Many Hats of Business

14/11/2025

Most business owners I meet are working towards the wrong number.

They'll tell me they want to hit £100k, £250k, £500k in revenue. When I ask why that specific number, the answer is usually some version of "because it sounds good" or "because that's what growth looks like."

But sitting down and working out what you actually need your business to earn to fund the life you want doesn't happen enough.
Not dream numbers. Real numbers. What does your mortgage cost? What do you want to spend on holidays? When do you want to stop working full-time? What does "comfortable" actually look like in pounds and pence?

Because once you know that number - and you've planned how to structure your business properly around it - you often realise you can work a lot less hard than you think you need to.

You stop chasing arbitrary revenue targets. You start building a business that's designed around your life, not the other way around.

That's what the Business & Wealth Planning Day on 8th January is actually about. It's not motivational. It's not vision boards. It's working out your real wealth target with expert financial input, then working backwards to figure out what your business actually needs to deliver to get you there.

What do you need to earn? What needs to change about how you're structured for tax efficiency? How many working days do you actually have available? What can you realistically charge?
Then we build the plan. Properly. Using your actual numbers.

Because "more, more, more" isn't a strategy. It's a treadmill. And most people I meet are already exhausted.

The day's at Champneys Springs. Limited to 8 people. Includes lunch, spa access, and a 30-minute follow-up call to make sure you're actually implementing what we plan.

Full details: https://manyhatsofbusiness.com/product/business-and-wealth-planning-day/

If you're an established business owner who's tired of working harder than you need to, this might be exactly what you need.

One-day intensive Business & Wealth Planning Day connecting your business strategy, revenue targets, tax efficiency, and wealth goals. Leave knowing what your business actually needs to deliver to fund the life you want - and what needs to change to make that sustainable. Includes pre-work, full-day...

06/11/2025

It's back. Apparently I've been hiding! Not quite sure why but it seems once I could run this on any day because the kids were at school I stalled. When it was harder to organise around childcare I made it happen. I'm weird, what else can I say?!

Anyway I digress, I've now booked the pub for the first Wednesday of every month, clever huh! I now don't have to think about it. When you find yourself procrastinating or doing something repeatedly, automate where you can to save brain space (or to stop you getting in your own way like I do).

We're not making it a subscription so you can just turn up for the session with no commitment. Having said that because we talk about business on a deeper level it's great to come along regularly so you get to deepen the relationships and build on that trust with each other.

Can't wait to be back spending time chatting business again with friends new and old. Book to come along - 1st session 3rd December 👇

19/09/2025

We really do wear so many hats, don't we?

When I was running my manufacturing business, every single day was different. Bespoke products meant no two days on the shop floor were ever the same.

But even as I stepped back from production, that variety continued - one minute I'd be knee-deep in accounts, the next dealing with customer service issues, then updating the website, chasing payments (sadly more common than you'd like!), working up quotes, and inevitably troubleshooting some technical issue with a machine.

I absolutely loved that variety in my life. It's something I've always wanted to keep - hence the somewhat random entry into travel earlier this year.

But today? Today I conducted my first ever 1-2-2 LinkedIn training session.

Who saw that coming?

A client had been listening to me tell them they needed to improve their LinkedIn presence, but they genuinely didn't know where to start or how to get the most out of the platform. So they asked if I'd walk them through it.

What struck me during that session was how much I really love teaching people to get the best out of their business. I mean, I knew that to some extent already, but today it really hit home.

It's got me properly excited about some things I've been quietly working on that I'll be sharing more about later in the year.

The thing is, we do wear so many different hats in business - from financial management to customer service, from marketing to operations. And we need to know how to wear each one effectively, as quickly and efficiently as possible, before we can delegate it out to someone else.

Because let's face it, there are only so many hours in the day, and we've all got lives outside of business too.

What's the most unexpected hat you've found yourself wearing in your business recently?

25/06/2025

We all know I love a good blog! And I should do - I teach the benefits of blogging for our businesses all the time.

Here's my latest one about bringing the service back to service businesses. With everyone rushing toward AI and automation, there's a massive opportunity for those of us who get it right.

The businesses thriving right now aren't fighting AI - they're using it smartly to become more human, not less. They're automating the boring stuff so they can focus on what actually matters - making clients feel genuinely valued and cared for.

Because here's the thing - people still buy from people. Especially now.

While everyone else is obsessing over speed and automation, exceptional service becomes your competitive advantage. Your clients don't want to feel like another number - they want to know you genuinely care about their success.

The full blog covers how to do this without burning yourself out, why "productised services" are still brilliantly service-oriented, and practical ways to make service your differentiator in 2025.

[Link to blog in comments]

Right, your turn! Share your latest blogs in the comments - let's get blogging and support each other! 📝✨

24/06/2025

Here’s what I’ve learnt after 15+ years of helping business owners…the ones who invest in getting outside perspective aren’t looking for more information.

