Archive for the ‘Rags to Wreckages to Riches’ Category
3 Digital Start-up Business Mistakes to Avoid
by Editor on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010Digital business (previously called internet businesses) are still all the rage and therefore the majority of new start-up business plans are digital businesses.
But we keep seeing the same mistakes. So here are 3 errors that we keep seeing – and you should avoid…
Point 2: Rapid Product and Service Innovation
by Editor on Monday, June 21st, 2010In this 2nd of the 7 point plan for growing your business in 2010, Lewis talks about the importance of rapid product and service innovation and the three key factors …
How to Achieve More with Less Cash
by Editor on Thursday, May 27th, 2010Okay, we know the answer lies with outsourcing – but how much can you outsource and how do you do it safely?
Here are our 7 key tips…
How Successful Enterpreneurs will Survive the Treacle Years – 5 Key Tips
by Editor on Monday, May 24th, 2010What shall we call this period – between the first recession and whatever is to come in the form of substantial public sector cuts and reductions in government spending?
Shall we call them the treacle years? The years of trudging along with heavy boots – just about keeping the forward momentum of your business but demanding constant and focused effort?
Point 1: Accept New Business Reality
by Editor on Saturday, May 22nd, 2010In this first video of the 7 point plan, Lewis deals with three key points
1.) Tough credit terms will continue
2.) Most markets are shrinking fast
3.) There is good news – less competition
How to Grow your Successful Enterprise – Get Agile
by Editor on Thursday, May 20th, 2010I recently got sent a link to the report that Ernst & Young launched at Davos earlier this year and it has some important lessons and advice for successful entrepreneurs – you’ve got to become agile.
So, how do you do that? Let’s find out…
7 Point Plan – How to Grow Your Business in 2010
by Editor on Thursday, April 29th, 2010How do we grow our businesses in 2010?
We have less cash than before, and borrowing is either impossible or way too expensive.
We’ve made cuts already to our business and so have a smaller team and less staff than before.
We know government cuts to public spending are coming and will impact on at least some of our customers if not our businesses directly.
So what do we do?
Wake up and Smell the Greek Coffee
by Editor on Wednesday, April 28th, 2010The riots on Greek streets and the IMF inspired bailout tell us that a major fiscal storm is coming to the UK very soon – unless deep cuts are made to public spending.
And, for businesses to be prepared to handle that impact, we need to plan and implement right now.
7 Point Plan on How to Grow your Business in 2010
by Editor on Wednesday, April 14th, 2010The credit crunch is hardly over, but at least we can now focus on how to grow our way out of the problems we are in – rather than worrying if everything was going to collapse.
So, in this new credit chastened environment, how do you, the successful entrepreneur, grow your business in 2010?
To help, here at Rags to Wreckages, we’ve put together a 7 point plan on how to move ahead and start to grow again this year.
Three special questions every successful entrepreneur asks
by Editor on Tuesday, April 6th, 2010Successful entrepreneurs are constantly asking three key questions –
- ‘what isn’t working’
- ‘why isn’t it working’ and
- ‘can I do anything about it’?
These three questions are the most important questions in the entrepreneurs vocabluary and a lifetime can be spent on developing the skills and abilities to answer those as successfully as possible.
Business goal setting – another of my great mistakes
by Editor on Monday, March 15th, 2010Goal Setting is powerful. And I’m a big fan of setting goals… but…
… goal setting can have plenty of unintended consequences.
Like the back of bottle containing powerful chemicals – perhaps for clearing a blocked drain – they should contain the warning ‘use with caution’ and ‘discard when passed the use by date’.
A classic goal for first-time entrepreneurs – who are building their first business – is to sell the business for a set amount – say £5million – in 3 year time.
Can you become a successful entrepreneur by making more mistakes?
by Editor on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010Warren Buffett, still one of the world’s most successful investors, is good at owning up to mistakes.
He has declared on many occasions that holding onto his textile company in the 1970s was an error and that he accepts full responsibility for not listening to the advice telling him to exit the business.
Even in his latest letter to shareholders he warns that “we will make plenty of mistakes”.
University of Chester Business School, Presentation 1st Oct
by Editor on Tuesday, October 6th, 2009Neil Lewis presented the thoughts behind Rags to Wreckages to an audience of entrepreneurs and academics at the Univeristy of Chester Business School on 1st Oct 2009.
Asked the question, “what advice would you give a young graduate entrepreneur looking to start out in business“, he shared three key and controversial principles from Rags to Wreckages;
take no [...]
Rags to Wreckages to Riches to Publication – due in 2010
by Editor on Thursday, October 1st, 2009Real Life Business Strategy and Parables for Entrepreneurs:
Why Many Great Sounding Businesses Ideas Don’t Make Money – and – The Rock that Wouldn’t Budge
Why Brittle Businesses Break – and – How Glass was Cursed with Brittleness
Goldilocks and the three Shareholders
They Know What Needs to Be Done But They Don’t Do it – and – The Bug [...]
