<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!-- generator="WordPress/2.5.1" -->
<rss version="0.92">
<channel>
	<title>Ann Holman</title>
	<link>http://annholman.co.uk</link>
	<description>Thoughts and ideas for small business development and growth</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:07:33 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	
	<item>
		<title>Sliced Bread &#038; Small Business</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Great video of a twenty minute seminar by Seth Godin delivered in 2003. It may be five years old but it&#8217;s still relevant&#8230;. click on the hyperlink below to go straight to the video
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/seth_godin_on_sliced_bread.html

  addthis_url    = 'http%3A%2F%2Fannholman.co.uk%2F2008%2F08%2F20%2Fsliced-bread-small-business%2F';
  addthis_title  = 'Sliced+Bread+%26%23038%3B+Small+Business';
  addthis_pub    = '';

]]></description>
		<link>http://annholman.co.uk/2008/08/20/sliced-bread-small-business/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Patience is a Virtue in Business</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I ride my cycle a lot. I&#8217;m used to numpty car drivers pulling out on me (if you&#8217;re a cyclist you know what I mean.) I don&#8217;t hang around, I cycle quite fast. This weekend due to a lack of patience a car overtook in the most incredible place and hit the vehicle coming the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://annholman.co.uk/2008/08/18/patience-is-a-virtue-in-business/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Leadership in the Future</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Leadership not management is now the key to driving out more production, outstanding creative work and new ideas. So why are we small businesses having so many problems? Well we’re selling more intellect and less material. The emphasis today is on managing the human imagination not production lines. Our peoples expectations have changed but ours [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://annholman.co.uk/2008/08/13/leadership-in-the-future/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Few Businesses Can Afford to Coast</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We are exposed to an average of 3500 brands a day. Brand orientated businesses are twice as likely to succeed. 80% of businesses with a strong brand focus have operating profits almost twice as high as the sector average. We&#8217;re shifting from profit generation to value creation for all stakeholders and we&#8217;re now operating in [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://annholman.co.uk/2008/08/08/few-businesses-can-afford-to-coast/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Learning from other Small Business</title>
		<description><![CDATA[If you don&#8217;t want to do yesterday&#8217;s exercise try this one&#8230;&#8230;in the next 10 days (okay it may take little more time to organise,) round up some of your colleagues and visit two &#8216;real&#8217; businesses you admire. Hold an open minded discussion with them on what they do well, what they want to improve on, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://annholman.co.uk/2008/08/06/learning-from-other-small-business/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Challenge of the Week</title>
		<description><![CDATA[A little exercise&#8230;&#8230;Sit down with two or three colleagues (preferably motivated ones) and launch informally into a discussion around:
WHO ARE WE?
WHAT DO WE STAND FOR?
HOW DO WE STAND OUT FROM OUR COMPETITORS?
WHAT EXPERIENCE DO WE WANT OUR CUSTOMERS TO HAVE?
Honest answers only please! With those same two or three colleagues map out what a great [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://annholman.co.uk/2008/08/05/challenge-of-the-week/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>2008 Business Challenges</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Just before we talk ourselves into a recession. Thought the following might be interesting. It&#8217;s taken from Ken Blanchard&#8217;s Thought Leadership Research.
Top organisational challenges; competitive pressure, economic challenges, growth and expansion
Top management challenges; creating an engaging workforce, managing change, developing potential leaders
Top employee development challenges; performance management, manager/supervisor skills, interpersonal communication skills
Top HR and training [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://annholman.co.uk/2008/07/30/2008-business-challenges/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>The Future Customers of Small Business</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Been doing some digging! Well some research really on what the people in customer service think will be the future challenges small businesses will have to face. It&#8217;s been interesting asking around and reading the enormous amount of information out there. I&#8217;ve summarised the most popular thoughts:
1. The IT savvy generation will choose technology over [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://annholman.co.uk/2008/07/28/the-future-customers-of-small-business/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Customer Service Not a Priority</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Whilst the traditional differentiators such as price, products, quality and delivery are on their way out and becoming increasingly unsustainable. It&#8217;s recognised right across all sectors that the main differential advantage is now in customer experience. The research speaks for itself. Get moving on providing great customer experience not just good enough customer service. It&#8217;s [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://annholman.co.uk/2008/07/25/customer-service-not-a-priority/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Creative thinking in small business</title>
		<description><![CDATA[ 
Creative thinking can help generate lots of ideas, find new ways to make money, solve problems, re engage new markets or products, modify ideas or ways of doing things and ensure you are more competitive.
So what is creative thinking in business? Well it&#8217;s when you are looking at something that everyone else is looking [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://annholman.co.uk/2008/06/26/creative-thinking-in-small-business/</link>
			</item>
</channel>
</rss>