They’re looking for clarity.

They’re tired of lying awake at 2am wondering if they’re missing something obvious. They want to know if their gut feelings about their business are right. They need someone to confirm what they suspect - or show them what they can’t see.

That’s exactly why my Small Business Health Check goes beyond just numbers and strategies. Yes, we analyse your finances, marketing, and operations. But we also dig into whether your business is actually serving the life you wanted when you started it.

The beauty of it? No awkward diary juggling or scheduled calls. Just you, a cup of tea (or glass of wine - I find the responses get delightfully more honest as the evening progresses!), and a comprehensive questionnaire you complete when it suits you.

Then a detailed report appears in your inbox within a week for you to review at your own pace.

Because the real desire isn’t just profit - it’s peace of mind. It’s knowing you’re on the right track.

Ready for that clarity? £97 for complete outside perspective, done entirely on your schedule.

23/06/2025

I've been reflecting more on last week's networking event and those lightbulb moments I mentioned...

It got me thinking about something I've noticed with my Small Business Health Check clients. Often, they tell me the breakthrough started before they even received my report - just from working through the comprehensive questionnaire.

The questions cover everything from financial performance and marketing effectiveness to team dynamics, growth capacity, and crucially - whether your business is actually supporting the lifestyle you wanted when you started it.

There's something about being asked to think holistically about your business rather than just firefighting the daily issues.

Questions like 'What drives you?' and 'If you could change anything about your typical week, what would it be?' alongside the strategic analysis often spark those same revelation moments I witnessed at networking.

Then you get my 15+ years of outside perspective in a detailed report - spotting patterns and opportunities you can't see from inside your business, with both quick wins you can implement immediately and longer-term strategic insights to push your business forward.

But here's what I promise...I'll never tell you the solution is to work more hours. Healthy growth should enhance your life, not consume it.

Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come from taking a step back and seeing the bigger picture - whether that's through genuine conversations with fellow business owners or getting comprehensive outside eyes on your entire operation.

Curious about what fresh perspective might reveal in your business? The Small Business Health Check is 97 for the full analysis and report, check comments to find out more

23/06/2025

Something magical happened my recent networking event that I can't stop thinking about...

We had this incredible mix of business owners - from a tech wizard revolutionising AI for corporations to a consultant who transforms medical companies' expo disasters into success stories.

But what made it special wasn't just the variety of brilliant minds in the room.

It was how relaxed and genuine the conversations were. No elevator pitches, no rushed business card exchanges - just proper chats about the real challenges we're all facing.

And here's what fascinated me: I watched business owner after business owner have those lightbulb moments just from talking through their challenges out loud.

Not because someone gave them advice (though that happened too!), but because the simple act of articulating the problem to someone who truly listened helped them see their own solution.

There's something powerful about speaking your business challenges out loud to people who genuinely get it. Sometimes your brain just needs to hear your own words to make connections you'd never make while stuck in your head.

The conversations naturally evolved into informal masterminding sessions - brilliant minds offering fresh perspectives on challenges they'd never encountered but could see clearly because they weren't living inside them every day.

It reminded me why I love what I do so much. There's nothing quite like that moment when someone sees their business from a completely new angle. A problem shared is a problem halved they say, and whilst it might not be quite halved we certainly all leave with a bit of extra zest and zeal.

I'm trying to squeeze in another one before the summer but its looking a bit tricky but we'll be back early Sept if you want to join us, just let me know and I'll make sure you hear about it.

21/06/2025

Busy week of blogging - I started the week wanting to record my updated Keyword research training for my Simply SEO course but realised that I sound dreadful - thanks hayfever!
So I've been blogging instead. I've had to battle the gremlins of feeling like it isn't 'productive' time just because it doesn't bring immediate results. This is me people, I KNOW the power of blogging for your business and I even feel odd prioritising it to this level.
This is a new site so I'm creating more content because of that to speed up getting higher rankings.
I also made a decision that when I'm not tied to school holidays I will be going away for the month of June to avoid hayfever season in UK.
I always say I'll go for September to avoid spider season too so seems like I'm not going to be here much 😄 Looks like I'll be using my own travel agent services a lot then!
When's the last time you wrote a blog for your business?

06/05/2025

A rare space has become available in my diary today for a Business Breakthrough Session.

People have used these powerful 90-minute Zoom sessions for various reasons in their businesses such as:

- To go over their business idea, name and plan and get my feedback, insight and advice.
- As an SEO strategy session where I've been able to provide keyword research and insight so they can decide what to write about so their dream clients find them when they search online.
- To have me look at the backend of their website and answer the questions they have so they can work more effectively on their website.

All of the above examples are just that, examples. You can use it any way you want to for the benefit of you and your business. I'm free at 12:30 today if you are

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