Share!

When was the last time you went to a conference,

Yes, I know they can be expensive and time-consuming, but if you select wisely you will meet people like you who have problems similar to yours.  You might be able to learn from them, be inspired by them or just take heart in the 'group therapy' that comes from sharing issues.

Any of those would be worth a few hundred dollars!

Be Zenlike

If you run s business ,you are probably very busy ... if not, you might not be giving your business all your attention,

However busy you are, you need to step back every once in a while and look at the big picture and the long-term.

Its a bit like life itself.  Sometimes we are so busy dealing with 'transactional life' (getting on with things) that we forget the 'spiritual' or 'contemplational' aspect of life that helps us clear our mind, feed our soul or whatever.

So, sit back in tour chair and think where do you want to be next year (not next week) and how you might get there. It will put today's panics into perspective and might freshen you up a bit - for tomorrow's little panics.

Follow retail

I'm currently writing (or more accurately co-writing) a book on productivity improvement in the retail sector.

It seems that retailers have broadly 'got it right' ... they work hard at productivity improvement ... but they always maintain a balance with maintaining excellent customer service.

Of course those of us in the know about the the true focus of productivity improvement - and those steeped in the 'lean' tradition -know that productivity always has a focus on customer need and customer value.

If we are not creating customer value, we are not being productive!

So, nect time you are looking to improve your business, take a walk round your local supermarket and think "What can I learn from the way these guys operate?"

A little India is needed

I've been in India for a few weeks. People there are very entrepreneurial ... lots of them set up micro businesses, some of them grow into SMEs, a few grow really large. the sheer size of the population means that full employment in the Western sense is unlikely but also means there are all sorts of niche markets to be exploited. So creativity and entrepreneurship flourish.

How do we create that 'drive' and that energy in the West. Do people here have it too easy?.. they get the basics whatever they do.  Where is the impetus to strike out on your own and take the risk?

How do we create the equivalent of Indian entrepreneurship in a rich, Western economy?