How would you rate your current pay and performance review process? Clear, structured and easy to follow? Or unclear and ambiguous at best?

Let me tell you, if done right, this process can actually be a powerful tool for building a thriving team culture that drives business growth.

Now that we’re well into the new financial year, pay reviews, performance assessments – they're all on the horizon. But how do you ensure that you not only set proper expectations for remuneration but also encourage a high-performance culture whereby each and every team member is motivated and inspired to progress their career?

First things first, I get it. Many business owners shy away from this process, put it in the “too hard” basket or run a half-baked process due to the money and culture-related aspects involved. However, nailing the performance and pay review process can do wonders for your company's culture. Trust me.

So, let's talk strategy.

One of the most significant hurdles is establishing a ...

You’ve got clients. But are they the right clients? Do they fit into the ideal client mould that you have for your team and your business? 

Today I want to talk to you about a really important business strategy and concept – The Client Upgrade. 

Picture this: you've got your niche in the marketplace sorted, and you're winning work from clients within this niche. But have you ever thought about the fact that not all clients in your niche are created equal?

Yep, it's true. There are actually different types of clients within your chosen niche, and once you recognise this, you’ll realise there’s a whole new level to upgrading your clients – even within your chosen niche. 

Let's break it down. Within your niche and the market you play in – there are actually different categories of clients. Think bleeding, slipping, stable, and leading – these aren't just words; they're the different types of clients hanging out in your niche.

Each category of client has its own quirks, upsides and do...

Do you get to the end of each day, not really quite sure what you achieved? Do you feel like you did a whole bunch of ‘stuff’ that were other people's priorities, but spent no time moving things forward and working on your high-priority business actions? 

If your days are similar to the above, then you have a problem with owning your time.

Now wasting time is akin to sleeping on a pile of gold. It is so precious and you can never get it back. 

It is so important that you take ownership of your time. You need to be able to use it wisely to grow and to keep your business moving forward.

When you get interrupted, it takes 20 minutes or more to regain focus. If you allow constant interruptions, such as last-minute requests and meetings, email notifications or messages, etc., your productivity will plummet. You get out of the ‘zone’, and your mind gets burdened with other things at the same time.

A good first step to removing distractions and increasing productivity is to ask yourself ...

I’m so busy, I can’t even think about taking a break - let alone do some planning or business growth activities.

I’m so buried in work; I just try to churn out what my clients need and meet all their deadlines.

Is this you? Do you have these moments or is it a constant feeling?

What would you say if I told you that there is a way round this?

The key word in this game is PRIORITIES.

If you feel like you are too busy all the time (meeting your clients’ needs) then you’re putting their priorities first.

That is what actually feeds the feeling (aka monster) of ‘I’m too busy’. And it promotes a reactive way of doing business. You respond to every message at any time, no matter what you’re doing. Maybe you don’t do it immediately, but you do it just after you finish an ongoing task. 

So, you get caught up in this servant like manner of doing business that you eventually forget about your business plans and goals. Or you might say that you’re ‘too busy’ to focus on that at the moment. ...

Starting a business is one thing, but running it successfully is another. 

Small companies usually have one person that oversees all the areas of the business - the business owner – AKA you! When you own a business of that size, you are the one who’s in charge of admin, marketing, project delivery, sales, etc. You’re basically a one-(wo)man show. 

And it’s understandable that things are like this, especially at the initial stages of the business. However, as the business begins to grow and the management team expands, things begin to change. 

You, the business owner, no longer feel like you’ve got everything under control because while you’re dealing with one area, something might be going on in another.

That’s why it’s crucial that you have your own business dashboard so that you can stay on top of the most important metrics in your business.

You’d be surprised to find out that many small to medium business owners don’t really know their business numbers. When asked about their p...

If selling your business or setting your business up for sale in the future is on your radar – then I’ve put together a list of the many factors to consider so you get the most out of the sale.

Essentially, you need to understand what potential buyers will look for when assessing the value of the business. 

So, let’s break it down into four areas that we consider to be the key factors (in no particular order). All of these will contribute to the formula that’s used to calculate your business’s worth.

1. Key person risk

This refers to what kind of management structure you have in place in your business and how you spread the risk of the business being solely reliant on one key person. If everything in your business relies completely on you, then potential buyers won’t look on this favourably as there is too much risk placed on you leaving or not being there any more to run things.

However, if you’ve got an established leadership team that is trusted to handle client communication a...

Planning for an exit from your business is something that needs to be done well in advance. Too many business owners leave it too late or don't plan for it at all. Don’t make that mistake because you'll never get what you want for your business to set yourself and your family up properly.

But you might be thinking - why should I plan for my exit now when I’m not even close to retiring? Or perhaps you’ve only recently started your business journey and you’re full of enthusiasm. So why think of an exit now?

Even if you don't plan to leave your business in the near future, it’s so important that you think about your exit strategy now because that’s how you can maximise the value of your business.

So, rather than being a rudderless ship & waking up one day realising that you don’t have a saleable business or an exit strategy – let’s be very strategic about it now.

What does your exit look like?

Being strategic about it starts by thinking about the kind of exit you want. Are you buildi...

Managing a business requires making daily decisions - whether related to setting priorities, finding good solutions, or simply choosing how to best communicate with current and potential clients.

Have you ever thought about how effective your decision-making is? Do you procrastinate when making those decisions? Do you overthink?

It’s only normal to approach making decisions carefully because that is what’s going to take us towards either success or failure. If your decision-making process is flawed though, you’ll come unstuck sooner rather than later.

Today, I want to explore with you why making decisions doesn’t need to be hard and how we can make it easier.

Most often, the core of the problem is putting off making decisions. There are so many to make and we tend to wait for a better time to make them, when we’re focused or have time to think things through. But let’s be realistic. That time never comes - because perfection doesn’t exist.

So, how does this play out in reality? De...

When running a business, you go all in right from the start. It’s your baby and you want to give it the best chance of succeeding. Therefore, it’s no wonder that your enthusiasm and motivation are at their highest. You want to have satisfied customers/clients and you work on that day in and day out.

And so, many times you automatically think that the same motivation you have translates to your team. However, the reality is that it is not always the case.

You’ll soon realise that there are two types of people (i.e. workers). And that having both on your team means that it will not be performing as you had hoped it would.

Let’s explore who those are, and how you can create a team of wonderful people that will drive your business forward.

The first type of worker is the unproductive worker (or the laid-back comfort seeker). It is these slackers that can lead to missed deadlines, decreased morale, and ultimately hurt your business.

If we think about why they are so detached from the c...

How many times has a client asked you to do something and it’s prompted an automatic YES from you? 

And then you end up readjusting your calendar and wondering where in the world to put the extra work you’ve just agreed to.

I think it’s happened to all of us, but today, I’d like to dive deeper into what this sort of behaviour leads to and how it can be prevented.

The first example that comes to mind is the time leading up to Christmas (but it could be any other holiday or your annual leave for that matter). Before we take that break from work, all projects must come to a close. We all have it planned out, don’t we?

And you probably already know that it is at those exact times, a client or two will come to you with an urgent request. There’s this one extra thing that they need done before the break. You accept their request and add this to your workload (although it’s already full) because it’s your client and you want to leave a good impression.

The results of just blindly saying ...