Author archives: charlie

The no. 1 reason why company owners are reluctant to raise their prices? “I’m worried that our customers won’t like it, and we’ll lose valuable business. Instead of being better off, we’ll be worse off.” I get it. Raising your prices can feel nerve-wracking, especially if you haven’t done it for a while. So today […]

I recently renewed my home insurance. The price I was quoted was just slightly higher than the premium I paid last year. It didn’t seem like a big jump, so I signed on again. Of course, most insurance companies do the same thing every year, raising their prices ever so slightly so customers pay more […]

The little number really stood out on the accounts of one of the railways I work with. The average fare per passenger had risen dramatically over the past 12 months. On the face of things, it made no sense. We’ve carried a relatively small number of passengers since COVID. For obvious reasons, demand has dropped. […]

If you haven’t watched Tim Urban’s TED Talk on procrastination, don’t wait. Watch it now. It’s funny and clever. Urban, who’s a popular writer, identifies two types of procrastinator. The first is working on a project with a deadline. Rationally, they know they shouldn’t leave the work until the last minute. But the “Instant Gratification Monkey” […]

In the past month, Richard Branson has sold 5.5 million shares in Virgin Galactic… Announced that he’s opening a new Virgin hotel in Glasgow next year… And opened a new Caribbean island up for holiday makers – a steal at £12,000 a night. You have to wonder how he has the time to make these […]

Think back to the early days of your business, right when you were starting out… Perhaps you were working alone or with a small team. Your business was showing lots of potential, but your turnover was low compared to today. But there was one thing you had in abundance: Vision. Chances are that even at […]

Around 20 years ago, I read a book which changed my life. It was called The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E Gerber. This was the most significant business book I had ever read and I thought: How does this author know me and my business so well? He’s described us to a T. Gerber’s thesis was that […]

Now that we’ve had Easter… …I’m preparing for Christmas in just 3 months’ time. Not a joke. This year, I hope to have Christmas in July. You see, it’s been months since we’ve seen our children in person. I know we’re not alone in this, but it’s the first time in many years that we […]

It’s now a year into the pandemic, and I’m sure you’re fed up of reading pieces reviewing the dreadful past 12 months. So I won’t share another one 🙂 But this is a good opportunity for every business to conduct their own internal review into how well they functioned during the pandemic – and if […]

Most of my friends are now vaccinated against Coronavirus. It’s such a relief. While I know that the vaccine doesn’t stop us getting COVID, it’s a protection against the worst dangers – like hospitalisation and serious illness. And while I know it might sound strange, it reminds me of our Outsourced Finance Department 🙂 Let […]