The Growing Business Handbook: Inspiration & Advice from Successful Entrepeneurs & Fast Growing UK Companies

© copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Foreword......Page 21
PART 1 Growth challenges......Page 26
Where are you?......Page 28
How do you get there?......Page 29
1.2 Lessons of fast growth......Page 32
Swallowed pride......Page 33
Market entries......Page 34
Growing instability......Page 35
1.3 Entrepreneurial skills and behaviours......Page 36
Reflections......Page 40
Risks and challenges......Page 43
1.5 Resilience for the growing business......Page 45
PART 2 Exploiting ideas......Page 50
2.1 The innovative enterprise......Page 52
2.2 Innovation for SMEs......Page 56
Know your market......Page 58
Think about where your business is going......Page 59
2.3 A wealth in ideas......Page 60
Irrelevant for SMEs?......Page 62
Are IP rights difficult to enforce?......Page 64
2.4 Building and managing an IP portfolio......Page 66
Wooing inventors......Page 68
PART 3 Customer service......Page 72
Satisfaction? Is that the best you can do?......Page 74
Focus measurement on customer priorities......Page 75
Let the team lead......Page 76
Continuous improvement......Page 77
3.2 The top 20 questions about customer service......Page 79
3.3 Creating customer focus......Page 86
The cat ’s whiskers......Page 88
The CRM bandwagon......Page 89
PART 4 Gaining market share......Page 94
Trust......Page 96
Corporate pride......Page 97
Preparing your new business growth plan......Page 98
4.2 Network marketing......Page 100
Getting to market......Page 101
Working together......Page 102
The networking network......Page 103
4.3 Online ads bring quick results......Page 106
Ten to 20 per cent of media spend:a good start......Page 108
Web advertising......Page 110
Takeaways......Page 111
4.4 Search engine marketing......Page 113
Search marketing options......Page 114
Offline marketing vs search marketing......Page 116
Key success factors......Page 118
Types of events......Page 122
Budget......Page 123
Checklist......Page 124
Measuring success......Page 125
Planning for your conference......Page 126
4.7 Licensing......Page 132
Particular rights that might be licensed......Page 133
What you should be looking for in a licence......Page 135
Summary – don’t miss out on a potential bonus......Page 136
4.8 The value of franchising......Page 137
4.9 High-level telemarketing......Page 140
What ’s the alternative?......Page 141
What next?......Page 143
PART 5 People and performance......Page 146
High performance rules......Page 148
Apply the four rules for success......Page 151
5.2 Just-in-time talent......Page 152
The benefits of using freelancers......Page 154
Raising the quality bar......Page 155
Freelancers making their mark......Page 156
5.3 The frontiers of management......Page 158
Lessons to be learnt......Page 160
Summary......Page 163
5.4 Tomorrow ’s leaders......Page 164
5.5 Executive search for smaller businesses......Page 169
5.6 Work –life balance in smaller companies......Page 172
5.7 Keeping on the right side of the law......Page 176
PART 6 Cash .ow and working capital......Page 180
6.1 Improving cash flow......Page 182
What are the demands on cash?......Page 183
How to finance working capital......Page 185
Which is the best lever to pull?......Page 187
Anatomy of a small business......Page 194
Risky business......Page 195
Getting the full picture......Page 196
Making the right choices......Page 197
How much liquidity is needed......Page 198
Short-term liquidity management......Page 199
Cash pooling......Page 201
Managing international liquidity......Page 202
6.5 Slow payments......Page 206
What are the benefits for me?......Page 209
What services are available?......Page 211
How do new users register?......Page 212
PART 7 Property and locations......Page 218
Why is commercial property important?......Page 220
How has commercial property performed?......Page 221
What is the outlook for commercial property?......Page 222
Where are the hotspots?......Page 223
The start-up phase......Page 228
The growth cycle......Page 229
Financial impact......Page 230
7.3 Business locations......Page 233
PART 8 Corporate finance......Page 238
The knock-on effects of IFRS......Page 240
The routes available to growing businesses......Page 241
Starting down the road......Page 242
8.2 Acquiring a business......Page 244
Vision......Page 245
Structure......Page 246
Organic growth......Page 247
Commercial planning points......Page 248
Conclusion......Page 250
PART 9 Managing growth......Page 252
9.1 Entrepreneurial management for the ambitious business......Page 254
Functional performance domains......Page 256
Potential......Page 257
Summary......Page 259
Managing the consequences of success......Page 262
Some background to validate the ideas......Page 263
What does an improvement programme look like?......Page 265
Learning how to understand and improve the system......Page 266
What is a strategic plan?......Page 268
A thinking tool......Page 270
The strategic planning process......Page 272
Summary......Page 273
9.4 Directors ’ and officers’ liability......Page 274
Relationships and trust......Page 278
How to put in a code......Page 280
The business case......Page 281
In conclusion......Page 282
9.6 Interim management......Page 283
PART 10 International growth......Page 286
Small acorns......Page 288
Code contradiction......Page 289
Bringing the cash home......Page 290
Conclusion......Page 291
Real time......Page 292
Trade cycle......Page 293
Single European payments......Page 294
10.3 Using trade statistics......Page 296
Drill down and gather......Page 297
You’d be nuts not to use it......Page 300
PART 11 Enterprise systems......Page 302
Why settle?......Page 304
New model......Page 305
Why compromise?......Page 306
11.2 Enterprise reporting......Page 308
11.3 Using technology effectively to support a growing business......Page 312
11.4 Offshore outsourcing......Page 320
The need for offshore outsourcing......Page 322
Where can we offshore?......Page 323
Engagement models......Page 324
Conclusion......Page 325
Why worry about software licences?......Page 328
Software compliance process......Page 329
Index of advertisers......Page 332
Further reading from Kogan Page......Page 334