can your business really defy the biggest economic downturn in living memory… …And thrive financially in 2021? Yes, you can… But you’d be foolish to assume that’s going to be easy – even if you’ve sailed through the first 10 months of the pandemic. There are difficult times ahead. And having financial experts working with […]

Les’s specialist printing company seemed to be sailing through the Coronavirus crisis. They pivoted as soon as the pandemic hit, offering some PPE items. They had sizeable financial reserves. Even when the third lockdown was announced, “We were in a good place to weather the storm,” Les told me. Then, in the first week of […]

Earlier this week, I asked you about the biggest business lesson you learned during the pandemic. The answers came thick and fast – and the interesting thing was how varied they were! Here’s a sample: “Keep talking to your team, your clients and your suppliers” – Steve “Control over working capital, with prudence around cash […]