In this article, I will look at the issues involved with finding and selecting a niche market that will help your business to attract, convert and keep customers. What Is A Niche Market? A niche market is a small segment of a bigger, more general market that you can specifically target in your marketing and […]
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Continue ReadingIs differentiation and how you will attract and convert customers a vital issue that needs your attention while you are thinking about starting a business or is it something that you can afford to leave until your business is more established? The Role Of Differentiation In Business Start Up Planning This is one of those […]
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Continue ReadingThe Six Step Profit Formula is my high level reminder of what you are trying to achieve with your strategic planning and analysis and provides the connection between strategy and tactics. It can also be used as: A guide when you are starting your business to make sure that you’ve covered the basics. . […]
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Continue ReadingBattling Big Box: How Nimble Niche Companies Can Outmaneuver Giant Competitors by Henry Dubroff and Susan J Marks is supposed to be a book about how small businesses can get the better of the giant competitors in their market who appear to have all the advantages. Unfortunately it didn’t live up to expectations.
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Continue ReadingThanks to Dragons’ Den, Duncan Bannatyne is one of the best known multi-millionaire entrepreneurs and in this book, Wake Up And Change Your Life, he provides the inspiration for you to move from thinking about starting your own business or talking about it to actually making the commitment to literally change your life. Wake Up […]
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Continue ReadingIf you think about going down the venture capital route for funds for your young business, I recommend you read this blog post from Fred Wilson of Union Square Investments. Why Early Stage Venture Investments Fail It’s always good to understand the situation from the other side since it makes their demands seem more reasonable. […]
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Continue ReadingWhen I was researching how businesses change or pivot their business plans, I found this presentation about Venture Capital and when you need it and when you don’t by Union Square Ventures in New York. Venture Capital Presentation Since I have no control over whether it disappears from scribd, I want to pull out a […]
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Continue ReadingDo you think you have a great idea for a new business? Exciting isn’t it to have thought of something that feels new and different and it’s even more exciting if you think this could be the idea that you act upon. That last sentence makes an important point which may have passed you by. […]
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Continue ReadingI’m often approached by start-up entrepreneurs and asked to write their business plan. I won’t do it. I think it’s a rotten idea. So does Dragons Den entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne.
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Continue ReadingSpecialist business planning software is a great way to help you to out together a business plan to take to a bank or other financial backer. I’ve written before about the different types of business plans. It’s The Thinking In Business Planning That’s So Important I believe in the thinking that goes into preparing a […]
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Continue ReadingI’ve just received a review copy of The Start Your Own Business Bible: 501 New Ventures You Can Launch Today by Richard Walsh. I love talking to entrepreneurs about business but one of the most difficult questions to answer is… “I want to start my own business. Where can I make the most money?” It’s […]
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Continue ReadingOne of the most powerful things you can do when negotiating is to see things from the other person’s perspective. To find out why banks don’t finance business startups I want you to put yourself in the bank manager’s shoes when he meets an eager entrepreneur looking for cash to finance the great (ad)venture.
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Continue ReadingI’d better make it clear what I mean by small business design. It has little to do with website design or graphic design. What I mean by small business design is carefully planning out:
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Continue ReadingI regularly read the Harvard Business School blog and many of the articles are for big businesses but one inspired me to give you my own thoughts. If you are thinking about starting a small business, see how you measure up to these three personality traits:
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Continue ReadingIt is very tempting when you are starting a business to cast your net too widely and to try to appeal to many different types of customer. The problem is that by being so general, you finish up talking to no one. I think it’s easier to see how crazy this is by stepping out […]
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Continue ReadingHave you ever seen the TV programme Dragons’ Den where entrepreneurs and inventors pitch for real money from multi-millionaire investors? The Dragons only have a short time to decide if they are going to invest based on whether they think the business that is being pitched to them will succeed or fail. How do they […]
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Continue ReadingI believe you need to differentiate your business to be successful in these super-competitive times when it can be tough to get attention, let alone action from potential customers and clients.
I’ve worked as a business coach and consultant for SME’s in the UK since 1995 using my strategy, finance, marketing and process improvement skills.
I’m a Chartered Accountant, have a Masters In Business Administration (MBA) and I’m a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach.
If you own or manage an Internet based SME in the UK and you want to move from tactical improvements to strategic business improvement, then I’d love to hear from you.
I can be contacted by emailing me at paul@plancs.co.uk
A zebra look stunning on its own but a group of zebras is called a dazzle because they all merge into one to protect them from lions.
It's like many businesses. Individually the marketing looks good and a strong case is made for buying the generic product or service but it doesn't differentiate and create buyer preference.
Our task is to make sure your business stands out like the blue zebra and gets the attention it deserves by being different in ways that matter to the customers.
