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Put customers at the heart of your business model to batter your competition
The other three Hobbits turned and looked at him. Frodo hugged Merry and Pippin and said his goodbyes. And then Sam . Sam, I must go, I was a ring bearer, you will never truly know what it did to me. Now, it’s Friday, and time for a chippy tea. The closing words in the greatest saga ever, written by JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings . OK, they’re my additional words about Friday night chippy tea, but I’m sure Tolkien was partial, aren’t we all? As soon as you step into th
4 days ago7 min read


Takeaways from Gregg's growth strategy for startups - beyond the sausage rolls
Pizza Hut was once a go-to budget restaurant to tuck into its all-you-can eat buffet, unlimited salad bar, and lashings of self-serve ice-cream, but the changing market dynamics for eating out and the pizza market has seen fewer diners ‘hitting the Hut’ and it is closing half its UK restaurants after going into administration for the second time this year. Pizza Hut's all-you-can-eat model has become expensive. Depending on your order, Pizza Hut and Domino's prices are simila
Oct 288 min read


Founder mindset: be a philosopher of entrepreneurship
The world is loud. Social media campaigns, podcasts full of opinions, radio phone-ins and hosts deliberately triggering arguments, a storm of noise that never ends. And then there’s Gary Neville. All pull at your attention, demand your energy, and dare you to stay calm. Most people are ruled by this storm. Their emotions shift with every new event. They react before they think. They let the world set their rhythm. Enjoy the silence? I wish. The distracting sounds all around u
Oct 208 min read


Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read - Groucho Marx.
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read - Groucho Marx. Ian Brookes FRSA Enjoying the...
Oct 17 min read


Thoughts on scaling your startup
Oh, the guilty pleasure of takeaway food. From mobile kebab vans outside concert venues, to Peruvian street food stalls In Manchester –...
Sep 248 min read


The entrepreneurial mindset of Brian Eno
Artists see things that we don't, and if you want to unleash your own creative spark, visit a gallery. I'm not sure how it works, but it...
Sep 169 min read


Ensure you wander above the sea of fog in 2025
The 2024 headlines were predominantly gloomy. War raged on three continents, storms brought human tragedy, whilst the rivalry between...
Jan 58 min read


Founder mindset: cross the Rubicon and make it happen
Each of us is at someplace in our startup journey, and we're all trying to get somewhere else . How do I close the gap between where I am...
Dec 16, 20245 min read


Northvolt's $15m failure: the folly of startup's myopic pursuit of investors
Northvolt was supposed to be a battery pioneer, a symbol of European competitiveness in a global market. It was Europe’s best funded...
Dec 9, 20247 min read


Founders: remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet.
There are many groundbreaking ideas and inventions that have transformed how we live our daily lives, so forward-looking that they set a...
Dec 2, 20246 min read


Storytelling lessons for startup founders from Ridley Scott
Gladiator II is a triumph, a gripping cinematic experience, chock-full of massive fight sequences. Producer Ridley Scott knows how to...
Nov 28, 20247 min read


How bootstrapping YouTubers are beating Netflix
Bootstrappers Of The World, unite and take over sang The Smiths in 1987, but they made a late change to the lyrics and the song title...
Nov 18, 20247 min read


Founders need an innovation mindset: lessons from Robert Smith
Innovation is all about polarity and probability, you need to see what everybody has seen and think what nobody has thought, and not live...
Nov 6, 20245 min read


A budget for stability today, growth tomorrow
A grim morning today for all the rich folks with their non-Dom status rescinded, who send their kids to private school and fly around the...
Oct 31, 20247 min read


Tips for founders on building your 'minimum viable team'.
When investors are doing due diligence on a startup, they focus on the financial aspects of the strategy and plan: Do they have a viable...
Oct 29, 20246 min read


SpaceX: big innovation thinking & good development habits to take into your startup
The Space Exploration Technologies Corporation - SpaceX - is known to us all as Elon Musk’s company with their goal of the colonisation...
Oct 21, 20246 min read


Founder habits shape success: the Nadal formula for repeatable sales
Tennis legend Rafael Nadal is set to retire in November, having won twenty-two Grand Slam singles titles – bettered only by Novak...
Oct 15, 20247 min read


How to apply the business model canvas to launch your startup venture.
I’m currently working with a collective of farmers in North Wales on their latest venture – Welsh Farm Wines. Researching for the farmers...
Oct 7, 20248 min read


A startup founder mindset is all about creativity, curiosity & calmness
I love great pizza. There are two challenges in my life: I never have the willpower to completely ignore pizza on a restaurant menu or...
Sep 30, 20247 min read


Lessons in customer acquisition & retention from the 'Friday, chippy tea' tradition
The other three Hobbits turned and looked at him. Frodo hugged Merry and Pippin and said his goodbyes. And then Sam . Sam, I must go, I...
Sep 25, 20247 min read
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